Chapter 217: Don't Call Me Dishonorable
Whoosh!
Amid the cloud of dust, Li Yao's figure shot upward, flying straight into the sky and locking eyes with Madara, who stood atop the head of his Susanoo.
"Should I use Dust Release?"
Li Yao hesitated briefly before shaking his head.
Standard Dust Release wouldn't be enough to kill Madara. A large-scale version might.
But this was just a White Zetsu clone carrying Madara's chakra. Li Yao had no idea how many more might be lurking underground.
If he used up a massive amount of chakra to kill this Madara and another one showed up, he'd be in real danger with his limited reserves.
"Better to keep stalling."
Sensing the fusion of Reverse Four Symbols Sealing chakra and storage-space chakra progressing inside him, Li Yao regained his composure.
He was waiting for a space-time jutsu.
But what was Madara waiting for?
Rip!
Four arms of Susanoo formed four massive chakra blades and swung them toward Li Yao.
Madara wasn't waiting for anything. He activated Susanoo intending to quickly crush Li Yao with overwhelming destructive force—impervious to all jutsu and taijutsu.
Though the clash between them had been brief, both had already tested each other's capabilities.
Speed, reflexes, defense, perception.
Neither had a clear weakness in any of these four dimensions.
Which meant traditional tactics—like elemental counters—had little use here.
Only raw power would determine the victor.
As the chakra blades came for him, Li Yao ascended rapidly to dodge. Madara couldn't fly, so distance gave Li Yao an advantage for evasion.
"Hahaha… You're underestimating me!"
Seeing Li Yao trying to avoid direct confrontation, Madara scoffed. Did he really think Madara hadn't accounted for aerial tactics?
"Earth Style: Core Uplift!"
Madara formed hand seals.
Rumble... Within the Four Red Yang Formation, the ground began to rise rapidly. With the ceiling already sealed, the space was compressing.
As the terrain continued to rise, there would soon be nowhere to escape.
Of course, Li Yao could manage.
But Koyuki might not.
If she got caught in the combat zone, one swing from Susanoo's massive blade would be enough to wipe her out.
Whoosh!
Li Yao darted toward the opposite direction and descended, no longer staying airborne—he had to keep Koyuki out of danger.
Seeing this, Madara ceased raising the ground and pursued with Susanoo, blades swinging. He didn't care about Koyuki in the sky.
To Madara, she was irrelevant.
Once Li Yao was dealt with, she could be killed at any time.
Ssshhh!
Lightning Release Chakra Mode—failed!
Ugh… Li Yao stumbled, then quickly evaded.
Boom!
A massive chakra blade slammed down, gouging a deep trench into the earth.
Li Yao kept running. Lightning crackled along his Black Iron Feather Cloak.
He had been too confident. Some jutsu were indeed limited by this new body—not impossible to use, but currently inaccessible.
He'd tried to activate Lightning Chakra Mode to increase his speed.
But this body wasn't conditioned to withstand internal lightning chakra. He nearly paralyzed himself.
Thankfully, he reacted in time to cancel it, or he'd have been diced up by Madara's blade a moment later.
Lightning Chakra Mode required long-term conditioning—cells had to be accustomed to lightning's stimulation.
Clearly, this new body wasn't yet compatible.
Without that speed boost, his body wasn't fast enough. Trying to slip underground using the Third Mizukage's Black Water jutsu was also out—the White Zetsu nearby was watching, ready to use Wood Release to force him back up.
Helpless, Li Yao could only rely on Ultra-Lightweight Boulder Technique and the Black Iron Cloak to control his body mid-air and evade.
"Storm Release…"
From atop Susanoo, Madara formed hand seals and unleashed a beam of white light from his mouth.
It moved so fast that without advance warning, evasion was impossible.
Only because of Li Yao's heightened chakra perception was he able to dodge it the moment it fired.
Sliding and dodging like a slippery eel, weaving between Susanoo's blade swings and storm beams, Li Yao frustrated Madara enough to trigger a large-scale Water Style attack.
RUMBLE!
A massive torrent surged forward. It quickly caught up to Li Yao. As he adjusted his stance against the flow, there was a moment of hesitation.
Madara seized it. With pinpoint timing, Susanoo's four blades struck simultaneously from above, left, and right—no room to dodge.
Boom!
Waves exploded. The earth split open.
Crash!
Boulders the size of houses tumbled outward in all directions.
Slash!
Susanoo's blades cut back through the wreckage—but Li Yao was nowhere to be seen.
Clang!
In the air, a black iron chain retracted into Li Yao's back. He had used it at the last second to anchor and yank himself clear.
Whoosh!
Li Yao resumed his evasive flight, Susanoo still chasing behind, blades swinging wildly, tearing apart the landscape.
Clang!
He couldn't dodge every time. Occasionally, Li Yao had to fight back.
Massive wind blades shot from his hands, colliding with Susanoo's chakra swords. Shockwaves exploded in every direction.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The ground ruptured into craters and trenches.
The thunder of the battle echoed across the entire barrier.
Up above, Koyuki's eyes were wide with awe.
This was not a battle she could even comprehend.
A swing of the blue giant's arm could slice open a canyon.
A single step crushed the ground like a biscuit.
Compared to that, her paper bombs were like scratching an itch.
"Uncle… you have to win…"
Koyuki clutched her hands and prayed silently. Only if Li Yao won would they survive.
Below, White Zetsu watched the two monsters clash, inwardly stunned. It wasn't quite the level of Madara's final battle with Hashirama—
But it was still an entirely different tier from the rest of the shinobi world.
Though limited by his chakra reserves, Li Yao still had command over multiple kekkei genkai. In key moments, he could counter or evade Susanoo's onslaught.
Madara had used every trick—genjutsu included—and still couldn't finish him.
Likewise, Li Yao, except for Dust Release, had tried nearly everything—including genjutsu—and couldn't destroy the clone.
They were at a stalemate.
But Madara had no intention of letting it stay that way.
"HAHAHAHA…"
From atop Susanoo, Madara laughed loudly. "Not bad! This is exhilarating! Since Hashirama, you're the first to give me the thrill of battle. I acknowledge your strength, Li Yao!"
"But… this ends now."
He suddenly formed hand seals—and instantly created four shadow clones.
RUMBLE…
Four more Susanoo materialized within the barrier, making the one-kilometer space feel drastically smaller.
"Heh…"
Even surrounded by five Susanoo, Li Yao didn't panic. He chuckled and stared at Madara atop one of them, sneering:
"Five-on-one? So this is the great Uchiha Madara?"
Madara smirked. "Don't call me dishonorable. After all, you're the first since Hashirama who's made me feel alive."
Li Yao's eyes narrowed, smiling back. "Then don't call me dishonorable either… after all—you're Uchiha Madara."
"What!!?"
Madara's eyes widened in shock.
Because the moment Li Yao spoke, a larger, three-headed, six-armed Susanoo appeared on the battlefield.
Li Yao stood atop its central head, glaring down at the stunned Uchiha Madara below.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997