Chapter 222: I, Uchiha Madara, Shall Call You The Strongest
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Kinoshita Genichi noticed that the Limbo shadow, which had been pinned to the ground by the black rods created with Yin-Yang Release, had vanished.
"So the black rods aren't enough to hold a Limbo shadow permanently?"
Genichi frowned slightly.
If so, this was a bit troublesome.
Even when it could be sensed, the utility of a Limbo shadow was far greater than that of a standard Shadow Clone.
After all, its ability to swap places with the user at any time to take an attack was something a Shadow Clone could not do.
On the other side, as the Limbo shadow returned to its user, the damage from the attack appeared on Madara Uchiha's back.
But thanks to his Hashirama cells, the wound healed rapidly.
"Here it comes!" Madara's eyes narrowed.
Zetsu immediately sank into the ground.
When the distance was less than twenty meters, Madara raised his hands and formed seals.
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!
Madara opened his mouth and exhaled a sea of fire that swept forward, instantly enveloping Genichi's Future Self.
However, the Future Self passed through the inferno completely unharmed.
"Is it that genjutsu immunity from before, or..."
Madara secretly speculated, then raised his right palm and aimed at the Future Self.
Universal Pull!
Yet, the Future Self didn't budge in the slightest.
"It failed again..."
A smile touched Madara's lips.
He could see that this clone of Genichi's wasn't using the same method as before to nullify his attacks.
"Is the dōjutsu's ability itself... in a different space-time?"
Madara formed hand seals. Four Wood Clones emerged from his back, and the moment they landed, they all activated a Susanoo, complete with a flesh-like chakra-cloak and legs.
But at this exact moment, Genichi's Future Self stopped, covered its entire body in the Electromagnetic Storm Release chakra mode, and unleashed a rapid succession of punches.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a series of deafening roars, the four newly-risen Susanoo exploded on impact.
"So fast!"
Madara was startled. At the same time, he launched another attack at Genichi's Future Self, who was now just over ten meters away.
Almighty Push!
The Future Self, who was in mid-punch, suddenly raised one hand and aimed it back. Almighty Push!
The two identical repulsive forces collided. The compressed air between them detonated, and the ground cracked apart.
Madara smiled. "I see!"
He had figured it out.
When this clone of Genichi's was not attacking, it could not be hit.
But the moment it did attack, it created an intersection with the enemy's space, and at that moment, it could be hit.
Although he wasn't entirely clear on the specific principles, Madara had already grasped the key point.
As his Wood Clones were being blown apart one after another, Madara's main body suddenly vanished from its spot.
Boom!
The position where the Future Self had been standing exploded, sending rubble flying through the air.
The Future Self, having just finished off the Wood Clones, used a body-flicker to dodge Madara's attack and immediately threw a punch through empty space at Madara's back.
Limbo: Hengoku!
Madara instantly swapped with his Limbo shadow, letting it take the blow. At the same time, he raised his hand toward the Future Self. Universal Pull!
"Got you!"
A Susanoo rose up as Madara attempted to finish off the clone.
But in just an instant, the Universal Pull failed. The Future Self suddenly dashed forward, closing the distance to Madara in a flash, and threw a punch. The newly-risen Susanoo, still just a skeleton, instantly shattered and collapsed.
"Nullified again..."
Shocked, Madara unleashed a full-power Almighty Push.
Genichi's Future Self also swung its arm with all its might.
Electric Current Push, 1 Billion Volts!
One punch to the front, one to the back, one to the left, one to the right...
The Future Self unleashed a frenzied barrage, throwing eight punches in a split second from eight different directions. All of them were pure physical power, attacks that the Rinnegan could not absorb.
Madara's full-power Almighty Push was even stronger than Nagato's Super Shinra Tensei, but it was still shattered by the Future Self's terrifying power, which could obliterate a Complete Susanoo in a single blow.
Madara's Almighty Push was omnidirectional, as he had taken into account that Genichi's clone could use space-time to attack from different locations.
"To think physical strength could reach this level... I, Uchiha Madara, shall call you the strongest!"
Madara's face twisted. The instant his Almighty Push completely collapsed, he activated his Susanoo—this time, it was the half-body, Tengu-armored form.
But the Future Self merely paused for breath, then immediately resumed its continuous barrage, shattering Madara's Susanoo defense.
The Susanoo scattered. Madara had already completed his seals. A Wood Dragon coiled around his body, protecting him.
Bang!
A single punch, and the Wood Dragon exploded. As wood chips flew everywhere, the Future Self threw another punch, this time straight at Madara.
"Now!"
