Chapter 308: A-Rank Mission: [Old Man Madara]!

Chapter 308: A-Rank Mission: [Old Man Madara]!

Using Yin Release chakra as the source, crimson-purple lightning flashed out from the void. The interior of the Mountain Graveyard immediately echoed with a low, deep rumble of thunder.

This no-seal Yin Release ninjutsu, self-created by Old Man Madara, produced an extremely flashy attack effect the moment it appeared.

The crimson-purple lightning, like flourishing branches, swept powerfully toward the shadowy area where Nara Keisuke was. The dense purple electric arcs filled almost every dark corner of the Mountain Graveyard, leaving no place to hide.

The Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon, with unstoppable momentum, blasted through the giant net of thunder woven by the "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch." Just like before, it shot toward Old Man Madara and White Zetsu Tobi.

But at the same time, the purple thunder from the "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" also struck Nara Keisuke's position.

In terms of pure ninjutsu attack speed, if Lightning Release is second, nothing dares claim first!

Boom—K-Crack!

The sphere of Yin Release chakra, the Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon, slammed heavily onto Old Man Madara's initial-stage Susanoo, precisely striking one of the simple skeleton's ribs.

Limited by his physical condition, Old Man Madara could no longer pour a sufficient amount of Yin Release chakra into the Susanoo to boost its attributes, especially its defensive power, as he had just done.

The initial-stage Susanoo, even one released by Old Man Madara himself, could not withstand the tricky and astonishing impact force of the Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon.

The instant the pitch-black shadow bullet and the deep blue rib touched, the latter shattered. The rib was snapped, breaking into palm-sized chakra fragments that subsequently dissipated into the air.

"Koff—"

Due to the impact of the Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon, Old Man Madara coughed involuntarily again. Another spurt of blood overflowed from his mouth, leaving a glaring trail on his old, bark-like skin.

But Old Man Madara couldn't worry about his own injuries. He strained to widen his single eye, hoping to see the situation clearly.

However, to Old Man Madara's great disappointment, even after the dense arcs of "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" swept through almost the entire area in front of him, no figure emerged from the shadows. It was as if this attack had also failed.

But the actual situation wasn't as bad as Old Man Madara thought.

To be precise, "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" had indeed hit the area where Nara Keisuke was, and it had also struck him.

It was just that, thanks to the very special "corporeal-to-ethereal" effect of the Shadow Doppelganger Technique, Nara Keisuke had transformed himself from a physical entity into an insubstantial shadow at the exact moment the "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" attack approached.

Shadow-ification!

"Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" swept over the spot where Nara Keisuke had stood, but it merely passed through a patch of shadow, causing no damage.

This ultimate trump card, which Nara Keisuke had never used in battle before, finally showed its brilliance.

Rounding up, the "Shadow-ification ability" of the Shadow Doppelganger Technique was almost equivalent to Uchiha Obito's Mangekyo dōjutsu—Kamui!

What ability in the shinobi world could possibly strike a pure shadow?

Of course, the "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" attack wasn't completely without effect.

At the very least, the panel finally displayed a mission notification.

[Detection: A-Rank Ninja Battle Mission Triggered!]

[A-Rank Mission: Old Man Madara]

[Mission Content: Defeat/Kill Uchiha Madara]

[Mission Reward: A-Rank Secret Ninja Scroll]

'Seriously? I admit Old Man Madara is holding back, but it still triggered an A-Rank mission? Is this guy's power level even Kage-level?'

As the shadows surged, Nara Keisuke transformed from his shadow form back into a corporeal Shadow Doppelganger. He glanced at the A-Rank mission on the panel, unable to hide his surprise.

'The last time I fought him in the Land of Waterfalls... Oh, right, I struck too fast that time, the mission didn't trigger.'

'If I think about it, Old Man Madara can open Susanoo, use no-seal jutsu, and is connected to the Gedo Mazō as a massive external power source... Huh? And this is only A-Rank? Shouldn't this be an S-Rank difficulty mission?'

Nara Keisuke frowned, realizing things weren't as simple as he thought.

But with a great enemy before him, he couldn't be bothered with the mission's difficulty level right now.

A-Rank is A-Rank. It's better than nothing.

Nara Keisuke suppressed his thoughts about the mission and refocused on the enemy.

As long as Old Man Madara was killed, his decades of ninjutsu collection and all the resources in this Mountain Graveyard would become Nara Keisuke's "spoils of war."

At that point, the Secret Ninja Scroll from one A-Rank mission... would be small potatoes!

'First, I have to deal with this hard Susanoo turtle shell. Supported by the Gedo Mazō, Old Man Madara's chakra reserves are definitely Tailed Beast-level!'

Nara Keisuke's gaze focused on the simple Susanoo skeleton around Old Man Madara.

'Fortunately, his body can't handle a massive chakra flow. It's only an initial-stage Susanoo, and its weakness is obvious…'

There are many ways to break a Susanoo's defense.

A frontal blast is one method.

Pulling the person out from the side is another!

Nara Keisuke's chosen method was—Blaze Release!

A deep purple, bewitching ghost-fire illuminated the dim space. Swarms of purple flames, like a meteor shower, raced toward the enormous Gedo Mazō, threatening to ignite the hideous wooden statue.

What's the use of attacking Old Man Madara directly? Disabling his "power source" first is the correct move!

Seeing this unique purple Fire Style, Old Man Madara's brow furrowed. When he saw the flames heading for the Gedo Mazō behind him, he felt a surge of anxiety.

In his prime, Madara could have used his vast ninjutsu knowledge to leisurely block this dangerous-looking purple flame.

But now, his body was just too old.

Using no-seal jutsu like "Storm Release: Light Fang" or "Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch" was fine.

But to properly form seals...

By the time Old Man Madara tremblingly raised his hands to form seals, the Blaze Release would have already burned the Gedo Mazō to cinders!

At this critical moment, Madara had no choice but to ask for help.

"White Zetsu!"

"Waiting for it!"

White Zetsu Tobi responded loudly. He raised his hands, flew through seals, and released wooden beams to block the swarm of incoming ghost-fires.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"

Keisuke's Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon had been too fast for Tobi to find time to form seals.

But the Blaze Release was relatively slow.

This gave White Zetsu Tobi the chance to act.

Unlike an ordinary "Wood Locking Wall," under Tobi's careful control, the wooden beams formed a solid, sturdy wooden wall in front of him and Madara, blocking the Blaze Release's path.

Boom!

When the purple flames of Blaze Release struck the wooden wall, their momentum did indeed stop.

But before Old Man Madara and Tobi could breathe a sigh of relief...

The purple flames, as if they had just hit a pan of boiling oil, instantly flared up. The entire Mountain Graveyard was covered in a dim, purple glow!