"Uchiha Madara!"
"I finally caught up with you!"
Kitsuchi glared at Uchiha Madara and the others, his bloodshot eyes filled with seething hatred. His words were squeezed through gritted teeth, and the hatred radiating from him was nearly tangible.
Though he was far from Madara, Uchiha Madara could clearly sense the fury pouring from him.
Madara turned to face Kitsuchi, his previously solemn expression quickly fading into a mocking grin.
"Catch up with me… and what then?"
"You couldn't do anything back in Iwa, and now, here, you still think you can stop me?"
"I showed you mercy—yet now you chase me down to die?"
"You Iwa types really don't value your lives."
His voice, amplified through Susanoo, echoed across the battlefield and immediately ignited the emotions of the Iwa-nin. Without waiting for Kitsuchi's command, they roared and charged at Madara. Ninja tools and jutsu flew at once, flooding the battlefield with chaos.
"Father, the Iwa-nin are launching a full assault!"
"What should we do?"
Beside Rasa, Temari watched the sudden attack and asked quietly.
"Send word to the troops—pull back and create distance."
"We haven't coordinated with Iwa. If we charge in now, we'll only create confusion and trouble."
"Minato predicted Uchiha Madara's movements, but he didn't foresee Iwa's reaction."
Rasa answered grimly, issuing the command. Temari nodded and rushed off to rally the Sand forces, leading them back into the woods and leaving the battlefield to Madara and the Iwa-nin.
The pursuing Iwa squad was clearly elite. Ninjutsu combinations came in waves, their power and area of effect immense. To avoid friendly fire, the Sand forces withdrew several hundred meters.
Only Rasa remained outside the forest, watching the battle unfold.
Boom!!!
"Iwa-nin trash! Is this all you've got?!"
"Not even enough to make this fun?!"
Amid the explosions, massive sword beams ripped through the ground, tearing through the Iwa ranks. Those caught in the attack were instantly annihilated.
Though the Iwa-nin vastly outnumbered Madara, it was a completely one-sided massacre. The strength gap was so vast that numbers meant nothing—at most, they slightly increased Madara's chakra usage.
But even that didn't matter.
He hadn't even shown his full power yet.
Tweeet!!
Boom boom boom!
Just as Madara was slaughtering Iwa-nin without restraint, a sharp whistle reached his ears—followed by a fierce explosion on Susanoo's back. Flames lit up the dusk sky as the blast staggered the massive purple giant.
Susanoo took a few steps forward and hunched slightly.
Though the explosion didn't cause serious damage, it certainly cost Madara some face. His wild grin vanished, and his expression turned cold.
Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the blond youth standing in the distance.
"A true warrior! The legendary strong one!"
"If I can take him down, my art will be known throughout the world!"
"Father, watch me! This is the art I pursue—I will avenge you through my art!"
Shouting those words, Deidara unleashed a wave of giant clay birds that spread their wings and flew toward Madara. He leapt onto one and soared into the sky.
"Fall back!"
"Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi—coordinate with Deidara!"
Seeing Deidara's move, Kitsuchi issued rapid orders. The Iwa-nin signaled for retreat, dispersing like a tide. The clay birds closed in.
Explosions thundered, flames burst skyward, and dusk turned to day.
"Earth Style: Aggravated Rock Technique!" At Kitsuchi's command, Akatsuchi formed seals and slammed his hands into the ground. Tremors shook the earth as a red rock giant formed and lumbered toward Susanoo.
With each step, it grew—soon matching Susanoo's massive size.
"Earth Style: Mountain Jutsu!"
Loess followed with his own seals. A black slab of rock rose in front of the giant, absorbing no light even in the blazing firelight.
The red giant grasped the dark slab, causing chunks of stone to fall away. From the slab, it pulled out a black shield and dagger.
Of course, the "dagger" was only short compared to the giant's massive scale.
The armed rock giant charged forward, reaching Susanoo in seconds and slashing at its neck.
Madara, still distracted by Deidara's explosions, saw only a blaze of chakra through his Rinnegan. Caught off guard, the black dagger slashed Susanoo's neck cleanly.
