Chapter 299 – Madara and the "Five Kage"? Unworthy!
BOOM—!
The roar of battle tore through the heart of Konoha.
Flashes of blinding light streaked across the sky as Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Sasuke clashed with overwhelming speed.
The shockwaves rattled rooftops, cracked walls, and sent leaves swirling through the air.
Every ninja stationed within the village stopped what they were doing—staring upward in disbelief.
This was no ordinary fight.
This was a storm between gods.
"Too fast… too strong!"
Even the most seasoned jōnin could barely follow their movements.
What they saw were only blurs—afterimages that collided and vanished faster than thought.
There was nothing they could do but watch.
---
Naruto had already arrived.
He clenched his fists, frustration twisting his expression as he watched his friend struggle.
He had thought to use Flying Raijin, to leap straight to Sasuke's side.
But just as he was about to move—
"Don't even think about it!"
Kushina grabbed his arm, holding him back with a fierce glare.
"This is our village, Naruto!
Your job is to protect it, not add to the destruction!"
Naruto froze. He wanted to argue—but she was right.
Still, his blue eyes burned as he watched the two Uchiha in the sky.
Sasuke… was being pushed back. Badly.
---
"Foolish child,"
Madara's voice rolled like thunder.
He caught Sasuke's wrist in midair, his Sharingan glowing with a cold, deadly amusement.
"Did you really think these new eyes make you my equal?"
He tightened his grip slightly.
"I'll admit—you're quicker than before. But that's all. And worse…"
Madara's tone darkened, a shadow flickering across his face.
"I hate you even more now."
Sasuke's gaze narrowed.
Madara's hatred was deep—personal.
This boy had the same face as Izuna, his beloved brother.
But unlike Izuna, Sasuke had chosen to follow the man who killed him—Senju Tobirama.
It was almost poetic.
Madara was convinced it had been deliberate—a cruel joke by that treacherous Senju.
"That wretched schemer," he muttered under his breath.
"Even from beyond the grave, he mocks me."
He wanted to choke Sasuke where he stood.
But that boy's Flying Raijin made it difficult to pin him down.
"You talk too much," Sasuke said coldly, wrenching his arm free.
"If you could actually kill me, you'd have done it already. You're just another fossil who belongs in a museum."
SWISH—!
Lightning crackled along his blade as Sasuke vanished from sight, reappearing above Madara in a flash of violet.
His sword swung down—
But Madara barely blinked.
"So that's your move, huh? How naive."
He sighed. His thoughts were already elsewhere—on Kuro Zetsu, on the deeper plan unfolding.
Still, perhaps a little chaos would make things easier for him.
"I suppose a warm-up won't hurt.
And if I cause enough noise…"
A grin crept across his face.
"…Hashirama will come running."
Madara's chakra flared.
"Then come, boy. Let me show you the difference between us."
BOOM—!
A colossal Susanoo erupted around him, towering over the village.
Madara's voice thundered from within the blue giant:
"You are neither Hashirama nor Gen.
You are nothing to me."
His Susanoo swung its sword.
---
Sasuke vanished again, barely evading the strike.
The blade ripped through the forest beyond the village, cleaving trees like paper.
The ground split apart, leaving a deep scar in the earth.
"Tch."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun faster.
Violet chakra surged from his body, forming his own Perfect Susanoo to counter.
In an instant, two towering titans rose above Konoha—one blue, one purple—locking blades in the sky.
"If we keep fighting here, the village won't survive," Sasuke thought grimly.
"I have to draw him away."
He spread his Susanoo's wings, soaring upward.
"You're a ghost from a bygone age," he called out.
"Stop embarrassing yourself. You think I'm beneath your notice? Funny—because I feel the same way."
"Hmph. Pathetic."
Madara understood immediately.
"Trying to lure me away, are you?"
He smirked, spreading his own Susanoo's wings.
"You'll regret underestimating me."
His Susanoo sprouted four arms—each gripping a blade.
"Let me show you the power of a true Uchiha!"
WHOOSH—
Four blades came crashing down in rapid succession, splitting clouds and shattering air.
"You're still leagues beneath me, boy!"
"We'll see about that!"
Sasuke crossed his arms, parrying the barrage—but each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the sky.
Even defending, his Susanoo's chest armor cracked under the force, throwing him off balance.
He steadied himself midair, panting lightly.
"He's still that strong… but I'm not the same as before."
"Hmph. You've improved," Madara admitted.
His tone shifted—quietly pleased.
Then his expression hardened.
"But this is only the beginning. Let's see how long you can endure."
His Susanoo raised all four blades once more, slashing in a devastating storm.
RUMBLE—!
The sky quaked.
Winds howled. Chakra storms tore through the clouds and lashed the earth below, shaking all of Konoha.
---
"Is this… the power of the Uchiha?"
The watching ninja could only stare, powerless.
Even the bravest among them felt the same cold truth: they were irrelevant.
Kushina stood frozen, red hair whipping in the gale.
"Sasuke… that boy… he's grown so strong."
Then she noticed something strange.
Naruto—normally loud and impossible to miss—was quiet. Too quiet.
She turned—
And her heart dropped.
"Naruto?!"
He was gone.
Her voice vanished under the thunderous roar of battle above.
---
Meanwhile – The Hyūga Compound
Deep underground, Black Zetsu watched the sky flicker with light.
"Perfect," he whispered, a satisfied grin spreading.