Just as the air cannon was about to strike his body, Madara's cooldown had finished. The Limbo shadow replaced his main body.
The real Madara shot into the sky.
Simultaneously, Wood Clones erupted from the ground, surrounding the Future Self who had just struck the Limbo shadow. They all raised their hands and aimed at the clone.
Almighty Push!
Six Wood Clones unleashed Almighty Push at the same time, all of them concentrating their power on the Future Self from all sides—a crushing force powerful enough to grind a person to dust.
Madara was confident that this attack would definitely finish off this clone of Genichi's.
"What?"
"It vanished!"
Madara suddenly realized the Future Self below him was gone.
The terrifying repulsive forces compressed the air to its limit, causing a massive explosion that shot into the sky, creating a straight, vertical vacuum tunnel.
Madara's long hair whipped about. He immediately turned to look at Kinoshita Genichi's main body and, sure enough, he saw the clone now standing right next to him.
"It wasn't dismissed... but... the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Madara snorted. "Truly troublesome. But, I've figured out your abilities."
Down below, Kinoshita Genichi looked up at Madara in the sky and praised him, "As expected of Uchiha Madara. You figured it out that quickly."
He wasn't surprised, nor did he believe his Future Self and 'Telekinesis' were invincible.
In the end, it's the person who uses the jutsu.
"I still haven't used these dōjutsu enough. I'm not proficient," Genichi reflected.
Of course, only his Future Self had been in action. His main body hadn't moved; it had been continuously using its Mangekyo Mirror Eye to observe Madara.
The true power of the Rinnegan was only being brought forth by Madara himself.
Whether it was Nagato, his own mirrored version, or the eye he had stolen from the future, none of them could unleash its full power. There were still many secrets hidden within.
This time, Genichi had truly "seen" his fill.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others couldn't see the Future Self or the Limbo shadow, and could only see Madara attacking and defending by himself, they could roughly judge the state of the battle.
So, when they saw several 'Madaras' (the Wood Clones) attack at once, Sakumo Hatake quickly asked, "Genichi, was your clone defeated?"
The Illusory Mirror Clone (the 'Madara' one) smiled. "Don't worry, sensei. It wasn't."
Minato Namikaze said, "It looks like he used the Flying Thunder God Technique."
The Illusory Mirror Clone nodded.
In the sky, Madara looked down at Genichi and the others. "The main body and that other clone didn't move..."
"Is he using the Rinnegan to observe my Limbo and then sharing the information with his main body and clone somehow?"
"No... he's not just observing Limbo. He's also... using that eye's copying ability..."
Madara realized Genichi's intent.
"Hmm. It seems I won't be able to capture the Nine-Tails today."
Madara, far from being upset about his plan's failure, actually smiled. "But having an opponent like this... isn't bad at all!"
If he were invincible right from the start, it would take away much of the fun.
With a smile on his face, Madara raised his right hand. A black sphere rapidly condensed, then quickly split, forming nine Chibaku Tensei cores that hung high in the sky.
Rumble!
The earth trembled violently, and countless boulders were ripped from the ground, flying into the air.
Hiruzen's group staggered, looking up at the rapidly swelling spheres. "Is this... Chibaku Tensei?"
Jiraiya exclaimed, "He's making so many at once!"
Genichi's body didn't move an inch. "This is the difference between Madara and Nagato."
The revived Madara didn't just gain the Limbo dōjutsu. He also had a far more massive pool of chakra and a much more astonishing power output.
The Edo Tensei version of Madara could never have made this many at once.
"It seems Madara plans to retreat."
Genichi looked up at the rapidly-forming meteors and immediately formed a hand seal.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Six Shadow Clones lined up behind him. The Future Self vanished.
Hiruzen shouted, "Here they come!"
Nine massive meteors plummeted from the sky, hurtling toward the group.
Minato raised his hand, forming his Blaze Release: Zero-Tails Pitch-Black Zero-Style Purple Flame Big Ball Rasenshuriken. Genichi's Shadow Clones, his Illusory Mirror Clone, and his main body all used Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
RUMBLE~~
The Rasenshurikens and the meteors collided in mid-air, creating brilliant orbs of light that illuminated the already-darkening sky.
By the time the last of the rubble rained down, Madara had already vanished from the sky.
"He retreated?" Hiruzen scanned the area.
Genichi nodded. "He's gone."
"But there is still one who hasn't been dealt with."
"Sensei, Sandaime-sama, you should return to the village first."
With that, the Illusory Mirror Clone dispersed, and Genichi vanished from his spot.
The others turned to look. Over by the red torii gate, Genichi was now standing in front of Uchiha Tekka.
