Chapter 278

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] 

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]

====

With their sensory abilities blocked, relying solely on the five senses to locate the enemy became incredibly dangerous, especially against an opponent of Jigen's caliber. Madara's predicament was clear.

Jigen, who could freely shrink his body and then instantly return to his original size, could avoid detection by the five senses and launch sneak attacks on Madara.

At this moment, Madara's shadow clones were being gradually eliminated by Jigen, while Madara himself was desperately trying to destroy the numerous black and red cubic structures surrounding him.

Unlike the struggling Madara, the other battlefields were clearly in favor of Shisui, Kimimaro, and Kisame, all of whom had the upper hand.

Among them, Kimimaro was the quickest to end his fight.

In terms of raw combat power, Kimimaro was on par with Madara, and perhaps even slightly weaker. However, with his Dead Bone Pulse at his disposal, Kimimaro's destructive capabilities were unparalleled, far surpassing Madara's in sheer lethality.

As long as Dead Bone Pulse struck its target, no one could escape—neither Isshiki nor Kaguya.

Ao was the most straightforward demonstration of Dead Bone Pulse's lethality. After dealing with Ao, Kimimaro then teamed up with Kisame to cut down the modified Ebizō.

"These black and red cubic structures... They're not simple!" Kimimaro muttered, standing atop a pile of ash, and then turned his gaze toward Madara's battlefield. "Kisame, we need to go help."

Kisame hesitated. "Kimimaro, if we go help, won't Lord Madara be angry?"

Kisame was somewhat afraid of Madara and tended to overthink things.

"Don't forget our mission," Kimimaro reminded, casting a glance at Kisame. "If Madara gets into trouble, it could alert His Majesty. That would make us look incompetent."

Kisame nodded, hefting his massive sword, Samehada, as he followed Kimimaro toward Madara's battlefield.

Seeing Kimimaro and Kisame enter the battlefield filled with black and red cubic structures, Madara's expression turned grim.

He felt as though his abilities were being questioned.

However, Madara didn't lose his temper. He merely gave Kimimaro and Kisame a cold look and briefly informed them of the intel he had gathered.

"The leader of the Kara organization, Jigen, possesses two types of dojutsu. One allows him to freely alter the size of himself and any object within his line of sight, instantly returning them to their original size. The other dojutsu is embodied in these black and red cubic structures. They possess overwhelming weight and a sturdy exterior, and the energy they emit can block all sensory techniques, whether they are dojutsu or ninjutsu."

Kimimaro surveyed the surroundings, his blue Tenseigan glowing as he carefully examined the black and red cubic structures around them.

He then narrowed his eyes. "With these sensory-blocking cubic structures and Jigen's ability to shrink himself and other objects, if he decides to launch a sneak attack, we're in serious danger."

Saying this, Kimimaro moved closer to Madara, with Kisame following suit. The three of them formed a defensive circle.

"I have a way to destroy these black and red cubic structures."

"Dead Bone Pulse?" Madara asked, knowing what Kimimaro was referring to. "It's definitely effective, but have you considered the cost?"

Dead Bone Pulse was powerful, but it also consumed a lot of energy. Even Kaguya, known as the progenitor of chakra, couldn't use Dead Bone Pulse frequently in battle.

"Watch and learn," Madara said, glancing up at the sky. "Save your ultimate technique for Jigen's funeral. I can handle this."

Whoosh.

As Madara finished speaking, a sharp whistle echoed from above. The previously well-lit battlefield was suddenly plunged into shadow.

Massive meteors began to fall from the sky, blotting out the sun as they hurtled toward the black and red cubic structures below.

Boom!

In a brief delay, the descending meteors collided with the black and red cubic structures on the ground. The combination of speed and mass resulted in an impact powerful enough to shatter swathes of the cubic structures.

The earth quaked, the air trembled, and as the dust began to settle, the central area of the impact revealed Madara and his group, unharmed.

As the dust cleared, Jigen's figure finally came into view, no longer hidden by the cubic structures.

