"Sage Art—is that really all you're relying on to dare stand before me?"
"The correct term for my current state is 'Sage Mode'. But to be honest, it has nothing to do with reliance or not. I simply wanted to come here, so I came."
The chakra radiating from Haseo was clearly far stronger than Madara Uchiha's. After all, Haseo was at full power, while Madara had only just forcibly restored his youth and was still in a "normal" state.
The difference in strength was obvious at first glance, yet Madara displayed considerable disdain toward Haseo's Sage Mode.
It seemed Madara had finally had enough of Haseo's insults—they were sharp enough to cut even him. Therefore, Madara decided he would silence the Fourth Hokage as early as possible—one second sooner was better than one second later.
Madara passed the war fan in his left hand to his right, now holding an enormous weapon in each hand, then charged toward Haseo with both feet.
One step, two steps forward, then moving swiftly like wind.
Regarding pure speed, Haseo didn't believe even Madara, as a typical ninja, could surpass him—a speed-specialist by nature. Yet, coming alongside Madara's charge was an overwhelming sense of "heaviness."
Sixty to seventy years ago, Madara had rushed across battlefields exactly like this, and today was no different.
But how had Haseo survived these many years? He'd survived his share of battles too.
At such a moment, Haseo had only one choice—he countered Madara head-on with even lighter, sharper, and faster movements.
When they closed within sufficient distance, Madara struck first, swinging the massive scythe in his left hand.
Such exaggeratedly styled weapons, Haseo always believed, were more show than practical in actual combat. However, when truly facing Madara's attack, he sensed the lethal precision hidden in every motion.
Madara swung the scythe through a full arc, then rapidly retracted—the crescent-shaped inner edge slicing sideways toward Haseo's waist from behind.
Simultaneously, the war fan in Madara's other hand slashed downward straight toward Haseo, using its side edge as the blade.
Haseo instantly raised the Long Blade in his right hand, blocking the fan mid-air. At the same time, his left hand gripped another Long Blade at his waist, parrying vertically directly behind himself.
With two crisp metallic clashing sounds, immense pressure surged into both of Haseo's hands. At this moment, he felt relieved he'd gotten used to carrying dual blades; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to block this attack, and could've only dodged.
Haseo slightly loosened his grip, then clenched again tightly. The chakra cloak covering his body appeared once more—it was the same one he'd displayed earlier while resisting the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
[Sage Art: Earth Release - Tenson Seichū]
Then he suddenly swung both arms outward, unleashing an explosive burst of force that sent Madara's weapons flying apart like dry splintering wood.
His long blade twirled in his right hand, its thin blade stabbing downward vertically, passing precisely through the chain connecting the fan and scythe before driving straight into the rocky ground below.
Planting his right foot on the hilt, he drove it down with one stomp, pinning Madara's weapons fast to the ground.
Then, he swung the long blade in his left hand forward, stepping aggressively with his left foot and slashing straight at Madara's head.
The previous clash alone had made Madara realize just how much physical strength Haseo possessed when enhanced by Ninja Taijutsu. Without hesitation, he released the sickle in his left hand and firmly gripped the war fan with both hands, holding it like a shield across his front.
"Clang!"
The sword struck the war fan, producing a sharp ringing sound. Yet even this powerful blow from Haseo failed to leave so much as a scratch on the slender-looking "shield." However, Madara, gripping the war fan tightly with both hands, was pushed back by the impact.
Madara's weapon was extremely advanced, but even the war fan couldn't absorb or reflect purely physical force—unless Haseo's strike had exceeded the critical threshold of the "Uchiha Return."
Although Haseo had managed to land this hit successfully, he couldn't immediately follow up because, while retreating backward, Madara used the momentum to deliver a sudden upward kick into Haseo's ribs from a lower diagonal angle.
Haseo could only crouch down and raise his left forearm to block Madara's attack.
And so, after switching techniques yet again, the one being sent flying became Haseo instead.
Taijutsu was highly practical but extremely difficult to master completely. Its upper limit was also quite clear—when two experts matched abilities, it would be hard to determine a winner through simple physical confrontations alone.
For Haseo at this moment, even the most powerful strike from taijutsu couldn't threaten him significantly, because… the Eight Gates technique couldn't handle the Flying Thunder God.
Even as he flew backward, Haseo completed the hand seals.
The ground cracked open, unleashing a muddy wave of earth that surged toward Madara like a landslide mixed with floodwaters.
[Sage Art: Earth Release - Earth Flow River]
At the same time, using the earth technique to blind Madara, Haseo masked his next attack.
[Sage Art: Water Release - Rising Water Slicer]
But... what meaning did such tricks hold before Madara Uchiha?
Whether it was the earth release or water release, both were instantly shattered. Immediately afterward, Haseo's body, already moving away from Madara, abruptly halted and uncontrollably reversed direction, flying back even faster than before.
Facing Haseo who was seriously forming hand seals and performing techniques, Madara responded with [Shinra Tensei] and [Universal Pull].
Yanked rapidly backward by a massive gravitational pull, Haseo slammed his arm against the ground, fighting to stabilize his posture mid-air before lunging his blade toward Madara.
Madara flicked his right hand lightly, and the chain beneath the war fan snapped out into a loop. As Haseo's long sword stabbed forward, the loop suddenly tightened, instantly locking the blade in place while Madara's left hand hovered loosely underneath that very weapon.
"In terms of sheer speed during technique casting, you are without equal—I have ever witnessed. A dedicated ninja like you indeed deserves recognition for your efforts. However… all your effort is meaningless in front of me."
Planting his feet wide apart, Haseo braced himself against the ground, halting the forward momentum of his body.
"He couldn't really deny that either."
[Shinra Tensei] and [Universal Pull] are both Dojutsu techniques of the Rinnegan, so they can be performed without hand seals. But for a technique this powerful to be used without hand seals?
This can't be serious!
Haseo's ninjutsu might be fast, but how could it possibly match their hand seal-less speed?
Haseo strained with one arm, trying to pull back his long blade. Yet at that moment, his prized Earth Release technique—meant to enhance physical strength—failed to have any effect at all. After all, bodily strength could never rival planetary-level gravitational force.
A warped spatial sensation twisted in front of him.
Uchiha Madara simply flicked his wrist, and in an instant, Haseo's long blade—the one he'd carried for years—shattered into pieces.
What exactly does relentless effort mean for a ninja? Can having a Rinnegan really let someone do whatever they want?
Sorry, but yes—with the Rinnegan, you truly can do as you please.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>