Chapter 329: Since When Was Sage Art So Inconvenient!?
"What kind of tactic is this!?"
"He's completely abandoned Susano'o's defense—how does he plan to withstand the next attack!?"
The absurdity of the scene made Bailan's scalp tingle.
However…
Uchiha Ci quickly gave him the answer!
At that moment—
Holding a massive thunder greatsword as large as a building, Uchiha Ci leapt down from mid-air, slamming into the water's surface with a thunderous crash, sending a three-meter-high wave surging outward!
Immediately afterward—
He raised his head, his eyes glowing as he locked his gaze on the Third Mizukage standing atop the giant wooden figure.
Then, he took a step.
One step. Two steps. Three—until he broke into a full-on charge!
With an exaggerated posture like that of a cheetah—or perhaps a butterfly—his muscles taut to the limit, each stride blasted compressed air beneath his feet, sending him bounding over ten meters across the sea surface with every step.
With a stance that defied human limitations entirely,
The eighteen-meter-long thunder greatsword in Uchiha Ci's hand swung with afterimages, whirling wildly with each shift in his body.
A single swing could blow apart a ninjutsu-formed giant dragon.
His footfalls barely skimmed the ocean surface, moving so fast they became untraceable,
Violating all physical laws, his speed had already broken past Mach 8.8 into hypersonic territory!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Ci bulldozed through the battlefield like a wrecking machine, smashing through five giant dragons, before landing heavily on the sea once more!
"So fast!"
Bailan's expression shifted dramatically.
At such speeds—beyond even ninjutsu—his evasion techniques couldn't even come close to touching Uchiha Ci,
And yet his opponent could be right in front of him just moments later, swinging that terrifying thunder club!
In close quarters, he had no way to withstand such brute force!
"I can't let him get any closer!"
With that thought, Bailan's face turned slightly panicked, sweat dripping down his forehead. He quickly formed hand seals, then placed one palm atop the wooden giant's head—
"Compound Ninjutsu: Forest of Frozen Seas!"
"Ice Release: Ten-Thousand-Li Extreme Ice Shield!"
Two jutsu were unleashed in succession.
In an instant,
Beneath the seated forty-meter-tall wooden giant, the ocean surface froze solid, rapidly expanding outward nearly a kilometer to form a clear, crystalline glacial plain.
Then, the surface of the ice fractured, and a dense forest grew forth from the cracks—rising over five meters tall in moments—forming a complex, interwoven blockade in Uchiha Ci's path.
As Uchiha Ci stomped heavily onto the ice field, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
This compound jutsu—combining Ice Release and Wood Release—not only slowed his movements but also drained chakra.
And then—
Rumble!
From where Uchiha Ci stepped, thin-looking yet Sage Art-absorbing ice walls suddenly rose all around him.
Clearly, the former was meant to slow him down through terrain control, while the latter served to prevent his Multi-Lotus Chainless Cannon from blasting through the ice and wood defenses.
"Again with this Ice Release that can absorb Sage Art?"
Uchiha Ci activated his Sharingan and stared intently.
This kind of Ice Release that could absorb Sage Art was completely unheard of. Even in the original series, there was never such a jutsu.
So how could an obscure figure like the Third Mizukage pull off something like this?
With that thought, Uchiha Ci raised his right hand and launched a charged Multi-Lotus Chainless Cannon—swollen to over two meters wide in his Cursed Seal Stage Two form—
Boom!
The brilliant yellow blast shot out instantly, slamming into the ice wall, gouging out a deep crater—but never fully blasting through.
And yet, as he observed the scene with his Sharingan, Uchiha Ci smiled.
"So that's how it is."
"So this is the so-called 'absolute zero' ice?"
He sneered.
"As expected, it's just a cheap trick!"
During the explosion—at the very moment the beam was absorbed—
His Sharingan captured something beneath the shattered ice wall: for a brief moment, a white object at the core rapidly fossilized and crumbled.
That white thing—was the true key to withstanding Sage Art.
It was White Zetsu—
Spore Technique!
This jutsu could absorb chakra—and that included Sage Chakra.
Afei, the White Zetsu created by Uchiha Madara using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Hashirama's cells, had an innate compatibility with Sage Chakra. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Orochimaru, assisted by the Taka team, had even hit him with a Cursed Seal.
But even after being cursed, Afei was only immobilized for less than ten seconds before standing up and fighting like nothing had happened.
And as for this jutsu before him—it worked by absorbing chakra, even Sage Chakra, using the Spore Technique embedded within the ice walls. As a result, when Uchiha Ci's attack struck the wall, it only inflicted superficial damage to the Ice Release exterior.
This created the illusion that the jutsu could freeze kinetic energy down to the molecular level, leaving only the force behind—an utterly fake form of "absolute zero"!
In truth—
It wasn't the Third Mizukage who withstood Uchiha Ci's Sage Art,
It was White Zetsu Afei who blocked his attack!
It was Uchiha Madara—
Who blocked his attack!
At this moment—
Atop the wooden giant's head,
Seeing his combination jutsu take full effect and trap Uchiha Ci on the ice plain, Bailan broke into a delighted grin.
As long as Uchiha Ci couldn't close the distance, Bailan could strike him down with ninjutsu. With the Wood Release: Piercing Stake Technique acquired from Afei, he was confident he could kill this arrogant brat!
"Ahahahahahahahaha~!"
"Brat! In the face of my Absolute Zero, the power you rely on is worth nothing at all!"
His gaze turned cold, and from his pallid hand, he slowly drew out a branch.
Then, he bellowed:
"Now, it's time for you to die!"
Yet Uchiha Ci had no interest in wasting words on this pathetic, hollow clown.
Instead, his response was—
"Shut up!!"
Uchiha Ci roared furiously, slinging the massive greatsword under one arm as he raised his right hand—glaring at the black sun emblem on his palm with frustration.
"Without Sage Art… I can't kill anyone!?"
"Since when was Sage Art so inconvenient!?"
He questioned himself aloud, then stared at his palm as if a realization had dawned on him—
With that, his expression hardened. He abruptly shut his eyes and grasped the black sun emblem tightly—
Clenching it into a fist!
Rather than releasing a Multi-Lotus Chainless Cannon, he aimed it inward—at himself!
BOOM!!
Blood burst from his palm!
In that instant, the white Sage Art markings across his body surged and linked together, extending into his palm and channeling the cannon's energy inward—
Transforming it into a raging torrent of power within his own body!
"UAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Uchiha Ci's eyes flew open, blasting out twin beams of brilliant white light.
He inhaled deeply, then plunged the eighteen-meter-long thunder greatsword into the ground, stepping back, twisting at the waist, raising a simian arm—
In that moment—
Fist, leg, waist, heart, and mind aligned as one!
The veins and Sage Art markings on his right arm bulged and pulsed violently with energy!
"Huh~"
"Then let me show you… what real Sage Art looks like!"
Sage Art: Multi-Lotus Chainless Cannon Fist!
Uchiha Ci's expression twisted into a fierce grin as he locked eyes on the endless ice walls, towering trees, and vast glacier before him.
"HA!!"
With a sudden shout, he punched forward!
A violent wind swirled around his right arm—
Natural energy from ten thousand meters around surged to life, dancing in response to his strike!