"Heh heh, I really couldn't tell. The dignified Third Tsuchikage, reduced to tears? Hmm, that's not a message from our leader, just my own little observation," Kurotsuchi Raiga sneered.
His mocking tone instantly ignited Ōnoki's anger.
"You damned bastard, how dare you slander me like that!" Ōnoki gritted his teeth. If the circumstances were different, he would have sent this rogue ninja from Kirigakure straight to the afterlife — just like those who, rumor had it, were kicked to death by a Konoha genin.
Despite his rage, Ōnoki registered the critical information buried in Kurotsuchi Raiga's words.
Had Uchiha Madara lost the power of his Rinnegan?
Ōnoki turned toward the battlefield, where Madara was evading the Third Raikage's fierce attacks. Although Madara moved with his usual effortless grace, he was steadily retreating.
Facing the Third Raikage — a man whose entire strength lay in his monstrous taijutsu and Lightning Release-enhanced body — it was understandable that Madara would dodge.
However, he hadn't retaliated seriously, nor had he used the abilities of his Sharingan or Rinnegan.
And that was the most unusual thing.
"The Scourge of the Shinobi World? Heh, all he can do is dodge? How boring," the Third Raikage taunted after another failed strike.
Recalling some of Aoba Yamashiro's words — from when they'd coordinated with the Alliance — the Third Raikage sneered, "The so-called Scourge of the Shinobi World isn't impressive at all. I bet that 'Shinobi God,' Hashirama Senju, who defeated you, wasn't much better."
He smirked coldly. "If the two of you had been born in my era, the title 'Shinobi God' would have belonged to me."
The Third Raikage's words landed like a hammer on Madara's pride, striking the deepest nerve.
What did Madara cherish most in his life?
His brother, Izuna?
Peace in the shinobi world?
He cared about both — but the bond he had with Hashirama Senju was something transcendent. Even if they had fought to the death, even if he had taken a piece of Hashirama's flesh to awaken the Rinnegan, Madara's heart had never truly severed that bond.
Hashirama had always been his greatest friend — and his greatest rival.
Now, hearing Hashirama slandered — along with himself — was intolerable.
The tomoe in Madara's Sharingan began to spin rapidly.
With a blur, Madara wielded his gunbai war fan and appeared instantly before the Third Raikage, swinging hard.
"Perfect!" the Third Raikage roared, already counterattacking with his most lethal technique: the One-Finger Nukite of his Hell Stab, aimed directly at Madara's heart.
The Third Raikage was confident — his "strongest spear" could pierce through anything. Not even the Nine-Tails could survive it head-on.
But he failed to notice the subtle change in Madara's gaze — the chilling, mocking look of a shinobi confident beyond reason.
The Third Raikage's spear shot forward, seemingly grazing Madara's body —
— while Madara's gunbai struck the Third Raikage squarely.
Puh!
The Third Raikage spat out blood and was sent flying like a rag doll.
As he flew, a single thought crossed his mind:
Genjutsu?
But I didn't make eye contact... When did he catch me?
Madara's gunbai carried immense force. That single strike caused severe internal damage to the Third Raikage.
Yet Madara himself had not escaped unharmed.
Mid-swing, Madara's body tensed unnaturally.
His back had seized up — an old injury worsened by decades of inactivity.
The pain was intense — but Madara's pride would not allow even a grunt.
Still, among the shinobi present, none were amateurs. Ōnoki, in particular, immediately noticed Madara's brief stiffening.
He knew it well.
He himself had often moved like that when his lower back betrayed him.
Now's the time.
Without hesitation, Ōnoki moved.
Several elite Iwagakure shinobi and the Jichō Sambō (the analysis squad) followed suit, launching their strongest ninjutsu simultaneously.
Although Madara's movements were slowed, no one dared to rely on taijutsu alone. They combined Earth Release, Lightning Release, Water Release, and Wind Release to seal all his escape routes.
Even if Madara tried to dodge, he would be struck by two or three deadly techniques.
And if he was caught by Ōnoki's Dust Release —
— it would be over.
In his prime, Madara could have crushed such an assault effortlessly. But now, without his Rinnegan, and suffering a serious back injury, the situation was truly life-threatening.
As the combined ninjutsu struck, Madara clenched his teeth, steeling himself to endure the onslaught.
The explosion was cataclysmic.
A violent shockwave tore through the earth, while a beam of Ōnoki's Dust Release sliced a hollow sphere through the center, vaporizing everything in its path.
"It's over, right? There's no way he survived that," one shinobi muttered.
"Yeah. Not even the Shinobi God could survive an attack like that," another agreed.
As the dust settled, they peered into the destruction.
But there was no trace of Uchiha Madara.
"Did he... completely disintegrate?" one of the ninjas asked hesitantly.
Ōnoki frowned.
No —
Madara wasn't the kind of man to die so easily.
