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Faced with Madara Uchiha, now a being of the Six Paths, Chiba immediately played one of his strongest trump cards—the Eight Gates!
Back then, the [Hardcore Grinder] Guy had used this very technique to bully the [Whale-Spending Lord] Madara. A shame the admin ended up banning his account.
Amidst a crimson vortex of steam, Chiba's aura skyrocketed, his red hair billowing like burning flames. The oppressive pressure radiating from him could even faintly contend with Madara's.
So this is the feeling of opening all Eight Gates… feels like every meridian is about to rip apart. If I hadn't been doing the Living Puppet Blood Refinement daily, I'd be fucking finished.
Damn. Moving a single finger hurts. How the hell did Might Guy fight after opening the Gate of Death?!
Chiba might look imposing right now, but inside, he was howling in pain. He was just gritting his teeth, not making a sound. The curse of having an image to uphold.
"What's happening? Chiba… he suddenly got so strong. Is it some secret technique?"
"Chiba! Stop it now! Opening the Gate of Death—are you trying to kill yourself?!"
While the others were still reeling from the change in Chiba, Tobirama's face alone drastically changed as he roared the reprimand.
Experienced and knowledgeable, he recognized it instantly. Chiba had opened the Gate of Death within the Eight Gates, burning his life force to temporarily gain dozens of times his normal power.
As much as he disliked this kid, he was still the one Tsunade fancied. Tobirama couldn't just sit back and watch him throw his life away.
"The Gate of Death?!"
Hearing that, Jiraiya, Rasa, and the others also paled. Just from the name, they could tell this "Gate of Death" was undoubtedly a forbidden, suicidal technique.
"Chiba!" they cried out in alarm.
"Hsss… Relax. I know what I'm doing."
Chiba glanced at their frantic faces. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he waved a hand to stop them from rushing forward.
What else could he do? Madara had turned on his hacks. The others were practically useless now. Even if Hashirama (at half strength, the strongest among them) attacked, it would be like giving Madara a light massage at best.
The only one who could actually deal damage, maybe even threaten Madara Uchiha, was him—a fellow cheater.
"You… you actually…!"
When Madara saw Chiba, engulfed in crimson steam, he was momentarily struck speechless by excitement.
"Masters who can train the Eight Gates technique to its peak are rare! And you actually did it! Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating! Show me! Show me all your moves! Entertain me!"
Madara's voice was charged with fervor. He transformed into a streak of light, landing right in front of Chiba. He eagerly beckoned with a finger. Come at me.
"Alright then. Let me show you what a real party trick looks like."
Chiba wasn't about to humor him. He raised a hand slightly, signaling for the others to get back, then crouched, adopting a sprinting stance aimed at Madara.
"Super Light-Weight Rock Technique… Power Strike…"
Layer upon layer of buffs stacked on Chiba's already blistering speed, increasing it by another notch. The sonic boom from his charge was like a dragon's roar. The crimson vortex behind him grew denser, faintly forming the terrifying, phantom-like silhouette of a blood-red dragon.
"Night—Chiba—!"
Chiba roared, launching a flying kick mid-air.
The ground where the dragon phantom passed shattered in succession, countless rocks bursting upwards. The very air around them grew distorted, unreal.
ROAR!
A deep, resonant dragon's roar echoed. The blood dragon bellowed, its maw opening wide as it shot forward with unstoppable momentum—straight for Madara's head.
Bet you didn't expect this! I'm kicking you straight in the fucking face!
"(òwó?)! NANI?!"
Seeing the blood dragon appear before him in an instant, Madara's eyes widened in genuine shock.
The attack Chiba unleashed was far more terrifying than in the original plot. Madara hadn't expected that the mere energy ripples from the prelude of this attack could warp space.
The nearby airflow turned viscous, like mud under immense pressure. Madara's body was trapped within it, difficult to move.
Shouldn't have gotten in his face like that, he thought with a flicker of annoyance.
BOOM!
A sound like colliding metals rang out. As the dragon phantom's jaws snapped shut, Chiba's kick landed squarely—on Madara's face.
PFFT!
