Chapter 97: The Power of the Rinnegan

"This time, I've truly encountered a big fish."

Uchiha Madara, this individual's identity and nature are excessively complex, earning him the title of King of Nicknames in the ninja world.

For thousands of years, aside from the first possessor of the Rinnegan, the most gifted reincarnation of Indra, the ninja world's Shura, and the rose of the battlefield, Uchiha Madara had many titles. Regardless of any, they were all built upon heaps of skulls, exuding fierce fame.

Undoubtedly, although Uchiha Madara was already elderly, he still remained the most dangerous figure in the ninja world.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara's appearance at Hozuki Castle was entirely unexpected for Hanma.

In Hanma's estimation, Madara during this period should be hiding in a cave selecting his successor or finding a vessel to nurture the Rinnegan, not donning White Zetsu and glaring at him with killing intent.

Hanma originally thought the farce involving Kusagakure was a futile attempt, never expecting it to be part of Madara's scheme.

"Does Madara also covet the Box of Ultimate Bliss? This is intriguing."

"Could it be that Madara heard the legend that the Box of Ultimate Bliss can fulfill any wish? No way, isn't Madara getting duped by the Sage of Six Paths' tools before black Zetsu even deceives him again?"

Hanma, speechless, looked at Madara, feeling the urge to call this lonely old man vulnerable to scams.

However, Hanma underestimated how much his own reforms of the Uchiha had impacted Madara's plans.

Madara's emergence was closely related to Hanma.

Currently, the Uchiha clan grounds had become a restricted area that even Madara could not observe freely. Even with his sharp eyes, it was impossible for Madara to judge the Uchiha clan's potential out of thin air.

Hanma's reforms of the Uchiha clan made Madara feel anxious.

"If things go on like this, the Uchiha clan will immerse in Hanma's tyranny and forget the revival of the ninja world."

Madara did not want his painstakingly crafted script to turn into his clansmen harboring nostalgia for the Uchiha clan and simply returning home.

Thinking of that scene, even Madara felt a sense of cerebral hemorrhage.

Rather than entrusting it to a so-called successor, Madara decided it was better to take a gamble himself and try out the so-called Six Paths' tools.

Hanma glanced around, roughly estimating the situation.

The prison cells holding the inmates were empty, yet there were darkened bloodstains and shattered ANBU masks on the ground.

"It looks like Wuwei and those prisoners from Hozuki Castle have been tossed into the Box of Ultimate Bliss by Madara."

"So, Madara set this trap to lure the ninjas of the Five Great Nations as sacrifices for the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"

"Apparently, Madara isn't so obsessed with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, otherwise with his chakra, opening the box once wouldn't be a problem."

Hanma looked at the oddly dressed Uchiha Madara in front of him, clicked his tongue, and said sarcastically:

"I didn't expect the once feared Shura of the ninja world to now be hiding in the shadows, doing some shady business?"

"I heard from the elders of the clan that you were a famous handsome man during the Warring States Period. Why do you look neither human nor ghost now?"

The Uchiha Madara in front of him indeed did not look great.

Long, white hair, draped in White Zetsu, holding the Uchiha fan, he looked like a Shinigami summoned by the Reaper Death Seal, exuding a sense of decay and murderous intent.

Hanma did not show Madara any respect and chose to taunt him instead.

Although Hanma acknowledged Madara's combat power, it did not prevent him from insulting him.

Since awakening the Predatory Domain, able to capture malice from living beings, Hanma often sensed several peculiar presences deep beneath Konoha.

Hanma understood these abnormal presences were probably the White Zetsu units Madara used to monitor the ninja world and gather intelligence.

Being constantly watched felt terrible, but White Zetsu was cunning. As long as Hanma activated his blood energy, they would keep their distance.

Having been peeped on by this old man for so long, Hanma felt no psychological burden cursing him.

Hearing Hanma's ridicule, Uchiha Madara's face darkened. He coldly snorted and said:

"Short-sighted junior, you can only gain petty verbal victories, ridiculous."

After a brief exchange, both fell silent, carefully sizing each other up.

Hanma calculated Madara's various abilities, attempting to find a weakness but sighed regretfully and thought:

"The six basic abilities of the Rinnegan, the wood release from Senju Hashirama, the perfected Susanoo, and excellent taijutsu skills, truly an invincible six-sided panel."

However, Hanma then glanced at Madara's gray-white hair and grinned fiercely.

"But with barely seven or eight years left of your lifespan, even if wrapped in White Zetsu, how much chakra can you muster to sustain combat?"

Considering Madara's aging, whether he could endure the Rinnegan and wood release's consumption was uncertain.

As a young and robust individual, Hanma had already set the tone for this battle.

"Frequent use of Rinnegan should be enough to exhaust Uchiha Madara."

"As long as I am cautious of the Rinnegan's special abilities, I will be invincible in this duel."

Hanma reminded himself internally to face Uchiha Madara with prudence.

This old monster surviving from the Warring States Period likely had many tricks up his sleeve.

Not to mention, his Mangekyō Sharingan techniques remained a mystery.

Uchiha Madara also scrutinized Hanma, rekindling a long-lost battle intent, carefully calculating.

Madara, in his current state, could no longer perform graceful dances on the battlefield or unleash complete Susanoo displaying the Uchiha's might.

"This kid's abilities resemble those brutes from Kumogakure. In my current state, close combat might be disadvantageous."

"Let's use the Rinnegan to quickly finish this, seal him in the Box of Ultimate Bliss as my stepping stone to return to the ninja world."

"Is it truly regrettable not to dance anymore?"

Their eyes met, and the air grew sharp simultaneously.

The new and old leaders of the Uchiha clan began their historic confrontation at this moment.

Uchiha Madara raised his hand, the purple glow from his Rinnegan surged, locking onto Hanma with an overwhelming ocular power. Ferocious chakra stirred black ripples in the air.

"Banshō Ten'in!"

Hanma felt the restraining sensation in his body and sighed inwardly:

"The Rinnegan, truly extraordinary."

Banshō Ten'in not only generated simple gravity but also stagnated the target's chakra, putting them in a vulnerable state.

Hanma grinned savagely. Gravity itself didn't concern him.

His thigh muscles bulged, lowering his center of gravity, sinking himself into the ground.

"Bang bang bang!"

The gravity from the Rinnegan fiercely clashed with Hanma's physical strength, cracking the earth and raising dust, creating a several-meter-deep trench on the ground.

Even if the scene seemed disadvantageous, Hanma still managed to counter the Rinnegan's power.

"So this is why you've been lurking for over twenty years? Doesn't seem so impressive."

Maintaining his stance, Hanma taunted Madara.

As two decisive Uchiha, there was no retreat once they started fighting.

Ignoring Hanma's mockery, Madara stared at the scene with surprise, feeling an absurdity.

"Using the body to counter the power of gods?"

"Still useless!"

Madara coldly snorted, increasing the chakra output. The augmented gravity made the surrounding space quiver.

Hanma abandoned resistance, stomped heavily, using the counterforce and gravity to launch himself towards Madara at an unparalleled speed.

Even as the Shura of the ninja world, Hanma was confident in having an advantage in close combat, even planning to crush Madara's old head in one punch.

Madara casually raised his hand, and in an instant, a Susanoo skeleton far denser and multiple times more powerful than usual enveloped him. He then lightly uttered:

"Shinra Tensei!"

(End of chapter)