Beside Island Turtle, a new stretch of land had been created by Shinju himself.
Hammering away at the forge, Shinju set down his mallet, walked over to take a sip of water, and said with hands on his hips,
"Tsunade-sensei's in big trouble. The clone mark I placed on her just got triggered."
Naruto: (꒪⌓꒪)
"Big trouble?!"
Shinju nodded. "Yeah. The fact that the mark got triggered means she's run out of chakra and is teetering on the brink of life and death."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Then why are you still standing around drinking water?! Shouldn't you be rushing to help?!"
Shinju pressed his palm down to calm him.
"Relax. Before the war began, I placed a clone on both Tsunade-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei to ensure their safety."
"It should be enough to hold off whoever the enemy is…"
"If not, I'll go myself."
Naruto frowned. "A single clone? Wouldn't that be blown apart in no time?! (°ー°〃)"
Shinju shrugged. "So far it hasn't been dispersed. If you're that worried, go check it out yourself. The Great Toad Sage only said I couldn't join the war, remember? ┐(´-｀)┌"
Naruto: "You know, I've always wondered—doesn't placing clones to protect Granny Tsunade and helping the Allied Shinobi Forces develop new seals already count as joining the war? (￢‸￢) ?"
Shinju raised his hands. "The Great Toad Sage speaks in riddles, I have no idea what his exact definition of 'joining the war' even is. As long as my real body doesn't step onto the battlefield and face the main forces directly, it should be fine, right? (◔◡◔)"
Naruto: "How much chakra did you give that clone?"
Shinju: "Roughly one-fifth."
Naruto: "Then it's fine! (ー_ー)!!"
...
Land of Iron.
Desert Battlefield.
Shinju's clone gave a nod to Tsunade and the Four Kage.
The next instant—
"ZRRMMM—"
Chakra burst from his body as the armor of Susanoo took form around him!
In moments, the armor completed, transforming into a fully evolved Susanoo—the colossal armored Tengu with wings spreading behind it, standing over two hundred meters tall!
At that moment, Madara—who had just maintained his own fourth-stage Susanoo—was utterly dumbfounded. d(ŐдŐ๑)
He had thought conjuring a Susanoo at all would be the limit of Shinju's clone...
But this kid could actually summon a complete Susanoo form?!
To be able to draw out the full power of the Uchiha's eyes—
And this was just a clone!
How terrifying must his real body's chakra be?! (๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!
Madara mused that while his own chakra was slightly inferior to Hashirama's, it was still enough to dominate the entire shinobi world—unmatched in the past or future.
Yet, decades after his death, someone like this appeared!
"You're impressive, boy! (눈益눈)" Madara forced out between gritted teeth.
The next moment, his own Susanoo flared into full form!
Madara's Susanoo was deep blue, nearly the same size as Shinju's green one—four arms, two massive blades, brimming with overwhelming presence!!
Shinju's clone looked up in surprise.
"You can also manifest a Complete Susanoo? You're…"
Madara: ∑(✘Д✘๑)
So this kid doesn't even know who I am?!
And he's underestimating me?!
Unbelievable!! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"Boy, listen well! I am Uchiha Madara!"
"Do you have the guts to dance with me?! (*Ӧ)σ"
Shinju's clone shook his head. "Dancing's not really my thing."
"So you're Uchiha Madara, huh?"
"A man who's already dead should stay quietly in the Pure Land."
"SWOOSH!!"
As his words fell, Shinju controlled his massive green Susanoo to charge forward!
Madara's blue Susanoo met him head-on, twin blades clashing!
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—!!"
The two titans collided again and again, metal striking metal like a torrential rainstorm.
Madara's skill as a veteran warrior was undeniable—his blue Susanoo fought Shinju's from ground to sky, their gigantic weapons hammering each other with relentless force.
Meanwhile, the rescued Four Kage lay sprawled on the ground like four salted fish.
"So this... this is what a real battle between monsters looks like... (≖╻≖;)" Onoki muttered, realizing all his decades of experience were meaningless before such power.
Mei Terumi watched wide-eyed. "Amazing... Shinju's actually going toe to toe with Uchiha Madara! ⊙▽⊙"
"You have to remember—Madara's in Edo Tensei form now, with infinite chakra..."
The Raikage frowned. "Did anyone see when Shinju even showed up? My last memory was him about to stomp me flat... Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Tsunade, her wounds slowly healing, gave a bitter smile.
"I don't know when he came either."
Looking down at her palm, she noticed the strange mark Shinju had left there had vanished.
"That kid... he must've predicted I'd be in danger and prepared this in advance..."
...
Up above.
The longer they fought, the more shocked Madara became.
Maintaining a Complete Susanoo burned through vast chakra—he could do it freely thanks to his Edo Tensei body, but how could this clone last so long?!
Was that kind of chakra even possible in the shinobi world?! (°A°`)
As Madara's thoughts wandered, Shinju's green Susanoo thrust forward—its spiraling sword now cloaked in black flames, piercing straight toward Madara's chest!
"No honor in that!" Madara roared, crossing his twin blades!
"KRRRNNG!!!"
The collision thundered once more, sending Madara's blue Susanoo flying back hundreds of meters!
"Boy! I'm the ancestor of the Uchiha clan! Using the Uchiha's eyes against me—don't you think that's a little disrespectful?! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ)"
Shinju replied casually, "That's called surpassing your predecessors! (◔◡◔)"
And with that, he charged again without pause, seemingly tireless.
Their clash dragged on for over half an hour, the two titans battling from sky back down to earth—until Shinju's clone began to gain the upper hand!
As he thrust forward once more, spiraling sword aimed at Madara's core, the Uchiha legend suddenly formed a rapid string of seals and shouted:
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!!"
Across from him, Shinju's hands moved just as fast.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!!"
"SHHAAHHHH—!!"
"SHHAAHHHH—!!"
Two vast forests erupted from the ground at once!
"SWISH SWISH SWISH!"
Trees surged upward, their branches entangling the two massive Susanoo warriors, wrapping and binding them both!
Giant, vivid flowers bloomed across the forest, releasing clouds of sleep-inducing spores.
Shinju easily evaded the vines from Madara's forest—and as a Wood Release medical ninja, he wasn't remotely afraid of the toxins.
Madara, being in an Edo Tensei body, was just as unfazed.
Dodging the trees of Shinju's forest, Madara's eyes gleamed with genuine admiration.
"You continue to surprise me, boy. To wield both Wood Style and the Uchiha's eyes to such a degree—Uchiha Madara acknowledges you as the strongest of this era!"
Shinju's clone grinned. "You'd call me the strongest just for that?"
"The real show's just beginning!"
As he spoke, a horn sprouted from his forehead, and Sage markings appeared across his face!
He clapped his hands together.
"PA!!"
"Sage Art: Susanoo!!!"