Chapter 144 (Patreon)

Madara stared at Mihawk before his grin slowly returned.

“Good... That is how a battle should be.”

The damaged Wood Clones surrounding him were still regenerating, their severed bodies pulling themselves together piece by piece.

Madara brought his index and middle fingers together.

The recovering clones suddenly stopped moving and collapsed into lifeless pieces of wood.

“I once believed that every shinobi born after Hashirama and me was nothing more than a child playing at war.”

Madara’s Rinnegan remained fixed upon Mihawk.

“To think this era would produce someone like you.”

His smile disappeared.

“That is precisely why I cannot allow you to survive.”

“Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!”

The shattered ground split open.

More than a dozen pieces of wood emerged around Madara and rapidly took human form.

Within seconds, over a dozen identical Madaras stood across the battlefield.

Boom!

Dazzling blue chakra erupted from every Wood Clone.

The chakra continued expanding, growing denser and more overwhelming with each passing second.

This time, Madara did not settle for Armored Susanoo.

Enormous legs formed beneath each chakra construct. Tengu-like armor covered their bodies, while long cloaks took shape behind them.

One after another, more than a dozen Perfect Susanoo rose from the ground.

Each blue warrior towered over twenty meters tall.

The Allied Shinobi Forces watching from several miles away could only stare in silence.

A single Perfect Susanoo had possessed enough power to alter the landscape with one swing of its sword.

Now more than a dozen stood together.

Before those towering blue warriors, the distant shinobi appeared no larger than ants.

The sight alone was enough to make breathing difficult.

Madara was no longer treating the fight as entertainment.

By using the endlessly replenishing chakra of the Edo Tensei to maintain more than a dozen Perfect Susanoo simultaneously, he had abandoned every trace of restraint.

His killing intent toward Mihawk was unmistakable.

Standing within the crystal on one Perfect Susanoo’s forehead, Madara folded his arms.

“Your sword destroyed one.”

His gaze swept across the blue giants surrounding Mihawk.

“Now show me whether it can destroy all of them.”

Two Perfect Susanoo immediately drew their katanas.

The enormous blades swept forward, releasing two colossal blue slashes that tore through the battlefield toward Mihawk.

The ground split open beneath their path.

Everything the slashes passed was reduced to dust.

Mihawk remained completely still.

The deep-purple aura surrounding Nemesis grew slightly brighter.

Pitch-black lightning twisted around the blade.

He swung once.

Whoosh!

A dark-red Ranged Slash streaked with purple light erupted from Nemesis.

The three attacks collided in the center of the battlefield.

Boom!

The two blue slashes shattered instantly.

Mihawk’s Ranged Slash tore through them without slowing and continued toward the two Perfect Susanoo that had launched the attack.

Both giants crossed their enormous katanas in front of themselves.

Clang—BOOM!

The dark-red crescent slammed into their blades.

Cracks immediately spread across all four katanas.

The two Perfect Susanoo were driven backward, their enormous feet carving trenches several hundred meters long through the desert.

Before they could recover, the Ranged Slash broke through their weapons and struck their bodies.

Riiip!

One Perfect Susanoo lost an arm and half of its shoulder.

A deep diagonal wound tore across the other’s chest, nearly splitting it apart.

The Wood Clones inside them were forced to pour chakra into their damaged Susanoo to prevent them from collapsing.

Madara’s expression became more serious.

Even when confronted by more than a dozen Perfect Susanoo, Mihawk could still damage them with a single attack.

However, their overwhelming numbers prevented him from treating them as casually as he had the first.

The Wood Clones had not erased the difference in individual strength, but their combined pressure was enough to force Mihawk to fight with genuine focus.

Madara raised one hand.

“You are not the only one capable of fighting in the sky.”

Boom!

Enormous wings unfolded from the backs of every Perfect Susanoo.

With a single beat of their wings, violent winds swept across the battlefield.

The blue giants rose into the air together.

More than a dozen Perfect Susanoo flying in formation resembled an enormous blue wave surging into the heavens.

Their immense bodies blocked the sunlight and cast a vast shadow across the desert.

Mihawk appeared incredibly small before them.

Yet his expression remained calm.

He stepped against the air with Geppo and rose higher.

Observation Haki spread outward from him, covering the entire battlefield.

Every movement of the Wood Clones entered his perception.

The shifting of their weapons.

The beating of their enormous wings.

Even the direction in which their chakra gathered before each attack.

However, sensing every attack and responding to more than a dozen Perfect Susanoo simultaneously were two different things.

Three enormous blades swept toward Mihawk from different directions.

He blocked the first with Nemesis, twisted away from the second, and stepped against the air to avoid the third.

Clang—BOOM!

The force behind the first blade sent him flying several hundred meters across the sky.

Mihawk struck the air repeatedly with Geppo and forced himself to a stop.

Before he could regain the initiative, four colossal blue slashes were already approaching.

Mihawk released two Ranged Slashes in return.

The attacks collided and detonated across the sky.

Boom! Boom!

The resulting shock waves forced Mihawk farther back.

