Thump!
Someone within the Ninja Alliance fell to their knees, staring up at Madara's towering Susanoo. Their voice trembled,
"Is this… the power of a god?"
Even the Uchiha themselves, Itachi and Sasuke, were struck speechless. This was their first time witnessing a Perfect Susanoo, and the overwhelming pressure left their breaths shallow.
Itachi quickly regained focus and turned his gaze toward Chiga. His eyes carried both expectation and belief.
He was certain—Chiga could do it too.
It wasn't just him. Every shinobi's attention was fixed on Chiga, waiting.
Chiga answered their unspoken hope. His fist clenched, and in an instant, purple chakra surged outward like a raging storm. The ground trembled as another colossal figure took form. Before everyone's eyes, a second Perfect Susanoo emerged, cloaked in violet radiance.
Madara's expression didn't falter. He had already seen that Chiga bore the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. To manifest a Perfect Susanoo was expected. Yet, despite his composure, excitement stirred within him—this was the first time he would face another Susanoo head-on.
A thrill rose in his chest. Madara laughed loudly, voice booming across the battlefield.
"This is truly interesting! Show me your strength, Uchiha Chiga!"
His Susanoo drew its massive blade and sent a searing wave of blue energy crashing toward Chiga.
Chiga's lips curved into a faint smile. With calm precision, he directed his Susanoo to meet the attack head-on.
Boom!
The resulting explosion split the heavens. Clouds scattered, and shockwaves rolled across the battlefield. The two titans clashed, blades locking in a stalemate that shook the very earth.
But the deadlock didn't last. With a surge of power, Chiga's Susanoo pushed forward, forcing Madara's backward.
Madara's eyes widened. His Susanoo—a symbol of his indomitable might—had lost in sheer strength.
From that moment, the tide shifted. Chiga's relentless strikes battered Madara's construct, its blue glow flickering and fading as cracks spread across its armor.
Madara struggled to regain control, but Chiga's overwhelming power left him cornered. For the first time, he felt a flicker of helplessness.
And still, Chiga wasn't finished. His eyes blazed with a storm of violet lightning. The armor of his Susanoo split apart, revealing a radiant body forged of thunder itself.
"Lightning God Susanoo!"
Madara's composure faltered. Even he, who thought he knew every facet of Susanoo, had never seen such a form.
The thunderous avatar raised its blade, now a weapon of pure lightning, and drove it into Madara's Susanoo. Lightning tore through the construct, shattering it into fragments of blue light that dispersed into the air.
Madara descended calmly to the ground. Though his Susanoo had collapsed, his expression carried no frustration, only a quiet acceptance.
Chiga dismissed his Susanoo and stood in the sky above him, looking down.
Madara tilted his head upward, his tone steady.
"I must admit, I underestimated you. Your strength has already surpassed Hashirama."
Chiga smirked faintly.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Madara's lips curved into a thin smile. "But this battle… should end here."
Far away, Nagato suddenly doubled over, clutching at his eyes. Konan rushed to steady him.
"Nagato, what's wrong!?"
Nagato's voice was low and strained.
"I don't know… but my eyes feel… strange."
Obito narrowed his gaze toward Madara, suspicion heavy in his stare. He already knew what was about to happen.
Under Chiga's watchful eyes, Madara's crimson Sharingan shifted, black ripples spreading outward. The pattern transformed—the eyes of legend revealed themselves once more.
The Rinnegan.
Nagato froze in disbelief, staring across the battlefield.
"Impossible!"
Though the distance was vast, he could clearly see it. Madara's eyes mirrored his own.
Kabuto, maintaining Edo Tensei, also felt the sudden change. His voice broke in disbelief.
"Madara… has the Rinnegan too!?"
Hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu chuckled darkly.
"Of course he does. Those eyes originally belonged to him. Nagato was only their vessel."
Madara fixed his new gaze upon Chiga, anticipating shock, perhaps fear. But Chiga's expression never wavered.
Madara frowned. "You aren't surprised that I wield the Rinnegan?"
Chiga landed softly before him, his aura calm yet commanding.
"There's nothing surprising about it," he said evenly, his eyes beginning to shift. "Because… I have them as well."
Madara's eyes widened as Chiga revealed his Rinnegan. But unlike Madara's, Chiga's held an even greater power—twelve jet-black tomoe encircling the rippling eyes.
The sight shattered Madara's composure. For the first time, he was truly shaken.
Within the ranks of the Ninja Alliance, Byakugan users gasped, their pale eyes widening as they relayed the scene.
"Uchiha Madara and Hokage-sama… both have the Rinnegan!"
The words spread like wildfire, and chaos erupted among the ranks.
"Three pairs of Rinnegan!?"
"Two from the Uchiha!? What kind of nightmare is this!?"
Murmurs echoed across the battlefield. Was this truly the Great Ninja War, or had it become an internal struggle of the Uchiha clan?
Suppressing his turmoil, Madara flickered beside Obito, his tone sharp.
"How does Uchiha Chiga have the Rinnegan? What is going on here?"
Obito shook his head, offering no answer. Black Zetsu, equally stunned, remained silent as well.
Nagato's expression grew darker. He wanted to demand answers, but Madara ignored him.
His mind was clear. If Chiga also wielded the Rinnegan, then only one question remained—whose power would prove superior?
Though his Edo Tensei state prevented him from unleashing Limbo, Madara would push his eyes to their limits.
Forming a hand seal, the phantom of his Susanoo loomed behind him once again. He thrust his hand toward the heavens and roared,
"Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star!"
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