Reborn in Konoha; I Think I’m Cultivating Immortality

Facing Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's calm expression and his gaze that seemed to regard him as a dead man, Madara knew he had been too hasty in launching this attack.

This opponent was not someone he could handle in his current state.

The Ōtsutsuki clan had lived up to their fearsome reputation.

With this realization, Madara felt a strong urge to retreat.

Though he was prideful, he wasn't foolish. When faced with someone vastly stronger than himself, he knew when to bend and when to rise.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Isshiki moved again, his target clear.

This direct approach put Madara on high alert. He immediately commanded his Limbo: Border Jail shadows to intercept Isshiki.

Meanwhile, his true body began retreating, intending to flee.

"Now you want to run? Do you really think you can escape?" Isshiki sneered, having seen through Madara's intentions.

With a sudden wave of his hand, he sent the Limbo shadows flying and rapidly closed the distance toward Madara.

Within moments, Isshiki had already reached Madara again and reached out to grab him.

Seeing this, Madara unleashed the full force of his repulsive force.

A massive shockwave of repulsive force erupted from Madara's body, sweeping outward in all directions.

Isshiki's body halted mid-air, momentarily brought to a stop.

Although his taijutsu was overwhelmingly strong, it was worth noting that they were fighting in mid-air.

In the air, resisting such a powerful repulsive force and continuing forward was indeed more difficult.

However, this only caused a brief pause, it wasn't enough to push Isshiki away.

A sudden surge of blue chakra enveloped Madara as a massive chakra construct appeared, encasing him within.

It was the Susanoo, an ability exclusive to those who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Thinking of hiding inside a turtle shell? That shell won't protect you," Isshiki taunted.

His taijutsu was so powerful that he could easily break through Susanoo's defense.

In his eyes, Madara's use of Susanoo was a sign of desperation, a last resort from someone with no other options.

"Time to end this," Isshiki declared coldly.

Meanwhile, inside the Susanoo, Madara had already begun forming hand seals for another attack.

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!

A sea of flames erupted from Susano'o, spreading across the sky and filling the air with scorching heat. The inferno blanketed the heavens, covering everything in its path.

However, when the flames reached Isshiki, they were instantly absorbed into his body.

Absorbing ninjutsu was one of Isshiki's core abilities.

For a moment, it appeared as though Madara's fire technique had been a desperate, reckless attack.

But in truth, Madara's real intention behind using this ninjutsu was simply to buy time, and vent his frustration.

As the flames dissipated, Susanoo spread its wings and shot upward at full speed.

Madara was trying to escape.

Using repulsive force for flight was too slow, so he relied on his full-body Susanoo to increase his speed significantly.

Isshiki, after absorbing the flames, watched the flying Susanoo with a cold smile.

"Do you really think you can escape that easily?"

In an instant, Isshiki's entire body burst with power, and he surged forward at full speed, his figure a blur as he rapidly closed the gap between himself and Madara's Susano'o.

Madara's expression changed as he realized Isshiki's speed was far greater than Susano'o's flight speed.

At this rate, Isshiki would catch up in no time.

And sure enough, in mere moments, Isshiki was already beside Susano'o.

Gathering immense power, Isshiki launched a devastating kick aimed directly at Madara's position inside the chakra construct.

The sheer force of the kick was terrifying.

A cracking sound echoed through the sky as Susano'o began to shatter where Isshiki's kick had struck.

Isshiki's momentum didn't stop there, after shattering a portion of Susanoo, his foot continued toward Madara's body.

Madara's pupils contracted in shock.

He wanted to evade, but it was too late.

Isshiki's kick landed directly on Madara's body.

However, Madara's body shattered, not into flesh and blood, but into pieces of wood.

Wood Clone!

It was a Wood Clone!

A clone technique derived from Hashirama, so lifelike that it was nearly impossible to distinguish it from the real body.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's expression darkened.

He had actually been tricked by a Wood Clone.

This was unacceptable.

For someone at his level, a mere clone shouldn't have been able to deceive him.

However, Isshiki had been too relaxed while dealing with Madara, to the point he got tricked twice.

He had never taken this fight seriously.

As a result, he hadn't paid close attention, and that mistake had allowed Madara to slip through his fingers.

"You've angered me, ant."

Isshiki's voice was cold as ice.

He turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, locking onto Madara's true location.

At this moment, Madara's real body was fleeing in the direction of Konoha.

He knew how fortunate he had been to deceive Isshiki with a Wood Clone.

The brief battle had already made it abundantly clear to Madara just how vast the gap between him and Isshiki was.

He was no match for Isshiki.

In the entire shinobi world, Madara was unquestionably the second strongest.

But the only person capable of facing Isshiki in combat was someone even stronger than him, Mochizuki Hui.

Madara was now heading toward Konoha with one goal in mind: to join forces with Hui and defeat Ōtsutsuki Isshiki together.

Of course, Madara had no intention of luring Isshiki directly into Konoha.

If that happened, both he and Hui would be forced to hold back in order to protect the villagers, which would prevent them from fighting at full strength.

His aim was to get close enough to draw Hui's attention.

Madara knew that Hui's sensory abilities were incredibly strong, strong enough to sense both him and Isshiki from miles away.

Sure enough, Isshiki was already in pursuit.

After being provoked, Isshiki was determined to push his host body to its limits if necessary, just to catch and kill Madara.

In the sky above, two streaks of light resembling shooting stars blazed across the sky, one chasing the other, leaving behind a shocking spectacle for anyone who happened to glance up.

…

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Hui was making preparations.

For the sake of high quality samples, Hui planned to visit the moon.

The distance between the shinobi world and the moon was incredibly vast.

Although Hui could fly, he didn't intend to fly directly there, it would make him too conspicuous and risk detection by the true inhabitants of the moon.

Instead, he had another method in mind for reaching the moon.

If his memory served him correctly, there was a certain place in the shinobi world that provided a direct path to the moon.

Back when Hinata Hyuga was kidnapped by Ōtsutsuki Toneri, Naruto had used this very path to reach the moon.

Thus, Hui's plan was to first locate that passage.

He even send a Shadow Avatar ahead to scout the area before making his move.

This wasn't an act of cowardice, it was pure caution.

He had long since acknowledged that this world was full of the unknown.

No one could predict what kind of trump cards an opponent might be hiding.

A single moment of carelessness could result in mutual destruction.

Even though Hui's strength had reached extraordinary heights, he remained cautious by nature.

After all, using a shadow avatar cost him nothing.

And wasn't the very purpose of shadow avatars to gather information in a way that kept the real body safe?

By sending out a clone first to assess the situation, Hui could act more decisively and efficiently.

And if nothing else, it made things easier for him.

For the sake of convenience alone, Hui would opt for this method.

"Eh?"

Before he even received a report from his shadow avatar regarding the passage, Hui, seated in the Hokage's office, suddenly let out a surprised hum.

Ever since his transformation, Hui's sensory abilities had reached an astonishing level.

His sensory range now extended beyond a hundred miles!

Even though Madara and Isshiki were still far from Konoha, Hui could already sense their presence.

"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki..." Hui murmured to himself as he rose from his seat and stepped out of the Hokage's office.

Behind him, a pair of wings formed from natural energy unfurled gracefully.

With a single flap of his wings, Hui soared into the sky like a streak of light.