Chapter 270: Uchiha Madara vs. Isshiki
Uchiha Madara and Isshiki clashed, their figures blurring as they exchanged blows. Suddenly, a black rod materialized in Isshiki's hand, striking toward Madara.
Boom!
Madara shifted his body, dodging the attack, and countered with a powerful kick that sent Isshiki flying. He glanced at his arm, where the black chakra rod had struck, and raised an eyebrow.
The weapon, created through Yin-Yang Release, was designed to sense and absorb chakra, disrupt the target's chakra flow, and block their tenketsu. Madara was familiar with such tools but hadn't expected to experience them himself.
'As expected of a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' brother—such perfect inheritances.'
Madara pulled the black rod out of his arm and tossed it aside. His gaze shifted to Isshiki, who stood calmly in the distance.
"You're not using your dōjutsu? That other eye of yours—surely it's not just for show?"
Isshiki glanced at him indifferently. "You want to see it?"
Madara's expression sharpened.
"Daikokuten."
Suddenly, numerous black rods materialized as if from thin air, each carrying immense piercing power. They seemed to bypass Madara's defenses entirely, stabbing into his body without warning.
Madara's pupils constricted as he quickly retreated dozens of meters. In his wake, dozens more black rods appeared, embedding themselves deeply into the ground.
If not for his expertise in Yin-Yang Release and his heightened vigilance as Isshiki spoke, he would have been pinned to the ground, completely incapacitated.
'Creating matter out of thin air?' Madara thought, his brows furrowing at the unexpected dōjutsu.
Isshiki's ability appeared to allow him to conjure tangible objects from nothing wherever his gaze landed. These objects weren't illusions but real, solid creations seemingly materialized from the void.
Sensing Isshiki's gaze turning toward him again, Madara quickly moved to a new location.
His chest and arms were still riddled with black rods, and the disruption to his chakra flow was growing worse. He needed to remove them; otherwise, he'd be forced to rely solely on taijutsu.
The moment Madara moved, massive black spears suddenly materialized where he had just stood. They howled as they slammed into the ground, leaving deep craters in their wake.
Having observed Isshiki's dōjutsu twice now, Madara began to glean a faint understanding of its mechanics.
Each time Isshiki activated his dōjutsu, his strange right eye would lock onto him. It wasn't using the Byakugan's 360-degree vision.
'His dōjutsu relies on direct line of sight, not Byakugan vision.'
Realizing this, Madara felt a small sense of relief.
If Isshiki's dōjutsu could operate through the Byakugan's panoramic vision, there would be no way to evade his attacks.
Now, as long as Madara avoided Isshiki's gaze…
Before Madara could finish his thought, the ground beneath him erupted in flames.
The fire surged as if it had been unleashed from the void itself, swallowing Madara whole. The intense heat roared, its flames licking the air as if determined to incinerate him entirely.
Then, Isshiki clenched his hands together, and the air above the inferno suddenly condensed into massive, razor-sharp ice spears.
The ice spears descended like blades from the heavens, piercing through the raging fire below. The collision of fire and ice produced a deafening cacophony of crackles and shatters, sending sparks and ice shards flying everywhere.
The battlefield became a scene of chaos—fire and ice violently colliding, creating a surge of thick steam that rapidly engulfed the entire area. The steam spread like a dense fog, obscuring everything from view.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
Suddenly, an overwhelming repulsive force erupted from the center of the steam. It swept outward like a hurricane, extinguishing the flames and shattering the ice spears into countless fragments.
As the steam slowly dispersed, Madara's figure emerged from the haze.
He stood tall, his expression cold and unyielding. Surrounding him was the blue aura of his Susano'o, which appeared to shield him from the chaos.
However, his chest and arms bore gaping holes from Isshiki's earlier attacks. Yet, as an Edo Tensei reanimation, Madara's body was already regenerating, the fragmented pieces of his form reassembling.
The black rods that had pierced him clattered to the ground as his body healed, effectively neutralizing their effects.
It was clear that, at the last moment, Madara had chosen to sacrifice his body to rid himself of the chakra disruption, ensuring he could fight at full strength again.
Isshiki raised an eyebrow, offering a faint smile. "Impressive. Among the strongest figures in ninja history, you certainly rank near the top."
Madara smirked. "You're not bad yourself. This dōjutsu of yours—creating matter from nothing—it's the first time I've seen such an ability."
Isshiki simply smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Madara's eyes narrowed at Isshiki's silence.
There was no way he could fully determine the nature of Isshiki's dōjutsu after such a brief exchange.
If Isshiki's power truly was creating matter from nothing, the objects he conjured seemed oddly specific—black rods, black spears, fire, and ice.
Take the ice spears, for instance. Could anyone in the heat of battle imagine such intricate details as the edges and angles of those ice structures? That would require extraordinary composure.
Madara doubted Isshiki could maintain such precision while under threat.
Moreover, if Isshiki's ability was purely creation, he could have easily blocked Madara's movements with barriers or traps instead of repeatedly launching direct attacks.
'It's not creation—it's some form of transference,' Madara concluded.
As Isshiki stood silently, as though waiting for something, Madara's thoughts grew heavier.
Regardless of the true nature of Isshiki's dōjutsu, it was clear that Madara was currently at a disadvantage. Ever since Isshiki's transformation, his strength had been steadily growing—or rather, it seemed to be recovering.
At this rate, Madara would lose.
Suddenly, Madara threw back his head and laughed maniacally.
"Hahahaha! How fascinating!"
For the first time since Hashirama's death, Madara felt truly exhilarated.
"Wood Clone!"
Thirty wood clones emerged behind Madara, each radiating blue light as they summoned their own Susano'o.
In the blink of an eye, the battlefield was filled with 30 Second-Stage Susano'o and Madara's towering Perfect Susano'o, standing imposingly before Isshiki.
Standing within his Susano'o, Madara brought his hands together in a seal.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Boom!
As the ground trembled and massive tree roots erupted, every Susano'o charged toward Isshiki.
Isshiki remained calm, weaving through the battlefield with space manipulation, effortlessly avoiding the clones and roots. He advanced directly toward the Perfect Susano'o.
Boom!
A series of explosive shockwaves echoed through the air as Isshiki clashed with the Perfect Susano'o. Using nothing but his physical body, Isshiki unleashed devastation across the battlefield, matching the overwhelming force of Madara's construct.
Each collision between the two titans sent shockwaves rippling outward, like blades of energy tearing through the air and ground.
The very atmosphere seemed to tremble, as though the sheer power of their battle was too much for the world to endure.
(End of chapter)