Chakra has weight.
The body of Susanoo was formed from chakra condensed to the utmost limit of Yin Release. Every swing of its blade carried not only an explosive burst of energy, but also overwhelming kinetic force.
Facing an even more devastating slash from Madara than before, the will contained within Makoto's own chakra resonated with the abundant white natural energy around him, forming a dense wall of fists in front of him.
Then, after gathering his strength, he threw a punch.
The countless energy fists surged forward like an army obeying its commander's orders, charging in the direction of his strike.
Every single fist slammed into Madara's Susanoo blade.
BOOM—
The immense kinetic force combined with the released energy erupted instantly between them.
The explosion of unleashed power resembled a nuclear detonation, blindingly bright.
First came the brilliant flash.
Then the thunderous roar spread across the land.
After instinctively shielding their eyes from the overwhelming light, everyone raised their heads toward the source of the sound.
On that day, the people of Konohagakure and the surrounding regions were fortunate enough to witness two suns hanging in the sky.
The nearer one overhead was unimaginably massive, even eclipsing the real sun for a brief moment before fading away.
Madara's Susanoo blade shattered in the explosion.
Rather than forming another weapon, he relied on Susanoo itself for protection and charged straight through the heart of the blast like a giant humanoid war machine.
The Makoto remaining in Konohagakure was only a clone. If it suffered too much damage, it would be dispelled. To keep it in the fight longer, he immediately activated Yin Release: Perfect Chakra Avatar.
He had longed for a worthy battle.
Ever since his strength had entered the realm beyond humanity, it had been a very long time since anyone could truly fight him on equal footing.
The Six Paths of Pain barely qualified, but Nagato's power was spread too thin. Moreover, since he wasn't the Rinnegan's original owner, even after recovering his body, his physique remained a limiting factor that prevented him from drawing out the Sage Eyes' full potential.
At present, only the reanimated Madara before him could truly pique his interest.
In an instant, a colossal chakra giant nearly the same size as Madara's Susanoo took shape.
Unlike the Uchiha Clan's uniformly depicted Karasu Tengu warrior, Makoto's chakra giant looked exactly like himself.
A third, utterly unique Susanoo-like giant appeared in the sky.
The clash between giants began.
Makoto and Madara collided head-on, throwing themselves into an all-out brawl.
Once chakra giants reached such monstrous proportions, every movement unleashed an amount of power ordinary shinobi could scarcely comprehend.
There was no need for tactics.
No need for ninjutsu.
It all came down to one question—
Who would smash the other first?
The deafening explosions continued.
The shockwaves from every collision swept downward from the heavens like violent hurricanes, flattening entire forests.
The skies were perfectly clear that day.
Not a single cloud could be seen.
Yet thunder never stopped.
Shisui was the only spectator who remained at the battlefield.
He hadn't left because he had complete faith in Higashino Makoto's strength—even if this was only a clone.
He understood the difference between Yin Release: Perfect Chakra Avatar and Susanoo better than anyone.
Though both appeared to be gigantic chakra constructs, Makoto was drawing upon primordial natural energy.
Susanoo, on the other hand, relied solely on the user's own chakra.
Sure enough, after only a short exchange of countless punches, cracks began spreading across Madara's Susanoo.
Its regeneration could no longer keep pace with the damage.
Even the supposedly limitless chakra of an Impure World Reincarnation shinobi couldn't sustain this level of expenditure.
In truth, there was no such thing as infinite chakra.
Everything had its limits.
Ordinary attacks simply weren't enough to push an Impure World Reincarnation body to its breaking point.
Soon, just before Madara's Susanoo completely collapsed, Makoto suddenly stopped attacking.
The outcome was obvious.
For now, the resurrected Uchiha Madara had lost.
Yet instead of disappointment, an unmistakable look of exhilaration spread across his face.
The old man was, at heart, a battle maniac through and through.
After all, he was an Uchiha.
The clan that embodied the shinobi world's love of combat.
"Higashino Makoto, was it? I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge your strength. I never imagined you could wield the ultimate divine power of our clan as well."
"It's nothing more than chakra condensed to the absolute limit of Yin Release. As long as one's power is sufficient, you don't need Uchiha eyes to use it."
"Excellent. Your understanding of chakra is indeed profound. No wonder you're worthy of carrying on Hashirama's legacy."
Madara paused before asking, "But why did you stop?"
"Is there any point in continuing?"
