The Tide Turns!

Fuma's wild laughter echoed throughout the Hozuki Castle. With lung capacity as vast as the ocean, the soundwaves triggered by his laughter caused the very ground to tremble.

Madara frowned, unable to comprehend what had happened to Fuma, despite all his knowledge and experience.

Madara could distinctly sense an unusual ocular power within Fuma, though it couldn't compare to his own. Strangely enough, the aura it emanated was remarkably similar to his.

The killing intent in Madara's eyes grew even more intense.

It was no surprise. Any Uchiha, upon seeing someone devour their flesh and then casually copy their ocular powers, would feel a surge of anger.

"This person is full of mysteries. Whether it's this bizarre devouring ability or the strength of his physical body..."

"But it doesn't matter. No matter how gifted, by the end of today, he'll just be a dead man."

Madara clasped his hands tightly, generating a terrifying wave of chakra as hundreds of black rods formed in front of him, manifesting through the power of Yin-Yang Release.

Madara raised his arms, blood vessels appearing faintly in his Rinnegan. His pale white hair stood on end, resembling a god of death descending upon the world as he roared:

"Shinra Tensei!!"

The long-prepared repulsive force surged like a tsunami. The black rods, accelerated by this powerful force, whizzed through the air, aiming directly at Fuma with devastating speed.

Fuma's mind was clouded with an electric sensation, his thoughts no longer as calm as before. Arrogant and bloodthirsty emotions surged within him. Seeing the incoming wave of force, he even felt an urge to charge right into it.

"Something's wrong. The chakra from Madara's flesh is severely affecting my emotions."

At this moment, [Inseparable Union] activated. Fuma's mind, pulled by the immense control of his body, slowly returned to clarity.

He shuddered, snapping back to his senses.

"This kind of wide-area attack... there's no good way to avoid it."

"It seems I'll have to take the brunt of the first wave."

Fuma's expression grew serious as molten blood energy surged through his body, shielding vital areas like his head and heart. His fearsome muscles bulged, and his Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto the incoming black rods.

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*

Hundreds of black rods came at Fuma in successive waves, one after another.

With his massive, hulking form, Fuma darted and dodged with surprising agility, evading the majority of the strikes.

"Thud!"

Although most of the black rods missed their mark, a few managed to strike from the blind spots, carrying immense kinetic energy as they pierced Fuma's steel-like skin, embedding themselves deep.

Fuma roared in fury, ignoring the pain from his flesh. He yanked two rods from his thigh, wielding them like swords.

Having thoroughly studied all the taijutsu texts in the ninja world, Fuma wasn't someone who only relied on brute force.

Most of the weapons in this world simply couldn't compare to the raw power of his body, so he saw no need to use them.

However, the Yin-Yang Release black rods created by Madara, combined with the enhanced kinetic energy from Shinra Tensei, posed a significant threat, forcing him to take up arms once again.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

Fuma swung the black rods, and the enormous force from Shinra Tensei collided with his own strength, creating a deafening clash.

However, the impact of the collision caused cracks to appear in the black rods, gradually showing signs of breaking.

Fuma frowned. The destructive power of these Yin-Yang Release creations, coupled with the unreasonable kinetic energy, was the strongest physical attack he'd encountered in the ninja world—far surpassing the strength of the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb.

If he continued to take these attacks head-on with just his body, the consequences would be dire.

A flash of inspiration struck him as he remembered his experience fighting the Hyuga Clan and their "Rotation" technique. His muscles twitched as he mimicked the footwork from his memory.

"Eight Trigrams Staff Technique: Rotation!"

The technique of countering force with force was executed perfectly under Fuma's precise control, surpassing the abilities of the Hyuga Clan.

The incoming black rods gathered into a mass as Fuma spun rapidly, shielding himself from the onslaught.

Although Fuma dealt with the first wave of black rods, there was no way to evade the subsequent Shinra Tensei. The overwhelming repulsive force consumed his figure at that moment.

*Boom!*

The entire Hozuki Castle was obliterated by this massive Shinra Tensei. Thick clouds of dust covered the sky.

Madara stood unsteadily, with the battered White Zetsu crawling back onto his body, supplying him with vast amounts of life force.

"Hahaha!"

This time, it was Madara's turn to laugh wildly.

For the first time in a long while, Madara felt the thrill of battle coursing through his body.

After dwelling underground for over two decades, Madara, a battle maniac at heart, longed to return to the battlefield.

Today, not only had he personally defeated a grave threat to him, but he also had the chance to reclaim his youth and end the era of chaos early. The excitement rushed to his brain as he laughed heartily once more.

"What are you laughing at?"

A simple insult, yet immensely satisfying.

As the dust cleared, the bloodied Fuma emerged from the smoke, speaking calmly.

Madara's combination attack had certainly worn down Fuma, but unfortunately for him, Fuma had a backup energy source.

The reason Fuma craved the Box of Ultimate Bliss was because his [Earthly Furnace] couldn't fully utilize Tailed Beast-level chakra, nor could it integrate their essence into his flesh. It could only store it.

But at this moment, all the chakra from Shukaku surged out, furiously repairing Fuma's body.

His wounds healed, his powerful muscles pushed the black rods out of his skin, and the bruises began to clear. Fuma's form grew even larger.

Fuma had originally planned to evolve the [Earthly Furnace] before absorbing Shukaku's chakra, breaking through the limits of his current body.

But now, this precious Tailed Beast chakra could only serve as emergency energy to heal his injuries.

"No matter. Once the Fourth Great Ninja War starts, I can always capture more Tailed Beasts."

Although Fuma felt a twinge of regret, he comforted himself.

Madara glared with his Rinnegan, the eyes that could analyze everything in the world. He immediately discerned the source of Fuma's chakra—Tailed Beast chakra.

"How is this possible? During the previous battle, the Preta Path couldn't sense his chakra!"

"And where did he get this Tailed Beast chakra? He's definitely not a Jinchuriki."

Madara was stunned as he looked at Fuma, for the first time questioning the abilities of his Rinnegan.

If Fuma knew what Madara was thinking, he would have simply chuckled and proudly replied:

"You have your bloodline, and I have my [Abilities]. Though not invincible, you can't easily defeat me!"

Fuma's bulging muscles absorbed nearly half of Shukaku's chakra, completely healing his injuries and pushing him to an unprecedented peak state.

In the distance, Madara, after unleashing this city-leveling Shinra Tensei, seemed to be running low on strength.

Fuma grinned viciously, his body like lightning as he charged at Madara with ferocious speed.

This time, the tide had turned!

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