"Impressive power," Jigen remarked calmly, showing no sign of panic as he assessed the power of Heaven Concealed Star. "Your efforts are worthy of pride, Madara."

Jigen's black markings became more pronounced, and the chakra within him grew even more intense than before.

"But you may not know, I have an endless supply of these cubic structures," Jigen continued, raising his right hand once more. "Only a portion was destroyed. Re-deploying them won't take much time."

With a downward sweep of his hand, another black and red spatial portal appeared in the sky. Diminished in size by tenfold, the cubic structures once again poured out, scattering across the air.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The sound of the cubic structures cutting through the air filled the battlefield as they expanded to their original size and plummeted toward Madara and his group like raindrops.

"This..."

Kisame opened his mouth, unsure of how to describe the scene before him.

He was strong—an expert in the secret techniques of the Hoshigaki clan and a master of all the water-style ninjutsu recorded in the Dragon Nation's library. Kisame was, in fact, the second water-style master since Tobirama.

But in the face of these cubic structures, Kisame's skills seemed inadequate. The sheer hardness of the cubic structures, coupled with the kinetic energy they gained as they accelerated, made water-style ninjutsu seem almost useless against them.

But Madara and Kimimaro weren't idle.

Tenseigan Chakra Mode!

Kimimaro's eyes shut and then snapped open as a pale green beam of chakra shot down from the heavens, enveloping his entire body.

The scene shifted to the capital of the Dragon Nation.

In a grand, opulent palace, Kyomu looked up to see the pale green beam of chakra shoot into the sky. "Looks like Jigen has entered the fray."

Kyomu was very familiar with this beam, as was the entire Hyuga clan.

This was the chakra beam emitted by the Giant Tenseigan, a phenomenon that occurred only when someone entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode.

And in the entire shinobi world, only Kimimaro could enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode regardless of distance.

Hinata, Neji, Toneri, and Hanabi all had the potential and talent to enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode as well. However, they could not, like Kimimaro, enter the mode without any distance restrictions, at any time and place.

"Should I go check it out?" Kyomu muttered, prompting Obito, who was sitting across from him, to look up.

"Kimimaro is already using Tenseigan Chakra Mode. What's there to worry about?" Obito said, setting down his teacup. "You're an emperor now. With so many strong warriors under your command, if you still have to step in personally, it makes us look incompetent."

Standing up, Obito stretched his slightly stiff neck. "I know you're concerned because Kimimaro had to use Tenseigan Chakra Mode in a battle where Madara was already present. They must be facing a formidable enemy."

"But that's why I'm here, isn't it?"

Obito grinned arrogantly, pointing his thumb at himself. "My eyes may not be as powerful as Madara's, Kimimaro's, or Itachi's, and even future Sasuke may surpass me. But sometimes, it's not the strength of your eyes that determines your combat prowess."

With a smirk, Obito continued, "Take me, for instance. Even though I still only have the Mangekyō Sharingan, its abilities are the second strongest in the shinobi world!"

"And who's the strongest?" Kyomu asked with a suppressed laugh.

"You know perfectly well," Obito shot back, glancing at Kyomu. "It's been a while since I stretched my legs. I may be young, but if an old man like Madara is still fighting on the front lines, there's no reason for me to live a retired life."

Obito waved as he turned to leave. "Kyomu, I'll be back soon. Keep my tea warm; it might still be warm when I return."

With a startled look on Kyomu's face, Obito disappeared into a swirling vortex.

"That guy," Kyomu muttered with a chuckle, shaking his head. "He really pulled that off..."

"But that move was one I mastered over a decade ago. Isn't that like showing off in front of a master?"

Placing his black stone on the board, Kyomu stood up, walked out to the corridor, and leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance.

"You want to stretch your legs; I do too!"

Since unifying the shinobi world, Kyomu had been idle for several years. Even during the war to unify the summoning realm, Kyomu hadn't had the opportunity to act.

Madara, a battle maniac, had taken charge of everything, leaving Kyomu with no opportunity to intervene. If Kyomu had insisted on getting involved, no one would have stopped him, but it would have hurt the morale of his capable subordinates.

