An army of 3,000 ninjas, led by the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, had completely surrounded Madara's force of 800.
Senju Yunjian and the others felt their hearts sink.
Damn it! We're really surrounded.
Though they had anticipated this possibility, facing the reality of their predicament made it hard not to place the blame on Uchiha Madara.
As the 800 warriors of Uchiha and Senju stood in battle formation, many of them discreetly cast their eyes toward Madara, eager to see his reaction.
Madara, however, merely smirked.
"Oh? Surrounded, huh?"
Then, raising his index and middle fingers to form a cross, he declared, "Alright then, let's have some fun."
Shadow Clone Technique!
In an instant, Madara created hundreds of shadow clones.
The next moment, these clones surged forward from all sides, their hands forming the Tiger Seal.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A massive sea of flames erupted, merging into a devastating inferno. Explosions rang out one after another as the firestorm consumed everything in its path.
"Is he planning to use up all his chakra at once!?"
Senju Yunjian was stunned.
After all, chakra consumed by a shadow clone is fed back to the original upon dispelling. Creating so many clones and unleashing such a powerful technique—how much chakra did Uchiha Madara even have left?
But before the flames could claim their victims, a massive wave crashed over them, swallowing the inferno whole.
A combined Water and Wind Release jutsu from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans!
Given the sheer disparity in numbers, no matter how powerful Madara was, the enemy could compensate with manpower alone.
"Defensive formations! Use Earth Release to counter!"
Senju Yunjian swiftly ordered his forces to erect barriers.
He knew they couldn't rely on the Uchiha for this; Earth Release was the rarest chakra nature among them. The Uchiha were predominantly fire users, followed by lightning and wind, with water coming next. Earth was the least common affinity within their clan.
But Madara merely scoffed.
"Hmph. Such petty tricks mean nothing to me."
He soared into the sky, facing the oncoming tsunami, and formed an unfamiliar hand seal.
"Storm Release: Thundercloud Thousand Waves!!!"
Thunderclouds rapidly gathered in the sky, and in the next instant, countless bolts of silver-white lightning rained down.
With the water serving as a perfect conductor, the attack spread like wildfire.
"AARRRGH!!!"
The battlefield was filled with agonized screams as Sarutobi ninjas, struck by the lightning, were burned into charred corpses.
Sarutobi Furukawa's eyes widened in shock.
"A technique we've never seen before... Did Uchiha Madara invent it himself?"
Determined to turn the tide, he bit the tip of his thumb, slammed his palm onto the ground, and roared:
"Summoning Technique: Great Demon Ape King!"
A massive ape, far larger than the one his grandson, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would summon in the future, materialized.
"Kōga, now!"
Sarutobi Kōga clapped his hands together, his chest swelling as he inhaled deeply.
"Fire Release: Sky Burial Inferno!!!"
The summoned Ape King performed its own technique in tandem.
"Secret Technique: Multiple Combination!"
The ape's fur detached and fused into the raging flames, expanding the A-rank Fire Release jutsu to more than ten times its original size.
Now, it had transformed into a true Super S-rank jutsu!
The Uchiha behind Madara panicked.
"Clan leader! Watch out!!!"
But Madara simply smirked.
"Oh? The Sarutobi's summoned beast and the monkey clan's secret techniques… This is interesting."
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life.
"Then how about you try this? A technique I just developed…"
Madara opened his left palm.
A sharp, ear-piercing crackle filled the air.
Lightning erupted violently from his hand.
It was Chidori.
No, it was something far more sinister.
The bright blue light of Chidori suddenly darkened—turning jet black.
A sinister black thunder spear formed in his grip.
"Sage Art..."
Madara's lips curled into a grin as he launched forward, cutting through the blazing firestorm.
"Black Heart Raikiri!!!"
The massive fire technique met Madara's attack head-on.
BOOOOOM!!!
The moment the black lightning struck, the monstrous inferno shattered like a balloon pierced by a needle.
Explosions erupted across the battlefield, the shockwaves tearing through enemy formations.
"Kōga, be careful!!!"
The Great Ape King's expression twisted in alarm.
Sarutobi Kōga's eyes narrowed.
The next second, the firestorm parted—and Madara was already in front of him!
Madara swung his Gunbai (war fan) and Kama (scythe) in a deadly arc.
"DIE!!!"
CLANG!!!
Sparks flew.
A Tachi (long sword) with a wind-enhanced blade blocked Madara's strike.
Madara's eyes flickered in surprise.
Then, he leapt back ten meters, his tone still arrogant.
"Well, well… So even an old fox from the Shimura clan can still put up a fight."
The man who had blocked his attack was none other than Shimura Keizo.
Madara sneered.
"You really think a couple of clan leaders can stop me?"
Keizo, just as proud, replied coldly.
"You should feel honored. Most of our forces are focused on Uchiha Izuna and Senju Hashirama. Once we deal with you, we'll finish them off next."
Madara's expression darkened.
"So… You're saying I'm not as strong as Izuna and that idiot Hashirama?"
Of all things, there was nothing Madara despised more than being looked down upon—or worse, being compared to Hashirama.
Keizo had stepped on a landmine.
A deep, ominous crackling filled the battlefield.
Unlike Izuna's silver Susanoo, Madara's was a shade of dark blue.
But it didn't stop at its usual mature form.
It kept growing.
BOOM!
The dark blue flames of his chakra armor flared violently, rapidly expanding.
A towering colossal figure emerged, hundreds of meters tall. Twin long swords hung at its waist, and its tengu-like face glared down at the battlefield.
This was Madara's Perfect Susanoo!
The ground trembled beneath its sheer weight.
Madara stood high within the crystal of its forehead, his voice dripping with arrogance.
"Now, tell me—do you still think I'm weaker than Izuna and Hashirama?"
End of the Chapter.