Boom!
The Chibaku Tensei shattered into tens of thousands of fragments, raining destruction upon Amegakure. Countless buildings were reduced to rubble, yet the citizens remained unharmed, shielded by the soft, protective embrace of the slugs summoned by Katsuyu.
Whoosh!
From the sky, Madara Uchiha descended, his eyes gleaming with a calculated glint.
"Should I summon a third one?" he mused.
Screech!
The cry of a bird pierced the air as Sai unleashed his ink creation.
"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll!"
Chakra-infused ink transformed into a mighty Ink Warrior, charging ferociously at Madara.
Madara countered with effortless precision, his strikes obliterating the warrior. With a swift Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song, he reduced Sai's ink bird mount to a mere puddle of black liquid.
"No," Madara muttered to himself, "the power of the Deva Path is temporarily depleted. If I use another Chibaku Tensei, Naruto will simply destroy it again."
Madara's Advance
Tap.
Madara landed atop a fragment of the shattered meteorite, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield. The ground was littered with Katsuyu's split bodies, their bulbous eyes glaring at him.
"Hmph, the place is crawling with vermin," Madara sneered.
The slugs retaliated, spewing streams of corrosive acid that converged mid-air into a massive wave, cascading down toward Madara.
Boom!
The acid melted through the stone, but Madara emerged unscathed, shielded by his Susano'o. Without hesitation, he surged toward the source of the slugs' technique.
"That pink-haired woman… she's the source. If I eliminate her, the slugs will vanish. An Edo Tensei body, is it? Then I'll use the Human Path to extract her soul."
The slugs sensed the danger and cried out, "Lady Sakura, the enemy is coming straight for you!"
Sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, Sakura Haruno remained calm, her focus entirely on channeling chakra through her Strength of a Hundred Seal.
"At a time like this, I'll trust my comrades," she said resolutely.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Madara's Susano'o cleaved through the slugs in its path, reducing them to a slimy mess. Ten meters away from Sakura, Madara dispelled his Susano'o, opting for a direct approach. He prepared to use the Human Path to rip her soul from her body.
"Not on my watch!"
Crackle!
Lightning erupted as one of Naruto Uzumaki's shadow clones, cloaked in a veil of purple electricity, intercepted Madara with a devastating Lightning Style: Prelude of Thunder.
Madara was sent flying but quickly regained his footing, his expression darkening.
"Hmph. I can tolerate interference from the real one, but even a shadow clone dares to challenge me?"
With a flick of his wrist, Madara unleashed a volley of Susano'o Yasaka Magatama, obliterating the airborne shadow clone.
He turned his gaze toward the ruins several hundred meters away, where Naruto's true body was fully immersed in gathering Sage Mode chakra.
"So that's your game," Madara muttered. "You weren't ready to fight when I arrived, and you had to engage me without entering Sage Mode. Even the shadow clone you left in the tower to gather chakra was dispelled when you destroyed my Chibaku Tensei. Now's the perfect time to strike. Unlike Hashirama, you still need to meditate to enter Sage Mode."
The Flames of Battle
Boom!
Madara surged toward Naruto like a storm, weaving hand signs as he went.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A sea of fire roared down upon Naruto's location.
"No!" cried Konan, stepping forward to shield him.
Boom!
But before she could act, a towering figure clad in wooden clogs landed in front of her.
"Jiraiya-sensei?" Konan gasped.
Jiraiya didn't respond, but the two toads on his shoulders—Fukasaku and Shima—did.
"Enemies become allies, huh?" Shima remarked.
"So this is the path you've chosen, Jiraiya-boy," Fukasaku added.
Together, they unleashed a combined technique.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
A torrent of oil, fire, and wind surged forward, clashing with Madara's flames in a fiery stalemate.
Madara's eyes narrowed. "Another sage, huh? For such a small village, Amegakure certainly has its surprises. But…"
"Wood Release: Flower Tree World!"
Boom!
Massive trees erupted from the ground, their blossoms releasing a thick, sleep-inducing pollen that filled the air.
"I'll handle the pollen; you take care of the trees. Agreed?" Shima asked Konan.
Konan nodded. "Understood."
Shima formed hand signs, her cheeks puffing up.
"Sage Art: Wind Release Sand Dust!"
Whoosh!
A fierce wind scattered the pollen, clearing the air. Meanwhile, Konan activated her own technique.
"Summoning Jutsu: Explosive Great Flame Formation!"
Millions of explosive tags materialized, wrapping around the trees.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of earth-shaking explosions obliterated the forest.
A New Challenger
From the rear of the battlefield, a figure wielding a massive sword stepped forward.
"So, you're the legendary Madara Uchiha. It's an honor to meet you in person," said Kisame Hoshigaki, his voice dripping with mock courtesy.
Madara glanced at him. "That sword… Samehada. You must be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. State your name."
"Formerly of Kirigakure, Kisame Hoshigaki. Let's see how I measure up."
Kisame raised Samehada high, unleashing a devastating technique.
"Samehada: Shark Wave Slash!"
Boom!
A water blade, shaped like a shark's dorsal fin, tore through the battlefield, slicing through even the remnants of the forest.
"Impressive," Madara admitted, retreating slightly as his Susano'o blocked the attack.
"If I can trouble you even a little, I'll consider it an achievement," Kisame said with a grin. "Now, let's see how you handle this!"
He plunged Samehada into the ground, forming hand signs.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
But before the technique could fully manifest, Madara's Susano'o blade erupted from the ground, impaling Kisame and lifting him into the air.
"Gah!" Kisame coughed up blood. "What… is this?"
"A Wood Clone," Madara explained coldly. "Only I can tell them apart from the real thing. You should feel honored to die by this technique."
The Susano'o-wielding Wood Clone emerged fully from the ground, its skeletal frame towering over Kisame.
"Even in your final moments, you put up a decent struggle," Madara said, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
Konan's Gambit
Whoosh!
At the last second, a paper clone of Konan rushed toward Madara, dispersing into countless paper tags, each inscribed with summoning seals.
Madara's eyes narrowed. "What is this?"
"Dance of the Shikigami: Infinite Explosive Tags!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An endless chain of explosions engulfed Madara, obliterating the Wood Clone and forcing his body to reform from the Edo Tensei.
A Narrow Escape
Kisame, severely injured, watched as Samehada absorbed the chakra Sakura had transferred into it. The sword swelled with energy, transferring it back to Kisame and healing his wounds.
"With a healer like her around, dying is harder than I thought," Kisame muttered, shaking his head.
The Final Duel
As the dust settled, Madara's voice echoed through the battlefield.
"This is all so pointless. In this body, I can't even feel pain."
His form reconstituted amidst the swirling dust.
"Hashirama isn't here anymore. In this era, only you, Naruto, can provide me with any semblance of entertainment."
Madara turned his gaze toward Naruto, who had just completed his transformation into Sage Mode.
"So, are you ready yet?"
Naruto opened his eyes, orange markings glowing.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. This battlefield is too cramped for what's coming next. Let's move to a more open space. I promise I won't escape using the Flying Raijin."
Madara smirked. "Very well. I'll be waiting outside."
Whoosh!
He vanished into the horizon.
"Naruto," Konan said with concern, "he's unimaginably powerful and immortal. A one-on-one fight is reckless!"
Naruto adjusted his mask and summoned his fan, strapping it to his back.
"Fearless in the face of challenge, growing stronger with every opponent—that's who I am. And that's who Madara is too."
He clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes.
"From here on out, it's just me and him. One-on-one!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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