Moreover, the time bought by the previous Wood Clones sacrificing themselves was enough for the last remaining Wood Clone to create a small Wood Dragon.
Riding atop this Wood Dragon, the final clone prepared to sacrifice it in a desperate attempt to approach Susanoo.
However, to his surprise, the next attack never came.
Susanoo, observing the energy beam dimming and eventually disappearing, sensed the Romantic Artillery overheating from energy overload and chose to retract it.
Although he could have forcibly continued firing, it was unnecessary.
After all, a mere Wood Clone carrying only a fraction of Madara Uchiha's true power was no real threat.
Susanoo couldn't contend with Madara's full might, but against a Wood Clone? It should be trivial.
Reaching out, Susanoo gathered a large amount of golden sand, condensing it into a massive blade.
Desert Treasure Blade.
The oversized blade swung down, slicing the Wood Dragon beneath the clone clean in half.
Taking advantage of the opening, Madara's clone leapt forward, aiming straight for Susanoo.
Yet Susanoo remained unfazed, charging forward as well.
Both seemed prepared for a clash of taijutsu, but midway, Madara's clone abruptly changed tactics. With a swift hand sign, another Wood Dragon burst forth, carrying him away from the battlefield.
Standing atop the dragon's head, the clone clasped his hands together and unleashed a jutsu.
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence.
Given the limited chakra reserves a Wood Clone could carry, the scale of Deep Forest Emergence was smaller than usual — only a dozen towering trees broke through the sand, lunging toward Susanoo.
Using Deep Forest Emergence within the domain of Desert Sunflower was tactically foolish, yet Madara's clone still did it, consuming a large portion of his non-renewable chakra.
Clearly, there was some calculation behind this move.
As for what it was, Kawaki Aoba mused: With my full map awareness, I really must apologize to Lord Madara.
Using Observation Haki to survey the battlefield, Kawaki Aoba could see every movement — none of Madara's actions escaped his detection.
Even though he saw through the setup, Aoba couldn't yet grasp what Madara's true reliance was.
The three Wood Clones hidden amidst the Deep Forest Emergence?
If Madara was relying solely on them, even a 4-vs-1 would be no threat to Susanoo.
Madara was indeed prideful, but he was never blindly arrogant.
Kawaki Aoba was convinced there must be a hidden trick among those clones — something he had yet to discern.
Still, it didn't matter.
Activating Observation Haki: Foresight, Aoba's true body hidden among the clouds caught a glimpse of the future.
A flash of realization crossed his face.
In the vision, he saw Madara's plan: not relying on hidden techniques or new clones, but using pure battle experience to maneuver Susanoo into a trap.
A sudden sealing technique — fast and unexpected — almost succeeded in immobilizing Susanoo.
If it hadn't been for the Dimensional Array: Shangri-La, a space-type Imperial Arm, Susanoo would have been sealed.
As expected, even when seemingly at a disadvantage, one must never underestimate Lord Madara.
But since Aoba had foreseen this future, it was easy to avoid.
Sealing jutsu were formidable, but as long as he didn't allow Madara's clone to get close, there was no danger.
Susanoo raised his hand toward the advancing forest and, consuming nearly ten chakra cards, activated a powerful jutsu:
Corrosion Reincarnation.
There was no sweeping sandstorm, no grand explosion — only a silent, devastating decay.
The moment Corrosion Reincarnation spread across the field, the mighty trees of Deep Forest Emergence instantly withered, decayed, and crumbled into dust, carried away by the whirling sands.
The three hidden Wood Clones within were similarly destroyed, their astonished expressions frozen as they disintegrated into wooden debris.
Even the distant clone that had cast Deep Forest Emergence was not spared. The expanded range of Corrosion Reincarnation, boosted by the heavy chakra cost, ensured his total annihilation.
With the Wood Clones eliminated, Susanoo shifted his focus.
Extending his control over the golden sand, he retrieved a corpse half-buried in the quicksand.
It was Jūzō Biwa, Kisame's former comrade. Besieged by the three Wood Clones, Jūzō had been killed almost instantly at the battle's start — his neck broken and body tossed into the sand.
This marked his second death, but it hardly mattered. The corpse was still well-preserved, and with Kawaki Aoba present, resurrection was still possible.
Susanoo gently deposited the body beside two watching bystanders, planning to retrieve Jūzō's soul from the Pure Land once the battle concluded.
For now, Susanoo turned his gaze back to Madara Uchiha's main body.
However, Madara wasn't looking at him.
His eyes were cast upward, constantly scanning the sky.
The place Madara Uchiha was staring at was precisely where Kawaki Aoba's main body was concealed.
Did Madara intend to fly up and meet him directly?
It would be very much in Madara's character to take such a bold approach.
However, how could Kawaki Aoba let things proceed so easily?
