Chapter 99: Indra’s Flesh!

Uchiha Madara flexed the newly attached White Zetsu arm, a trace of murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

The upper part of the right arm was covered with aged, wrinkled skin, while the lower part had turned plump and grayish-white, giving off an indescribable strangeness.

Despite his body being covered in blood, Madara still wore a proud expression on his face.

"Uchiha Hanma, in this monotonous ninja world, to encounter a youngster like you to entertain me—I'm very pleased."

Forcibly swallowing the blood in his throat, Uchiha Madara maintained the aura of a senior from the ninja world, nodding with satisfaction at Hanma.

In his transformed state, Hanma bared a sharp set of teeth, returning Madara's sinister smile tit for tat, responding without losing any momentum:

"Likewise, it's been a while since I encountered such a durable old man."

Both Hanma and Uchiha Madara postured high in front of each other, neither willing to concede in words. 

This was a battle between two Uchihas; regardless of winning or losing, face came first.

However much their outward composure, after the exchange just now, the killing intent between the older and younger man deepened a few more degrees.

"This child cannot be left alive!"

"Today, I'll smash Madara's skull!"

With a soft shout, Uchiha Madara gathered an invisible repulsive force, twisting into white waves in the air yet held back, acting as a shield around him.

Narrowing his eyes, Hanma thought inwardly:

"As expected of a legendary figure, such precise control of chakra. The Rinnegan in his hands is practically invincible."

"If faced with his peak state, my current strength might not even allow for a counterattack."

"By any means, I cannot let Madara get his hands on the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"

Uchiha Madara's use of the Rinnegan was as refined as it could get; whether it was Shinra Tensei or Bansho Ten'in, even with insufficient chakra, he could still yield extremely powerful effects. 

Unlike Nagato in later generations, whose use of the Rinnegan could be described as extremely crude, a real waste of its potential. 

In memory of Yahiko, he didn't even treat his crippled legs, forcibly splitting the Rinnegan's abilities into six paths, ultimately defeated one by one—a severe case of second-year syndrome even at thirty.

Hanma's eyes grew resolute, a firm decision forming in his heart.

Even if he couldn't gain the evolution for himself, he absolutely couldn't let Madara take the advantage!

"If Madara were to obtain the Box of Ultimate Bliss, rejuvenating his body, he might just clasp his hands together upon seeing me and cast a Planetary Devastation."

After this brief exchange, Hanma's understanding of Uchiha Madara took another leap forward. This was a figure outclassing any other ninja in the world. If allowed to regain his fifteen-year-old youth, he could easily sweep through the Five Great Nations.

Hanma's guess wasn't wrong, as Black Zetsu was thinking similarly at this moment.

Within the rocky walls of the Ghost Lantern Castle, a mass of pitch-black substance was watching Uchiha Madara and the Box of Ultimate Bliss excitedly, overjoyed for the luck on his devoted path.

After all these centuries, he'd finally encountered an enlightened Indra!

"Who would've thought the Uchiha family's monstrosity would pique Indra's interest in the Six Paths' treasure—simply marvelous."

"Restore your youth, Indra, so you can redeem yourself for your father sooner!"

Black Zetsu internally roared fervently, eager to appear now and tear out Hanma's heart to clear all obstacles for Uchiha Madara.

The repulsive force waves forming around Uchiha Madara grew stronger, forming a tangible spherical shield. The energy within subtly shook the surrounding space.

Uchiha Madara moved his neck, displaying the self-healing ability of the Sage body. His wounds visibly healed at a rapid pace.

During the recent close combat, Hanma's heavy punches shattered his Susanoo and the White Zetsu armor, nearly breaking his neck.

"Preta Path doesn't work on him either; does he have no chakra? How is that possible?"

Madara used Shinra Tensei as a protective shield, seizing the chance to recover while analyzing Hanma. He had never seen such a "pure" taijutsu ninja.

Hanma was also recovering from his injuries; having taken two direct hits from Shinra Tensei, his condition wasn't optimal either.

Whether it was Bansho Ten'in or Shinra Tensei, these Rinnegan eye techniques, fundamentally a form of Yin-Yang Release, had strong defensive breaking effects.

Despite Hanma's incredible defense in his transformed state, the muscles in his chest and upper arm were massively damaged, the black-gold skin showing a sickly dark red.

"Sure enough, challenging the old clan leader now is still a bit premature?"

Hanma looked at the treasure in his hand, smiling meaningfully, the dense blood aura entangling Madara's severed limb, voraciously absorbing the chakra within.

"Whether it's the power of the Six Paths or Indra, the taste isn't bad at all."

Desperately in need of chakra sources, Hanma targeted Madara's severed limb without caring for any collection value. Surviving this war was the most crucial.

Licking his lips, Hanma gave a false burp, looking maliciously at Uchiha Madara.

Just as Hanma was about to speak, he was interrupted by an abnormality within his body!

A piercing pain struck; an extremely cold and dark chakra rampaged within Hanma's body, turning his condition icy despite his constitution.

Black blood flowed from Hanma's pupils, yet the wounds on his body healed rapidly, covered by newly formed flesh tissue.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Hanma roared like a beast, his aura growing increasingly ferocious. Uchiha Madara watched Hanma in bewilderment; no one understood the Uchiha better than him—these were signs of awakening the Sharingan.

But what puzzled Madara more was the erupting ocular power from Hanma. It was a power he was overly familiar with, like looking in a mirror.

It was his own!

Hanma raised his head. In his blood-red eyes, three tomoe slowly revolved, unleashing a powerful ocular force.

"Sharingan: Three Tomoe!"

At this moment, Hanma had regained his long-lost Sharingan, becoming a true Uchiha once more.

Black Zetsu, lurking underground, was in a state of numbness. As a creation of Yin-Yang Release and Kaguya's child, he was extremely sensitive to Indra and Asura's chakra, never failing in tracking for centuries.

"What's going on? That Uchiha muscle freak has Indra's chakra response now!"

This bizarre, surreal moment plunged Black Zetsu into deep thought, his mind scattered with wild ideas:

"Does Indra have two reincarnations?"

"Could this be a trap set by the Sage of Six Paths?"

Having lurked in the ninja world for a thousand years, Black Zetsu felt extreme unease with situations beyond his comprehension.

Uchiha Madara's eyes widened in rare loss of composure, unsure of what to say.

This was his first time witnessing an Uchiha awaken like this.

And in terms of sneaky matters, it seemed he was the pioneer in the Uchiha clan.

Hanma sensed the strange power within his body, extraordinarily high-spirited, bursting into the Uchiha's signature maniacal laughter.

"Jahahahaha!"