Chapter 146 – Let the Battle Begin!

There was no mistake about it.

Uchiha Madara instantly recognized the stone tablet summoned by Heiyan. It was the same one left behind by the Sage of Six Paths for the Uchiha clan, hidden deep beneath the Naka Shrine's secret chamber.

Back then, after awakening his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, he had deciphered from this very tablet how to obtain the power of all creation and awaken the Rinnegan—an enlightenment that eventually led to his legendary battle with Hashirama at the Valley of the End.

One could say this stone tablet was the cornerstone of Madara's belief.

What does he plan to do?

Madara's single eye stared intently at Heiyan in the crystal ball, his brow furrowed tightly.

Black Zetsu was equally confused. Upon seeing the tablet, his face showed pure shock.

"Hey, Fugaku Uchiha," Hiashi Hyuga pointed at the stone tablet and turned to ask Fugaku Uchiha, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be your ancestor's tablet, right?"

"Yes…" Fugaku Uchiha replied, startled yet nodding in agreement.

And just at that moment—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before everyone's eyes, two crimson chains of chakra shot forth once again from Heiyan's palms. But unlike before, this time they twisted together as his hands clapped shut—forming a double-helix structure like human DNA.

Then, the Demon-Subduing Celestial Binding Chain flew straight toward the Six Paths stone tablet, merging into it through tight spirals—and thus was born—the [Six Paths Stone Meteor Hammer].

Lift!

Focusing his energy, Heiyan exerted strength through his wrist. The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck, and the stone tablet rose three meters into the air, hovering silently above the earth.

Then Heiyan stepped forward, his gaze firm and fearless as he faced off against the Third Raikage and the four Tailed Beasts.

"Let the battle begin!"

This cry rang out like a thunderclap out of clear sky, shaking the heavens and echoing through the battlefield.

Hmm?

Caught off guard by Heiyan's sudden surge of overwhelming aura, the Third Raikage and the four Tailed Beasts were momentarily stunned, their expressions filled with doubt and caution.

"One who is about to die dares to act so arrogant!"

Genichiro barked harshly, believing Heiyan was merely bluffing. Before his words even faded, he commanded the Six-Tails to spew out a large area of highly corrosive fluid.

[Corrosive Emission!]

These acidic fluids surged forward like water breaching a dam—anyone hit by them would rot instantly.

"Retreat quickly!"

Seeing the danger, Fugaku, Hiashi, and others withdrew further without hesitation.

Swoosh!

As the acidic wave surged toward him, Heiyan leapt high into the air, swinging his Six Paths Meteor Hammer.

Then, with a powerful throw, the spiral chains extended infinitely, sending the massive stone tablet descending from the sky straight toward Saiken, the Six-Tails.

Whoosh!

The Six-Tails raised its head, spitting another huge glob of acid—it landed precisely on the incoming stone tablet, wrapping around it completely while releasing thick hissing steam.

In Genichiro's eyes, it was just a stone tablet after all. How tough could it really be? This acid could easily melt steel.

"Oh no!"

At that moment, Madara Uchiha, Black Zetsu, and Fugaku Uchiha all shouted in shock simultaneously.

For Black Zetsu, the Six Paths stone tablet was a crucial item for realizing his plan of resurrecting his mother.

For Madara, there remained one final portion of text on the tablet that could only be deciphered after he awakened the Rinnegan.

And for Fugaku, the tablet naturally held great significance as an inheritance left behind by their ancestor, the Sage of Six Paths, to the Uchiha clan.

However, what none of the three had anticipated was:

The Six Paths stone tablet, swallowed by the corrosive liquid, did not dissolve. Instead, vibrating with a buzzing sound, it violently repelled all the acid around it!

Swoosh!

The stone tablet shot out from the acid, continuing its trajectory toward Saiken. What was different this time was that a faint layer of dark energy—constantly flowing and shifting—had appeared upon its surface.

With terror in his eyes, Genichiro watched helplessly as the Six Paths stone tablet crashed down like a falling meteorite onto Saiken's head, striking precisely between its two antennae.

Saiken immediately let out a painful wail before bursting apart like fireworks exploding in midair. Its enormous body shattered into countless Katsuyus, raining down across the battlefield like drops from the sky.

Just one strike.

In a single blow, Saiken had disintegrated completely—what terrifying power was this?

Such strength exceeded everyone's comprehension.

For a moment, total silence blanketed the field—everyone except Heiyan stood frozen in stunned disbelief.

Across this desolate landscape, only the howling wind and the mournful cries of circling crows remained, echoing each other like a funeral dirge of death.

"I see now..."

Black Zetsu murmured softly, the first to regain his senses.

He had already realized that the dark energy enveloping the stone tablet was Yin-Yang Release—the very source also referred to as Six Paths chakra. And yet, even though he himself had altered the tablet's inscriptions before, he had never noticed it until now.

Then another question arose—who exactly had Heiyan discovered the Six Paths chakra on the tablet?

As this thought surfaced, Black Zetsu felt a chill run through him. The more he pondered, the more he believed that Heiyan concealed far too many secrets.

"That black aura... Could it really be the power of all creation?"

Uchiha Madara was the second to unravel the mystery. Though unfamiliar with Yin-Yang Release, he keenly recognized that the dark energy emanating from the stone tablet must be the very same force attainable once the Rinnegan awakened.

Indeed, the legends surrounding the stone tablet were true—the Rinnegan truly existed.

Realizing this, Madara's spirit lifted, his heart surging with renewed passion.

How many years had passed? For so long, unable to awaken the Rinnegan, he had doubted himself countless times, questioning whether all his efforts were nothing more than illusions, mere figments of false dreams.

Yet now, witnessing the extraordinary nature of the Six Paths stone tablet firsthand, Madara finally rekindled hope within himself and regained confidence.

At the very moment his mindset shifted, his lone eye started pulsing rapidly, beginning an unknown transformation...

"The ancestral tablet our forebears left behind actually contains such formidable power..."

After watching Saiken explode with a single hammer strike, Fugaku Uchiha muttered under his breath.

He recalled vividly the first time he had brought Heiyan into the hidden room beneath the Naka Shrine Pass Technique. Back then, he had caught the boy attempting to pilfer the tablet using Adamantine Sealing Chains. Little did he know that from that day on, he had unknowingly opened the gates to a hidden predator.

Heiyan, were you after that stone tablet from the start?

Thinking this, Fugaku couldn't help but let out a helpless smile.

Just then,

Whoosh!

From the enemy's side, Third Raikage surrounded himself in lightning and charged straight toward Heiyan.

He had figured it out too—the stone tablet was unusual. He couldn't afford to let any more Tailed Beasts throw their lives away. He needed to use his most powerful attack technique to destroy it in one strike.

Moreover, Third Raikage had been defeated twice by Heiyan already—he'd been holding a grudge for quite some time. If he didn't reclaim his pride now, when would he ever get another chance?

Without hesitation, therefore, he lifted his right arm, compressing all his chakra down until he finally condensed it into a single finger, then launched a fierce stabbing attack aimed directly at Heiyan.

[Hell Stab One-Finger Nukite: Ultimate!]

Here it appeared—the ninja art known as the 'Ultimate Spear.'

Previously, Third Raikage had used merely Three-Pin Penetrating Hand to defeat Hiashi, who had opened the Sixth Gate, and even kill him.

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