Chapter 219: Madara... Ran Away
"Uncle!!!"
High above, atop the paper bird, when Li Yao was struck by the Light Fang Storm Release, Koyuki froze. She hadn't expected that the same uncle who had just been taunting Uchiha Madara would be hit so easily—without any reaction at all.
Stunned for a second, Koyuki suddenly screamed and instantly directed the bird to dive toward the battlefield.
"No, no… Uncle can't be dead…"
Her entire body trembled, her lips quivered, and her eyes remained locked on Li Yao's hovering form below—wait!
Koyuki suddenly stopped and focused.
Something was off… Uncle's chakra hadn't changed, and his body hadn't been torn to pieces by the Light Fang.
"Uncle's not dead!" Her eyes lit up instantly.
Of course, Madara and White Zetsu noticed this strange detail as well.
"He's… not dead!"
Madara stared—there wasn't a single mark where Li Yao had been hit by the Light Fang. Normally, it should have sliced clean through.
Yet not only was there no wound, there wasn't even a trace of blood in the air.
"Was it that technique just now?"
"Was it the Third Mizukage's Black Water Hydration Technique?"
He remembered Li Yao's Susanoo dissolving into a black liquid and flowing into his body—a clue that something strange had happened.
But then Madara frowned.
The Hydration Technique wasn't invincible. Against high-quality chakra, like the Light Fang's kekkei genkai-tier power, it should have left damage even if it didn't kill.
Yet Li Yao had nothing. Why?
As Madara pondered, he didn't stop. His hands flew into seals and he fired another Light Fang, slicing toward Li Yao's neck.
This time, he saw it clearly.
The beam had passed straight through Li Yao's neck—yet Li Yao looked like nothing more than a translucent afterimage, untouched, like air itself.
Madara activated his soul-sensing ability.
Confirmed.
That was Li Yao.
Not a clone. Not an illusion. Not a spirit projection.
So why couldn't he be hit?
"What ability is this?"
At that moment, all three observers—Madara, White Zetsu, and Koyuki—had the same question in their hearts.
Just as Madara was preparing another attack, Li Yao slowly opened his eyes.
With a cold glance toward Madara, he gave a faint smile.
"Curious about my ability?"
"Let me show you."
Li Yao raised his right hand above his head, index and middle fingers together like a blade. With a thought, five black spheres, each the size of a ping-pong ball, formed and danced around his extended fingers.
"That's… Black Water… No, it's not."
Madara grew cautious. This wasn't like Black Water—it was darker, like it absorbed all surrounding light.
"Still, it must be a special Water Release technique."
He felt slightly relieved. If it was just a unique water-based kekkei genkai, then his Susanoo wouldn't be at risk.
"Go!"
With a thought, Li Yao sent the five black spheres hurtling forward. They pierced through all five of Madara's Susanoo defenses and embedded themselves in their chests.
Boom!
Madara was still shocked that they'd bypassed his defenses when the spheres expanded, forming five massive transparent black spheres, each with a radius of 100 meters—trapping all five Susanoo and his clones inside.
"Not good—it's the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing!"
Madara's face twisted in panic. Recognizing the familiar technique's signs, he instinctively tried to jump clear of the affected zone.
But a gravitational pull surged from the center of each black sphere, dragging everything toward the core.
Pop!
The massive spatial bubbles imploded, vanishing completely—leaving behind five smooth, circular craters on the ground.
One-hit kill.
With his new ability, Li Yao had instantaneously obliterated all of Madara's clones and Susanoo.
That's the power of space.
And it was exactly why Li Yao could now look down on Madara with such confidence.
"What!!!"
"How can this be? Madara was taken out in a single blow?!"
"I need to get out of here!"
On a nearby hilltop, White Zetsu was utterly stunned by what had just happened. He didn't even have time to figure out why Li Yao's technique looked similar to the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing yet had much faster activation and wider range.
All he knew was—Madara had lost.
He had to run. He began sinking into the ground.
Clap!
Too late. A hand suddenly gripped White Zetsu's shoulder. Then, next to his ear, a familiar and chilling voice spoke:
"Where do you think you're going, White Zetsu?"
"So… so fast!"
White Zetsu's pupils shrank. He muttered instinctively.
Zzzzz!
Li Yao flipped his grip, seizing White Zetsu by the neck and lifting him into the air. He looked into his shocked eyes with a faint smile, and summoned an abyssal sphere of Black Water into his palm.
A terrifying suction force erupted from his palm—targeting every fiber of White Zetsu's existence.
In an instant, White Zetsu felt—no, knew—that his soul, body, and chakra were being drained by Li Yao's hand like a black hole.
"Damn it!!"
"Why does the ninja world have to produce a monster like this?!"
His inner scream faded quickly. Under the devouring power of Li Yao's new ability, White Zetsu's body disintegrated to ash—like paper consumed by flame.
"Whew… Full recharge."
Li Yao lowered his hand and took a deep breath. His chakra was brimming again. The sealing array inside him was also stocked with a huge amount of chakra.
But it still wasn't enough.
His gaze turned toward the four White Zetsu maintaining the barrier. Yet before he could move, they wisely fled underground as soon as he devoured the first.
The Four Red Yang Formation barrier collapsed with their escape.
Clearly, the roles had reversed—Li Yao was now the hunter, and Madara and White Zetsu had become the prey.
"Heh…"
"You can run, but you can't hide."
With a leap, Li Yao shot off like a black streak toward the Land of Grass.
Madara had made one too many attempts on his life. Did he really think Li Yao had no temper or sense of revenge?
"I remember exactly where your base is."
Li Yao's eyes gleamed with murderous intent. He was going to find Madara—and kill him.
If Might Guy didn't finish the job, then Li Yao would.
"Uncle!"
"Wait for me!"
Koyuki cried out from behind, chasing after him on her paper bird. But Li Yao's speed was overwhelming. The entire scene had happened so fast that by the time she realized what had occurred, he was already gone. All she could do was follow his trail.
One hour later.
Li Yao arrived over a forest in the Land of Grass.
"Heh, still acting tough?"
With a thought, he condensed another black sphere in his palm and threw it downward.
The ground yielded like soft cheese, letting the black sphere pass through to an underground chamber—then it exploded outward.
The sphere expanded above ground, then violently collapsed inward like a makeshift black hole—devouring everything it enclosed.
A massive, 100-meter-wide, perfectly smooth crater appeared.
"He ran!!!"
"Damn it—you're Uchiha Madara for crying out loud!"
"You seriously ran away?!"
"What happened to your pride?!"
"What happened to your legendary presence?!"
Li Yao stared at the crater and couldn't help but curse aloud.
A huge section had collapsed—right where the Gedo Statue should've been.
Now, nothing remained.
His black sphere had detected no trace of Madara or White Zetsu's chakra—only stone and dirt.
Clearly, the so-called legendary Uchiha Madara had fled with the Gedo Statue long before.
(END CHAPTER)
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