Another Perfect Susanoo emerged from the explosion and brought its katana down upon him.

Mihawk raised Nemesis just in time.

Clang!

Purple aura and pitch-black lightning erupted between the two blades.

The Perfect Susanoo’s katana was forced upward, but two more giants immediately attacked from either side.

Mihawk disappeared with Geppo a moment before their weapons crossed.

The intersecting blades still released a violent shock wave that caught him from behind and sent his coat snapping in the wind.

For the first time since Madara created the Wood Clones, Mihawk had been forced entirely onto the defensive.

More than a dozen Perfect Susanoo were not opponents he could dismiss with ordinary perception alone.

At the Allied Shinobi Forces’ headquarters, the surface of the enormous Sensing Water Sphere suddenly convulsed.

The water twisted violently as more than a dozen massive distortions swelled across its surface.

Ao stood before the sphere, watching the changes with an increasingly grave expression.

“These chakra signatures...”

The sphere expanded again.

Water spilled over its surface as the individual distortions pressed against one another.

“They’re all coming from the Fourth Division’s battlefield,” Ao reported. “More than a dozen enormous chakra signatures appeared at the same time.”

Inoichi immediately placed both hands against the communications apparatus.

“I’m contacting the Fourth Division.”

He closed his eyes and extended his telepathic network toward the distant battlefield.

Before a report could return, another shock wave reached headquarters.

Rumble!

The entire command tower shook violently.

Documents slid from the tables, lamps swayed overhead, and fine cracks spread across one of the walls.

Tsunade planted one hand against the command table to steady herself.

Mei looked toward the Sensing Water Sphere as its surface continued thrashing.

A stepped toward the nearest window, his expression darkening as another tremor passed beneath his feet.

“We’re nowhere near the Fourth Division,” the Raikage said. “Yet those clashes are shaking the entire tower.”

Inoichi’s eyes suddenly opened.

“I have the frontline report.”

Everyone turned toward him.

“The reanimated shinobi is Uchiha Madara. Nerona Mihawk is currently engaging him alone.”

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed.

“So it really is Madara.”

Inoichi nodded before continuing.

“The Fourth Division reports that Madara created more than a dozen Wood Clones. Every clone is using a Susanoo.”

“More than a dozen Susanoo?” Mei repeated.

She looked toward the violent distortions spreading across the Sensing Water Sphere.

“Lady Tsunade said that a single one possesses enough power to reshape the landscape.”

Now that their enemy had been confirmed as the legendary Uchiha Madara, headquarters had urgently compiled all available information regarding his abilities.

Everyone inside the command room now understood what Susanoo was—a colossal chakra warrior wielded by those who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes.

A clenched his remaining fist.

“So you’re telling me Mihawk is fighting more than a dozen of them by himself?”

“That is what the frontline reported,” Inoichi confirmed.

“Wood Release...”

Tsunade’s quiet voice caused everyone to turn toward her.

“How can Madara use my grandfather’s Wood Release?”

That detail had nearly been overlooked amid the shocking report about the Perfect Susanoo.

Tsunade could not understand how Madara had obtained Hashirama’s power.

If he possessed the Sharingan, and her grandfather’s Wood Release, how were they supposed to stop him?

More importantly, would Mihawk truly be all right facing such an enemy alone?

Tsunade bit the edge of her thumb as worry spread across her face.

Even without seeing the battlefield, everyone inside headquarters could understand the scale of the battle.

Mihawk and Madara were tearing the entire region apart.

A turned toward Inoichi.

“Keep the connection open.”

His gaze returned to the distant horizon.

“I want to know what the hell is happening over there.”

Back above the desert battlefield, Mihawk steadied himself in the air.

His grip around Nemesis tightened slightly.

Then the red within his eyes was replaced by an icy-blue glow.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception awakened.

Countless dark lines appeared across the enormous bodies and weapons of the Perfect Susanoo.

At the same time, Mihawk pushed his Observation Haki beyond ordinary perception.

The battlefield before him changed.

Images of attacks that had not yet happened appeared within his mind.

He saw the Perfect Susanoo moving several seconds into the future.

He saw every katana descending before Madara’s Wood Clones had even begun their swings.

He saw where each giant would move, which path their attacks would follow, and the brief openings that would appear between them.

Future Sight.

Combined with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the overwhelming formation surrounding Mihawk no longer appeared impenetrable.

Every attack possessed a path through which it could be avoided.

Every Perfect Susanoo was covered in lines that could be severed.

Mihawk had not erased Madara’s numerical advantage.

However, he had finally gained a slight upper hand.

The Perfect Susanoo surrounded him from every direction.

Several raised their katanas, while the others spread out to block every possible route of escape.

Madara watched from among them.

“In the air, you have nowhere left to run.”

“Run?”

Mihawk repeated the word calmly.

He raised Nemesis.

“You misunderstand.”

Purple aura flowed from the black blade as pitch-black lightning climbed into the sky.

“I came up here so I could swing without holding back.”

The first Perfect Susanoo attacked from behind.

