Chapter 159 (Patreon)

The instant Mihawk and Madara disappeared from the cliff, Mihawk was already pressing forward.

Even while moving, Madara’s thoughts remained on what had happened moments earlier.

During their previous clash, Mihawk had attempted to cut him, only for Shinra Tensei to repel both him and his blade. Yet now, Mihawk could sever the repulsive force itself.

There could only be one explanation.

Mihawk’s Mystic Eyes did not destroy everything his blade touched. They allowed him to perceive weaknesses that even the technique’s user could not see. As long as his sword reached one of those weaknesses, he could kill the target regardless of whether it was flesh, ninjutsu, or even an ocular technique.

A faint smile appeared on Madara’s face as he reached that conclusion.

However, the smile soon faded.

Even if he had uncovered the principle behind Mihawk’s ability, it did not mean he could counter it.

Only Mihawk could see those weaknesses.

Madara had no way of knowing where the blade would strike, nor could he gamble his life on guessing correctly.

“Tch.”

Madara clicked his tongue as Mihawk closed the distance.

Blue chakra immediately erupted around him and formed an armored Susanoo. The massive warrior rose above the cliff before suddenly leaping into the air, avoiding Mihawk’s approaching blade.

Madara’s straight-tomoe Mangekyō Sharingan had always excelled in fluid combat. Even after evolving into the Rinnegan, Susanoo still moved as naturally as his own body, without any of the sluggishness expected from something so enormous.

As Susanoo rose into the air, Madara sensed the Limbo shadow attacking Mihawk reach its limit and return to his body.

Despite launching one invisible attack after another from Mihawk’s blind spots, the shadow had failed to land a decisive blow.

Mihawk could not see Limbo, but his Observation Haki allowed him to sense every approaching attack. His ability to glimpse the immediate future made catching him off guard almost impossible.

“I have recovered both Rinnegan and taken Hashirama’s senjutsu chakra, yet defeating him still won’t be simple.”

Madara looked down at Mihawk.

Even with his living body and current power, there was no guarantee that he could defeat Mihawk before that sword reached one of the weaknesses seen by the Mystic Eyes.

Continuing their battle now would only delay his true objective.

“In that case, I’ll complete the final step first.”

Madara’s gaze shifted toward the seven tailed beasts gathered in the distance.

“I should return those beasts to their cage.”

As Susanoo descended from the cliff toward the battlefield below, Madara brought his hands together.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

Boom!

A massive cloud of white smoke erupted behind him.

A deafening roar tore through the battlefield as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path emerged from within the smoke.

The chakra of the nine tailed beasts that had once filled its body had already been extracted, causing it to regress from its nearly complete state to its original, emaciated form.

Madara dismissed Susanoo and landed on the Demonic Statue’s head.

He did not act against the tailed beasts immediately.

Instead, he turned toward Mihawk, who was already pursuing him through the air with Geppo.

The brief interval required for Limbo to recover had ended.

Madara’s Rinnegan pulsed.

“Limbo: Border Jail.”

An invisible shadow appeared beside him and rushed toward Mihawk.

Observation Haki warned Mihawk before the attack could reach him. His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly changed direction in midair.

The Limbo shadow’s fist passed through empty air.

Madara’s expression tightened.

Even now, his perception still catches Limbo.

He no longer believed Mihawk could see the shadow.

Just as before, Mihawk had moved before Limbo launched its attack.

That strange perception truly allowed him to glimpse the immediate future.

The Eyes of Death and a power capable of seeing the future…

A faint smile returned to Madara’s face.

Neither ability follows the laws of chakra.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Seven thunderous impacts suddenly shook the battlefield.

While one Limbo shadow intercepted Mihawk, the others swept through the battlefield and struck the seven tailed beasts in rapid succession.

Each beast was hit by an invisible force before being sent crashing to the ground.

Before anyone other than Mihawk could react, Madara formed another hand seal.

The Demonic Statue opened its enormous mouth.