As Obito had pointed out earlier, Kyomu was already the emperor of a nation. If he had to personally handle every situation, it would reflect poorly on the competence of his subordinates.

With a mixture of anticipation and a touch of inner conflict, Kyomu sighed into the wind.

"Enough of this. There's no harm in going to have a look, right?"

With that decision, Kyomu's figure slowly faded. By the time he had completely disappeared from his previous location, he had already reappeared near Madara's battlefield.

Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!

In Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Kimimaro was undoubtedly at the Six Paths level of power. He not only wore the characteristic Six Paths attire but also had the skin tone reminiscent of the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki clan.

Moreover, the Truth-Seeking Balls floating behind him were not just three or six, but a full nine!

In an instant, the nine Truth-Seeking Balls flew into Kimimaro's hand. He didn't leave a single one for himself, aiming to maximize the power of the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.

Whoosh.

Golden sword light shot up to the sky, its sharp aura setting off alarms in the hearts of everyone nearby. Even from a distance, the skin could feel the faint sting of its cutting power.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Kimimaro's arms swung repeatedly, and the golden sword light swept in circles through the air, slicing the descending black and red cubes into pieces.

"Oh?" Jigen showed interest. "Not a bad technique, but how many more times can you use it?"

His calm demeanor indicated that Jigen didn't see anything wrong with the situation.

He had already mentioned earlier that he had an endless supply of black and red cubes. Kimimaro's maneuvers indeed destroyed quite a few, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome.

All Jigen needed to do was wave his hand again, using his Divine Art: Daikokuten to open another spatial portal and release more black and red cubes stored within.

Sage Art: Great Fire Annihilation!

While Jigen remained unfazed, Madara followed closely behind Kimimaro, launching his attack.

Madara was a master of Sage Mode, and a perfect one at that. How did he learn it? Naturally, it was during the war to unify the summoning realm years ago.

Mount Myōboku was personally destroyed by Madara. The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, in an attempt to preserve the legacy of Mount Myōboku, offered its Sage Arts as a bargaining chip to prevent the complete annihilation of the mountain.

However, such a move could not stop Mount Myōboku's decline. Meanwhile, Ryūchi Cave, which had long been allied with Kyomu, profited greatly from the conflict, not only striking down its enemies but also becoming the sole sacred ground of the summoning realm.

As for Shikkotsu Forest, which was on par with Ryūchi Cave, it was spared from the conflict due to Tsunade's connection.

Shikkotsu Forest was unique in that the Slug Sage could divide and merge at will. Despite being isolated, the Slug Sage only cared about living in peace.

Being under Ryūchi Cave's management didn't matter, nor did the state of the summoning realm. As long as her life wasn't disturbed, she remained indifferent.

After Ryūchi Cave unified the summoning realm with Kyomu's help, the benefits were apparent to all. But Kyomu himself didn't come out empty-handed either.

Sage Arts were no longer forbidden secrets. Those with the aptitude and qualifications, especially shinobi registered with the Dragon Nation, had the right and opportunity to learn them.

Madara and the others learned Sage Arts under these circumstances.

Enhanced by natural energy, the sea of fire Madara spewed wasn't just hotter, it had greater coverage and impact.

"Ninjutsu from humans... truly is an eyesore."

Facing the incoming sea of fire, Jigen remained as calm as ever. He gathered power into his fist and then launched a punch forward.

A fierce wind rose, the gust accompanied by a roaring sound as it struck the sea of fire. In an instant, the flames were split in two, and the remaining fire spread to either side of Jigen before landing far behind him.

Boom!

The fire hit the ground, igniting into a towering inferno with devastating force.

But it didn't matter how strong it was—if it couldn't hit the target, it was meaningless.

Jigen shook his head. "If you don't have anything better, you can all stay here."

With a wave of his hand, the black and red cubes descended once more, denser and more potent than before, rendering Madara and the others' previous efforts futile.

"Not so fast." A swirling vortex suddenly appeared, accompanied by a mocking voice.

Uchiha Obito has arrived!

(End of Chapter)