Chapter 332 – As Long as I Don't Want to Lose, I Will Never Fall
"How is that even possible?" Sakumo stared at Kakashi, worry written all over his face.
"There's no need to be overly anxious," Tsunade said, trying to reassure him. "Kakashi's Armament Haki is Ryuo. This type of Armament Haki is flowing in nature. Compared to static Armament Haki, the risks are much lower."
However, Tsunade kept one sentence to herself.
As long as the Armament Haki kept flowing, Kakashi's blood circulation would remain stable.
But the moment that flow stopped, his blood would reverse instantly. And when the Armament Haki was released, his heart wouldn't be able to bear the burden anymore.
Even so, considering Yusuke's Ope Ope no Mi ability, Tsunade ultimately chose not to say anything else.
"These two damn brats… one after another, they just can't let this old man feel at ease," Sakumo muttered with a gloomy expression.
Both of his sons were his pride—especially Yusuke. The entire ninja world looked at him like a god, and as a father, Sakumo naturally felt immense pride.
What annoyed him, though, was the one thing both of his sons had in common.
They were both stubborn to the core.
When Kakashi was young, he could still be controlled. But the older he got, the harder he was to rein in. Of course, that didn't mean they were unfilial.
On the contrary, both brothers deeply respected and loved him as their father.
It was just that, as a dad, his authority barely existed anymore.
Of course, that was only a small issue.
If Sakumo ever truly made a request, those two brothers would definitely fulfill it.
But because Sakumo almost always put others before himself, all his sons could do was laugh awkwardly.
On the battlefield, Kakashi's aura had reached its peak.
On the other side, Yusuke wore a smile full of interest. In this state, not only had Kakashi's chakra skyrocketed, even his Armament Haki had reached a shocking level.
It was clearly visible.
From Kakashi's heart, Armament Haki surged outward, flowing through every part of his body like a raging current.
It had to be said—Armament Haki was deeply tied to one's physical strength. Kakashi had opened the Eight Gates by combining chakra and Armament Haki, and the massive physical boost he gained in turn pushed his Armament Haki even higher.
The Armament Haki kept pouring out of his heart without stopping.
Although most of that energy and Haki was being used to protect his heart, the positive cycle that formed instead caused Kakashi's overall strength to keep climbing.
"Truly a power that sends chills down your spine," even Madara couldn't help but look at Kakashi with a heavy gaze.
In this state, Kakashi had fully stepped into the Six Paths level.
Coupled with that terrifying swordsmanship of his, even Madara himself felt that he wasn't certain he could defeat Kakashi. Of course, before an actual battle, no one could truly predict the outcome.
Kakashi channeled the flowing Armament Haki throughout his body into the blade of his sword.
At the same time, massive amounts of chakra were poured into it as well.
"One Sword Style, Secret Technique: Divine Punishment."
Kakashi slashed out with a blood-red arc.
The very space around him began to twist and warp under the sheer force of that strike.
Yusuke didn't dare to take it lightly.
Limitless once again wrapped around his entire body.
He successfully blocked Kakashi's slash.
"One Sword Style, Secret Technique: Fatal Strike."
Kakashi followed up with an even more terrifying swing.
"Limbo Descends, Heavenly Prison Boundary."
Madara immediately activated the power of his eyes.
Yusuke's Limitless was negated in an instant.
Seeing the attack tearing toward him at unbelievable speed, Yusuke didn't hesitate anymore.
He drew a sword he hadn't used in a very long time.
"Ten Directions Annihilation."
Yusuke slowly pulled the long blade from its sheath, whispering under his breath.
The sky darkened in an instant.
Yusuke swung his sword in a slow, deliberate motion.
In the next heartbeat, white light erupted.
Everything fell silent.
The surroundings dropped into absolute stillness. Everything that had existed just moments ago—including Kakashi's slash and all the phenomena around it—vanished as if they had only ever been an illusion.