Seven chakra chains shot out from its jaws.

Like Hashirama’s Sage Art: Gate of the Great God, those chains possessed a powerful suppressive effect against tailed beasts. Once they wrapped around their targets, even the tailed beasts could not easily break free.

The chains raced toward the seven fallen beasts.

After avoiding the Limbo shadow’s fist, Mihawk followed its presence with Observation Haki.

The invisible figure circled around and appeared less than a meter behind the Demonic Statue’s right side.

Mihawk swung Nemesis.

A dark-red Ranged Slash tore through the air and struck the seemingly empty space behind the statue.

The Limbo shadow took the attack directly.

The remaining force continued forward and struck the Demonic Statue’s shoulder, but failed to leave any meaningful damage on its body.

At the same moment, the seven chains closed around the tailed beasts’ necks.

The damage suffered by the Limbo shadow sent a violent shock back through Madara. His body staggered, and he nearly fell from the Demonic Statue’s head.

Madara quickly regained his balance before looking toward Mihawk with an amused smile.

“You’re too late.”

“Damn it! I won’t let you succeed!”

Naruto’s furious shout echoed across the battlefield.

Golden chakra erupted around him as he immediately entered Tailed Beast Mode.

Kurama’s enormous chakra avatar appeared and seized the chains with its forepaws and tails, preventing Madara from pulling the seven tailed beasts toward the statue.

“I’m joining in too! You’re not taking Gyūki, fool!”

Killer B transformed into the Eight-Tails and wrapped several of his tentacles around the chains.

Kurama and Gyūki pulled with all their strength, turning the battlefield into a massive struggle against the Demonic Statue.

Madara did not look troubled.

Instead, he laughed.

Mihawk’s expression changed the moment he saw the smile on Madara’s face.

He immediately understood what Naruto and Killer B had failed to notice. If Naruto had remained out of the struggle, Madara would have been forced to find another way to capture Kurama and Gyūki. Instead, the two jinchūriki had entered Tailed Beast Mode and moved within range of the Demonic Statue on their own.

Their attempt to help had only delivered the final two tailed beasts into Madara’s grasp and made his task far easier.

“Good. I was wondering how I would capture you two quickly.”

His smile widened.

“I didn’t expect you to deliver yourselves to me.”

Clatter!

Two more chains shot from the Demonic Statue’s mouth like arrows.

They moved so quickly that Naruto and Killer B had no opportunity to evade. One chain coiled around Kurama’s neck, while the other wrapped around Gyūki.

Madara brought his hands together and took control of all nine chains.

“Now, all of you…”

The Demonic Statue roared as the chains tightened.

“Return to the cage where you belong!”

All nine tailed beasts were dragged toward the Demonic Statue simultaneously.

Mihawk watched the chains tighten around them with a deadpan expression.

Everything he had done suddenly seemed meaningless... all because Naruto couldn’t control his main-character syndrome or his compulsive need for attention.

His previous Ranged Slash had struck both Limbo and the Demonic Statue, yet the statue itself had suffered almost no damage.

Ordinary attacks would not be enough.

Mihawk calmly returned Nemesis to its sheath and lowered his body into a drawing stance.

The battlefield suddenly became silent to him.

Then he heard it.

The breathing of every living and nonliving thing around him filled that silence.

Shinobi.

Tailed beasts.

Even the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path possessed its own unique rhythm.

Countless breaths gathered together until they seemed to roar through Mihawk’s senses like a vast ocean.

Among them, Mihawk found the Demonic Statue’s breath.

His hand tightened around Nemesis.

Madara immediately sensed the change.

He looked away from the struggling tailed beasts and focused entirely on Mihawk.

In the next instant, Mihawk drew his sword.

Shing!

A dark-red Ranged Slash more than fifty meters long erupted from the blade.

It tore across the battlefield with such overwhelming weight that it appeared to be carrying an entire mountain behind it.

The enormous slash raced directly toward the Demonic Statue—and Madara standing upon its head.