Chapter 337 – Madara vs Isshiki (2)
Madara didn't waste a single second on pointless words. He had absolutely no intention of giving Isshiki even the slightest chance to recover.
"Limbo: Border Jail."
The technique activated instantly. In the blink of an eye, he switched places with one of his shadows and appeared right beside Isshiki, the Six Paths Staff already swinging toward him.
Isshiki reacted at once. Numerous black rods materialized around his body, forming a defensive barrier. At the same time, high above his head, massive black cubes began to descend from the sky.
Madara's strike missed its mark.
Just as he prepared to launch another attack, the giant black cubes came crashing down.
Madara hurriedly switched positions with another nearby shadow. However, under the gaze of Isshiki's Byakugan, the locations of Madara's shadows had long been exposed.
Isshiki had already set a trap there.
The moment Madara's body appeared, countless black rods were waiting, stabbing toward him simultaneously. At the same time, more black rods sealed off every possible route his Limbo shadows could take.
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
After merging with the nine Tailed Beasts, the number of Madara's shadows had increased once again. This was a trump card he had been preparing for a long time. Without hesitation, Madara switched places with another shadow once more.
Seeing his attack fail yet again, Isshiki's figure vanished from where he stood.
Madara's eyes swept the surroundings sharply.
"Limbo Descend, Heavenly Prison Boundary!"
In an instant, a black-and-white sky curtain enveloped the surrounding area.
"There!"
Madara immediately sensed Isshiki's presence—shrunken down to an almost undetectable size.
A massive Rasengan formed in Madara's hand. Seeing this, Isshiki didn't attempt to absorb the chakra. He knew very well that the man in front of him wouldn't make such a foolish mistake. Instead, he immediately used his space–time ninjutsu to escape the area.
Isshiki's judgment was correct.
Madara had done that deliberately. When absorbing chakra, the body would freeze momentarily and become unable to move. He had intended to use that opening to have his shadows strike Isshiki.
However, Isshiki had still underestimated Madara.
Suddenly, black-and-white shadows appeared around him.
Four shadows stood in the four directions, together with Madara's real body.
"Limbo: Space Lock!"
Within that black-and-white space, a quadrilateral barrier formed once more. The moment Isshiki realized the space around him had been isolated, he immediately returned to his normal size.
He lunged straight toward Madara's real body.
Madara didn't dodge immediately.
Black rods pierced through his body. Just as Madara was about to collapse, Isshiki's heart trembled violently.
But Madara wouldn't give him that chance.
He instantly grabbed Isshiki's wrist.
Four shadows appeared behind Ōtsutsuki Isshiki in the same instant. Caught off guard and struck directly, Isshiki was slammed hard into the ground. Madara's real body shot forward, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
But at that very moment, Isshiki shrank again and vanished.
Madara immediately heightened his sensory perception, yet still couldn't find him.
"That's impossible… why?" Madara muttered, disbelief clear on his face.
At that moment, Isshiki had already returned to normal size in midair, looking down at Madara from above.
"I'm curious," Madara said, his tone filled with genuine interest. "How did you escape my perception?"
"Simple," Isshiki replied calmly. "I merely used spatial power to forcibly isolate your space."
"That's not all, is it?" Madara narrowed his eyes. "This space is my territory. Once it was isolated, I should have immediately detected any irregularities."
"I see," Isshiki said, staring at Madara, who clearly didn't fully believe him.
He didn't bother explaining further. There was no point revealing one's own techniques to an enemy. Such stupidity held no meaning.
Yusuke dared to do it because his abilities were simply too unreasonable. Someone like Gojo Satoru did it out of absolute confidence in his own strength, coupled with the blessing of the laws of heaven that only amplified his techniques.
"Black Rod Assembly."
Isshiki rose into the air. A massive number of black rods began gathering around his body, forming a shape resembling a sea urchin. He then poured his chakra into them.
"Shigure."
The moment that word left his lips, the sea-urchin-like black rods rained down like a violent storm. Their destructive power was terrifying—each rod alone could easily pierce through solid stone.
Seeing this, Madara didn't dare block the attack head-on.
"Chakra… gather!"
"Expanding Truth-Seeking Ball!"
A gigantic Truth-Seeking Ball manifested before Madara. When the black rods struck its surface, they didn't disintegrate into dust—they were violently repelled away instead.
"Kaguya's technique?" Isshiki sneered coldly.
The Kokugan in his eye flared with dōjutsu power. The pattern within his pupil shifted slightly.
"Sukunahikona."
The massive Truth-Seeking Ball vanished instantly.
"…Damn. Even a Truth-Seeking Ball can be affected?" Madara's expression darkened.
Black rods were the result of Yin–Yang Release, something relatively easy for a Rinnegan user to control.
Truth-Seeking Balls, however, were formed from the five basic elements compressed with Yin–Yang Release—a high-level Bloodline Limit. He hadn't expected even that to be affected.
Madara quickly summoned the remaining black orbs back around his body for defense. Even so, several black rods still pierced through him. Without hesitation, Madara used space–time ninjutsu to avoid a fatal strike.
Seeing this, Isshiki activated his dōjutsu once more.
High in the air above Madara, numerous gigantic black cubes appeared, each pressing down toward him with overwhelming weight.
Madara immediately formed a Rasengan in his hand, using its rotational force to smash against and deflect the descending cubes.
Right after that, he activated Susanoo and launched an attack toward Isshiki.
"Sukunahikona."
Three black spheres expanded again, their power increasing drastically.
Susanoo's arms began to tremble. Madara's chakra was being drained continuously. As the pressure mounted, Susanoo gradually began to collapse.
Madara decisively dispelled Susanoo.
He shot into the air, gravitational force gathering in his hand and pulling directly toward Isshiki. Isshiki once again surrounded himself with black rods.
Madara immediately unleashed Almighty Push to counter the incoming assault.
Witnessing the destruction caused by the clash, even Madara himself didn't dare relax. He hadn't expected such destructive force—just one casual attack had been enough to hold back the entire barrage of black rods.
Around two hours passed. Their battle was finally approaching its end. This time, Madara's power began to show a clear advantage.
Madara stared at Isshiki, whose body was visibly battered and worn. It was obvious that Madara now held the upper hand.
"Uchiha Madara… you are truly powerful," Isshiki admitted. Of course, this wasn't the Madara from Yusuke's world, who would have only responded with a mocking laugh.
As the battle dragged on, Isshiki's chakra had been severely depleted.
"This… is very good."
Madara's chakra was nearly exhausted as well. However, if the fight continued, Madara held the greater advantage. His Ten-Tails had fully matured, while Isshiki's Ten-Tails had yet to reach that stage.
Madara realized this and brought his palms together.
"Shinra Banshō."
Madara clenched both fists. A terrifying power condensed within them before being released straight toward Isshiki.
A gigantic black sphere shot forward and slammed toward him. Isshiki intended to use his ability, but this time, it failed.
He truly couldn't understand why.
"You didn't seriously think you were the only one capable of isolating space, did you?" Madara sneered coldly.
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