Boom!
The blade embedded deep in Susanoo's body. As the giant tried to withdraw the weapon, it failed, and instead delivered a massive kick to Susanoo's abdomen—sending the giant staggering.
Inside Susanoo, Madara was visibly surprised. He hadn't expected anything made of rock to pierce his defenses.
As his armor cracked, his gaze turned dangerous.
"Impressive. But this ends now!"
With a simple motion, Susanoo began to repair itself. Just as Madara prepared to retaliate, he suddenly felt resistance underfoot—like walking through mud.
Looking down, he saw that Susanoo's feet were submerged in white fluid that had crept up to the ankles. As Deidara's next explosion ignited the area, the fluid hardened into rock, locking Susanoo in place.
"Cement?!"
Madara's eyes narrowed. Before he could act, the red giant returned with another flurry of slashes—deeply scoring Susanoo's body and sending tremors through even Madara himself.
The strain reached his Mangekyō. His vision blurred, and pain surged behind his eyes.
"Ghh—!" Madara growled, covering one eye. Then, with a snarl, he thrust a hand out:
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Without forming any seals, the cemented earth cracked, and massive peaks surged upward. Gigantic trees burst from the fissures, eyes glowing as they wrapped around the rock giant.
A strange red flower bloomed atop each tree, and pink pollen began to rain from above.
The pollen settled over the rock giant—and then, with the breeze, drifted toward the Iwa-nin camp.
Oblivious, many reached out to touch the shimmering pollen.
As they inhaled it, they collapsed—lifeless. From their corpses, green plants sprouted, bloomed, and scattered more pollen.
In seconds, the camp was engulfed.
Only a handful of Iwa-nin escaped the deadly mist.
The rock giant was now covered in green vines, completely overrun. Chitu had lost all connection to it.
"What is that?!"
The Sand-nin had watched Iwa gain the upper hand, only to be devoured by something unnatural.
Now, as the red mist rolled toward them, panic spread.
Seeing this, Rasa's heart leapt.
"Wind-style users—Wind Breakthrough! Do not let that mist reach us!"
His shout echoed across the battlefield. Wind-style specialists rushed forward and, at Rasa's command, unleashed a fierce hurricane.
The gusts scattered the mist, blowing it away from the Sand forces.
When the red haze cleared, only the corpses of Iwa-nin remained. The unit that had pursued Madara was nearly wiped out.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Just as Rasa considered intervening, a low growl rang out. A pulse of repulsive force erupted from Susanoo, shattering the red giant beside it.
Freed from the cement, Susanoo crouched and launched into the sky.
"He's coming at us!!"
"Brace yourselves!"
"Don't run! Combine Wind Breakthrough—blow him away!"
The target was now the Sand-nin.
Panic rippled through the ranks. Though they were village elites, the fear Susanoo evoked was overwhelming. Some tried to rally; others fled in terror.
"Temari, Kankurō—organize a retreat."
"Uchiha Madara isn't someone we can face."
"I'll stay and hold him off. Get Gaara to Konoha—don't let him be taken."
Rasa's voice was steady as he faced his children.
"Father, come with us! Konoha replied—they'll send reinforcements as soon as Uzumaki Raiden returns!"
"You can't stop Madara alone!"
Kankurō grabbed his father's arm, pleading. But they had underestimated Madara too deeply. The slaughtered Iwa-nin said it all—nothing would change that.
"Kankurō—follow orders."
Rasa frowned and shook his arm free. Then, raising both hands, he summoned a wall of gold sand that rose to shield the retreating Sand forces.
Susanoo slammed into the barrier—but failed to break through. Madara landed atop it, then dropped back to the ground.
The long sword in Susanoo's hands began to glow with intense purple light—growing in power.
"This ambush was my failure. I can't let the Sand elites fall here."
"Kankurō, Gaara—take care of him. I trust you and Temari."
Rasa turned, a faint smile crossing his solemn face.
His eyes shone with unshakable resolve.
(End Of Chapter)
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