"Sasuke!!"
Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and the others were horrified as they watched Sasuke suddenly teleport and cough up blood after receiving a devastating blow from Six Paths Madara.
Cough!
The next second, Naruto—now in Six Paths Sage Mode—shot forward at blinding speed and caught the injured Sasuke mid-air.
Immediately, the power of the Six Paths surged from Naruto's palm, beginning to heal Sasuke's injuries.
---
"Sasuke, that just now…"
While focusing on the healing, Naruto hesitated as he sensed something strange.
"It was my Heavenly Hand Power." Sasuke answered grimly. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and turned toward Six Paths Madara and Leo, his Rinnegan and Sharingan glowing with fury.
"Why… why does he know your left eye's ability, Sasuke?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"I don't know either. But you'd better stay alert. I can feel it… Madara's Heavenly Hand Power has a greater range than mine." Sasuke's brows furrowed, clearly irritated.
"Nani?!" Naruto exclaimed, completely thrown off.
---
"Madara is such a headache." Tobirama muttered, visibly disturbed.
He couldn't help but regret not killing Madara outright when his brother Hashirama was giving his final words to the dying Uchiha.
And now look…
No one knew what Madara had received from that "other Uchiha Madara" beside him, but his power now exceeded anything they had seen before.
Even more shocking—Six Paths Madara was now wearing a Sage mask, indicating that he had entered Sage Mode on his own and could absorb natural energy.
Just his Sage Mode and his original Mangekyō Sharingan were already enough to put him on par with Senju Hashirama!
This was a disaster.
"Damn it…" Tobirama clenched his fists. The regret was eating at him.
But what he didn't know was—even if he had delivered the killing blow earlier—
Leo could have simply revived Madara again.
It would've changed nothing.
---
Now, standing in his terrifying form with Six Magatama Rinnegan and a Nine-Tomoe Sharingan, Madara radiated a monstrous aura of power.
He held the Six Paths Staff and stared coldly at Naruto and Sasuke.
"I'll handle those two. The rest…" Madara paused, glancing sideways at Leo, who also possessed Six Magatama Rinnegan.
"Leave them to me," Leo said, curling his lips into a confident smirk.
"Good… Then I have nothing to worry about!" Madara replied, shooting off at high speed straight toward Naruto and Sasuke.
---
"Madara!" Naruto shouted, watching him approach. "After what happened with Kaguya, haven't you learned your lesson?!"
"It's not your place to lecture me." Madara replied coldly.
And then—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several Truth-Seeking Orbs flew from Madara's hands toward Naruto and Sasuke.
"Careful, Naruto! He might use Heavenly Hand Power to swap with one of the orbs!" Sasuke warned, his Rinnegan glowing.
"I know! Then let's not let them get close." Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"Boil Style: Super Strength!!"
In a flash, Naruto activated the power of the Five-Tails, Kokuō.
BOOM!
Steam infused with Six Paths Chakra burst forward, smashing into the incoming Truth-Seeking Balls.
But—
Shua—
Madara had already activated Heavenly Hand Power, instantly switching places with one of the flying orbs.
And—
"Boil Style: Super Strength!!"
Madara, now in Ten Tails Sage Mode, mirrored Naruto's attack, throwing a devastating punch.
BOOM!
Their fists collided with titanic force.
Both attacks canceled each other out, sending shockwaves through the air.
"No way… Why does Madara now have the power of Kokuō too?!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.
The Madara from before, even when he was the Ten Tails Jinchūriki, didn't possess the abilities of the nine tailed beasts.
"It must be because of the other Madara." Sasuke cast a sharp glance at Leo, standing in the distance.
---
Seeing that Madara had entered the range of his Heavenly Hand Power, and his Limbo Shadows were still too far away—
Shua—
Sasuke acted decisively.
He used Heavenly Hand Power to swap places with a stone behind Madara.
In an instant, he appeared behind him, Chidori already charged in his hand.
---
Swish!
Just as Sasuke prepared to plunge the Chidori into Madara's back—
A shadow moved.
A Limbo Clone—a version of Six Paths Madara—appeared and intercepted the attack with a black staff.
CLANG!
Sasuke's Chidori was blocked.
And then—
"Xue Qifei!"
In an instant, Madara activated the special ability of his Mangekyō Sharingan in his Six Magatama Rinnegan state.
Zzzzhhhh—
Sasuke suddenly felt as if he'd been dropped into an endless, frozen abyss.
A wave of ice surged through his blood.
"Ugh—!"
He gasped as pain stabbed through every nerve.
The blood in his veins had almost completely frozen.
If it weren't for his Six Paths Yin Power, he would've died instantly—his body a frozen corpse in mere seconds.
Even so, his body slowed dramatically.
---
"Pft—!"
Before Sasuke could react further, Madara flipped his Six Paths Staff and stabbed the sharp end directly into Sasuke's heart.
"GAHH!"
Sasuke vomited blood—mixed with ice shards—as the world spun around him.
---
Not far away, Sakura, Kakashi, and the others cried out in shock.
"Sasuke!!"
Even Hashirama and the Sage of Six Paths prepared to act.
But—
Tap.
Leo, also wielding Six Magatama Rinnegan, appeared before them.
His lips curled into a sinister grin.
"Your fight is with me."
---
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Over a dozen Limbo Clones appeared beside Leo, forming a powerful barrier.
The Sage of Six Paths looked at him with growing dread.
"Sixteen Limbo Shadows… This man… Leo…"
He was horrified by Leo's strength.
---
Back on the battlefield, Madara looked down at Sasuke, impaled and on the verge of death.
Blood and ice dripped from the staff still lodged in Sasuke's chest.
Then, with a chilling voice, Madara said:
"If I can kill you once... I can kill you twice, Sasuke."
---
To Be Continued...