Chapter 78: The Unbreakable Barrier
Uchiha Madara observed Akatsurugi with a detached, analytical gaze. Despite his age, his mind was sharp, his knowledge vast. For a moment, Akatsurugi could only evade, biding his time.
Then, a faint, cold smile touched Madara's lips. "Four Red Yang Formation — Modified."
From the water around them, four of the strange white Zetsu clones rose, each one encased in a skeletal blue layer of Susano'o armor. Akatsurugi hadn't even sensed their approach. A massive, rectangular barrier of crimson, transparent flame erupted from the four cardinal directions, sealing the area completely.
"This time," Madara declared, his voice echoing within the new prison, "you will not escape."
Akatsurugi's frown deepened. He recognized this from the Scroll of Seals—the Four Red Yang Formation. A barrier requiring four Kage-level shinobi to erect, it was impervious to entry or exit, its walls wreathed in lethal, scorching flames. It could even withstand a direct hit from a Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb.
The flames themselves were an irrelevance to him, a mere tickle. But breaking the barrier itself would not be so simple. This was Uchiha Madara's modification, and he had no idea what enhancements had been made. Madara's intent was clear: trap him, then wear him down.
His eyes fell to the lake beneath them. So be it. If this was the battlefield, he would fight fire with an inferno. He gripped his zanpakutō.
"Boy," Madara sneered, "do you wish to dance as well?"
Akatsurugi offered no reply. Instead, he whispered the release command, his voice calm but carrying immense weight.
"Reduce all creation to ashes... Ryūjin Jakka."
A conflagration erupted along the blade, so intense that the very air within the barrier seemed to ignite. A scorching heat wave radiated outwards, pressing against the crimson walls. The souls of the fallen Mizukage and Raikage had fed the blade; its power was no longer subdued. For the first time, the flames began to approach their true, soul-scorching potential.
"Oh? A most peculiar blade," Uchiha Madara praised, his tone one of genuine, predatory interest.
"Hah!" With a sharp exhalation, Akatsurugi plunged Ryūjin Jakka into the water.
The result was instantaneous and cataclysmic. Pillars of fire, white-hot and furious, shot up from the lakebed. The vast body of water hissed and boiled, its volume plummeting as it was flash-vaporized into a thick, impenetrable blanket of steam that filled the barrier, reducing visibility to zero.
But Akatsurugi didn't need to see. He could sense.
"Blazing Hell: Ennetsu Jigoku!"
Dozens of the fiery pillars converged on Madara's location.
"Shinra Tensei!" (Almighty Push)
A wave of repulsive force erupted from Madara, attempting to scatter the pillars. But they persisted, pushing against the invisible wall of force. Madara's eyebrow twitched in mild surprise before he channeled more chakra, holding the fiery lances at bay.
The water below was gone, boiled away. Akatsurugi stood in his elemental form, a being of pure flame, his senses locked onto his opponent. Through the steam, he could feel Madara's gaze—somehow, the steam did nothing to hinder the legendary shinobi's vision.
"Songming!" (Searing Gust)
Akatsurugi swung his zanpakutō, and a tornado of fire enveloped Uchiha Madara. He was counting the seconds, knowing the Rinnegan's Almighty Push had a cooldown.
"Preta Path: Ninjutsu Absorption."
Madara simply raised a hand. The fire tornado wavered, its energy siphoned away into nothingness. Akatsurugi's frown returned. The Rinnegan's abilities were supremely troublesome, and in Madara's hands, they were effortless. Even his zanpakutō's unique flames, a product of his soul, could be consumed.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence."
Suddenly, the scorched earth erupted. A forest of towering trees burst forth, their branches grasping upwards. Akatsurugi took to the air, looking down at the rapidly expanding woodland. He knew better than to let this technique establish itself.
He clenched his fist, and it ignited.
"Great Fire Fist!"
The colossal fist of flame smashed down, incinerating vast swathes of the newborn forest into ash.
"You don't seem surprised, boy," Madara noted, his voice carrying an edge of curiosity. "This is the ninjutsu of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju himself."
Akatsurugi didn't answer. Surprised? Why would I be? You have his face grafted onto your chest.
The lack of reaction seemed to irritate Madara. His hands formed another seal.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique."
A massive dragon, woven from living wood, surged from the remaining trees, its maw gaping wide to swallow Akatsurugi whole.
Akatsurugi's hands flew through a seal. He took a deep breath and exhaled a sphere of black-red fire. This was no ordinary fireball; it was the concentrated essence of his Devil Fruit power fused with chakra.
The wooden dragon, which could drain the chakra of a Tailed Beast, bit down on the sphere.
It was a fatal mistake. The temperature was absolute. The dragon's head was not just burned; it was vaporized the moment it made contact, the rest of its body following suit in a flash of superheated light.