Chapter 1012: The Pinnacle of Taijutsu: Yamanaka Houji!
Chapter 1012: The Pinnacle of Taijutsu: Yamanaka Houji!
The nine-layered Grudge Orb formed a thin, egg-like shield atop Kurama's head, but its defense was no match for the coalition's strongest warriors, as evidenced by their previous encounters.
All their attacks failed to even budge the Grudge Orb, not even by a hair.
But now, it was the nine layers of defense that stood firm.
As for Susanoo, it was best not to mention it.
Kurama didn't need to seek humiliation by using it.
Susanoo's defensive capabilities, though formidable, were far inferior to the Grudge Orb. Employing it would only result in significant exhaustion without providing any assistance.
"I never imagined that in this era, a formidable warrior like you would emerge!"
"Your Taijutsu talent surpasses mine!"
"I, Uzumaki Madara, acknowledge the Hao Tian Quan as the ultimate Taijutsu!"
...
Madara's gaze seemed to penetrate the Nine-Tailed Grudge Orb shield, locking eyes with Yamanaka Houji, who resembled a blood-red meteor plummeting from the sky.
His face wore an expression of fervent excitement, not at all resembling someone about to face death.
Indeed, for a battle maniac like him, death in combat was the ultimate honor.
Thus, he staked everything on the Grudge Orb.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Before Houji's fist could even land on the Grudge Orb, the force of his punch had already shattered three layers.
Even space seemed to distort under the final blow of the Hao Tian Quan in the Closed Door State.
Although the Grudge Orb encompassed the five elements, it couldn't withstand this attack that warped even space.
"Uzumaki Madara!"
Houji's roar echoed as his fist smashed into the fourth layer of the Grudge Orb.
Boom! A blood-red chakra pillar soared into the sky, illuminating the night and outshining the full moon that seemed to be falling towards the earth.
The commotion was visible even from a hundred li away.
The earth turned to dust, and the air was torn apart under the might of this strike.
Space shattered!
Houji's fist seemed to break the area in front of him like a shattered mirror, including the egg-like shield formed by the Grudge Orb.
This breakage spread downward.
Just as it was about to affect Kurama, a black shadow appeared on his body, and everything was engulfed by the blood-red light.
The battlefield suddenly fell silent.
All sounds were drowned out by the impact of the collision.
Soon, the area shrouded in blood-red chakra light reappeared before everyone's eyes.
The once-solid ground now had a bowl-shaped crater with a radius of a hundred meters and a depth of several dozen meters, and only two figures stood within it.
The two stood in close proximity, mere meters apart.
One of them had half of his body shattered, his white horn broken, resembling a severely injured Kurama, coughing up blood.
A black shadow was retracting from his body.
It was the Black Zetsu! Had it not intervened to aid Kurama just now, he might have perished from that punch.
Although a Six Paths-level being wouldn't be so easily defeated.
But Madara, after playing a 'first strike kill' with Houji, due to his personality, directly confronted the Closed Door State Houji head-on, essentially attacking his weakness with his own strengths. It was no surprise that he found himself in such a predicament.
A true Six Paths-level being, though not effortlessly overpowering Houji in the Closed Door State, would have been able to handle the situation without such disarray.
Therefore, it wasn't the Six Paths-level being that was weak, but Madara's personality.
As you can see, it's not his combat strength being discussed, but his personality.
However, without this arrogance and dominance, Uzumaki Madara wouldn't be the 'Ninja World's Demon'.
In contrast to Madara's predicament, Houji, just a few meters away, was awe-inspiring.
His body resembled a charred corpse, with flames engulfing it from within, leaving scorch marks on his skin.
A corpse!
At this moment, he was already a corpse, but his unwavering willpower kept him standing, determined to witness the final blow of the Hao Tian Quan, 'Lao Ri'.
The result was satisfying!
That punch not only shattered the Nine-Tailed Grudge Orb but also nearly killed his opponent.
If it weren't for that peculiar black entity attached to his opponent, who bore the brunt of Houji's punch...
In other words, the Hao Tian Quan, in theory, could kill a Six Paths-level being.
Admittedly, numerous prerequisites were required.
