Madara's eyes opened slightly, and he shouted in a low voice,
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
This was the exclusive dōjutsu of Madara's Rinnegan. It split off four shadow-like clones. Ordinary people couldn't see these shadows at all, nor could they harm them.
This dōjutsu was ridiculously broken—beneath the Six Paths level, it was essentially invincible. Even if one reached the same level, facing four clones with combat power equal to Madara's was still extremely troublesome.
Unfortunately for him, he ran into Kaito.
Kaito had already reached the peak of the Six Paths level, perhaps even faintly surpassing it. Facing the four shadows, there wasn't the slightest hint of panic on his face.
Two extra arms suddenly sprouted from his shoulders, and he directly grabbed the shadows attacking from four directions.
In Madara's horrified gaze, Kaito used all four arms at once, hurling the shadows back.
Madara's expression darkened. This was his first time facing an opponent who also had the Rinnegan—he didn't know the Rinnegan could see his shadows.
Now he realized it. His brows furrowed, and a trace of wariness flashed across his expression.
Kaito retracted the extra arms from his shoulders. His eyes sharpened, and a gray vortex suddenly enveloped Madara.
Madara immediately felt a powerful sense of crisis. Without hesitation, he swapped his true body with one of his shadows.
The shadow that took his place didn't even have time to struggle before it visibly aged, and in moments, it completely vanished.
This was Kaito's exclusive dōjutsu: Gyakunen.
Madara's face twisted in shock as he cried out,
"A time-based dōjutsu?!"
Anything connected to space-time was already absurdly broken—and time came even before space. He had never heard of anyone awakening a dōjutsu tied to time itself.
Madara's shadows were essentially independent entities, their lifespan equal to his own. Naturally, they too were affected by time.
He could feel it—the shadow that had swapped places with him was completely gone and could never be summoned again.
Who knew how long it would take before he could split off a new one.
At least in the coming battle, Madara could forget about manifesting a fourth shadow.
But Kaito wasn't done. His ocular power seemed endless. His gaze swept across one space after another, following Madara's body.
Having seen the power of Gyakunen, Madara didn't dare take it head-on. He could only dodge desperately and awkwardly.
In the process, his shadows dwindled one after another. When the final shadow dissipated, Kaito finally stopped using Gyakunen.
A fine layer of sweat had already formed across Madara's forehead. He looked at Kaito's relaxed expression and felt nothing but rage in his heart.
Because he could tell—Kaito was toying with him. To Madara, this was an unbearable humiliation.
Since when had Uchiha Madara become someone else's plaything?!
But deep down, Madara knew the truth—he wasn't Kaito's match. From the start of the battle until now, he had been completely suppressed. No matter what power he used, Kaito always countered with something stronger. The gap between them was undeniable.
Even the onlookers saw this clearly. The Allied Shinobi Forces were already boiling over—Moments ago, Madara's overwhelming power had plunged them into despair.
Just when they thought their lives were over, Kaito had stepped forward, utterly crushing Uchiha Madara. It was nothing less than salvation.
As for Konoha's shinobi, their excitement went without saying. The shinobi from the other villages had already come to see Kaito as a god—not "God of Shinobi," but literally the one true god in this world.
But neither Madara nor Kaito cared about the opinions of ordinary people. Madara's mind was consumed by only one thought: how to defeat Kaito.
Black Zetsu suddenly emerged from beneath Madara's feet. He couldn't endure watching any longer. At this rate, Madara's defeat was inevitable, something Black Zetsu could not allow.
To him, Madara was the perfect pawn. Before Kaguya's resurrection, nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
So, despite the risk of drawing Kaito's attention, Black Zetsu appeared at Madara's side for one purpose—to remind him.
"Madara-sama, quickly use the summoning technique to bring forth the Ten Tails! Once you become the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, Uchiha Kaito won't stand a chance against you!"
Madara's eyes lit up. Immersed in battle with Kaito, he had nearly forgotten this.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had already absorbed the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts. Though the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails weren't complete, it was still enough to resurrect the Ten Tails.
At that thought, Madara bit his finger and pressed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Boom!
A cloud of smoke erupted, and the grotesque form of the Ten Tails appeared before everyone's eyes.
Kaito eyed the Ten Tails, comparing it with the one inside his own body. He decided his version was far more pleasing to look at.
But Madara didn't care about appearances. He spread his arms and shouted,
"Come! Ten Tails!"
"Roooar!"
The Ten Tails bellowed before turning into a fluid state, surging into Madara's back.
As it merged with him, Madara's appearance transformed. His hair turned snow white like Kaito's. A white robe appeared on his body, and nine jet-black Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him.
In that instant, Madara had finally stepped fully into the realm of the Six Paths. In a sense, he could even be considered an Ōtsutsuki now.
Kaito simply watched quietly, making no move to stop it.
Madara's expression remained calm as he felt the raging power coursing through him. He raised the staff in his hand and pointed it at Kaito.
"Uchiha Kaito, you've truly given me many surprises. I must admit—in this era, you are unquestionably number one. But unfortunately, you chose to stand against me."
He shook his head with a sigh, then continued,
"If you and I had been born in the same era, perhaps we could have been great friends. But now, I can only send you on your way with my own hands."
One Truth-Seeking Orb shot out like a bullet from behind him toward Kaito.
Just as it was about to strike, Kaito suddenly stretched out his hand and caught it in his palm.
"What?!"
Madara stared in disbelief at the orb clenched in Kaito's hand. After entering Six Paths Mode, knowledge of the Truth-Seeking Orbs had flooded into his mind. He knew full well their destructive power.
Anyone without the power of the Six Paths would be annihilated on contact. In his view, a mere Rinnegan user like Kaito shouldn't be able to withstand it. Yet the scene before him forced him to question,
"Could it be because the chakra of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails is incomplete… that my Six Paths power isn't perfect?"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo