"Damn it…"
Even Madara had not expected Natsuki to know this kind of technique, actually trying to drag him straight into a coffin and seal him away.
If Natsuki really succeeded, how was Madara supposed to realize his dream?
He could not count on Black Zetsu or Obito to save him either. With the strength Natsuki had just displayed, Obito and Black Zetsu absolutely would not be his match. There was no way they could rescue him. For the first time in a long while, Madara actually felt a twinge of panic.
He instantly activated Susanoo (Guardian Deity Avatar) to cloak himself, but he could not exert much strength through it. Fortunately, his dōjutsu had not been completely sealed. He could still force out at least the skeletal form of Susanoo.
He just could not struggle freely; all he could manage was to swing one of the skeletal arms.
With a loud bang, the coffin was swatted away and sent flying into the distance. It did not break—good craftsmanship.
"Damn it!" Natsuki had not expected Madara to still be able to move. It seemed the sealing of Mafūba (Demon Sealing Wave) had not fully suppressed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, which gave Madara the chance to act.
Now that the coffin had been knocked who knew how far away, he had no way to press the seal.
So Natsuki grit his teeth, slammed Madara down hard into the ground in a rather rough fashion, then used Arashi Shunshin (Storm-Style Body Flicker) to flash in close again. One more kōsoku kikku (light-speed kick) shattered Susanoo's defense, and his right hand managed to grab the back of Madara's neck, successfully leaving behind a Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) formula.
But before Natsuki could celebrate, the "Madara" in his hand suddenly turned into a wooden dummy.
"Mokuton Bunshin (Wood Style Clone)?! When did he–?!" Natsuki's heart jolted. He quickly scanned the area and soon locked onto the real Madara.
Madara had not bothered to hide. He burst out in that signature Uchiha maniacal laughter. "Hahahaha! You really almost sealed me just now, and you came close to leaving a Hiraishin mark on me as well. Good thing I used Mokuton Bunshin (Wood Style Clone) in time. Hashirama's trick really is useful."
There he goes with Hashirama again. Can he go a single conversation without bringing that guy up?
Natsuki was a bit speechless and also inwardly regretful.
He had failed to seal Madara with Mafūba. Next time, he probably would not get such a good opening again.
He had not expected Madara to react that quickly. Judging from what had happened, it had to be that in the instant Susanoo got blown apart, Madara used Mokuton Bunshin to slip away, precisely because he was worried about getting tagged with a Hiraishin formula and having Natsuki bring a whole squad to "visit" and jump him later.
And not just now—during their earlier taijutsu exchanges, Madara had been extremely cautious as well, never giving Natsuki the slightest chance to plant a formula.
That was the downside of revealing Hiraishin no Jutsu right from the start.
Against a true top-tier fighter, sometimes the tiniest piece of intel could be the key to victory.
Natsuki chuckled. "You really are lucky, you know. Can't you just obediently let yourself get sealed already? Relics from a bygone era shouldn't keep stirring up storms in the shinobi world."
Madara shook his head. "I have my own dream—to create a world where only the victorious exist, a world of nothing but peace, a world of nothing but love, a world of all these things together. You may not understand, but I alone, as the savior, can make it real. I, Madara, acknowledge your strength. So, how about it? Will you join me?"
Natsuki snorted. "It sounds stupid. And are you sure you can actually succeed? Everything you 'know' is nothing more than lies Black Zetsu fabricated. That's why I call you the biggest idiot of all the idiots we've ever rated."
Madara's eyebrow twitched, but he did not believe Natsuki's words.
He did not think some kid knew anything.
Even if that boy's power had earned his recognition, even if he somehow knew of Black Zetsu's existence, that still was not enough for Madara to overturn his beliefs on the testimony of a single youngster.
After all, everything he knew came from the ancient stone tablet handed down in his clan. Long before Black Zetsu appeared, he had always acted alone. How could Black Zetsu possibly have fabricated all of that as lies? And after he had persevered for so many years and pulled so many strings for this dream, how could he be shaken just because of a few lines from a teenager?
Forget it. Since the boy refused to join him, there was no need to force the matter.
However, that boy's strength was extraordinary. In the future, he would definitely become an obstacle to the plan. If Madara could erase him here and now, that would not be a bad outcome.
"Then enough talk." Madara no longer intended to waste time. He directly activated Susanoo (Guardian Deity Avatar) again. The nearly hundred-meter-tall blue-armored giant rose from the ground, and Madara himself hid within its torso. At this moment, both offense and defense had been pushed to their peak.
Kabuto watched, greed and fanaticism flickering in his eyes.
Clearly, he had developed a powerful interest in Madara's strength.
He had one Rinnegan (Samsara Eye) in hand, but could not bring out its full power yet. Only once he took Sasuke's body, perhaps then he would be able to manifest a Susanoo "Gundam" just like this and become invincible in the world.
When that time came, would even Orochimaru-sensei in the Pure Land feel envious of him?
Neji and the others, on the other hand, did not look good at all.
They had been so close to sealing Madara just now, and then everything had turned upside down.
Now, faced with Madara in full "Gundam" Susanoo, how was Natsuki supposed to win?
Kurotsuchi simply shouted, "Natsuki! How about you hurry up and get us out of here? You can't beat Madara right now! Use Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to take us back first, and we can figure out the rest later!"
The others felt the same, everyone except Neji.
Because he knew very clearly that a mere Susanoo was not something Natsuki had never dealt with before.
Back when Sasuke's big brother had his Susanoo smashed to pieces, he had probably thought he was invincible too. In the end, he still got beaten pretty miserably.
So Neji believed Natsuki absolutely would not lose to Madara.
As expected, Natsuki just shook his head and did not agree with Kurotsuchi's suggestion. Looking up at the nearly hundred-meter-tall Susanoo giant, he was not nervous in the slightest. If anything, he was excited.
He was finally about to have a "Gundam vs. Gundam" showdown with Madara?
Then they would see which one stood at the top.
Natsuki clapped his hands together and shouted, "Mokuton: Senju Kannon! (Wood Style: Thousand-Armed Kannon!)"
"Huh? Mokuton (Wood Style)?!" Madara was startled, and then he saw several massive trees erupt from the ground, swiftly merging into a huge wooden Kannon statue even taller than his Susanoo. Rows upon rows of arms fanned out behind it—calling it Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon) was no exaggeration.
"Hahahahaha! Natsuki, I, Madara, acknowledge you! Come!!" Madara burst into another round of wild Uchiha laughter.
"Senju Kannon no Shō! Ōra Ōra Ōra!! (Thousand-Armed Kannon Palms!)"
Under Natsuki's control, the densely packed wooden arms hammered down on the Susanoo giant in a crazy barrage.
Madara was not about to hold back either. He directed the Susanoo giant to swing massive fists upward to meet the oncoming blows. In an instant, colossal fists and gigantic palms crashed together in midair over and over, each impact unleashing a shockwave so fierce that heaven and earth seemed to tremble.
Everyone present could only stare, dumbstruck. The members of Neji's squad, however, were becoming more and more excited.
They had thought Natsuki was just being stubborn and refusing to retreat out of pride. They had not expected him to be hiding such a terrifying technique, actually wielding Mokuton like the First Hokage.
Rumor had it that Madara had always lost to Hashirama. In that case, Natsuki should also be able to defeat Madara, right?
"Hahahahaha! This is great! You've brought back all my memories of fighting Hashirama!!" Madara kept laughing, thinking once again of his beloved Hashirama.
(End of Chapter)
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