Chapter 16: The Duel of Elite Strongmen

Chu Yang, squatting in the grass with nothing to do, looked up to count the stars, but today the sky was thick with dark clouds, and he couldn't see any stars at all.

When the dark clouds obscured the moonlight overhead for the third time.

Chu Yang's Observation Haki sensed two extremely powerful auras.

The auras were so fierce that Chu Yang's heart raced, and he had to voluntarily deactivate his Observation Haki.

Immediately, Qianshou Flying Sword whispered into Chu Yang's ear, "They're coming!"

"They're coming!"

Those simple two words made Chu Yang's heart leap! He cautiously stuck his head out and finally saw Qianshou Zhuan's figure.

Opposite him stood the famed Madara Uchiha.

The two destined rivals stared at each other across a small creek.

"Uchiha, surrender! Let's end this meaningless war together!" Qianshou Zhuan shouted, "You and I could create a peaceful world where the children of our clan can live safely and happily."

"You're still as naive as ever; sometimes I really envy you..." Madara Uchiha said with a complicated expression, shaking his head, and coldly asked, "What about Quan Nai? Did you kill him?"

Qianshou Zhuan replied, "He didn't die."

Upon hearing that his younger brother was alive, Madara Uchiha's cold expression finally softened, a flash of relief crossing his eyes.

Madara Uchiha said, "Zhuan, unless we settle this with a winner today, this war cannot end. If you crave peace, then let your fists speak."

Hearing that, Qianshou Zhuan finally cast aside his last hope, took a deep breath, and prepared for battle.

Madara Uchiha smiled; he wanted to see his opponent give his all, as previous skirmishes on the battlefield had been mere sparring.

The next second, the two figures collided and a fierce battle erupted.

Observing Chu Yang noticed that whether it was Madara Uchiha or Qianshou Zhuan, they rarely used ninjutsu; most of the fight was hand‑to‑hand combat.

In battles between elite warriors, the ninjutsu they employ is mastered to perfection, requiring little to no hand seals, sometimes reduced to just two or three.

Otherwise, the brief pause between seals becomes a huge opening in the enemy's eyes.

So far, Madara Uchiha has only used Fire Release to aid his attacks, while Qianshou Zhuan has only used Wood Release.

Yet precisely this ultra‑simple combat gave Chu Yang a tremendous visual impact.

Gradually... their speed surpassed human visual limits; Chu Yang could only see a blur of silhouettes, not the actual movements.

Qianshou Flying Sword, standing beside Chu Yang, noticed his predicament and offered a few words of comfort.

There's nothing that can be done unless one possesses a Sharingan or Byakugan—special eye techniques that greatly enhance vision; with ordinary sight, it's truly hard to keep up with elite fighters.

Even though Chu Yang's body was reinforced by Wood Release, it only gave him a little extra time compared to a normal person.

Their battle raged far and wide; the entire valley was ravaged, the earth crumbled, trees, flowers, and grass turned to ash, and all things perished.

Chu Yang's heart pounded, and before he could react, Qianshou Flying Sword grabbed him and swiftly fled the battlefield's edge.

Moments after they left, a fireball three stories tall crashed onto their former landing spot; the blast's shockwave scraped three feet off the ground. When Chu Yang hit the ground and looked back, all he saw was a pitch‑black char. Had he stayed there, not even Wood Release—or a deity—could have saved him.

In an instant, cold sweat soaked Chu Yang's back, and he began to tremble involuntarily.

Qianshou Flying Sword laughed, "Did you see? Even a simple Great Fireball Technique varies in power depending on who wields it!"

Chu Yang couldn't help but roll his eyes!

What the hell do you call that, Great Fireball Technique? Someone who doesn't know might think a mushroom egg fell on my head! Even now, Qianshou Flying Sword kept lecturing the still‑shaken Chu Yang, "You're smart, but that's your problem—you're too smart, you learn everything easily, then you want to learn everything, and in the end you're just a fool who knows a little about everything."

Chu Yang didn't deny Qianshou Flying Sword's point, but wasn't he fighting alone?

With so many clones learning from each other and merging knowledge, a normal person's issues wouldn't become Chu Yang's; the path he walks is destined to be beyond ordinary comprehension.

As the moon above grew brighter, the battle intensified toward a fever pitch.

The trembling earth caught Chu Yang's attention.

He just looked up... when a colossal, indescribable silhouette rose from the ground!

A thousand‑foot‑tall Wood Golem instantly blocked the moonlight, like an ancient demon god descending.

【Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique】

Qianshou Zhuan, perched on the Wood Golem's shoulder, wore a grim expression; with the fight at this stage, both sides had drawn their trump cards, and the outcome hinged on this moment.

Boom—! The Wood Golem moved; each step it took shook the entire valley.

Directly in front of the Wood Golem, Madara Uchiha began forming hand seals, the tomoe in his Mangekyo Sharingan whirling continuously.

Madara Uchiha unleashed his bright energy to the limit!

He also expended ninety percent of his body's chakra in one breath, blue flames ignited from the void, coalescing into a skeletal phantom.

As the flames grew hotter, the phantom solidified; the skeleton gradually formed a complete human shape, eventually solidifying into a massive war‑god phantom clad in samurai armor.

The majestic war god is Susanoo, its size comparable to the Wood Golem, its armor bearing a pair of wings, four arms each gripping a sword.

Under Madara Uchiha's control, the war god approached the Wood Golem and struck first! The Wood Golem reached out, brutally snatching the long sword formed from the war god's gathered energy, then hauled the war god forward and slammed a powerful punch into it.

The clash of the two giants made Chu Yang's blood boil!

"Big brother's bound to win; Madara Uchiha doesn't have enough stamina to sustain Susanoo, his bright energy is already near its limit," Qianshou Flying Sword said coldly.

At this point Chu Yang also noticed that the longer Susanoo persisted, the slower its movements became.

In earlier fights, Madara Uchiha had accumulated many injuries, whereas Qianshou Zhuan's exceptional healing ability left his condition far better than Madara's.

Having emptied his body to summon Susanoo, Madara Uchiha was at the end of his strength! Qianshou Flying Sword sighed, "How ironic—now his condition mirrors that of the Uchiha clan itself!"

With that sigh, the demon‑like Susanoo shattered with a roar! (Please follow, upvote, and comment!)

(End of Chapter)