Chapter 185: Please… Give it your all in battle!
The Edo Tensei body still left something to be desired.
The Rinnegan focused on Hakken as Madara Uchiha's form slowly began to restore itself.
Perhaps the caster thought that by infusing the reincarnated body with Hashirama Senju's cells, the summoned individual would come close to their original strength.
Madara's body had also undergone special treatment, so his combat abilities should be stronger than before.
But deep down, Madara knew the truth: without the true sensation of flesh and blood, he couldn’t even feel his own heartbeat.
He couldn’t feel pain either.
This kind of battle was completely absurd.
The man known as Madara Uchiha had always fought to enjoy the experience of battle, to savor the act of fighting itself.
Looking at the man before him, he sensed a fighting style similar to his own.
To revel in combat, to vent one’s inner desires.
His body had been restored.
A rare flicker of caution passed over Madara’s face as he glanced at the katana slung at Hakken Yoru’s waist.
The intelligence Obito had provided—who knew if it was true?
If his opponent truly had methods to target the soul, even a body revived through Edo Tensei wouldn’t be safe.
Fortunately, Black Zetsu had already been sent to prepare.
Once he took down this brat in front of him, then dealt with Hashirama, and finally captured the beasts of Konohagakure, the Eye of the Moon Plan could commence.
His hands slowly rose to rest before his chest.
Chakra began to extend outward.
Just as Madara was about to unleash his Great Fire Annihilation, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
“This isn’t a place where you can freely unleash your jutsu.”
Gripping Madara’s throat, Hakken instantly smothered the Great Fire Annihilation in its cradle.
The immense force carried both of them toward the Death Forest outside the Central Tower.
Are you kidding me?
The Chūnin Exams are still happening down there.
If Madara starts destroying things here, how can the exams continue?
Not to mention, if you let your complete Susanoo out, one kick would likely reduce the Central Tower to rubble, right?
Complete Susanoo—hailed as the embodiment of destruction.
In the original story, Madara once said that anyone who witnessed this technique was already dead.
That much was true. After all, at that time, Hashirama Senju had already died and hadn’t been resurrected by Orochimaru’s Edo Tensei.
His eyes only held Hashirama, just like Sasuke’s eyes only held Naruto.
Recognizing an opponent’s strength in battle is what allows calm, rational discussion.
It was the same when Hashirama defeated Madara during the Warring States Period and extended his hand, seeking to co-found Konoha.
Only equal strength grants the right to negotiate.
Verbal persuasion and lectures are utterly useless against someone like Madara.
Even if Naruto tried to talk to him, it wouldn’t work.
The reason? Madara had always strived for world peace, never acting out of personal greed or selfish goals.
His path simply went astray—and that wasn’t his fault. The Uchiha Clan’s Stone Monument, left by Rikudō Sennin, had been altered by Black Zetsu. This technique, which was meant to bring the world into an illusion, led Madara down the wrong path.
Perhaps, even after Kaguya was resurrected and sealed again, Madara never truly understood whether this so-called peace even existed. One must admit, among the antagonists in the Naruto world, Madara’s charisma was undeniable.
Boom!
With tremendous force, both of them crashed into the Forest of Death.
The Edo Tensei body shattered again, and Madara, still recovering, looked displeased.
Hakken merely brushed dust off his shoulder and, after a moment’s thought, pulled a katana from somewhere and tossed it to Madara. Then, lazily removing the golden cross-shaped dagger from around his neck—the one Minato had returned to him—he pointed it at Madara from a distance.
This golden dagger was the token he had given to Karin. After finding Minato, Karin had reunited with Kushina, so it had returned to his possession.
“Hmm, you’re not exactly skilled with a katana, are you?”
“Don’t say I’m picking on you.”
With a flick of the golden blade, Hakken grinned.
The scene was eerily reminiscent of Mihawk teasing Zoro.
...
“The reckoning has come.”
Above the Central Tower.
Minato glanced off into the distance before pulling his gaze back, giving a brief nod to Kakashi beside him.
“Yeah, it’s definitely time to settle the score.”
The two turned and walked directly toward Obito Uchiha.
Obito still wore his mask, but his face had twisted beyond recognition.
Just moments ago, before Madara left, he had been calling him a worthless piece of trash.
Worthless?
Was he talking about himself?
The way things had unfolded today was completely beyond his control!
Was it his fault?
Not at all.
That brat's combat power had skyrocketed too quickly. He had never seen such rapid and ferocious growth.
In fact, that person wasn’t even a ninja.
If forced to describe him, he could rival the god that Nagato had always spoken of.
And for some reason, Obito found himself hoping that Hakken Yoru would eliminate Madara Uchiha.
