A series of violent and continuous explosions echoed across the battlefield.
Rinjin wasted no time staying in place; instead, he quickly retreated. His goal wasn't to defeat Madara Uchiha in a decisive battle, but to stall him—neither to determine a victor nor to settle life and death.
As the explosions continued uninterrupted, Rinjin's Sage Chakra was being consumed rapidly, only to replenish itself just as quickly.
Suddenly, a low, anger-filled voice emerged from within the chaos of the explosions.
"Shinra Tensei!"
In an instant, a spherical vacuum wave expanded outward, forcefully pushing away all the flames, smoke, and dust created by the explosions.
"You brat… Are you courting death?!" Madara's voice rang out.
It was clear—he was furious. Using the death of Izuna to provoke him? How could he not be enraged? And on top of that, the Flying Thunder God Technique—a technique he despised, created by the very Tobirama Senju he loathed.
As the dust cleared, Madara's eerie Rinnegan locked onto Rinjin's direction.
From 800 meters away, Rinjin suddenly felt a tremendous force hit his abdomen, sending him flying.
Boom!
With a loud crash, his body tumbled and smashed into a low mountain nearby, shattering the rocks upon impact.
The next second, Rinjin leaped out of the collapsed crater. The pot he wore on his head was shattered, and his black short-sleeved shirt was now in tatters.
Closing his eyes, Rinjin frowned deeply. If his guess was correct, this was likely that ridiculously overpowered ability unique to the Rinnegan:
Limbo: Border Jail!
However, the force wasn't overwhelming. Honestly, he could probably stand there and let it hit him for half a month without much issue. Rinjin's only real strength was his uncanny resilience and endurance.
To put it simply, if the Third Raikage's chakra level was considered Kage-level, then Rinjin's body—honed through the Lightning Release Chakra Mode—could withstand Naruto Uzumaki's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. And Rinjin, who lacked any significant backing or resources, only had his cat-like chakra and his Eight Gates chakra. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his physical resilience was ten times that of the Third Raikage.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was undoubtedly powerful, but for Rinjin, it was never part of his primary combat arsenal.
Locking his sensory perception firmly onto Madara in the distance, Rinjin slowly crouched down, his hands pressing against the ground, his brows furrowed in concentration.
"Let's go!" he muttered.
With a low shout, the blue chakra and lightning surrounding his body instantly stretched into a streak of afterimage. The ground where he had been standing exploded into fragments.
In the distance, Madara's pupils tightened slightly. Instinctively, he muttered, "So fast!"
His vision could barely keep up, but his body's reaction was lagging!
If that's the case… brute force it is!
With this thought, the unreasonable Madara channeled his unique chakra into his eyes. The Rinnegan quickly faded, replaced by a pair of spinning Mangekyō Sharingan.
Susano'o!
Blue chakra surged, instantly forming a robust skeletal structure.
Meanwhile, in less than three seconds, Rinjin, crackling with lightning, had already closed the distance to Madara. His fists clenched tightly at his waist, his eyes shut, and the corners of his mouth curved upward ever so slightly.
Suddenly, a furious roar erupted.
"The third set of elementary school broadcast gymnastics: Youth in Motion! Begin!
First exercise: Stretching!
Morning Peacock!!!"
The roar echoed across the battlefield.
Rinjin's fists flew out in rapid succession, creating continuous sonic booms. Simultaneously, the friction of the air generated a torrent of sparks.
The roaring flames and compressed air clashed with the blue Susano'o, creating a spectacle resembling a beautiful yet dangerous peacock spreading its fiery tail feathers.
Watching the roaring Rinjin before him, Madara frowned deeply. He could feel his chakra consumption rate skyrocketing. The ribs of his Susano'o were continuously cracking and melting under the assault.
With a slight shift in thought, the skeletal arm of the Susano'o swung toward Rinjin.
Sensing the movement, Rinjin instantly extended his right hand, forming a single-handed seal. The Flying Thunder God Technique activated, and he vanished from his original position.
When he reappeared, he was ten meters away, one hand pressed against the ground.
Analyzing the damage to the Susano'o, Rinjin frowned slightly.
From start to finish, he hadn't directly touched the Susano'o. Instead, he attacked the air, using the intense flames and compressed air to inflict damage.
As for why?
First, he didn't want any physical contact with Madara. After all, the infamous Izanami could be activated through touch. And with Madara's cheat-like abilities, who knew if he could use Izanami through Susano'o?
Second, he feared that if he pushed too hard, Madara might retaliate excessively.
From the beginning, his goal had always been to stall this legendary figure of the ninja world.
Stalling—this required a certain level of finesse. Not too indifferent, but not too enraged either. It was all about striking the right balance.
While deep in thought, Madara suddenly fixed his gaze on Rinjin and spoke.
"Kid, you look familiar."
"Huh?" Rinjin, who was about to make his next move, froze, instinctively frowning.
At that moment, the corners of Madara's slightly wrinkled mouth curled into a sinister smile.
"Lemuyi?! Or should I call you the immortal one?"
Hearing this, Rinjin was dumbfounded.
When did he, of all people, get involved with such a big boss?
I've been hiding so well!
Seeing Rinjin's dumbfounded expression, Madara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"In the 19th year of Konohagakure, you sunbathed on a beach for over two months. Then, you flew to the Land of Lightning, released the Two-Tails, attacked the Eight-Tails, and used that to replace Lemuyi's identity, earning the gratitude of many nameless shinobi in Kumogakure. Later, you even made a deal with the Two-Tails.
You disappeared for a while, but mastering the Heavenly Transfer Technique would've made it easy for you to send the Four-Tails to the battlefield in the Land of Grass. Afterward, you used the Four-Tails to lure the Third Raikage, then sowed discord by leaking the Eight-Tails' location to the Land of Earth, which had lost the Four-Tails.
Finally, you defeated the Eight-Tails and became a hero."
As he spoke, Madara couldn't help but applaud, though his smile carried a hint of mockery.
"I thought you'd take the opportunity to become that clown 'Bee' and eventually the Fourth Raikage. At the time, I figured someone as cunning as you would find it easy. But to my surprise, you left just like that. What a disappointment. Such a pity—the Land of Lightning was such a good place."
Hearing this, Rinjin broke out in a cold sweat, which instantly evaporated into blue steam.
This… This… This…
How did I get noticed for that?!
Can I report you for spying on me while I was bathing? I was only eight or nine years old back then! Are you some kind of pervert?!
Oh heavens! Oh earth!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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