"Hahahaha!" Uchiha's battle-maniac mode was back online. "Boy, you think that's all I've got?"
The pattern in his reanimated eyes changed.
Rinnegan Madara had entered the stage.
Shisui flew over to Makoto's side. Staring at the ripple-patterned eyes, he exclaimed in shock, "The Rinnegan? How is that possible?"
Could it be that the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan was the Rinnegan?
It could only be said that adult Sasuke had been far too tight-lipped. During his time in this world, he hadn't spoiled everything.
Madara looked at Makoto with suspicion.
"There's no surprise on your face. You seem to know quite a lot about me."
"More or less. I've read the stone tablet passed down by the Uchiha Clan as well. The Sage of Six Paths once said that only by uniting Yin and Yang can one obtain the power that gives rise to all things."
"If you once represented the ultimate Yin, then Hashirama-sama represented the ultimate Yang. And I can sense Hashirama-sama's presence within you."
"The Rinnegan is simply the manifestation of the power that gives rise to all things, isn't it? The pair of eyes within the Akatsuki... you intentionally left them behind."
Although Makoto possessed an omniscient perspective regarding the major events of the shinobi world, he truly had read the stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. Once one's mastery reached the level of Yin-Yang Release, the Mangekyō Sharingan was no longer necessary to read it.
The version he had seen, however, was Black Zetsu's altered edition.
As for the original text...
No one knew anymore.
That little black bastard had erased it centuries ago.
Madara didn't deny anything regarding the Rinnegan. Instead, he asked, "Is that so? Then tell me... as someone who isn't an Uchiha, just how much of the tablet were you able to read?"
"All of it."
"I see. Then you've already learned of my plan."
Madara's voice turned cold.
"That leaves you with two choices. Follow me... or die here."
Makoto smiled.
"Senpai, did you forget? I'm only a clone. If you destroy me, my real body will be back soon enough."
"You couldn't even defeat my clone, so what makes you think that having the Rinnegan means you can defeat my real body?"
"More importantly, do you really have time to waste here?"
"My real body is on the front lines, working together with the Five Great Shinobi Villages to wipe out the Akatsuki."
"Aren't you worried something might happen to your eyes and cause your entire plan to fall apart?"
"So, the one who should be making a choice... is you."
Madara weighed the situation silently.
The Rinnegan in his reanimated body was merely a reflection of the power he had possessed in life.
To complete his plan, he had to be revived.
Only with a living body could he become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
"The so-called Five Kage are insignificant in my eyes. If your real body comes back, all the better. You're the true obstacle to my plan."
Makoto shook his head with a smile.
"Wrong."
"I'm not an obstacle to your plan."
"You can ask Obito about that."
"If I had truly wanted to stop you, I would've killed him long ago. The Akatsuki would've never survived for so many years, and you would've never had the chance to return to the living world."
"Do you understand now... Senpai?"
Madara couldn't care less whether Obito lived or died.
What interested him was the implication behind Makoto's words.
"Oh? Boy, it seems you've inherited Hashirama's title, but not his ideals."
"Could it be... that you also wish to see the perfect world of peace described on the stone tablet?"
"More or less."
"I'd also like to see whether the Sage of Six Paths' method actually works."
Hearing that, Madara let his fighting spirit subside.
Everything had to give way to the plan.
Since the Nine-Tails wasn't in Konohagakure, there was no reason to waste any more time here.
No matter how powerful Higashino Makoto's true body might be, Madara believed that once he was revived and became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, everything would fall into place.
The enormous Susanoo slowly descended.
Beginning with its feet, it gradually dispersed.
Makoto and Shisui descended to the ground as well.
Madara's Rinnegan reverted to ordinary eyes.
He could switch between them freely, unlike Nagato and adult Sasuke. Their Rinnegan had either been transplanted or awakened through external means, leaving them unable to deactivate them for the rest of their lives.
Just then, the two men who had still been locked in combat within the Kamui dimension suddenly reappeared.
Obito had apparently been keeping an eye on what was happening outside.
The moment he saw the grown-ups finish their fight, he immediately wrapped up the endless heart-to-heart conversation he had been having with his old flame.
Kakashi was in relatively good condition.
Aside from a few tears in his clothes, he didn't appear to have suffered any serious injuries.
Obito, on the other hand, looked miserable.
His clothes were in tatters, his body was covered in wounds, and the injury around his heart looked especially severe.