Madara's cheek instantly caved in. He felt like he'd been rammed by a charging Ten-Tails. His cervical vertebrae shattered piece by piece. His neck, bereft of bone support, snapped backwards. His head hung limply from his back, connected only by flesh.
Propelled by the monstrous force, he shot backward like a cannonball. He traced a perfect arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, sending a massive cloud of dust into the air.
"D-Did we win?"
"He hit him! At that range, with an attack of that magnitude… even that monster shouldn't be able to survive, right?"
"Hah… is it finally over? What a terrifying opponent…"
"Long live the Fourth Hokage! We've won!!"
Witnessing Chiba kick Madara Uchiha flying, some of the ninja watching from afar began whispering among themselves, unable to hold back from celebrating prematurely.
But Fugaku's face was ashen. His heart sank into an abyss.
In his Sharingan's vision, Madara Uchiha's chakra was slowly… recovering. In stark contrast, Chiba's chakra was plummeting violently, like… a candle guttering in the wind.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Then, a powerful, hearty roar of laughter erupted from within the dust cloud.
The cheers died instantly. Everyone's expressions froze, morphing into disbelief.
"That's… Madara Uchiha's voice! How?!"
"Unharmed after an attack like that… what kind of monster is he?!"
In everyone's sight, a figure emerged from the settling dust.
It was Madara Uchiha, alive and kicking. Not only was there not a single wound on him, even his previously wrinkled clothes were restored, pristine.
"L-Look! The Fourth Hokage… his condition… it's not right! He looks like he's… fading!"
"What?!"
As one person pointed ahead, their voice trembling, the entire battlefield was instantly engulfed by overwhelming despair. Pessimism spread like wildfire among them.
If even Chiba, with his inhuman power, couldn't scratch Madara Uchiha… what chance did they have?
"This feeling of excitement… it's the first time since Hashirama. You almost killed me just now, you bastard!"
Madara Uchiha strode leisurely towards Chiba. He pointed at Chiba and laughed wildly. "Even though you're already a flickering candle in the wind… you have successfully entertained me. I, Madara Uchiha… acknowledge you as the strongest!"
Fuck. A headshot doesn't kill him either? Should've aimed for his other head.
Chiba's eyes were vacant. His body, like charred wood, was crisscrossed with cracks. The muscles in his legs were disintegrating, crumbling to the ground like carbonized dust.
Clearly, after unleashing that life-burning, spectacular kick, his body had reached its absolute limit.
"Jiraiya-sensei… I…"
With immense difficulty, Chiba turned his head to look at Jiraiya not far away. His lips moved weakly. He uttered a few breathless words… then, as if hitting his absolute limit, his body went rigid and toppled forward, collapsing towards the ground.
"CHIBA—!"
Jiraiya's eyes instantly reddened. A surge of remorse and regret flooded his heart.
If he hadn't forced his own ideals onto Chiba… at this age, Chiba should have been enjoying life! He wouldn't have to strive for the world's peace day after day like this. He wouldn't have to die on a battlefield!
Jiraiya's heart felt wrenched apart. He didn't want that damn "world peace" anymore. He just wanted his student back.
"Chiba…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mood was similarly complex. He didn't understand his former self—why had he been so narrow-minded, holding a grudge against a child who held the world in his heart and was willing to die for his ideals?
"Chiba, my brother! Your big bro will avenge you right now!"
Rasa had lost all reason. He summoned endless streams of gold dust, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Madara Uchiha, ready to strike at any moment.
"Tch. How boring. Even mountains of sand are still just sand."
Madara scoffed dismissively, then turned his gaze to Hashirama, who was also lamenting Chiba's fate. His tone was mocking.
"Hashirama. With Chiba's gem setting the precedent, even the current you seems a bit lackluster now. But… if you wish to dance, I suppose I could reluctantly humor you."
Among the group, only Tobirama frowned. Something felt off.
That kid Chiba doesn't seem like the type to sacrifice his life for righteousness. Sacrificing righteousness to save his own skin? More like it. Could it be…
Recalling the dōjutsu Chiba had used earlier, Tobirama looked toward where Chiba had fallen. His voice was icy.
"Chiba. If you dare to 'die' here… don't even think about me ever handing Tsunade over to you in the future."
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