As Madara, standing atop a colossal wooden dragon, raised his hand and prepared to ascend toward him, Susanoo moved swiftly to intercept.
Through their brief clash earlier, Kawaki Aoba had realized that conventional methods would not be enough against Madara Uchiha. Even utilizing the Dimensional Array's spatial abilities could only delay him temporarily.
If he truly wanted to confront Madara on equal footing, he had no choice but to unleash his trump card.
Secret Technique: Manifestation of Calamity Soul.
In an instant, Susanoo's chakra consumption surged alarmingly. Within a second, nearly one-fifth of its reserves had been drained.
The drastic chakra expenditure triggered profound changes in Susanoo's form. The once sky-blue short hair grew out into a wild, gray-white mane. Its eyes gleamed faintly with golden light. The outer biological armor receded, exposing the core embedded deep within its chest.
Without the aid of external support, Susanoo hovered mid-air. Behind it, the frame of the Yata Mirror materialized, slowly rotating — somewhat resembling the Truth-Seeking Orbs used in the Six Paths Mode.
But beyond the dramatic physical transformation, Susanoo's power surged exponentially. Its attributes were multiplied many times over, and its ultimate abilities fully unlocked.
Yet, the most unexpected surprise was the awakening of the Sand-Sand Fruit's true potential within the Manifested Calamity Soul state.
Previously, while dueling Madara, Kawaki Aoba had needed to exert full focus to manipulate the sand. Now, with just a wave of Susanoo's hand, sandstorms could be conjured effortlessly, their might and range far surpassing anything before.
"Susanoo, unleash your full strength. Show me the power of your awakened form," Kawaki Aoba commanded through their mental link.
In this Manifested Calamity Soul state, he could no longer control Susanoo directly — only issue commands.
Nevertheless, as a Teigu-like entity, Susanoo was absolutely loyal and would execute its wielder's will to perfection.
"Understood," came Susanoo's cold mechanical reply.
In the next moment, Susanoo's figure shot upward like a meteor, intercepting Madara's wooden dragon in mid-air.
"Hmph."
Madara's sharp eyes immediately caught the rising disturbance. Narrowing his gaze, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. With a swift command, he redirected the wooden dragon toward Susanoo.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A titanic sea of flames surged forth, engulfing the sky. Once, such an attack might have stalled Susanoo.
But now, empowered by the awakened Sand-Sand Fruit, Susanoo merely waved its hand.
A vast sandstorm materialized from thin air, rivaling the might of Crocodile's greatest storms. The sand swallowed the flames whole, smothering them like a candle blown out in a gale.
Though it was merely a probing strike, Madara's face darkened with displeasure.
Susanoo, bound by no emotions, simply pressed its advantage.
Desert Gold Storm.
In the world of One Piece, Crocodile could manifest a single golden sand blade at a time. Here, Susanoo conjured thousands, forming a howling tempest of razor-sharp golden sand.
With a single move, Susanoo's might approached the realm of the Super Kage — strong enough to contend even with the likes of Hashirama Senju in his prime.
Victory or defeat remained uncertain — but the gap had undeniably narrowed.
Now, there was no Hashirama to duel Susanoo. Only Uchiha Madara stood in its path — and he was no longer at his full strength.
From the concealment of the clouds above, Kawaki Aoba chuckled softly.
Through the lens of a specially designed digital camera, he snapped several pictures of Madara's disheveled figure, battered by the endless storm of golden sand.
Rarely had the proud Uchiha appeared so helpless — an image worthy of preserving.
"If I sell these pictures," Kawaki mused to himself, "I could probably get seven or eight White Zetsu per shot."
"Oh, this expression! Pain mixed with fury, humiliation tinged with unwillingness. If Senju Hashirama saw this, he might pay a fortune for it."
"Maybe Senju Tobirama would pay even more," he smirked.
Though blind, Kawaki Aoba's mastery of Observation Haki allowed him to capture each precious moment with the precision of a master photographer.
"But… am I going too far bullying an old man like this?"
Meanwhile, within the raging sandstorm, Madara struggled grimly.
Despite his strength and pride, he now resembled a tiny vessel tossed amidst a typhoon — fragile and at the mercy of nature.
How had he fallen so low?
The enemy's control over sand was truly monstrous — perhaps second only to Hashirama and himself during their prime.
Even so, Madara refused to lose his composure.
He knew better than anyone that, at this point, he possessed very few abilities capable of countering such overwhelming power.
He considered summoning the Wood Golem — a trump card of immense might.
But glancing at the shifting sands below, Madara grimaced.
The Wood Golem, though mighty, was a massive, heavy construct. Summoning it atop a sea of quicksand would be suicide — an immobile target ripe for destruction.
Unless he could somehow make it fly — which he could not — using the Golem here was out of the question.
For now, he would have to rely solely on his own tenacity.
And Madara Uchiha — even diminished — was not one to fall easily.
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