Before its arm even began moving, Mihawk had already seen the strike.

He stepped aside with Geppo.

The enormous katana descended through the place where he had been standing.

Boom!

The blade struck nothing but empty air.

The force behind it continued downward and carved a massive canyon through the desert below.

Mihawk appeared above the Susanoo’s head.

Through the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he could clearly see the dark line running across its neck.

Nemesis flashed.

A purple-black arc passed through that line.

Crack!

The Perfect Susanoo’s head separated from its body.

Before the Wood Clone inside could react, Mihawk stepped against the air and disappeared again.

Two Perfect Susanoo attacked him from opposite sides.

Their enormous katanas closed in simultaneously, leaving no space between them.

Mihawk had already witnessed the attack through Future Sight.

He turned sideways at the only possible moment.

The two blades passed within inches of his body.

Clang!

The gigantic katanas collided with each other.

The resulting shock wave scattered the clouds that had begun gathering in the distance.

Mihawk landed briefly upon the flat side of one blade.

He took a single step forward before swinging Nemesis.

Riiip!

The purple-black slash followed the lines visible to his Mystic Eyes, tearing through the first katana before continuing through the Susanoo holding it.

The attack struck the second giant behind it.

Both Perfect Susanoo were split apart.

Their severed bodies fell from the sky while rapidly dissolving into blue chakra.

Three more Perfect Susanoo immediately filled the opening.

One thrust its katana forward.

Another attacked from above.

The third swept its blade horizontally, aiming to cut off Mihawk’s escape.

Mihawk’s Future Sight had already revealed every attack before they began.

He stepped upward with Geppo, allowing the horizontal blade to pass beneath him.

Nemesis struck the descending katana.

The two swords never touched.

Advanced Armament Haki and Advanced Conqueror’s Haki collided with the enormous weapon from a short distance away.

Boom!

Purple aura and pitch-black lightning exploded across the sky.

The Perfect Susanoo’s katana shattered from its tip to its hilt.

The shock wave continued beyond it and struck a distant mountain range.

Several peaks cracked simultaneously before collapsing into the valleys below.

Mihawk turned Nemesis and brought it down.

A dark-purple slash followed one of the lines of death and split the unarmed Perfect Susanoo from head to waist.

He then twisted in the air and kicked off with Geppo.

His figure shot past the second Susanoo.

A thin purple line appeared across its torso.

A moment later, the entire giant separated into two halves.

The third Perfect Susanoo thrust its katana toward Mihawk’s back.

Without looking around, Mihawk reversed his grip on Nemesis and blocked it.

Clang—BOOM!

The force of the collision made the sky tremble.

Pitch-black lightning spread outward in every direction.

The giant katana was forced backward.

However, Mihawk was also pushed several meters through the air before stabilizing himself with Geppo.

Another two Perfect Susanoo immediately moved to surround him.

Even with Future Sight, the unrelenting attacks gave him almost no time to breathe.

Mihawk turned and swung.

The first Perfect Susanoo’s arm was severed at the shoulder, and its enormous katana spun away into the distance.

A second Ranged Slash followed immediately afterward.

The blue giant was cut apart before its missing arm could begin regenerating.

One after another, Madara’s Perfect Susanoo fell from the sky.

The Wood Clones continued regenerating through the Edo Tensei, and their Susanoo repeatedly attempted to rebuild themselves.

However, with Future Sight revealing their attacks and the Mystic Eyes exposing their lines of death, Mihawk destroyed them just fast enough to prevent their full numbers from recovering.

Every flash of Nemesis severed another enormous limb.

Every burst of purple aura brought down another Perfect Susanoo.

The blue giants possessed enough power to devastate the battlefield.

Although their combined attacks continued forcing Mihawk to block, evade, and reposition himself, none managed to land a clean strike.

Madara shifted between his Wood Clones, hiding his original body among them while searching for an opening.

He found none.

Mihawk’s breathing had become deeper than before, but it remained controlled.

The purple aura flowing from Nemesis had not weakened, while pitch-black lightning continued snapping violently around the blade.

The Allied Shinobi Forces watched several more Perfect Susanoo fall from the sky.

No one spoke.

They could no longer decide which sight was more unbelievable—the army of flying blue giants or the lone swordsman holding them back.

Madara’s Rinnegan followed Mihawk’s movements.

The advantage of the Edo Tensei allowed his Wood Clones to regenerate indefinitely.

However, Mihawk’s Future Sight and Mystic Eyes allowed him to cut them down barely faster than they could return to the battle.

Madara had surrounded Mihawk with more than a dozen Perfect Susanoo.

Yet after Mihawk revealed both abilities, Madara was the one being driven back little by little.

Mihawk stopped high above the center of their formation.

The remaining Perfect Susanoo closed around him from every direction, their enormous katanas raised simultaneously.

There was no visible path through them.

Mihawk calmly rested Nemesis against his shoulder.

Only then did Madara understand.

His formation had never trapped Mihawk.

It had merely gathered every Perfect Susanoo within range of his sword.