Mu stood where he was. His expression changed slightly under the powerful pressure released by Madara, but he quickly steadied himself.
Mu's heart sank, and then an uncontrollable excitement and solemnity surged up inside him.
"This pressure... is even more real than what was described in the original."
Mu quickly compared the difference between himself and the Uchiha Madara before him.
Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan, Susanoo, and fire release that could almost destroy heaven and earth were all terrifying existences from his memories.
Although he was now the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, and had already mastered Dust Release, Clones, and Dustless Bewildering Cover, his strength was absolutely at the top level of the ninja world. But compared with Uchiha Madara, who was currently at the peak of his power, there was still quite a gap.
"I can't clash with him head-on... but I can't just let him push me around either."
A sharp glint flashed through Mu's eyes.
"At the very least, I have to let him know that I, Mu, am not a weakling he can look down on whenever he wants. Exchange a few moves with him, make him restrain himself a little, and at the same time let Onoki see what a true battle between strong people looks like."
Mu took a deep breath, and chakra quietly began circulating.
The next second, Mu suddenly stepped in front of Onoki.
The pressure that had originally pressed Onoki until he could barely breathe was forcibly blocked off by Mu's chakra.
Onoki immediately felt the pressure on his chest ease. He took several hurried breaths and looked up at his master's back, his eyes full of shock and unease.
"Lord Mu..."
Mu did not turn around and simply said, "Stand farther away."
Mu raised his head and looked straight into Madara's scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Uchiha Madara, what kind of skill is it to bully a child?"
"If you have the guts, try me.", Mu said calmly.
Madara's originally indifferent gaze narrowed slightly.
He looked at Mu standing in front of Onoki, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose, revealing a hint of interest.
"Oh?"
"The messenger from Iwagakure has some guts."
Madara's Sharingan turned slightly, the complex patterns in his pupils clearly visible.
"Then let me see just how much you're worth."
As soon as his voice fell, Madara stomped his foot.
The ground instantly cracked.
A powerful aura erupted like a physical force, and even the air began to hum from the impact.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
Mu's eyes tightened, and his hands rapidly formed seals.
Buzz!!!!
A translucent cube condensed at his fingertips, carrying an aura that could destroy everything as it shot straight toward Madara.
Madara merely shifted slightly to the side, his body flashing past like a ghost.
"Too slow."
Madara waved one hand, and Fire Release instantly took shape.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A terrifying sea of flames surged over from all directions, its temperature so high that it almost ignited the air.
The Dust Release cube collided with the sea of flames, producing a sharp explosion as smoke and dust filled the air.
Mu's body flickered, instantly splitting into two figures, a clone.
One true body quickly retreated, while the other clone rushed into the smoke and dust, forming seals with both hands.
"Dustless Bewildering Cover!"
Dense white dust instantly spread out, covering the entire open area.
Their vision was completely taken away, and even chakra sensing was greatly disrupted.
Madara stood in the mist, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Interesting."
Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly, trying to lock onto Mu's position through the mist.
Just then...
A figure suddenly burst out from the left side of the mist.
Mu's true body was already close. Another Dust Release cube condensed and exploded almost against Madara's chest.
Madara's pupils suddenly contracted.
"So fast!"
He instinctively shifted aside, but his shoulder was still grazed by the edge of the Dust Release.
His armor instantly turned into tiny particles and dispersed, while a faint burning pain came from his skin.
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on Madara's face.
"He can actually hurt me..."
Madara muttered to himself, and his gaze immediately became sharp.
"Looks like I can't be careless anymore."
The next second.
"Susanoo!"
Blue bones covering half his body instantly enveloped him. The enormous ribs spread open like a fortress, forcibly pushing away the interference of the Dustless Bewildering Cover.
Mu's eyes narrowed. Knowing that he had almost no chance of winning against Susanoo head-on, he immediately pulled away.
"Clone, keep interfering!"
The clone moved rapidly through the mist, constantly releasing small Dust Release cubes and attacking Susanoo's weak points from various angles.
Madara stood inside Susanoo and snorted coldly.
"Child's play."
He raised his hand, and Susanoo's enormous palm suddenly slammed down.
The ground shook violently. The clone was directly smashed apart and dispersed into smoke.
However...
Just when Madara thought he had succeeded, Mu's true body suddenly shot up from beneath the ground!
He had actually used the Dustless Bewildering Cover to burrow underground and circle around to Madara's back.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
The cube suddenly formed behind Madara, so close that there was almost no time to react.
Madara's heart jolted.
"Again at this distance!"
Madara suddenly turned around. Susanoo's ribs urgently closed together, barely blocking the attack.
BOOM!
The enormous explosion instantly blew away a large portion of Susanoo.
Madara himself was also knocked back half a step by the impact.
A trace of anger flashed through Madara's eyes.
"You... are very good at taking advantage of timing."
Mu did not answer. He quickly pulled away and released the Dustless Bewildering Cover again.
This time, Madara was no longer careless. His Mangekyo Sharingan operated at full power, while Susanoo completely unfolded, the giant half-body towering high into the air.
"Fire Release: Extinguishing Majestic Flame!"
An even more powerful sea of flames spewed from Susanoo's mouth, directly burning the mist away.
Mu was forced to retreat again and again by the sea of flames, sparks catching on his sleeves from the intense heat.
Mu thought to himself, "Madara's Fire Release really is terrifying... Once you're swallowed by it head-on, even Dust Release won't have time to neutralize it."
There was no helping it. His Dust Release had too much startup time.
But Mu did not retreat.
"Dust Release: Separation Light Blade!"
The light blade carried destructive power as it directly slashed toward Susanoo's arm.
Madara sneered.
"A mayfly trying to shake a tree."
Susanoo raised its hand to block, but at the instant they made contact, the light blade suddenly accelerated, precisely cutting into the joint between the bones.
Crack!
A section of Susanoo's arm was cut off.
Madara's expression changed slightly.
"This Dust Release... actually has that much power?!"
For the first time, he truly took Mu's strength seriously.
Mu took the opportunity to close in again. The clone launched a surprise attack from the side, while the true body released an even larger Dust Release cube from the front.
Madara was attacked from both front and back. Although Susanoo was powerful, because of his earlier carelessness, his reaction was half a beat too slow.
The cube exploded against Susanoo's chest.
BOOM!
The half-body Susanoo shook violently from the explosion, and Madara himself was also shaken hard enough to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Madara wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and true fighting spirit finally ignited in his eyes.
"Not bad... Mu of Iwagakure, you have earned the right to make me take you a little more seriously."
Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly, and his chakra surged.
"Fourth Stage: Susanoo!"
The blue giant instantly took shape, holding a giant sword and looking down at Mu.
Mu's heart tightened.
"Here it comes... the real monster."
But he did not retreat.
"Onoki, retreat to a safe distance!"
Mu shouted, while he himself unleashed his full power.
The clone and main body moved rapidly through the air, constantly releasing Dust Release cubes and bombarding Susanoo from all directions.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World, Extreme Compression!"