Nagato listened to Obito and Kabuto speaking in riddles and finally asked,
"What exactly are you two talking about? Is there anyone who can actually defeat Uchiha Chiga?"
Kabuto hesitated, his voice uncertain.
"I don't know for sure, but we can only try."
He slammed his palm onto the ground, shouting,
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Boom!
Another coffin forced its way up from the earth. The lid cracked, then exploded, and a figure slowly emerged from the rising smoke.
The man wore battle armor from the Warring States period. His long, wild hair whipped in the wind, his presence unruly and overwhelming. At first his eyes were shut, but when they opened, scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan glared at everyone.
Onoki happened to glance in his direction and froze instantly. The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, seized the chance to strike him across the face.
The shinobi of Iwagakure gasped in shock. Kurotsuchi rushed to catch the falling Onoki, who now had a dusty footprint stamped on his face, making him look comically disheveled.
"Grandpa! Are you alright?" Kurotsuchi shook him anxiously.
Onoki finally regained his senses, wiped the blood from his nose, and muttered in a trembling voice,
"It's him… he's back."
"Who? Who's back?" Kurotsuchi pressed urgently.
"Uchiha Madara."
"What!? Isn't Uchiha Madara that masked man?"
Onoki shook his head firmly.
"No. I can't be mistaken. The one who just walked out of that coffin is the true Uchiha Madara."
Madara crossed his arms, scanning the entire Ninja Alliance with his Mangekyō. He understood immediately—this was Edo Tensei, a mere imitation of life. He had not been fully revived.
He gave a cold snort and, in the blink of an eye, appeared beside Obito. Black Zetsu lit up with joy at the sight of him, quickly explaining the current situation before Obito could intervene.
Nagato frowned, pointing at Obito.
"If he is Uchiha Madara, then who are you?"
Obito turned his head away, his tone dismissive.
"You may think of me only as Madara's representative, nothing more."
"What? What is going on?" Nagato demanded, confusion growing.
Konan tugged on his sleeve and shook her head slightly. Obito, Black Zetsu, and Madara clearly shared a deep past. Whatever the truth was, this wasn't the time to expose it—not with the entire Allied Shinobi Forces standing before them.
As Black Zetsu explained, Madara's expression shifted to surprise. His gaze locked on Chiga.
"I didn't expect such an interesting junior to rise from the Uchiha clan. Not bad. Let me use this body to test him."
Chiga's eyes met Madara's across the battlefield. Two pairs of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan clashed, and many shinobi felt their throats tighten, swallowing nervously.
The pressure from their Sharingan was even heavier than the Rinnegan itself.
Meanwhile, the White Zetsu army had been nearly eradicated, leaving only the Edo Tensei powerhouses. The shinobi alliance stood wary and hesitant, none daring to approach Madara.
Madara glanced at the spectral warrior cloaking Chiga.
"Susanoo, huh? That brings back memories."
Azure chakra surged around him, forming his own colossal skeleton, towering opposite Chiga's violet one.
Without a word, the two skeletal titans charged, colliding in the center of the battlefield. The impact sent a violent wave of chakra across the land.
Itachi grabbed Sasuke, pulling him away at top speed. When they finally stopped at a safe distance, his gaze remained fixed on the clashing giants, eyes wide with shock.
Two first-form Susanoo were enough to rival his own third form.
For many shinobi, it was their first time witnessing Susanoo. Compared to that overwhelming power, they felt like insects, powerless before gods.
As the battle raged, both Susanoo rapidly evolved. Flesh and meridians wrapped around the skeletal frames, then hardened into full armor. Each warrior drew an immense chakra blade, and the duel shifted to a storm of sword strikes.
Violet and azure slashes tore the battlefield apart, carving deep ravines with every swing.
Kabuto, the caster of Edo Tensei, could only stare, dumbstruck. He had intended to control Uchiha Madara from the beginning, and now the thought seemed laughable.
Nagato clenched his fists tightly. His Rinnegan suddenly felt meaningless, eclipsed by the overwhelming force of two Eternal Mangekyō.
Inside their armored Susanoo, Madara and Chiga stood calmly with folded arms, letting their avatars wreak havoc. Yet behind Madara's composed exterior, shock brewed.
He hadn't expected such power from Chiga. Only Hashirama had ever forced him to this extent.
No wonder Obito had warned him—Chiga was a threat beyond their control. Madara even wondered: Had I chosen Chiga as my successor, could the Infinite Tsukuyomi have already been realized?
Chiga, however, thought far less. He simply reveled in the battle. To him, this was play.
The battlefield lay shattered. Both the Akatsuki and the Allied Shinobi Forces could only stand back as spectators, powerless before this clash of titans.
Boom!
Another clash of chakra blades shook the earth. Madara drew back his Susanoo, lowering his arms and speaking with rare admiration.
"Impressive. You are Uchiha Chiga, correct? I'll remember that name."
Chiga smirked.
"You're not bad yourself."
Madara chuckled, shaking his head.
"Just 'not bad'? It seems I've been underestimated by my junior."
His Susanoo suddenly erupted with azure flames, its size growing rapidly. Legs formed, wings unfurled—the complete form.
High in the sky, Madara looked down at Chiga with a mocking smile.
"This, can you do it?"
_____
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