Not only did it necessitate a body as formidable as Houji's, but it also required an opponent as stubborn as Kurama.
Two conditions, both indispensable.
But can you really smash a Six Paths Level opponent to death?
"Indeed... an impressive opponent!"
With these words, Yamanaka Houji finally collapsed.
He felt no anger or resentment.
Madara wasn't a stationary target, waiting to be pummeled by his attacks.
On the contrary, most of the time, Madara held back, otherwise, if he unleashed all Six Paths abilities, Houji, with his obvious weakness in Taijutsu, would have an easy time dealing with him.
So, from start to finish, Houji didn't resent Hei Jue for intervening; he simply relished the battle.
He wasn't concerned about the consequences of his defeat.
After all, there was Dojin, lurking at the edge of the battlefield, and numerous Reiyo Country's strong warriors; even without Houji, they could sweep across the battlefield.
The newest, smallest, and youngest spoke up in the Six Paths Book, "Let's start with the first chapter!"
Therefore, in this battle, Houji dared to disregard everything, solely to prove he deserved to be Dojin's teammate and worthy of those resources.
The result was naturally exceeding expectations.
At this moment, everyone was stunned by his performance.
Indeed, directly smashing Madara, a Six Paths Level opponent, was an incredible feat, leaving them in disbelief.
"It's fake!"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Am I under Genjutsu?"
...
Not just the Coalition, but even some on the Reiyo Country's side, found it hard to believe.
While the Eight Gates had shone through Maito Dai and Maito Gai, they weren't particularly renowned before opening the Death Gate.
Even Gai was merely an elite Jonin.
But now, the user of this forbidden technique was Yamanaka Houji, the 'Rage of the Storm' with a notable reputation in the Ninja World.
The impact of this was evident, and the power he displayed was worlds apart from the previous two.
A Six Paths Level!
It completely overturned their understanding.
While punching through a mountain was understandable, punching through space was on a whole other level, a stark contrast to their Taijutsu, making them suspect they were under Genjutsu.
In any case!
In this battle, Yamanaka Houji successfully earned the title of 'Taijutsu Pinnacle'.
And the value of this title was even greater than that of Captain Marvelous in the original plot.
In the original story, Captain Marvelous fought Madara with ease, and in the end, he was only severely injured and near death.
But in the battle with Yamanaka Houji, if not for Hei Jue's intervention, Madara wouldn't just be near death; he would be truly dead.
Of course, both Rikudo and Dojin could have stopped Hei Jue's meddling.
But they chose to ignore it.
Because Madara couldn't die!
He was the vessel and sacrifice for Kaguya Otsutsuki's descent.
Without him, Kaguya Otsutsuki, the 'Ninja World's First Foolish Sweetheart', wouldn't be able to descend from the moon.
So, even if Hei Jue didn't intervene, Rikudo and Dojin would secretly 'help' Madara, ensuring his survival.
Madara, while pulling the strings of Obito and Nagato's destinies, was also a puppet himself.
Dojin was once a pawn, but now he had become a player, and even Madara was his pawn.
However, even as a player, Dojin felt the Ninja World was a bit too small, and even his own actions seemed insufficient, let alone considering others.
Hence, eliminating the remaining 'players' was an inevitable task.
The Toad Clan of Myobokuzan was wiped out because they sought to become players and control the Ninja World.
Now, if Dojin dealt with Rikudo, he would be the sole player in the Ninja World, free to do as he pleased without worrying about anyone working behind the scenes.
Yamanaka Houji's soul didn't enter the Pure Land.
Dojin had made preparations on his body beforehand.
The Death God's clone stood ready on Dojin's shoulder, unafraid of Rikudo snatching his soul.
In terms of strength, Rikudo was indeed powerful.
The issue was that when it came to souls, no matter how strong Rikudo was, he couldn't surpass the Death God's clone.
It was for this reason that, at the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, Rikudo had the intention to compete with Dojin for the Death God, but in the end, he failed.
However, after Madara dealt with Yamanaka Houji, he seemed to sense the danger, and made the move that Dojin, Hei Jue, and Rikudo had all been waiting for.
(End of Chapter)
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