The pitted Madara Uchiha

"Wood Release: True Senjutsu • Thousand-Armed Buddha!"

Yuki clapped his hands together and shouted loudly.

Boom~~~

In an instant, a tremendous roar erupted from the ground, causing a shocking tremor.

From beneath Yuki's feet, a colossal statue resembling a peacock with numerous arms rapidly ascended, its arms spread wide.

While the earlier Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star had been awe-inspiring, it paled compared to the true Thousand-Armed Buddha now revealed. Only the latter could truly obscure the sky and block out the sun.

Not only that, but this massive figure, with its countless arms, was many times larger than even the complete Nine-Tails, which had previously seemed imposing. Now, it appeared quite diminutive by comparison.

Within the Complete Body - Susanoo of the Nine-Tails, Madara observed the scene before him without surprise.

He was no stranger to the Wood Release's most powerful ninjutsu, the True Senjutsu: Thousand-Armed Buddha.

During the Valley of the End battle, this technique utterly defeated him and the Nine-Tails.

But that was then.

Now, infused with the power of Kamui and transitioning from Mangekyou Sharingan to Rinnegan, he had been eagerly awaiting another battle to redeem himself from that defeat.

Excitement overflowed on his face as he declared, "Exactly! Just like this!"

Although he regretted not being able to have a rematch with Hashirama Senju in person, he found solace in witnessing the power displayed by the younger generation, Thousand-Armed Yuki.

For the technique called "True Senjutsu: Thousand-Armed Buddha" embodied by Yuki, he did not feel any inferiority compared to Hashirama Senju.

With determination, he proclaimed, "Let's do it! Let's see who will stand at the end this time!"

As he faced the True Thousand-Armed Buddha before him, it was as if he had returned to his past self during the Valley of the End, shouting while descending and clapping his hands on the ground:

"Mystical Art: Soul Communication!"

Bang!

A billowing cloud of white smoke, much larger than when he used Complete Body - Susanoo, emerged instantly.

Looking at the faint brown, rough patterns within the smoke, Madara's eyes were confident.

He was well-acquainted with the technique called "True Senjutsu: Thousand-Armed Buddha." In the battle of the Valley of the End, he and the Nine-Tails had been defeated by it.

However, times have changed.

Now fused with the power of the Infinite Tsukuyomi from the Kaleidoscope Sharingan to the Rinnegan, he could confidently face this technique again.

He thought to himself, "In its presence, even the True Thousand-Armed Buddha must yield. Yuki Senju, the undefeated god of Wood Release today... Wait, what?"

His confident words were abruptly interrupted mid-speech by an unexpected phrase that did not match his demeanour. His expression changed suddenly as he finally witnessed the full form of the Outer Path's Demonic Statue.

First came discomfort akin to constipation, followed by an overwhelming rage.

"Tobirama! Zetsu! You idiots! What have you been doing all these years?"

Madara turned his head suddenly and yelled angrily at the distant figures of Tobi and Zetsu.

In Madara's original plan, Nagato and Tobirama gathered the tailed beasts and resurrected him, allowing him to unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi and bring true peace to the entire ninja world.

But what was happening now?

Where did the Outer Path's Demonic Statue absorb the tailed beasts?

Why was there only one tailed beast sensed?

Given their recent behaviour after his resurrection, he had guessed that Tobirama and Zetsu might face difficulties. However, the extent of their incompetence was beyond his imagination.

With their abilities, they should have been able to capture at least six or seven-tailed beasts, if not all nine.

And now?

Only one-tailed beast had been absorbed!

How could he utilize the weak power of this puny Outer Path's Demonic Statue to counter the True Thousand-Armed Buddha?

He couldn't believe how confident he had been before.

At this moment, as he watched the True Thousand-Armed Buddha approaching with overwhelming momentum, Madara harboured thoughts of killing Tobirama and Zetsu.

"Cough, cough! Lord Madara, this is something I wanted to tell you earlier but couldn't." From a distance, Black Zetsu said somewhat awkwardly.

Tobirama merely shrugged, seemingly helpless in the current situation.

"The tailed beast capture plan encountered significant obstacles. We had no choice but to seek your assistance. However, we haven't captured only one-tailed beast."

Saying this, Tobirama released the Five-Tails, Kokuō, which he had intentionally stored in Kamui's space, and spoke,

"This is the second one."

"Bunch of idiots!"

Madara glanced coldly at the two of them, but adhering to the principle that even a mosquito is still flesh, he stepped on the foot of the Outer Path's Demonic Statue.

In an instant, a chain emerged from the statue and swiftly locked away the unconscious Kokuō before swallowing it.

But in the blink of an eye, another eye opened on the Outer Path's Demonic Statue.

Normally, it would take an Akatsuki member three days to fully absorb a tailed beast using the Outer Path's Demonic Statue. For Madara, it was merely an instant.

At this moment, noticing the increase in the statue's aura, Madara's expression remained grim.

In his original plan, even if they couldn't absorb all the tailed beasts, capturing seven or eight-tailed beasts' worth of power would be sufficient for the Outer Path's Demonic Statue to cooperate with him and suppress the True Thousand-Armed Buddha, ultimately achieving victory.