Then he could walk right up to Madara and tell him who the real worthless one was.
But before that...
There were matters that needed to be dealt with.
Standing straight, Obito watched the two figures approach. His breathing steadied.
His former teacher and his former “friend.”
There was no doubt they had recognized him.
Even when Madara had just called out his name directly—Obito—they hadn’t shown any surprise.
Who had told them?
Hakken Yoru?
It didn’t matter.
Let’s settle this.
“Obito.”
Minato’s expression was complex.
When he had first learned from Hakken that the masked man was Obito, he had briefly retreated into himself.
The student he had once trusted had attempted to kill Kushina, Uzumaki, and their newborn child during her delivery.
He had even summoned the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha.
Once, he had wanted to stand before Obito and ask him directly: why?
But now, seeing him face-to-face, Minato suddenly realized he didn’t know what to say.
What could he possibly say?
Accuse him?
No. Accuse him of what?
Everyone has the right to choose their own path. Rin’s death had deeply scarred Obito. He had chosen to create a world with Rin by standing on the side of destruction.
As a man, that was admirable.
But if the path was wrong, one had to be prepared to bear the consequences.
Did Obito possess that resolve?
Gently reveal the truth to him?
No. The truth itself seemed to matter little to Obito now.
Rin had asked Kakashi to kill her.
Obito knew this well.
What he hated was Kakashi’s failure to save her—that he had actually sliced through Rin’s heart with Raikiri!
Inaction?
But that wasn’t Kakashi’s fault at all.
Even after that incident, Kakashi had woken up countless times in the night, staring at his own blood-soaked hands.
No one wants to kill their comrades.
Who could bear to destroy the bonds forged through countless battles?
But unlike Minato, Kakashi still wanted to say something.
“Obito...”
Kakashi opened his mouth, struggling to utter two words.
“I don’t want to say anything to you, Kakashi.”
His identity had been exposed; there was no need to keep wearing the mask anymore.
Removing it, Obito’s half-destroyed face was revealed. His gaze toward Kakashi and Minato held no emotion whatsoever.
“Obito, it wasn’t Kakashi’s fault.”
“Think about it. If you were in Kakashi’s shoes, what would you have done?”
Minato said, his voice filled with anguish.
“Who knows? If it were me, I’d probably just let the Three-Tails run wild and attack Konoha.”
A cruel smile spread across Obito’s face. “Best to take the entire village down with me.”
He had completely lost his mind!
“Obito, why have you become like this...”
This response...
Minato was utterly stunned. This wasn’t the same kind-hearted boy who once helped old ladies cross the street.
“Minato Namikaze.”
Obito cut him off, his gaze cold and indifferent.
“You have no right to speak like that.”
“You weren’t there when Kakashi and I rescued Rin during that accident. You weren’t there when Rin was sealed with the Three-Tails either.”
“You couldn’t even recognize your own student standing right in front of you.”
“Yellow Flash? Nothing but an empty title!”
Fury blazed in Obito’s eyes as he pointed a finger at Minato, his voice thick with rage.
But those words sparked a fiery anger within Kakashi, standing nearby.
“Obito, I don’t blame you for resenting me. But the number of times Minato-sensei saved your life? You couldn’t count them on both hands!”
“Just because he was delayed by other missions and couldn’t rush to your aid immediately, you’ve already condemned him? That’s not right!”
“And besides…”
Taking a deep breath, Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan.
“Things aren’t what you think! You, me, and Rin—we were all just pawns manipulated by Madara Uchiha!”
“Sealing the Three-Tails within Rin, guiding me to kill her, then having you ‘coincidentally’ witness it—it was all Madara’s scheme!”
This...
Minato froze.
This was more than he had known.
After learning the masked man was Obito, Kakashi had grown increasingly suspicious.
During the Third Shinobi World War, why had Kirigakure ninja conveniently appeared on the Iwa battlefield? That Kannabi Bridge deep behind enemy lines?
The Land of Earth was far from the Land of Water, and it required traveling through the battlefields of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire.
At that time, Kirigakure was still attacking the southern border of the Land of Fire—how could they have been in that location?
When Kakashi shared his doubts with Hakken, the truth finally came to light.
They were all just pawns being manipulated.
Madara wanted to use this method to make Obito despair of the world, to extinguish the light within his heart completely!
A cruel tactic.
But it worked remarkably well.
Obito was consumed by despair.
He evolved directly from the Two Tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyō!
At first, hearing Kakashi’s words, Obito froze.
But after a long while, he regained his composure.
“Well, who knows?”
His hands formed hand seals.
Intense flames erupted.
“Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!”
To conclude everything was Madara’s doing based solely on Kakashi’s words?
