Chapter 218: D–Dead!
The battle between the two had already lasted quite a while.
No matter how advanced and complex Susanoo's chakra transformation was, after several close-range encounters, it was enough for Li Yao to analyze and copy it.
"Impossible?!"
After witnessing Li Yao erase the will imprint from his soul, this development once again left Madara with an expression of utter disbelief.
Susanoo was supposed to be an exclusive power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
This wasn't some elemental fusion bloodline limit you could just learn through observation.
Madara could use Susanoo with only his three-tomoe Sharingan because his Mangekyō had already evolved into the Rinnegan.
But Li Yao—
First, didn't have a Sharingan.
Second, the body he had possessed wasn't even of Uchiha bloodline.
So how did he do it?
Madara was certain his sensory perception wasn't mistaken.
The Susanoo Li Yao summoned was identical to his own. It couldn't be fake, and certainly not a simple chakra-formed imitation.
That overwhelming destructive aura couldn't be faked.
This man had truly used the Uchiha clan's ultimate Mangekyō jutsu—Susanoo.
"How is it? My Susanoo," Li Yao said with a cheerful grin.
"Then let's see whose is stronger!" Proud as always, Madara would not tolerate such taunting. All five of his Susanoo leapt into action, swinging twenty enormous chakra blades toward Li Yao's.
He didn't believe it. Without a Sharingan, there was no way Li Yao's copied Susanoo could match his.
Faced with the incoming assault, Li Yao didn't take it lightly. With a thought, his three-headed, six-armed Susanoo shrank slightly, redistributing chakra to form six round shields on each of its arms for defense.
Clang! The deafening crash of metal echoed out.
Boom! A terrifying shockwave burst from the impact of Susanoo's blades against Li Yao's shields, turning the entire barrier zone into a super typhoon. House-sized rocks flew in all directions.
In the sky, Koyuki struggled to keep her paper bird steady, squinting against the wind to glimpse the battlefield below.
Thud!
A boulder the size of a house hurtled toward White Zetsu, who quickly dove underground to reappear elsewhere.
"Li Yao… how the hell is he doing this?!"
White Zetsu was completely stunned. He had always known Li Yao had exceptional talent. Against most opponents, he could learn their signature techniques at a glance—even without seeing the full hand seals.
But that only applied to basic elemental jutsu and elemental fusion bloodline limits.
Techniques like Shikotsumyaku, the Sharingan of the Uchiha, or the Byakugan of the Hyūga—
These were not bloodline limits one could learn simply by studying chakra nature transformations.
Some, like Dust Release, were exceptions. Ōnoki and the Second Tsuchikage weren't blood relatives, yet both mastered it.
That kind of bloodline limit could be learned.
White Zetsu had always thought Li Yao's talents extended only that far—capable of learning fusion-type bloodline limits.
But not the kind that required a specific bloodline to awaken.
That was why neither he nor Madara had ever really taken Li Yao seriously.
No matter how many chakra nature fusion bloodline limits he had, in the face of the Rinnegan and Susanoo's overwhelming power, he was just prey.
Yet here he was, using Susanoo without possessing a Sharingan or Uchiha blood.
How was that possible?
This completely shattered White Zetsu's worldview.
He had no idea how Li Yao had achieved this.
Hahahaha…
As the smoke cleared—unsurprisingly, following the "if there's smoke, there's no injury" rule—Li Yao stood unscathed. His Susanoo remained intact, its round shields having blocked the onslaught.
His laughter rang loud in Madara's ears—piercing and mocking.
But Madara didn't respond. He didn't attack again either. He had seen the reality clearly.
Right now, he had no way to deal with Li Yao.
And that was exactly why Li Yao was laughing so freely.
After this clash, he had fully evaluated Madara's current strength and lost all remaining fear.
He had previously worried Madara might suddenly pull out some strange Six Paths jutsu and kill him in one blow.
But no—this was still the Naruto world as he knew it. No weird horror elements, no hidden death curses like Reaper Death Seal constantly lying in wait.
Madara's combat style was just like in the original series.
Once he couldn't win through basic jutsu and taijutsu, he resorted to "mecha mode"—using Susanoo to crush enemies.
But once blocked, like when Hashirama used Wood Golem to stop Susanoo, Madara had no other options.
Li Yao now felt certain—if chakra levels were equal, Madara couldn't kill him. But with Dust Release, Li Yao had a real shot at killing Madara.
All he needed now was for the fusion of Reverse Four Symbols Sealing chakra and storage-space chakra to succeed.
Then it would be his turn to hunt Madara.
"Li Yao!!!"
Madara shouted, "Your power—I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge it. You are worthy to be my partner. Surely you, too, are disillusioned by this world."
"You, a test subject. That Uzumaki woman beside you. Even Nagato. You are all sacrifices of this cruel shinobi world…"
Seeing that he couldn't kill Li Yao—and fearing that Li Yao might leak their secrets—Madara switched to persuasion. He tried to use Li Yao's tragic backstory to bring him back into the fold, to join the Eye of the Moon Plan, and create a peaceful world free of conflict.
Li Yao listened silently, not interrupting. He even appeared to be considering it.
To be fair, Madara was terrible at this kind of talk. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Konoha alone and gotten backstabbed by his own clan.
While pretending to listen, Li Yao was inwardly focused—accelerating the fusion of the two chakra types.
"It's done!"
As the corner of his mouth lifted, Madara finished his pitch and asked, "So? Will you join the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
"Ah… this feeling!"
Li Yao didn't even respond—or perhaps didn't even hear Madara. He was completely lost in the exhilarating sensation of the new chakra formed from the fusion of sealing and storage-space chakra.
"Above all, I alone reign supreme!"
That was how he felt now.
Whoosh!
His Susanoo dissolved into black fluid, which instantly flowed back into his body.
Li Yao hovered in midair, eyes closed, savoring the overwhelming surge of power—like Blackbeard gaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. The constant flood of world-shaking energy left him euphoric, utterly dismissing the famed Uchiha Madara.
His arrogant posture—
Could Madara tolerate that?
Even Hashirama had never dared act so brash in front of him. And now this brat, thinking Madara was old and Rinnegan-less, dared mock him like this?
Unforgivable!
"Storm Release: Light Fang!"
Szzzzzzzzz!
In an instant, five razor-sharp beams of white light shot from the mouths of Madara's White Zetsu clone and shadow clones—slicing straight through Li Yao's body.
Li Yao didn't dodge!
Madara and White Zetsu froze in disbelief.
"D–Dead!"
Madara couldn't believe how fast the reversal came.
White Zetsu let out a massive sigh of relief.
Thank goodness!
Thank goodness Li Yao was dead.
Otherwise… he didn't even want to imagine what would've happened next.
(END CHAPTER)
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