The threat of Uchiha Madara was of no concern to Orochimaru.
However, the arrogance of the Ninja World's Asura, he truly felt it.
"Senpai Madara's personality is truly..."
Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head.
"There are some things I want to say, but..."
"I wonder if Senpai Madara has the courage to listen?"
Uchiha Madara's brows furrowed slightly. He reached for the scythe beside him, his killing intent flaring up.
"Do you think this old man is already past his prime and thus has the right to dance before me?"
"Then..."
"Clang..."
The chains dragged across the ground with a crisp sound. Uchiha Madara propped himself up with the scythe, slowly straightening his body.
"Is Zetsu here?"
Orochimaru, oblivious to Madara's killing intent, turned to survey the cave. His gaze lingered on the Outer Path Statue in the shadows for a moment before he spoke calmly.
"Hmm?"
Madara's killing intent faltered, his pupils contracting sharply.
"You know Zetsu?"
Orochimaru chuckled and nodded as if it were obvious.
"Of course, Ōtsutsuki Zetsu, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's third son, the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother..."
...
In the Pure Land, Ashura, who was staring at the scene before him, froze. He looked up in surprise at his father floating in mid-air.
"Father, the Zetsu that Orochimaru mentioned..."
"Do I have two uncles?"
The Sage of Six Paths was somewhat annoyed by Orochimaru's arbitrary assignment of Zetsu's identity, sighing with a pensive expression.
"Alas!"
"Something like that!"
Ashura: ...???
...
Listening to the string of names from Orochimaru's mouth, Uchiha Madara was also bewildered.
Besides the Sage of Six Paths, who were the other two names?
When did Zetsu change his surname to Ōtsutsuki?
"Nonsense spoken before death?"
"How boring!"
With a resounding clang, the scythe drew a sharp, dark arc, instantly slashing towards Orochimaru's body.
"Clang!"
A piercing metal-on-metal screech echoed. A flash of white light appeared on Orochimaru's sleeve. The Sky Blade blocked the scythe blade that was cleaving down diagonally from above his right shoulder.
"Kurama, take Mitsuki to a safe place."
The space in the cave was too narrow. The aftermath of their battle would be too much for Hozuki Mangetsu to withstand, even with his Water Transformation Technique.
Furthermore, in such a confined environment, it would be difficult for the Nine-Tails to unleash its full combat potential.
It was better to let it take Mangetsu out to find a place to wait.
When the fight truly escalated, Uchiha Madara would naturally choose to move the battlefield.
This small corner, where he had stayed for decades, was indeed too cramped...
...
A fight was inevitable; Orochimaru had long anticipated it.
A strong individual like Uchiha Madara, self-centered and with his stubborn beliefs ingrained in his bones, would absolutely not listen to any words that differed from his own convictions until he was overwhelmed by strength.
To try and shake his firm resolve through words was akin to talking to a brick wall.
"Not a slow reaction!"
Uchiha Madara snorted from his nose. His right leg, like a heavily charged hammer, powerfully kicked towards Orochimaru's abdomen.
Orochimaru didn't hold back and directly met Madara's attack with his left foot.
"Bang!"
A dull thud. Their soles met, and the weapons in their hands screeched against each other as they were forced back.
Uchiha Madara, showing no signs of an old man's frailty, scooped up the fan hanging on the wall the moment he landed and tucked it into his ninja tool belt.
His feet splayed, front and back, anchoring him to the ground as if rooted. He withdrew his left hand from the fan on his back and instantly formed a somewhat obscure hand seal, the "Tiger," in front of him.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
It was merely a B-rank fire jutsu, but in the hands of a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara, it unleashed a power comparable to a Kekkei Genkai of fire-attribute.
A searing fireball erupted from in front of Uchiha Madara, and the towering inferno instantly engulfed the entire cave.
"Sage Art: Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
In terms of ninjutsu, Orochimaru was not lacking in the slightest.
He calmly raised his left hand in front of him, his thumb bent to form half of the "Rooster" seal. Sage Chakra surged, and in an instant, a water curtain barrier connected to the cave ceiling rose before him.
Water and fire, two opposing elemental chakra types, immediately unleashed astonishing power fluctuations upon collision.
With a hissing sound, the ordinary fire jutsu was eventually extinguished by the Water Formation Wall, imbued with Sage Chakra.
Uchiha Madara's brow furrowed slightly. Unheeding of the scalding steam and heat surrounding him, he leaped forward, swinging his scythe to cut through the heavy obstacles and slash down at Orochimaru.
"Like Hashirama, an almost constant Sage Mode?"
"To feel this long-lost sensation again..."
"Orochimaru..."
A hint of excitement appeared in his scarlet eyes. The sharp scythe blade sliced through the water curtain and instantly arrived above Orochimaru's head.
"You are worthy of me remembering your name!"
"Amuse me!"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, looking at the frenzied figure descending from the sky, a cold smile slowly curling on his lips.
"Sage Art: Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Flames hotter than the Majestic Destroyer Flame he had unleashed earlier rushed towards him. Uchiha Madara's pupils constricted. He instinctively wanted to absorb it with his Six Paths power.
Seeing the Fire Dragon Bullet showing no signs of disappearing, Madara suddenly remembered that after losing his Rinnegan, the ability of the Preta Path to absorb chakra had also vanished.
However, this problem would not stump him.
His thoughts raced. The moment the flames struck his body, Madara drew the fan from his back.
He gripped the handle with his left hand and used the scythe blade to prop against the fan. In a flash, he perfectly blocked Orochimaru's powerful Sage Art fire jutsu.
"Uchiha... Reversal!"
With a slightly excited low growl, a layer of sapphire chakra barrier surged from the fan. The Fire Dragon Bullet, upon contact with this barrier, was like a glass marble being sharply struck, and it flew back towards Orochimaru's position.
"Heh!"
"Senpai Madara's reaction is also not slow!"
Orochimaru's mocking voice emanated from beneath the flames. Then, his figure flickered, and he vanished from his original spot.
"Boom!"
The Fire Dragon Bullet slammed heavily onto the ground, raising a large cloud of dust.
The dust mixed with the moisture in the air, causing the visibility within the cave to plummet.
Uchiha Madara landed on the ground with a *pat*. The three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, attempting to locate Orochimaru in the mist.
A blue figure suddenly materialized behind Uchiha Madara. The Sky Blade let out an almost inaudible hum, and like a long-dormant venomous snake, it fiercely stabbed towards Madara's back.
Madara couldn't guarantee he could sense Orochimaru's presence and his attacks in other locations.
But his back was different!
Uchiha Madara had developed a minor ailment from being constantly intimidated by Senju Hashirama since childhood...
When did this ailment begin?
It seemed to be when he and Hashirama were competing to see who could urinate further at the Naka River...
Hashirama and I truly competed against each other for a whole lifetime!
A picturesque memory flashed through Madara's mind.
A strange smile curved Madara's lips, and his dōjutsu surged wildly. A flowing, tangible sapphire chakra cloak covered his entire body.
"Susano'o!"