It felt as if something crucial within his body had been instantly ripped away, and an overwhelming sense of weakness surged through him. Madara could only feel that his body, at this moment, had become like a dilapidated house with the wind leaking in from all directions.
His once-mighty chakra, his unfathomable ocular power, and the little remaining life force he had left—all of it was slipping away uncontrollably into the surroundings.
His vision gradually blurred, and a sharp pain at his lower back made him hunch over again.
With each labored breath, sounding like the wheezing of a broken bellows, the once-imposing Susanoo, which had stood like a pillar supporting the heavens, rapidly crumbled.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan he had forcibly awakened also continued to regress to the three-tomoe, then two-tomoe, then one-tomoe... until it completely vanished.
"Huff… ha… huff… ha… cough, cough…"
Before Susanoo fully dissipated, he stumbled to the ground, gasping desperately for air.
The battlefield was shrouded in dust and smoke, causing him to cough uncontrollably.
One hand clutched his seemingly broken waist, while the other barely supported him, preventing himself from collapsing completely. His long, once-proud white hair framed his aged, clouded eyes.
With difficulty, he lifted his head to look in the direction where Kei had been moments ago.
His blurred vision made it impossible to capture the enemy's figure or expression.
Damn it!
The moment Kei saw Madara's weakened state, he immediately realized that this was the best moment to strike. However, his opponent's positioning was too precise—there were no Flying Thunder God markers in that area!
When the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees had descended, over a dozen of his wood clones had scattered in all directions, utilizing Body Flicker to its utmost limits.
Now, they swiftly regrouped toward the main body. Some clones even used Wood Release to spring from the ground on vines and branches, preparing to unleash ninjutsu.
What a pity… Kei pressed his lips together. Seeing the opportunity slip away, he decided not to force an attack.
At this moment, Madara's true body was already at the end of his rope. The real threat, instead, was the dozen wood clones that Madara had created before his power was stripped away.
The chakra in these wood clones would eventually run out. If he got too impatient and let one of them turn the tide at the last moment—he would cough up blood on the spot from frustration!
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
The violent coughing echoed across the now eerily quiet battlefield.
Under the protection of his remaining wood clones, Madara struggled to his feet. He forcefully tore open his chest armor.
The spot where Hashirama's face had once been was now withered and distorted. Though it had not completely disappeared, its power had weakened several times over.
Without the Gedo Statue providing him with life force, without the resilience and chakra of the Sage Body, and without the overwhelming power of the Mangekyō Sharingan…
This feeling of standing at death's doorstep… How nostalgic!
"Hah… haha… hahaha… HAHAHAHA!!" A low chuckle escaped Madara's lips, growing wilder and more unrestrained with each breath.
With his left hand, he struck his lower back forcefully.
Relying on his perfect control over every muscle and bone after countless battles, he snapped his misaligned spine back into place.
Pain? Weakness? Despair? Regret?
No!
Even if death was at his doorstep, he would never allow himself to look pathetic!
He was Madara!
A warrior who had stood at the peak of the ninja world, who had ended the Warring States period alongside Hashirama and founded the ninja village system!
He manipulated Kiri, subdued the tailed beasts, and toyed with the ninja villages and natural disasters in the palm of his hand! From the moment he was born, he had been fighting until now. He was a warrior forged in endless battle!
His hunched body slowly straightened once more.
His hands formed seals at a measured pace.
The last vestiges of power and potential within his body ignited into a blazing flame of life the instant he completed the seal.
Casting aside all hesitation and doubt, he regarded this battle as the final dance of his broken body. He wanted nothing more than one last exhilarating fight!
Pa! Pa!
Madara lightly tapped his bare right foot against the ground.
Two White Zetsu emerged from the earth at his sides. One presented a small bottle containing two three-tomoe Sharingan. The other carried the scythe and Uchiha war fan that had just been buried in the ground.
Without the regenerative power of the Sage Body, even swapping eyes has become such a hassle. Madara removed the nearly blind eyes from his sockets and replaced them with the fresh Sharingan.
A glow of medical ninjutsu flickered in his palm as he swiftly connected the optic nerves. The faint sense of rejection emanated from his new eyes, making him frown slightly.
Damn it! Kei cursed under his breath as he saw Black Zetsu remain completely hidden. He gritted his teeth and swiftly retreated into the thick, mist-like mirage.
When Madara had been wrapped in his wood clones and laughing maniacally, Kei had already used the Summoning Jutsu to call forth the giant clam!
"Zetsu, you know what to do with my will."
Madara's voice was devoid of any emotion. As soon as he finished speaking, he gripped the Uchiha war fan and scythe before charging into the dense mist alongside his dozen wood clones.
The mist before him distorted light and shadow.
At that moment, Kei and his summoned beast seemed to appear in an entirely different location. But within the eyes of Madara's wood clones, their Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan continued tracking Kei's true location.
"You're turning out to be quite the worthy opponent! Hahaha!" Madara's real three-tomoe Sharingan had already lost the ability to see through the Demonic Illusion: Steaming Multistoried Building, but his wood clones could still perceive the truth.
Kei was well aware of this.
Against Madara at his peak he would never have dared to fight so recklessly. But the current Madara was already at his limit.
To locate Kei and the giant clam, he had to rely entirely on his wood clones.
If those clones were held back and the giant clam could draw enough attention, Kei would find the perfect opening to eliminate Madara in his weakened state!
"You've got a tough first fight, facing an opponent of this level. If it's too much, retreat immediately." Kei patted the rough shell of the giant clam.
The clam trembled slightly in response, acknowledging his words.
With a clap of his hands, a surge of chakra erupted into a thick cloud of smoke, and over thirty shadow clones appeared behind him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The clones instantly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, launching a fierce assault against the wood clones.
A storm of high-powered Water Release techniques and Rasengans swept across the battlefield.
Explosions and deafening roars echoed across the war-torn land!
Kei clapped his hands once more, unleashing the Second Mizukage's most devastating secret technique, Steaming Danger Tyranny!