"Boom."
The ground shattered. With a series of cracking sounds, a fissure on the ground rapidly dragged, expanded, and tore forward.
Some ninjas, unable to dodge in time, unfortunately fell into this abyss.
Spirit Fire raised its arm. Blue flames surged from its palm, gathering into a dazzling ice sword, exuding a murderous aura, like a malevolent demon looking down at the ant-like crowd below.
Tōshirō's eyes were riddled with hideous bloodshot veins, so engorged that one couldn't help but worry they might burst the next second.
Accompanied by a thunderous growl, Spirit Fire's eyes erupted with fierce, violent light. It moved the ice sword and split it down decisively.
Facing the chilling sword qi, everyone's scalp tingled, and they were filled with terror. They desperately tried to move their legs, to escape the range of the slash.
But Spirit Fire's slash far exceeded everyone's imagination. The sword qi swept across the land, engulfing all enemies in its path. The lingering force of the slash even shattered and blew away the rocks behind the ninjas, leaving only deeply cracked fissures.
Immediately after, every time Spirit Fire's ice sword howled, groups of ninjas would turn into piles of corpses.
Uchiha Madara, outside the attack range, narrowed his eyes, staring at Tōshirō, who stood on Spirit Fire's shoulder.
From its performance just now, Tōshirō's dōjutsu power was almost catching up to his Susanoo without the Tengu armor.
Considering that Spirit Fire also seemed to possess the ability to devour souls, it could become even stronger in the future.
But was it really okay to unleash such powerful techniques?
How long could his current body maintain this state?
Tōshirō's eyes burned with pain, crimson blood continuously overflowing from his pupils, streaming down his cheeks. Besides that, every single cell in his body was in intense agony.
Normally, Tōshirō would be so pained that he'd be swaying even just standing still.
What sustained him in battle now was the strong hatred and conviction for revenge...
Hatred, ten, hundred, a thousand times greater than his physical pain, transformed into energy, becoming the strength in Tōshirō's limbs.
The Mangekyo Sharingan was precisely such a power. The stronger the hatred one harbored, the more power these eyes could unleash.
However, correspondingly, the eyes' owner's mind would become extremely abnormal, falling into madness, turning into a psychopath.
To keep this power motivating him to fight, Tōshirō took a deep breath, transforming his deep hatred into words, venting it into the air.
"Spirit Fire, burn everything!"
Accompanied by Tōshirō's blood-flecked roar, Spirit Fire responded to its master's call, letting out a beast-like howl.
This roar seemed to have a soul-shaking effect, as everyone was jolted.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki looked at the maddened Tōshirō, his face solemn as he warned his comrades: "You all retreat. Don't go any further. Otherwise, your souls after death will become food for this guy, making him stronger and stronger."
"But..."
Everyone was stunned.
That was true, but they had already made such great sacrifices. If they left Tōshirō unchecked and let this guy escape, they knew there would certainly be great trouble later.
"I will personally deal with this guy next."
Looking at Tōshirō, who was rampaging with Spirit Fire, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki's eyes were resolute. He fumbled for a pill from his body and swallowed it. Then, he formed hand signs, gathering chakra in his abdomen.
Only a monster could deal with a monster.
He had just taken a special secret medicine. After taking it, and coupled with unique ninjutsu, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki could fight in his tailed beast form without losing his sanity.
Of course, the price was extremely high. He wouldn't have used this medicine unless it was absolutely necessary.
Now, taking this medicine was an act of desperation.
Although they still had the numerical advantage, Tōshirō's abilities were too bizarre. The more souls he devoured, the stronger he seemed to become. If this continued, there was a high possibility of them being completely defeated.
Come forth, Four-Tails!
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki's chakra erupted like a geyser. Four red tails surged from his body, engulfing the Jinchuriki, concealing him. Then, a gigantic figure was born from the tails, rapidly growing in size.
In an instant, it transformed into a colossal creature dozens of meters tall, with a face like Akagi Takenori, a pair of ox horns on its head, two massive, pillar-like canine teeth, and sharp ridges on its front and back.
With two hands and two feet, its body covered in red fur, and four thick red tails, its overall outline resembled a giant red gorilla—it was the Four-Tails.
Seeing the Four-Tails appear, everyone's morale soared.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, transformed into the Four-Tails, beat his chest and stomped his feet, a roar tearing from his throat. Lava surged from his body, enveloping him, and mottled fire patterns appeared on his chest.
Lava Release Chakra Mode.
The Four-Tails, wrapped in lava, charged at Tōshirō by pounding the ground with both fists. In this state, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, though still rational, unconsciously adopted some of the Four-Tails' movements.
Facing the surging Four-Tails gorilla, Spirit Fire folded its elbow joints and launched a direct punch.
The Four-Tails gorilla showed no fear and met the punch with its own.
The two fists clashed, neither giving way.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki was secretly startled. His opponent's summon was incredibly powerful, able to harden the Four-Tails' fist without being at a disadvantage.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki noticed Tōshirō on Spirit Fire's shoulder and had an idea. Rolling lava, emitting black smoke, surged from his thick arms.
Lava Release: Great Eruption.
With its fists enveloped in lava, the Four-Tails gorilla roared like thunder. It unleashed a punch, simulating the terrifying power of a volcanic eruption.
The explosive punch was so powerful that even Spirit Fire struggled against it. Its fist was repelled, its body lost balance, and it stumbled backward. The wheels on its slender legs, compared to its thick arms, spun rapidly, barely allowing it to maintain its stance.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki sneered.
Accompanied by an explosion, many lava fists erupted in the air, rushing towards Tōshirō, vowing to blast his mortal body to smithereens.
Tōshirō stared with cold eyes at the incoming lava fists. It wasn't the right time to use that technique yet.
He had Spirit Fire quickly defend, placing its hand horizontally in front of Tōshirō, resisting all the incoming lava fists.
The Four-Tails gorilla seized this opportunity. Its entire body turned to lava, concentrating it in its hands, and then it swung a punch at Tōshirō's main body.
Lava Release: Subterranean Needle.
The attack range was very close, making it difficult to dodge. Spirit Fire grasped Tōshirō and rotated its body, taking the full force of the punch on its back. Its back exploded, Spirit Fire swayed, and one knee touched the ground.
The Four-Tails pursued the advantage, leaping up, clenching both fists, and plummeting down, striking forcefully.
Spirit Fire narrowly dodged. The Four-Tails gorilla's fist missed its target and landed heavily on the ground. Unexpectedly, lava surged from the ground, forming a sea of lava. In an instant, the sea of lava erupted like a volcano, spewing out.
This Lava Release: Flower Fruit Mountain technique had an enormous range. The resulting lava pillars enveloped both Tōshirō and Spirit Fire.
The Five-Tails Jinchuriki's strategy was clear: attack the main body.
Seeing Tōshirō completely enveloped by this technique, the surrounding ninjas felt the joy of impending victory well up in their hearts.
However, this joy did not last long. The next second, a dark blue hand, wreathed in blue flames, directly pierced through the lava and single-handedly grasped the Four-Tails gorilla's throat.
Feeling the pain in its throat, the Four-Tails gorilla's eyes widened in disbelief, its face filled with incredulity.
Impossible—!
Spirit Fire's blue flames had a freezing effect, so it was understandable that Spirit Fire, wreathed in blue flames, could withstand the burning of Hell Flower Fruit Mountain. But it should have had significant killing power against Tōshirō, who was merely flesh and blood.
Logically, if the main body was severely wounded, it shouldn't have been able to continue controlling Spirit Fire.
The Five-Tails Jinchuriki was both confused and astonished.
The lava began to recede, allowing him to see the full extent beneath it.
He saw that Tōshirō, beside Spirit Fire, was surrounded by a layer of pitch-black skeleton, with a ring of blue flames burning around it. It seemed this was what had withstood the lava attack.
The blue flames could be understood as Spirit Fire's flames, but what was that black skeleton surrounding Tōshirō, from which he could feel a very ominous aura?
Susanoo...
Uchiha Madara's eyes widened, staring unblinkingly at the black skeleton surrounding Tōshirō, his face filled with surprise, even disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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