Perhaps doubt had already begun to stir within him.
But his mind was too chaotic now. He only wanted to fight fiercely.
Then he would ask Madara himself whether it was truly as Kakashi claimed.
What did he even mean to Madara?
Just a fight!
A single Explosive Whirlwind already declared his intent!
Was that so hard to grasp?
Kakashi sighed, glancing at Minato, who nodded back.
Even former comrades couldn’t escape the fate of clashing blades.
BOOM!
At that moment, a violent chakra fluctuation erupted from the distant Forest of Death.
Blue light shot skyward.
Unstable chakra was coalescing into something in the air.
“Susanoo!”
Beside him, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, wore a grave expression as he stepped forward, intending to investigate.
Having clashed with Madara Uchiha multiple times, he knew exactly what technique the man was about to unleash!
“Nothing can withstand a complete Susanoo except Wood Release.”
He spoke as he walked.
Yet his advance was halted by a woman.
His granddaughter, Tsunade.
“Susanoo can’t be stopped except by Wood Release? That was before, Grandfather. Here, you can always trust Konoha’s Kenpachi.”
Tsunade stated confidently, “Besides, Grandfather, this is that brat’s fight. You really shouldn’t go.”
“Instead, let me show you Konohagakure. Decades have passed. Seeing it now will prove Hakken’s reforms were not in vain.”
“And if it were you, you’d surely enjoy the casinos on Entertainment Street.”
That’s the complete Susanoo.
The First paused. Could that kid truly block it?
He still couldn’t shake his unease.
“The complete form is indeed powerful, but as someone who also wields Susanoo, I can assure you—that thing is merely intimidating in appearance before Kagami-sama.”
Itachi approached with absolute certainty. “Lord First, I too believe it’s best not to disturb Kagami-sama. After all, even if you were to get involved in his battle, you would die.”
“Take advantage of your revival to see more of Konohagakure.”
Those words sounded somewhat insulting.
The First Hokage gave a bitter smile.
“My apologies. As Hokage, I truly have no desire to sightsee in Konoha right now. Even if I don’t participate, might I at least observe from a distance, just in case?”
“The Complete Susanoo?”
Deep within the forest, Hakken still held his small knife pointed at Madara.
But the man before him kicked the long Katana Hakken had offered him aside.
The blue light emanating from his body looked utterly terrifying.
"Tremble! Shudder before this complete Susanoo!"
"Sealed!"
A massive chakra began to solidify around Madara Uchiha's form—armor, a blade of light, wings unfurling behind him!
Atop his tengu-like head, within the diamond-shaped crest, Madara let out a manic laugh.
Finally, he clenched his fist, and the completely exaggerated Susanoo fully materialized!
The embodiment of destruction.
All who have witnessed this technique are already dead.
Facing the Eight Swords of Night, Madara made his stance clear.
"Don't accuse me of bullying."
With his arms crossed, Susanoo's hand slowly reached for the chakra sword at his waist.
"After all, you just said I'm not skilled with blades."
He tilted his head slightly.
Proud as Madara was, why would he choose to accept a weapon given to him?
He'd return that brat's words right back at him!
With this Perfect Susanoo!
The form of Susanoo was colossal, but its speed was anything but slow!
As the chakra sword, glowing with an almost mesmerizing light, descended toward Hakken, the members of the Night Owl Team, along with Tsunade, Hashirama Senju, and others, rushed toward the scene, watching in utter disbelief.
Is this the Perfect Form?
Itachi swallowed hard, realizing he should take back his earlier statement.
Perfect Form versus Mature Form.
The difference was not a trivial one.
BOOM!
Mother Earth groaned in reluctant agony.
The entire Forest of Death began to tremble violently.
Cracks spread through the ground, structures collapsing!
An individual’s strength was enough to rewrite the very landscape!
Dust and debris spread in all directions.
Finally, when the chakra sword reappeared before them, the members of the Night Owl Team exhaled in relief.
The man still stood there.
And even more astonishing was the fact that he was casually holding the golden cross-bladed sword horizontally in the air with one hand, his body not trembling in the slightest, as he blocked the chakra sword!
"Huff."
Exhaling a cloud of stale breath, he grabbed the gourd in his free hand and downed it in one go.
With a single motion, he pushed back with all his strength.
To everyone's shock, the chakra sword and Susanoo were actually forced back several steps!
"You must absolutely..."
"Fight with everything you've got!"
"At the very least, let me draw my true Katana. I refuse to end this battle with this weapon!"
His pupils contracted. The demonic fury and wild savagery hidden beneath the complete Susanoo finally awakened.
The battle intent of that terrifying man.
It was about to erupt!