The living Sharingan began to spin.
"Forbidden Technique?"
Ruri raised her eyebrows.
"That's Izanagi."
Obito jumped to Madara's side, patted his chest, and let out a huge sigh of relief, saying, "That was scary as hell, Lord Madara, I really thought you had died! Ah—wait, you really did die, and then used the Izanagi Jutsu to revive yourself. What a miraculous ninja technique."
Obito seemed to understand Madara's plan.
After all, Madara's previous frail state was so convincing, even his own confidant had been fooled.
He didn't even react when his own divine artifact was taken by Ruri.
Now it seemed, that was probably done on purpose—as a prop to buy time and make preparations.
After all, that weapon held great significance for any ninja of the Uchiha Clan.
He had predicted that the moment Ruri saw the weapon, she would want to claim it as her own, thus giving him time.
"What kind of technique is Izanagi?"
"You don't know, huh? Heh heh, it's a forbidden technique that lets its user transform any harm they suffer into a dream, freely switching dream and reality. Even within the Uchiha Clan, not just anyone can know of it or master this ultimate Donjutsu. Although, each use comes at the cost of permanently losing one Sharingan."
Obito gave a proud laugh.
"Obito, you talk too much."
Madara frowned in dissatisfaction.
If it weren't for these idiots, he wouldn't be in this sorry state today—this was even more humiliating than playing dead all those years ago at the Valley of the End.
To buy time, he even threw away his own personal weapon, a painful decision made only to draw Ruri's attention, just to gain more time to prepare.
Obito sensed Madara's deep displeasure, gave an awkward smile, then stepped behind Madara. His body suddenly unfolded, revealing the hollow within, and wrapped around Madara—leaving only a single Sharingan exposed on the outside.
"It's only for a brief instant, but I'll let you, as the junior, witness it with your own eyes. Know your own powerlessness, your pitiful insignificance—and learn the true name of Uchiha power!"
Within Obito's body, Madara's Three-Tomoe Sharingan unleashed a terrifying Donjutsu power, its glow blooming like fresh blood.
Vast Chakra exploded out, solid and visible to the naked eye.
"Lady Ruri!"
Ubi sensed a mortal threat.
The chill in the air seemed enough to freeze everything, causing all within this space to stop, frozen in place.
Ruri's body went rigid for a moment—like her spirit had fled; she even forgot to breathe. Just Madara's killing intent made her unable to move. Was this the power of Uchiha Madara?
No hesitation—Ruri immediately retreated, taking Ubi with her. She had no idea what Madara was going to do, but her instincts screamed that if she didn't get away now, something truly terrible would happen.
Madara remained where he was, watching Ruri's retreat, not bothering to give chase.
All struggle was utterly pointless.
"What mankind in this world now pursues is nothing more than bitter suffering amassed by reality. Let me free you of these shackles of despair."
The blue chakra giant rose, though it could only kneel inside the cramped cavern.
Yet even so, that divine, towering body made Obito's previous Wood Man and Wood Dragon look insignificant and fragile in comparison.
The chakra giant drew its blue chakra long blade from its waist.
The blue radiance it gave off reflected upon Ruri's face.
No advanced techniques, no seals to balance chakra—just a single slash to start, and a single slash to end it all.
The cavern began to collapse, everything before them buried by rock. A deep sword scar extended into the distance, piercing through the whole mountain and even reaching into the forest beyond.
Fragments of red chakra remained, scattering in front of Madara's Sharingan.
"Was that Susanoo?"
Madara withdrew his Susanoo; Obito collapsed limply to the ground, his body turning ashen and lifeless, as if his soul had left him.
In that instant, all his chakra and life force had been nearly drained dry by Madara.
Madara picked up a red chakra fragment, which instantly shattered in his hand, dissolving into red motes that vanished into the air.
"Is this the vital intel that Obito was so desperate to bring back? But, this shouldn't be Susanoo—it's just something similar, forged from Sage Art Chakra. What a crafty little girl."
After saying this, Madara suddenly started coughing and slowly walked back into the darkness.