Atop the Ten-Tails, Madara Uchiha, his words having just fallen, began to form hand seals. Upon their completion, the ten tails of the Gedo Statue beneath his feet rose high into the air. From the tip of each tail, countless small black dots appeared, and then, a dense barrage of wooden spikes rained down from the sky, covering a vast area.
Wood Style: Cutting Technique!
The attack range of this ninjutsu was terrifyingly large, practically blanketing the entire battlefield. The Konoha ninja and the Akatsuki members, who had previously scattered to avoid the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb, were once again forced to desperately dodge.
Swish, swish, swish~
Countless long wooden spikes filled the sky, falling like a dense rain of arrows. In an instant, hundreds of ninja were killed on the spot. Those who survived were all elite, skilled shinobi.
Seizing the opportunity while everyone was evading his attack, Madara Uchiha's hands once again formed a series of seals. The body of the Ten-Tails beneath his feet began to transform. It quickly shifted from its single-eyed form to a lean, crawling beast, then rapidly bulked up again. The Ten-Tails clasped its hands together, and its large, petal-shaped mouth opened wide. A colossal Tailed Beast Bomb, even more exaggerated in size than the previous one, slowly began to condense.
BOOM!
After a brief period of condensation, the Tailed Beast Bomb shot forth once more. Suijin, Jizo, and Fujin, pushing their powers to the absolute limit, unleashed their strongest techniques to meet the oncoming devastation. Kagutsuchi had managed to divert the previous Tailed Beast Bomb using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but attempting the same feat again this time, against an even larger and more focused blast, would not be so easy. Madara Uchiha and Obito also made their move simultaneously, each targeting one of the clones, leaving only one free to attempt the incredibly difficult task of diverting the undiminished, super-massive Tailed Beast Bomb.
However, they still had to try. Jizo and Suijin were engaged by Madara and Obito, while Fujin, riding his Wood Dragon, charged forward alone. At the very last moment before the super-massive Tailed Beast Bomb was about to detonate, he managed to teleport it away.
Soon after, from several kilometers away, an even more enormous mushroom cloud than before erupted into the sky. This time, the violent explosion and its devastating shockwave instantly swept across the entire Forest of Death, and countless ninja were caught in its destructive path—ninja from Konoha Village, participants and spectators from other villages who had come for the Chunin Exams, and even members of Akatsuki.
Summoning Technique! Amidst the deafening roar of the explosion, Tsunade's voice was lost. The aftershocks of the blast continued for several long minutes. A large part of Konoha Village, including the Forest of Death, was almost completely obliterated. And this was the result of the Tailed Beast Bomb not detonating directly on site. Its true destructive power was almost unimaginable.
After the devastating assault of the Cutting Technique and the super-massive Tailed Beast Bomb, among the remaining ninja on the battlefield, apart from Jizo and Suijin, almost no one else had any strength left to resist.
Swoosh~
The sound of air being cut echoed, and Fujin, a small part of his body blown away, appeared beside Jizo. If not for the support of his incredibly resilient physique, Fujin would likely have perished on the spot. But even so, he had completely lost his ability to fight.
Standing atop the Ten-Tails, Madara Uchiha surveyed the scene. The entire land was a picture of utter devastation.
"Haha! This day… I have finally waited for this day!" Seeing that the situation was now firmly decided, Madara Uchiha couldn't help but let out a loud, unrestrained laugh of triumph.
But just then, the Ten-Tails beneath his feet, which had just launched a Tailed Beast Bomb, suddenly shifted its body uneasily, then turned its massive head to look towards the distant northeast. In that direction, it seemed to sense the presence of its own kind.
Following the Ten-Tails' movement, both Madara Uchiha and Obito also turned their gazes in that direction. There, vaguely in the distance, it seemed a colossal tree was piercing the heavens. And above this giant tree, an eerie, ominous moon faintly materialized.
The triumphant smile on Madara Uchiha's face instantly vanished. For the first time since his revival, a look of grave seriousness appeared on his face. Something unexpected… something outside his calculations… seemed to be happening.
Thinking this, Madara Uchiha's hands formed a seal.
ROOOOAR!
Beneath his feet, the Ten-Tails once again let out a heaven-shattering roar. This roar, however, was filled with unwillingness and resentment. Before the roar had even fully faded, the Ten-Tails' body began to undergo another violent transformation. Its massive form actually began to surge into Madara Uchiha's body.
Obito lightly leaped away, moving off the Ten-Tails' body. Watching Madara Uchiha absorb the Ten-Tails, there was no trace of joy or satisfaction on Obito's face.
In the distance, Suijin, Jizo, and the others, witnessing this scene, also remained motionless, merely observing the unfolding events with grim anticipation.
Time passed quickly. In just one or two minutes, the colossal body of the Ten-Tails had been completely absorbed into Madara Uchiha. As the Ten-Tails' body was absorbed, Madara Uchiha's own form also began to change. His long hair turned white, and he was now clad in a white windbreaker. Nine Truth-Seeking Orbs floated slowly behind his back, forming a circle. Both his arms and legs had turned black, and in his left hand, he now held a Six Paths Sage Staff.
This was Madara Uchiha in his Ten-Tails Jinchuriki state.
After becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Madara Uchiha briefly glanced at Jizo, Suijin, and Fujin. Three black Truth-Seeking Orbs shot out from behind him, streaking directly towards them. The speed of the Truth-Seeking Orbs was incredibly fast. Jizo quickly grabbed the injured Fujin and flickered away to dodge. Suijin, on the other hand, also condensed two Truth-Seeking Orbs of his own, attempting to resist. Unfortunately, the Truth-Seeking Orbs condensed by Suijin were directly shattered upon colliding with Madara's. The incoming Truth-Seeking Orbs continued their trajectory unabated, and Suijin, unable to dodge in time, had his left arm severely injured.
Madara Uchiha, having launched the three Truth-Seeking Orbs, did not press his advantage. He clasped his hands together in a seal, and the earth behind him suddenly began to tremble violently.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Amidst the unending, deafening roars, the colossal God Tree erupted directly from the ground. Sensing that an unexpected situation had arisen, Madara Uchiha didn't want any further complications. He prepared to directly activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
After several minutes of frenzied growth, the God Tree, soaring towards the heavens, finally stopped after reaching a height of several hundred meters. Madara Uchiha's body began to float slowly upwards along the trunk of the God Tree, eventually reaching its very apex.
Pausing at the top of the God Tree, Madara Uchiha reached up and broke off a corner of his forehead protector. In the center of his forehead, a blood-red Rinne Sharingan slowly appeared.
Between heaven and earth, a brilliant light suddenly erupted, completely engulfing the entire land. The Infinite Tsukuyomi had been successfully activated. Under the envelopment of the white light, the eyes of everyone caught within its range transformed into the Rinnegan pattern, and they all fell into the genjutsu.
Watching this scene, Madara Uchiha's hands continued to form seals without pause. God: Nativity of a World of Trees! All the ninja who had fallen into the genjutsu began to be encased one by one, their chakra being absorbed by the God Tree.
Only after everyone had been ensnared and suspended, their life force being drained, did Madara Uchiha finally let out a slow, satisfied breath. Below, only Jizo, Suijin, and Fujin, protected within a Susanoo, had managed to avoid falling into the genjutsu. However, just these three alone were no longer a cause for concern.
Just as Madara Uchiha was preparing to descend and completely eliminate the three of them, a sudden, unexpected change occurred!
Shlick!
From behind him, Black Zetsu's hand, dripping with blood, pierced through Madara Uchiha's entire body, emerging from his chest.