"Sasuke's presence here will keep Gen's eyes elsewhere."
He'd been in a tight spot.
If Gen had discovered him here with Madara, there'd be no escape.
But this? This was ideal.
Madara fought freely, drawing every eye in Konoha.
And that meant Zetsu could move unseen.
"Time to retrieve what's mine… and wait for Gen to arrive."
His grin faltered.
"Though honestly, that man's power is getting… absurd."
Through the White Zetsu network, he had watched the chaos unfold across the other frontlines.
Gen had obliterated tens of thousands of White Zetsu alone—
and casually dismantled four Kage level Edo Tensei.
"Not to mention Obito and Nagato are currently being crushed.
It's… terrifying."
He exhaled, eyes narrowing.
"Sometimes I wonder… could he actually be another Ōtsutsuki?"
The thought chilled even him.
"If that's true… then we might all be in far deeper trouble than we think."
Even though Gen's chakra was undeniably abnormal—vast and volatile—it still paled in comparison to Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.
"Forget it," Black Zetsu muttered to himself, slipping through the underground corridors beneath the Hyūga compound.
"As long as it's for Mother, I'll risk everything. If I'm lucky, that Gen brat might just kill Obito for me. Would save me a lot of trouble."
He pushed open the concealed door, entering a secret stone chamber dimly lit by pale light.
In the center, a single ancient book rested atop a pedestal.
Zetsu didn't touch it immediately. His half-black, half-white face twisted into a cautious scowl.
"Not this time… Last time someone tampered with the information, and it nearly scared me to death. I'll double-check everything before I take it."
But just as he reached forward—
He froze.
A strange light flashed behind him.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto's voice exploded like thunder.
Before Zetsu could react, a massive swirling sphere of chakra crashed down from above.
"Damn it—how is he here?!"
Zetsu's eyes widened. He tried to sink into the ground, clutching the book tight—but he was too slow.
The Rasengan struck him squarely in the back.
He didn't feel much himself—his half-liquid body absorbed most of the force.
But his White Zetsu half screamed in agony, the sound like tearing flesh and stone.
"So you really did have an agenda coming here," Naruto snarled, eyes blazing.
"Don't even think about running!"
He charged again, forming another Rasengan in his palm.
"Troublesome brat!"
Zetsu gritted his teeth, grimacing.
He had no combat power—none worth mentioning—and worse, he had a creeping suspicion that Naruto had tagged him with a Flying Raijin seal.
If that were true, there was no escaping.
"I need to find Madara… now!"
He clutched the ancient book tight. That knowledge could not fall into Naruto's hands.
Then an idea flashed through his mind.
"Right—Konoha still has Kabuto Yakushi! Orochimaru's lackey!"
In that instant, Zetsu's body split apart, black ichor sliding away into the ground as Naruto's next Rasengan detonated against the wall—
BOOM!
---
Outside Konoha
Thunder rolled.
The earth split open.
Sasuke's Susanoo staggered backward, its wings cracking under the crushing impact.
Even for him, that last strike had been overwhelming.
Still, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
He'd achieved what he came for.
"Now then…"
SWISH—SWISH—SWISH!
Four flashes of chakra light streaked through the air—four figures landing around him in perfect formation.
"Finally," Sasuke breathed.
Madara's lips curved into a savage grin. His eyes gleamed like fire.
"You're here at last… Hashirama!"
"Uchiha Madara!"
Tobirama's voice was cold, his glare sharp enough to cut.
Beside him, Minato's expression tightened.
"So it really is him…"
Only Hashirama smiled, his voice warm with a strange nostalgia.
"Madara."
Madara inclined his head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"It has been a long time, old friend."
Then, his grin widened.
"Three Kage and one would-be Kage candidate… what an amusing lineup. Still—
for me, this is perfect."
"Correction," came another voice.
Golden chakra light flared nearby.
Naruto appeared beside Sasuke, his blue eyes fierce as lightning.
"There's more than one Kage candidate here!"
He shot Sasuke a brief glare—then turned to Madara, shouting:
"I serve under Kitagawa Gen, and I already know what you're after, you bastard!"
"Oh?"
Madara raised a brow.
At that moment, he sensed a familiar presence beside his Susanoo—
Black Zetsu had returned.
Madara's smile faltered.
A small frown creased his brow.
Something wasn't right.
---
Meanwhile – Land of Hot Springs Front
In the midst of fire and ruin, Gen's fist halted mid-strike.
He turned his head slightly, glancing in the direction of Konoha.
His eyes narrowed.
"That damn thing… ended up in Kabuto's hands?"
He sighed, exasperated.
But he had no time to dwell.
Long-silent groans echoed across the battlefield—
Nagato, Obito, and Kimimaro were dragging themselves upright.
Their bodies were mangled, their breath ragged—yet their eyes still burned with defiance.
"You said we weren't worthy…"
Their voices blended, low and dangerous.
Then—
Dark markings began to crawl across their skin.
Black veins spread like spiderwebs, glowing faintly as their chakra surged wildly.
Gen's expression shifted, his gaze sharpening.
Their energy was different—heavier, tainted, unstable.
"Don't tell me…"
Nagato, Obito, and Kimimaro raised their heads in unison, their eyes filled with rage and a mad kind of pride.
"We'll show you!"
"It's not for you to decide whether we're worthy!"
Their combined roar split the air—
and the battlefield trembled as their corrupted chakra burst outward, twisting the flames around them into a spiraling storm.
---