But now...

Madara shook his head.

Thanks to those two idiots, he could only take things step by step.

Divine Attire • Complete Body - Susanoo • Outer Path's Demonic Statue!

In an instant, Madara's Complete Body - Susanoo transformed into a layer of blue armour that enveloped the Outer Path's Demonic Statue, enhancing its already exceptional defence.

"Come on!"

Standing atop the statue, Madara shouted at the approaching True Thousand-Armed Buddha.

"As you wish!"

Also standing on the True Thousand-Armed Buddha, Yuki, with his hands still clasped together, coldly declared,

"Mystical Art: Wood Release: True Senjutsu: Thousand-Armed Buddha: Summit Transformation Buddha!"

In an instant, countless sturdy arms, like massive pillars, struck out with earth-shattering force, aiming for various parts of the Outer Path's Demonic Statue.

Meanwhile, covered in the Susanoo armour, the Outer Path's Demonic Statue roared as it charged forward without hesitation.

The two colossal entities, larger

Then, the Wooden Figure and Complete Body - Susanoo before colliding fiercely once again on the devastated battlefield.

On the sidelines, paying no heed to the fierce gusts of wind, Uchiha Tobirama squinted his eyes and observed the True Thousand-Armed Buddha, who had left a deep impression on him.

While he wished to see both sides annihilated, he still considered the bigger picture when faced with the facts.

"Is Madara going to lose like this?" he hesitated, even preparing to intervene.

Although he wanted both sides to perish, he still considered the greater good in reality.

"It's too early to say. Madara still has some power left," Black Zetsu said. Despite his words, his brow furrowed.

Yuki's unexpected and extraordinary performance left him puzzled.

Could it be that even with Rinnegan, Madara couldn't overpower his opponent?

Black Zetsu felt a sense of hopelessness.

He even entertained the thought of biding his time for a few hundred years, letting these individuals meet their deaths before acting.

Or perhaps he could reveal the altered inscriptions of the Six Paths Sage that he had manipulated to Thousand-Armed Yuki at the right moment.

Maybe the latter wouldn't be as stubborn as Hashirama Senju and would agree, just as Madara had.

However, considering the ambitions of Konohagakure under Thousand-Armed Yuki's leadership, he suspected that, like Nagato, the village wouldn't be interested in the Moon's Eye Plan.

Shaking his head inwardly, Black Zetsu's gaze returned to Madara, who was engaged in fierce combat against the True Thousand-Armed Buddha. All he could do now was hope for the best.

...

Boom! Boom!

One powerful punch after another extended from the True Thousand-Armed Buddha, capable of shattering mountains, and struck the Outer Path's Demonic Statue resembling a turtle shell.

The Outer Path's Demonic Statue attempted to resist but was held down firmly by even stronger arms from all sides. While it didn't crumble like the submissive Nine-Tails, it was still subjected to relentless punches.

Even though the Outer Path's Demonic Statue boasted exceptional defence, it began to falter as time passed.

Seeing that various parts of the Susanoo armour were now cracking due to the unending assault from the True Thousand-Armed Buddha, Madara's hand's formed seals, and his Rinnegan activated once again:

"Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star!"

Compared to the earlier, this massive meteor, twice the size of the one that destroyed the Wooden Figure, hurtled down from the sky, aiming directly for the massive target, the True Thousand-Armed Buddha's head.

Yuki couldn't afford to be careless.

In an instant, countless wooden arms resembling peacock feathers burst forth from his large Buddha form, and new giant arms emerged to counter the falling Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star, which was now the size of a mountain.

Even though Yuki had been able to use the True Senjutsu: Thousand-Armed Buddha • Summit Transformation Buddha even before completing the Six Paths, he had only been able to control a portion of the massive Buddha's arms due to his limited abilities at the time.

But now, with the Complete Six Paths body, he could effortlessly control all aspects of the True Thousand-Armed Buddha, overcoming past limitations.

With this ability, Yuki commanded the multitude of arms to block the Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star. He maintained his attacks on the Outer Path's Demonic Statue without pause, increasing his strength even further.

Seeing this, Madara's Rinnegan blazed, and he shouted repeatedly:

"Again!"

"Again!"

"Again!"

In an instant, three Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Stars, each with a long tail of flames, appeared from above and descended like a barrage of meteors.

"Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star • Four-Star Barrage!"

Immediately, the four stars formed a straight line, resembling a world-destroying sword piercing the head of the True Thousand-Armed Buddha.

Yuki's expression tightened.

Caw, caw, caw...

He balanced his efforts to strike the Susanoo armour and intensify the attacks of Outer Path's Demonic Statue. Yuki commanded more massive wooden arms to emerge from the gigantic Buddha form, reaching toward the sky.

Boom~~~

The next moment, a loud explosion followed the tremendous collision between the four-star Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star barrage and the True Thousand-Armed Buddha's head.

Intense smoke, carried by the surging shockwave, engulfed the area.

The tremors caused by the massive body of the True Thousand-Armed Buddha pressing down were palpable.

However, before long,

The dense smoke gradually dissipated.