"Uchiha Tekka, it seems I've disappointed you again," Genichi said with a smile.
Tekka's face was cold, and he said nothing.
He had never imagined that even the fully revived Madara would be defeated.
And Madara had even retreated without rescuing him.
But... this is only temporary!
Tekka looked up at Genichi. "You can protect the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail, but can you protect all the other Tailed Beasts?"
"One day, you will be killed by Madara-sama! I'll be waiting for you in the Pure Land!"
Genichi sighed. "You still don't get it. To Madara, you are nothing but an expendable pawn."
Then, he smiled again. "But I'm not here to convince you of anything."
"I'm not a fan of 'talk-no-jutsu'."
"Don't worry. I'll make you submit, body and soul."
Tekka became wary. "What are you going to do?"
Genichi grinned. "Of course, I'm going to let you create the ideal Uchiha clan you've always dreamed of!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand. Wood Style jutsu wrapped Uchiha Tekka up like a dumpling, sealing him.
Genichi could, of course, have simply extracted Tekka's soul and forcibly broken the Edo Tensei.
But since Tekka was so stubbornly unrepentant, he'd try a different game.
Genichi sent a clone to take Tekka to the research base, while his main body used a body-flicker to return to the Hokage Building rooftop.
As for Nagato's body, it had already been taken by Jiraiya.
...
Hokage Building Rooftop.
The Rinne Puppet Clone vanished. Tsunade saw the unharmed Genichi and let out a quiet sigh of relief. "It's over?"
Genichi nodded with a smile. "Madara has fled. Nagato died from using the Rinne Tensei, and I've sealed Uchiha Tekka."
Uzumaki Ina also walked over, looking happy. "That's great!"
"Madara probably won't dare to come back now, right?"
Tsunade said, "With Madara's strength, the other shinobi villages probably won't be able to stop him from capturing the Tailed Beasts."
Genichi nodded. "Yes."
"But that's not something we can stop."
He could, in fact, stop it, but he didn't want to play firefighter and run all over the world.
For what?
World peace?
What did that have to do with him?
Genichi just wanted to "cross the river by feeling the stones" and then have a "hot-headed wife and kids on a warm kang."
But Tsunade was still worried about the future. "Once Madara collects the other Tailed Beasts, he'll come back to Konoha sooner or later."
She looked out over the village, which was filled with billowing smoke and countless collapsed buildings. It was a picture of devastation.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
Genichi stepped forward and pulled Tsunade into a hug.
Tsunade buried her head in his chest, allowing herself a moment of weakness, before suddenly pushing him away and glaring at him fiercely.
Genichi said, "Madara can collect Tailed Beasts, and we can train hard and increase our strength. Who will be stronger in the future... that's not set in stone yet!"
Uzumaki Ina covered her mouth and giggled. "So, that means everyone has to train even harder from now on, right?"
"You too!" Genichi tapped Ina on the head. "Alright, you two have a lot to deal with. I'm going to take care of Nagato's business first."
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "Get lost!"
Woman, just wait until tonight. I'll make you beg.
Genichi, giving the great Hokage-sama her due respect, vanished with a body-flicker.
...
Corpse-Inspection Room.
Genichi suddenly appeared beside Jiraiya. "If you want, I can use Edo Tensei to revive them."
Jiraiya looked exasperated. "Genichi, you really have a knack for ruining the atmosphere."
Genichi shrugged. "Is it really necessary to be so sad about this?"
Jiraiya sighed. "It's just a shame."
Genichi looked at Nagato's body. "Everyone makes their own choices. And everyone must bear the consequences of those choices."
"You and I are no exception."
"The future is never decided by some 'Child of Prophecy.' It's decided by the present. By every single moment, right now."
Jiraiya was silent for a moment, then smiled. "As you said, everyone has their own choices, right?"
Genichi nodded. "So... want to go to Amegakure with me?"
"A reunion between teacher and students... it should be very moving, don't you think?"
"Before Nagato died, he asked me to take care of Konan. I didn't agree. As his teacher, you should be able to fulfill his dying wish."
Jiraiya looked helpless. "You're really good at finding trouble for me."
"But, wait... You're not... planning to make a move on Konan, are you?" Jiraiya looked at Genichi with a wary expression.
Genichi snapped his fingers. "Thanks for the reminder."
"Let's go."
Genichi created a Shadow Clone. He had it wrap Nagato's and Yahiko's bodies in wood, and then he took Jiraiya with him, disappearing using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Genichi didn't plan to go with his main body. He had to stay on guard, just in case that old codger Madara decided to pull a fast one and return for a sneak attack.
(End of Chapter)
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