Naruto: Heaven Rewards Diligence

Chapter 430: Kinshiki Falls, Isshiki Dies!

After the energy storm subsided, Hashirama Senju released his Wood Release. The moment he saw Ōtsutsuki Isshiki standing alone in the void, his heart sank.

A bad premonition rose in his chest.

"Hahaha! Isshiki, well done. You truly didn't disappoint!"

Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki coughed lightly, then burst into laughter. Although he had been caught in the aftermath of the explosion, the attack had not been directed at him. Most of the energy had already dissipated, and he had not been at the center of the blast.

The minor injuries he sustained healed in seconds.

To eliminate such a powerful enemy, this price was nothing.

If he could also deal with Hashirama, then under the gaze of the Ōtsutsuki higher ranks, he might even earn recognition and advance further.

"Madara!"

Hashirama roared as he activated Wood Release. A massive tree erupted outward, splitting into eighty-one branches that surged toward Isshiki, each infused with immense chakra.

"Hahaha! You think you can act freely? Don't be ridiculous!"

Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki stepped in instantly, intercepting Hashirama.

After activating his enhancement, his power had surged dramatically. Black markings spread across half his face, while intricate patterns covered his body. He easily blocked the incoming Wood Release.

"Move, or I'll tear you apart!"

Hashirama's expression twisted with fury. With Madara's life uncertain, rage surged uncontrollably within him.

Pfft!

"Hashirama, why the rush? I'm still alive."

A calm voice suddenly echoed.

A hand pierced straight through Kinshiki's chest from behind.

Dark crimson energy seeped outward.

Blood dripped slowly as Kinshiki's expression froze. A strange chakra had invaded his body, rapidly corroding him from within. Caught off guard, he had been struck directly in a vital point.

Hashirama's eyes widened as he looked behind Kinshiki.

It was Madara Uchiha.

But something about him was different.

The usual cold arrogance remained, yet it was now mixed with an eerie darkness, a sinister edge that made him feel unfamiliar.

From Hashirama's angle, only one of Madara's eyes was visible.

The Rinnegan had changed.

It was no longer the familiar ripple-patterned eye. Instead, it had transformed into a strange, tomoe-patterned dōjutsu, layered with circular rings, resembling a distorted evolution of the Sharingan.

Even Hashirama, who knew the Sharingan well, could not recognize it.

"Madara, you…"

"I'm fine."

Madara cut him off.

Black and crimson energy surged through his arm. Kinshiki let out a scream as his body was flung away, then disintegrated mid-air, scattering like fireworks across the void until nothing remained.

A complete annihilation.

"How is this possible? How are you still alive?"

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's voice carried clear shock.

Madara's current state was horrifying.

Blood still flowed from his chest, and where his heart should have been, there was nothing. Through the hollow cavity, one could see the distant stars.

Hashirama also saw it clearly, and his expression stiffened.

"Madara… your heart…"

At the Six Paths level, regeneration was already extraordinary, yet fatal weaknesses still existed.

The heart and the brain remained critical.

Even if the heart was damaged, it would normally regenerate quickly. But complete destruction was another matter.

As for the brain, once destroyed, the soul would lose its vessel, resulting in death.

The Ōtsutsuki Clan could bypass this through Kāma, preserving their soul to reincarnate into another vessel.

But shinobi of the ninja world did not possess such an ability.

Even Naruto Uzumaki, with his near-immortality, relied on the unique nature of his chakra and vitality. His existence was tied to every cell, making him extremely difficult to kill, but not truly invincible.

"If my heart is gone, then I'll simply grow another one."

Madara smiled, his expression tinged with madness.

"Hashirama, you're still as easily surprised as ever."

Hashirama fell silent, momentarily unable to respond.

Madara raised his hand and pressed it against his chest.

Dark red energy surged violently.

Flesh twisted and regenerated before their eyes.

A new heart formed.

In an instant, all of his injuries healed completely.

"I should thank you for that," Madara said as he turned toward Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

Under Isshiki's earlier assault, especially the final attack after his breakthrough, Madara had truly felt the approach of death.

That mysterious power within him had responded, but it had been immature, like a newly sprouted seed, unable to fully withstand the overwhelming force.

His heart had been destroyed.

Yet at the same moment, his counterattack had blasted Isshiki away, though it lacked the power to finish him.

And in that instant between life and death…

Madara's eyes had undergone a complete transformation.

That strange energy had reshaped his Rinnegan, mutating it into an entirely new form of Sharingan.

That power resisted the invasion of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's chakra.

After stabilizing himself, Madara made his decision instantly.

He chose to ambush Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki.

The reason was simple.

Isshiki was already at his limit.

He had just broken through and immediately forced himself to unleash that power, even stacking his newly comprehended Fifth Kill of the Instant Sky Seven Shadow Kill. That reckless output had pushed his body to the brink.

As for Kinshiki, Madara was not certain he could defeat him at full strength in his current condition.

And Hashirama Senju, although powerful, was still slightly below Madara's current level. The gap was small, but in a battle at this level, even a slight difference mattered.

Through his mutated dōjutsu, Madara had already seen it clearly.

Isshiki's weakness.

"Hashirama, help me seal the space!"

Madara spoke decisively.

"Understood!"

Seeing that Madara was still alive, Hashirama let out a breath of relief. Without hesitation, he moved to intercept Isshiki, who was attempting to escape.

Wood Release surged outward, forming layer upon layer of massive barriers that sealed an entire region.

Within this domain, all space-time techniques were suppressed.

Escape was no longer possible.

At that moment, Madara moved.

More precisely, his shadows moved.

Despite the transformation of his eyes, his previous abilities remained intact.

"Limbo: Border Jail!"

Activated.

Madara Uchiha chose to overwhelm his enemy with numbers.

Isshiki could perceive the invisible Limbo shadows, but with space sealed and his body exhausted, he had no choice but to stand and fight.

"Limbo: Border Jail, Great Crimson Sun Heavenly Array!"

Madara's shadows spread out, each taking a position across five directions, forming a massive enclosing barrier.

The formation activated instantly.

The barrier began to contract.

Like converging beams of light.

Isshiki's expression finally changed.

He had never expected Madara to employ such a decisive and ruthless method.

The shrinking barrier, infused with black and crimson flames, swept through him.

There was no escape.

The attack passed directly through his body.

In an instant, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki was reduced to ashes, his existence erased completely.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Madara's body swayed.

The strange dōjutsu faded, his eyes returning to their original state.

The black pupils reappeared.

And then, he collapsed.

Thus, Kinshiki fell.

And Isshiki died.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

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