"Oi… oi… Nii-san, what are you, some kind of monster?"
Kakashi muttered to himself as he stared at Yusuke.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Yusuke's swordsmanship was. Not long ago, Kakashi had even felt satisfied because he had finally reached the same level as Yusuke.
But in the blink of an eye, Yusuke had stepped far ahead again.
Even a sudden moment of enlightenment shouldn't be this ridiculous.
Yusuke looked down at the sword in his hand.
When he had faced Kakashi's attack just now, he hadn't used any power at all.
No Armament Haki. No chakra. Not even raw physical strength.
At that moment, a voice had risen inside his heart:
As long as you desire it, no one can surpass you.
He didn't know why.
Maybe it was the unbreakable will he had forged over countless years. Maybe it was absolute confidence in himself. Or maybe it was nothing more than stubborn pride.
But there was one thing he knew for certain—
As long as he himself didn't want to lose, then no one could defeat him.
Because of that, his swordsmanship—once only slightly superior to Kakashi's—had surged forward again in that very moment. Everything flowed so naturally, without the slightest bit of resistance.
Sometimes, he wondered if it was because he had absorbed too many different schools of swordsmanship from others, making his foundation unbelievably deep.
But one thing was clear.
His swordsmanship had long since surpassed the swordsmen of the pirate world.
Even the title "World's Strongest Swordsman," in Yusuke's eyes—or rather, in Kakashi's eyes—was nothing more than a joke.
"Kakashi, let's attack together," Madara said, turning his gaze toward him.
Kakashi snapped out of his shock.
"Accumulation: Night God."
All of Kakashi's blood-red energy was injected into his blade. The terrifying aura dyed the entire sword a deep, crimson red.
"Originally, I didn't want to use this…"
A flash of complicated emotion passed through Madara's eyes.
"Limbo Descends, Heavenly Prison Boundary."
Madara brought his hands together.
A horrifying power gathered in his palms, and his Rinnegan shone with an intense purple light.
At the same time, Yusuke no longer relied on swordsmanship.
"Thunder Ring Judgment: Heaven and Earth Obliteration."
The sky was instantly swallowed by dark clouds.
Black lightning tore through the heavens, accompanied by a violent, howling storm.
The black lightning surged forward like a tidal wave, sweeping toward Madara and Kakashi.
Kakashi swung his sword.
The blood-red blade stood out sharply against the black lightning that looked capable of erasing both heaven and earth.
On the other side, Madara formed an energy sphere in his hand, about the size of a Truth-Seeking Orb.
As it shot forward, the sphere rapidly expanded—growing even larger than the two giant Truth-Seeking Orbs from before.
But it was clearly not a Truth-Seeking Orb.
It was an extremely concentrated mass of chakra-like energy.
The space around the black sphere began to crack, as if it were being sliced apart.
Fragments of darkness scattered, flowing straight toward the raging black lightning.
At the same time, Kakashi's crimson slash surged forward.
About five seconds later, the attacks from Kakashi and Madara began to fracture, breaking apart piece by piece.
When all the attacks finally vanished, Yusuke raised his hand.
The lightning in the sky disappeared at once, as if it had never existed.
At that moment, Madara's eyes had returned to normal.
Even his Sharingan could no longer be maintained, and he was forced out of Six Paths Mode.
If it weren't for the fact that the Ten-Tails inside his body had already lost most of the chakra from the Tailed Beasts, and without the pressure from the Rinnegan, Madara might have gone berserk on the spot.
Kakashi's condition was even worse.
All of the blood-red energy in his body had been drained.
Without sufficient blood flow, his Armament Haki was barely able to hold together.
Yusuke appeared in front of Kakashi in an instant.
He channeled fire-like energy into Kakashi's body, supplying him with life force.
"Healing Light."
A green glow spread out.
In the blink of an eye, both Kakashi's and Madara's wounds were completely healed.
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