Even if battered and broken, the Scourge of the Shinobi World would not fall so simply.
Sure enough, in the next moment, something broke through the ground in the distance. Everyone turned to look, only to see two figures: one was Uchiha Madara, supporting his aging body, and the other was a white humanoid creature assisting him.
"Madara-sama, you're already so old, you shouldn't be moving around so violently. These people are too strong; let Tobi take you away," said a White Zetsu wearing a spiral-patterned mask—Tobi, who spoke with exaggerated concern.
"Shut up," Madara snapped. Although Tobi had helped him, Madara viewed it as a humiliation.
When had Uchiha Madara ever been humiliated by a mere pawn?
The most shameful thing was that he actually needed to rely on Tobi's assistance to stand. Everyone before him—these so-called shinobi—were all deserving of death.
And those two figures hiding above, plotting from the shadows—did they think Uchiha Madara hadn't noticed?
"Tobi, merge with me," Madara ordered coldly.
Though he loathed resorting to this step, it was the only way to turn the tide.
With the life force he had siphoned from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Madara did not face the typical problems of aging. However, his body—worn down by time—could no longer sustain intense battle for long. Another misstep could leave him vulnerable once more.
Was Uchiha Madara supposed to accept such disgrace?
Tobi, ever obedient, immediately began merging with Madara without hesitation—and seemed almost gleeful about it.
He couldn't help but blurt out an inappropriate comment:
"Yay! Once I fuse with Madara-sama, maybe I'll finally understand what it's like to poop! But... I don't think I've ever seen Madara-sama use the toilet. Does that mean Madara-sama doesn't poop either?"
The veins on Madara's forehead bulged with fury, but before he could reprimand Tobi, the fusion completed.
At this point, there was no way to separate Tobi from his body. Madara could only grit his teeth and endure Tobi's idiotic ramblings.
Still, after merging, Madara's physical condition visibly improved. His back no longer ached, and his body was flooded with a warm, revitalizing energy.
Madara was deeply familiar with this sensation—it was the result of Hashirama's cells. During the process of awakening his Rinnegan, Hashirama's cells had been indispensable.
"That fool Tobi is annoying, but not entirely useless. Hashirama... even after death, you're still aiding me," Madara thought coldly.
Madara had long since integrated Hashirama's cells into his body. Now, with Tobi—a being created from Hashirama's tissue—merging with him, the resulting amplification of power was far greater than simple addition.
Judging by Madara's current aura, it was clear he was returning to his prime condition.
Although these actions seemed elaborate, they occurred within moments. Otherwise, enemies like Ōnoki and the others would never have stood idly by while Madara acted.
By the time they realized the danger, it was already too late.
"You insignificant worms—whether you were manipulated or not—since you dared to stand before me, none of you shall leave alive."
Ōnoki and the other Kage grimaced. They could clearly sense the difference—Madara didn't just look revived. After merging with Tobi, he exuded the same overwhelming invincibility he had during the Warring States Era.
But before they could act, a bolt of blue lightning tore through the air.
It was the Third Raikage, who had been previously knocked aside by Madara's Gunbai.
"Enough of your arrogant talk, old man!" the Third Raikage roared, his body transformed into a living lightning spear. His extended index finger shone like a divine weapon.
This was the Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite—the ultimate spear technique, capable of piercing almost anything. In terms of raw destructive force, it was one of the deadliest single attacks among the current Kage-level fighters, second only to bloodline limit techniques like Dust Release.
Faced with the Raikage's ferocious assault, Madara responded calmly. He clapped his hands together and shouted:
"Wood Release: Hobi Technique!"
With a rumbling sound, seven giant wooden shields—each engraved with demonic faces and fangs—rose up in front of Madara.
Thanks to the Hashirama cells integrated into him, Madara could use Wood Release. However, compared to Hashirama himself, Madara's Wood Release was somewhat cruder, emphasizing quantity over quality.
Even so, the merged boost with Tobi greatly enhanced his Wood Release abilities.
The Third Raikage's Hell Stab shattered the first three shields in succession before finally being stopped by the fourth. Though the fourth shield was cracked and trembling, it endured.
"Hmph," Madara snorted.
Without wasting time, he continued weaving signs and unleashed another massive technique:
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees."
With a thunderous roar, countless colossal tree branches erupted from the ground, covering an immense area. The attack targeted not only the Third Raikage but Ōnoki and the other Kage as well.
Ōnoki, still reeling from Madara's display of Wood Release, immediately barked commands:
"Everyone, retreat immediately! Don't touch the trees! Keep your distance!"
Even as he shouted, Ōnoki fired off a Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, attempting to disintegrate as many of the branches as possible and protect his comrades.
However, despite their efforts, many shinobi were still ensnared by the flowering trees and drained of chakra.
It wasn't that they were weak or careless—the range of the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees was simply too vast. Against this overwhelming jutsu, even Jonin-level shinobi were like ants.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters