Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...!
The Ten-Tails charged across the earth, carrying the Six Paths: Susanoo on its back!
Watching the Ten-Tails disappear into the distance, Black Zetsu seethed with rage. "How dare he ride on Mother's back! That ungrateful descendant Indra!!"
With such a formidable enemy bearing down on them, Madara activated his Complete Body Susanoo once more!
But this time, Kakashi wasn't inside the Susanoo—instead, he stood on its outstretched palm!
"I hope... I can still make it out alive..."
Kakashi prayed, closing his eyes tight!
Whoosh!
Azure chakra formed the skeletal framework of Susanoo. The chakra continued to burn, manifesting as muscle tissue that wrapped around the right arm bones and half the head and torso!
Kakashi opened his eyes. "This... is my absolute limit!"
Swish!
Madara'sSusanoo spread its wings, cradling Kakashi and his miniature Susanoo as it soared into the sky!
Indra looked up with interest. "Oh? Changing tactics this time..."
Beneath the Six Paths: Susanoo, the Ten-Tails opened its massive maw and spat out an enormous fleshy tumor. The growth unfurled, transforming into a gigantic rafflesia bloom!
This monstrous flower served as the Ten-Tails' artillery platform in its current form—a living cannon for firing Tailed Beast Bombs. Compared to its previous incarnations, the power of these Tailed Beast Bombs had undergone a massive enhancement!
But with increased power came drawbacks: the charging time for Tailed Beast Bombs was noticeably slower, and the Ten-Tails itself lacked mobility!
Whoosh!
A super-dreadnought-class Ten-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb had already formed at the mouth of the rafflesia cannon!
Seeing this, Madara'sSusanoo began high-speed evasive maneuvers through the sky.
"..." The Ten-Tails' eye, squeezed nearly shut by the rafflesia, struggled to rotate and track its target!
"Enough..."
Indra grew impatient. The Six Paths: Susanoo gripped the Ama-no-Bugei in its left hand, skillfully hooked the Ten-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb onto the halberd's tip, rested the weapon on the Ama-no-Makagu Bow in its right hand, drew the bowstring taut, and fired straight into the sky!
With Indra's visual prowess providing perfect aim, missing was impossible!
Using the divine Ama-no-Makagu Bow to launch the Ama-no-Bugei loaded with a Ten-Tails rafflesia Tailed Beast Bomb—without exaggeration, even if Madara'sSusanoo were ten times stronger, it wouldn't dare take this attack head-on!
But at that very moment, a black shuriken materialized in Kakashi'sSusanoo's palm and was hurled downward!
—Kamui Shuriken!
Boom... Whoosh!
Upon collision, the Kamui Shuriken exploded into a Kamui vortex, instantly transferring the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb along with the Ama-no-Bugei into the dimensional void!
Trading a musket for a cannon!
Madara smirked. "Excellent~!"
The dispersed four Limbo shadows manifested Susanoo once again, but this time, instead of futile direct confrontation, Madara used Limbo as relay points for spatial displacement!
—Limbo: Instant Switch!
Madara, carrying Kakashi'sSusanoo, appeared at Limbo Alpha's position!
Swish! Another Kamui Shuriken launched... targeting the Ten-Tails' head!
If Indra used Susanoo to disengage from the Ten-Tails, the clumsy beast would be hit!
So he had no choice but to intercept it directly!
Indra muttered, "Playing this game, are we..."
Swish! The Six Paths: Susanoo shrugged its shoulder, launching an Ama-no-Nuhoko from its back. The spear collided with the Kamui Shuriken, and both were annihilated in the vortex!
Madara repeated the same tactic, using Limbo for spatial displacement. Each time he switched positions, Kakashi would coordinate by hurling a Kamui Shuriken downward!
After several repetitions, multiple Ama-no-Nuhoko spears had been consumed!
"Truly irritating..." Indra frowned, glancing at the two remaining Ama-no-Nuhoko spears on the Susanoo's back armor. He decided to take the offensive and break the stalemate!
Swish! Swish!
The Six Paths: Susanoo shrugged both shoulders consecutively. The two Ama-no-Nuhoko spears fired in different directions, piercing through the Limbo Susanoo waiting in the void—this time, the spears struck the Limbo entities themselves inside the Susanoo!
The two slain Limbo clones vanished into light along with their Susanoo, unable to reform in the short term!
Indra said, "Now you only have two relay points left. Though it seems I was being overly cautious—that silver-haired hedgehog is already finished..."
Kakashi was severely depleted of chakra and could no longer maintain his Susanoo!
"I've already enhanced Kakashi with Ootsutsuki power, but his foundation is still too weak..."
Madara frowned, directing his Susanoo to fly higher while the remaining two Limbo Susanoo moved to different positions in the sky!
"Hmph." Indra formed a two-finger seal.
Behind the Ten-Tails, ten massive tails with palm-shaped ends wrapped around the Six Paths: Susanoo's waist. The Susanoo beat its wings, lifting the Ten-Tails into the sky!
The Ama-no-Bugei reformed, skewering a Ten-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb and hurling it directly at Madara'sSusanoo!
Without Kakashi'sKamui Shuriken, Madara's only option was to swap positions with Limbo!
Swish!
Madara and his Susanoo switched places with Limbo Beta!
But Indra was prepared. The instant Madara appeared, the Six Paths: Susanoo violently hurled the Ama-no-Bugei!
Limbo's instant switch had a cooldown of several seconds—he couldn't swap again!
But as if anticipating this, at the moment the Ama-no-Bugei struck, the Susanoo suddenly threw Kakashi toward Indra, right in front of the Six Paths: Susanoo!
Crack...!!!
Madara'sSusanoo was obliterated by the Ama-no-Bugei in a single strike!!!
Indra watched Kakashi hurtling toward him through the air.
"The same trick again? Forget it!!!"
Swish! Swish!
He waved his hand, sending all twelve Truth-Seeking Orbs flying toward Kakashi to disrupt his long-range Kamui!
Whoosh...!
But every Truth-Seeking Orb passed straight through Kakashi!
Whoosh!
At that moment, Limbo Gamma, having dismissed its Susanoo, swiftly darted past and carried all the Truth-Seeking Orbs away!
Kakashi shot forward, maintaining his intangible state, treating the Six Paths: Susanoo as nonexistent as he phased into the cube where Indra stood!
This entire sequence, though described slowly, occurred in the blink of an eye!
Kakashi's hand reached directly for Indra!
"What!?" Indra truly hadn't expected the two to execute such an intricately linked, ethereally brilliant combination in such a short time—a display of masterful coordination that could succeed brilliantly or fail catastrophically!
Swish!
Indra'sYin-Yang Six Paths Staff slashed toward Kakashi!
Whoosh!
As expected, the staff... passed right through!
Kakashi's arm shot out like lightning, grasping Indra's arm as both eyes simultaneously activated Kamui!
Crack!
Violent vortex turbulence erupted!
Crack! Crack!
The front and rear walls of the Susanoo shattered simultaneously!
"!" Indra severed his own left arm, leaping away at the critical moment!
Whoosh! His severed arm, along with the staff it held, was sucked into the dimensional void!
Thud!
Kakashi collapsed to his knees inside the Susanoo, his eyes completely reverting to three-tomoe. "Still too slow... If it were Obito, he would have succeeded just now..."
Swish!
At that moment, Madara'sLimbo flashed by, whisking Kakashi away!
Indra clutched his severed arm, standing suspended in the sky. Though wounded by an opponent far weaker than himself, his face showed no shame or rage, but rather cold appreciation. "Turning decay into wonder—a perfect interpretation of the art called battle. A delightful intermission before Infinite Tsukuyomi. But now, it's time for the curtain to fall!"
Buzz! His left eye focused on Kakashi in the distance!
Madara sensed something amiss. "This is bad..."
Swish!
At the last moment, Madara used instant switch with Limbo, positioning himself directly in front of Kakashi!
—Mokuhanoshiryu!
Inertia carried Madara and Kakashi out of the eye technique's range!
But Mokuhanoshiryu still took effect, albeit for just a brief instant!
In Kakashi's vision, Madara's skin aged instantly, and his jet-black hair rapidly turned gray-white!
Thud!!
After landing, Kakashi gazed with trembling eyes, speaking with complex emotions. "Madara, why did you..."
Madara's lips were cracked and his breathing weak, yet he maintained the supreme dignity of a warrior. "I brought you out, so I must bring you back. Konoha is his village. You are Konoha's Hokage. Since we chose to walk this path together, I must answer to 'him'..."
Kakashi asked, "Him—do you mean Naruto, or..."
"Who it is doesn't matter." Madara spoke with a thread-like voice. "Escape quickly... use Kamui to absorb yourself into the dimensional void. Tell that Naruto kid I couldn't fulfill my promise. Take care of Ari. Take care of... my child!"
Hatake Kakashi clenched his fists tightly. "You should tell them that yourself!"
Buzz!
His right eye's three-tomoe transformed into Mangekyō, blood vessels bursting as he squeezed out the last of his ocular power!
—Kamui!
Whoosh!
Madara was absorbed into the dimensional void!
"Huff, huff, huff... Looks like I've reached my limit too!"
Kakashi's eyes became unfocused, even the permanently active three-tomoe vanishing from his pupils!
"Sorry, Obito... I couldn't fulfill my promise either!"
Thud...!
The world spun around him. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness!
"Let me see you off one last time."
Indra gazed intently at Kakashi.
At that moment, a White Zetsu emerged beside Kakashi. "Lord Indra, Kakashi... he's finished!"
Rumble rumble... Just as Indra frowned, the Ten-Tails suddenly underwent a dramatic transformation!
The Ten-Tails' entire body rooted itself in the earth. The massive seed on its back sprouted and grew, becoming a towering trunk that shot straight into the heavens!!
"Ohhhh~~! The Divine Tree has finally appeared!!!"
At this moment, everyone's attention—including Black Zetsu's—was drawn to the Divine Tree!
"Kakashi, you really should thank me..." So much so that the White Zetsu quietly performed some manipulation, completely unnoticed by anyone!
...
Inside Kamui's dimensional space.
Madara, his life force depleted, lay within the cube. Awaiting him was undoubtedly death.
Whoosh... But on the verge of death, Hashirama Senju's face on his chest began to dissolve. Hashirama's life force flowed into every cell of his body, reviving his vitality!
Simultaneously, his dim Rinnegan began to glimmer faintly, some unknown transformation brewing within...
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