Chapter 244: Mutual Vigilance, Holding Back
After absorbing the little Ten-Tails and becoming its jinchūriki, evolving into a Six Paths-level powerhouse, Uchiha Madara had already realized one thing.
Even though he was still in the Edo Tensei state, ordinary ninjutsu could no longer cause him any harm.
Only Yin–Yang Release or senjutsu could pose a threat to him.
From this, he drew a conclusion: someone like Jigen, who was also an overwhelmingly powerful being, would surely be unaffected by ordinary ninjutsu as well.
If he wanted to harm this guy, he would have to use Yin–Yang Release or senjutsu.
And at this moment, that was exactly what Madara was using.
Flame Dragon Singing Roar—the hand seals were the same as always, the visual effects identical.
But this time, the chakra infused into the technique was Yin–Yang Release chakra.
Madara was confident, but as he drew closer, he noticed that Jigen's face carried a mocking look—he didn't care in the slightest about the three blazing dragons flying toward him.
Just like Madara, Jigen was charging forward at great speed, head-on.
In the blink of an eye, the three fire dragons reached him—but then, something strange happened. The three dragons, created by Madara with Yin–Yang Release, were instantly absorbed by Jigen, vanishing completely without leaving the slightest trace of damage.
"…Was my judgment wrong?"
Madara was slightly disappointed, and at the same time, a trace of wariness arose in his heart.
He had assumed Jigen would be affected by Yin–Yang Release like himself.
But clearly, that was not the case.
Judging Jigen's power based on his own durability was unreliable, but one fact was now clear—the opponent's strength was above his own.
More precisely, Jigen's evolutionary level surpassed that of Uchiha Madara.
Realizing this, Madara's expression grew noticeably heavier.
"You think such a cheap trick is worth showing off? Return the Ten-Tails—otherwise, die!"
In a burst of rage, Jigen appeared before Madara and grabbed his throat before he could react.
His expression twisted into something monstrous, a terrifying aura radiating from him that sent chills down the spine.
But faced with such a strong opponent's threat, Madara merely gave a cold snort. "The one who will die… is you."
Even as he spoke, a black chakra rod suddenly appeared in his hand, stabbing straight toward Jigen's body.
Just as it was about to pierce him, Jigen's body rapidly shrank—and in the blink of an eye, vanished completely from Madara's sight.
"…!"
Madara's face darkened as his gaze swept slowly around him—but the next second, he staggered forward, a sharp pain exploding at the back of his head.
A moment later, his body shattered into fragments, scattering apart.
The miniaturized Jigen had launched a ferocious assault on him.
Madara was completely unable to fight back.
Unfortunately, Jigen still couldn't kill him outright—Madara's body swiftly regenerated.
I still haven't fully regained my peak power. The gap is still there… but this is the only advantage Edo Tensei gives me, isn't it…
Glancing at his fully restored hands, Madara raised his head to meet Jigen's cold stare.
"You've seen it."
"You can't kill me."
Madara spread his hands—not exactly gloating, but irritating all the same.
Jigen's anger rose at this smug, fearless display.
He gave a cold snort, and with a wave of his hand, over a dozen chakra rods shot through Madara's body at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.
The same technique that had been ineffective before was, of course, useless now as well.
But this was merely a feint.
As Madara reached to pull out the rods, Jigen suddenly vanished again.
The next second, Madara took another heavy blow—half his head disintegrated into ashes, scattering in the wind.
"There are plenty of ways to deal with you. But you seem to be holding back as well."
"Is it because you're guarding against Uchiha Dali? Makes sense—if it's him, he definitely won't just stand by and let you keep the Ten-Tails."
"Even if you manage to defeat me, you'll still have to face the threat of Uchiha Dali. So… what will you do next?"
Jigen's tone was calm, confident—the initiative was entirely in his hands.
The fact that he hadn't finished off Madara wasn't because he couldn't—it was as if he wanted to see how many trump cards Madara had yet to reveal.
Madara, however, only sneered at his words.
Someone as shrewd as him could see it clearly—Jigen was using a provocation tactic, trying to sow discord and distract him with talk of Uchiha Dali, to gain the upper hand in their fight.
"Don't forget—Uchiha Dali is just as much a threat to you."
"The only reason you've been talking so much without finishing me off is because you also fear him—so you're holding back against me as well, aren't you?"
Jigen's eyes narrowed slightly at having his hidden thoughts exposed.
"Since our mutual threat is Uchiha Dali, why don't we join forces to deal with him first?"
Although his mouth said this, Jigen's attacks didn't stop for an instant.
In just a few exchanges, he once again reduced Madara's Edo Tensei body to tatters.
Watching Madara's body rapidly knit itself back together, Jigen ceased his assault.
"So in this state, you're not only immortal—you also have nearly infinite chakra."
"Quite troublesome."
At this moment, a thick purple chakra flared from Madara's body, quickly encasing him completely—forming a massive chakra giant over a hundred meters tall.
The giant was clad in armor, wielding a katana, and glaring down at Jigen with icy contempt.
"Uchiha Dali may be a threat—but compared to him, you should be eliminated first."
Madara's voice was cold.
"Oh?"
"Heh… so the lowly creature has decided to get serious."
"This is your full strength?"
Looking up at the towering Susanoo before him, Jigen only sneered.
Madara didn't waste words—he raised the giant blade and slashed down.
Jigen easily dodged, then sprinted along the blade toward him, appearing before his eyes in an instant.
Madara's Susanoo swung its other blade at him, but Jigen avoided it just as easily.
The two clashed at extreme speed, exchanging dozens of moves before Jigen stopped his assault.
"Impressive size—looks scary enough—but the speed's average. Let's see how well it defends."
(Support me and read the completed fanfic on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations. Thanks for your support!)