Even though an Edo body wouldn't actually be harmed, Madara still dodged. That was Uchiha pride.
Getting tagged by mere hidden weapons would be humiliating.
And they were fighting in front of practically the entire shinobi world. No matter what, he couldn't afford to lose face. The Uchiha cared deeply about appearances.
Natsuki, seeing this, smiled faintly. He poured Lightning Release chakra into his grip, and instantly arcs of electricity linked every fragment together. In the next moment, a lightning net formed, enclosing Madara within it.
"Oh? A new way to play?" Madara raised a brow, then unleashed Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation), drowning the Thousand Blades' fragments in a sea of flame.
Under that blaze, even the lightning seemed to be burned away. Many fragments clattered to the ground, as if they had lost their connection to the hilt.
Natsuki formed a one-handed seal and spat out Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Release: Water Bullet), a high-pressure water jet that pierced through the firestorm and shot straight at Madara—only for Madara to lean aside and avoid it.
But "high-pressure jet" meant it was continuous.
Natsuki tilted his head, and the water lance kept tracking Madara, as if it would not stop until it bored straight through him.
Madara flipped and twisted nonstop to evade. Natsuki's water jet pursued relentlessly. In no time, the ground was carved into a shredded mess by the cutting stream—yet Madara still wasn't touched even once.
Then, Madara seized an opening and lunged toward Natsuki.
He was in close in the blink of an eye, Uchiha-style punches driving straight for Natsuki's face.
But Natsuki suddenly lifted the hilt. Guided by it, the thousand fragments flew back, instantly recombining into a long blade. With a backhand slash, he severed Madara's fist cleanly off.
"Nice." Madara actually praised him.
But Madara's severed hand still continued forward and slammed into Natsuki's face, punching him straight back.
Natsuki flipped once and landed, glaring at Madara with clear displeasure.
This old comrade really liked hitting people in the face. Did he not know a man's face was important, too?
Around them, the Allied Shinobi Forces watched in silence, swallowing hard.
They hadn't expected Natsuki to trade blows with Madara in ninjutsu and taijutsu and come out even—maybe even slightly ahead.
If Madara hadn't been an Edo body, he would have genuinely lost an arm. In theory, that meant Natsuki had the edge. But this was not sparring—it was a fight to the death. What mattered most wasn't theory.
Even so, everyone had just witnessed the terrifying power of Konoha's demon blade. Morale surged back.
At the very least, no one believed Madara was invincible anymore, and fear no longer spread as easily.
Madara's hand regenerated. He folded his arms. "So? You plan to kill me like this?"
Natsuki didn't bother with chatter. He simply put away the Demon Blade: Thousand Blades, then sprinted straight at Madara at high speed. When he was about to reach him, he suddenly opened his mouth and fired a beam of light.
"Here comes a Coke!"
It was one of Six Paths Madara's techniques—actually called Ranton: Kōga (Storm Release: Light Fang).
A laser fired from the mouth, sweeping wide areas with extreme speed and power. Natsuki borrowed it outright.
Sure enough, Madara was caught off guard. He immediately manifested a basic skeletal Susanoo (Armored Avatar) for protection—but the laser pierced it on the spot.
Natsuki's Storm Release was not something a mere skeletal form could block.
Bang!
The laser struck Madara's right arm, and it exploded apart. Madara's expression darkened.
As Natsuki closed in, Madara raised his left hand and, unbelievably, completed one-handed seals. Mokuton (Wood Release) erupted, and countless trees surged from the ground, trying to bind Natsuki.
But Natsuki flashed away with Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique). He had long since placed formula markings in multiple locations for convenience in battle.
And the moment he reappeared to the side, he was already in a Kamehameha stance. The electromagnetic cannon between his palms condensed instantly, and he thrust it straight at Madara.
"Hahahaha! Fighting you really is enjoyable, Natsuki!" Madara laughed wildly. He didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his left palm into the beam. His eyes had already turned into the Rinnegan (Samsara Eye), and a terrifying repulsive force erupted outward, pushing against the electromagnetic cannon.
All right, let's shift the camera angle.
Okay. Now Madara is on the left side of the frame.
As the saying goes: in beam clashes, the left side loses.
Madara, on the left, underestimated the electromagnetic cannon's force. He increased his ocular output and launched a repulsion projectile into it. The two attacks collided head-on, detonating a violent shockwave.
Bzz—bzz—bzz!
Wave after wave of impact expanded outward, and everyone stared in horror.
At the commanders' orders, the Allied Shinobi Forces retreated at once, widening the battlefield.
The electromagnetic cannon and the repulsion projectile locked in stalemate, neither gaining ground for a moment—but Natsuki decisively increased output. The electromagnetic cannon began forcing the repulsion back toward Madara, and then, at close range in front of him, it detonated.
Rumble!
Louder than thunder.
The two forces exploded not far in front of Madara, and a small mushroom cloud instantly swallowed him whole.
The allied shinobi watched with their mouths hanging open. No one had imagined that a collision between the two of them could produce such terrifying destructive power.
If that mushroom cloud had exploded inside the allied ranks, no one knew how many would have died.
It was truly horrifying.
After a long while, the mushroom cloud finally dispersed, revealing a massive crater. Madara stood at the bottom—ragged, but perfectly upright. His left arm was gone, and his body was torn and ruined.
But as an Edo body, he was already regenerating rapidly.
Madara roared with laughter. "Hahahaha! I almost got killed by you—no, that's not right. You can't kill me! But Natsuki, I, Madara, fully acknowledge you now. You are the strongest of the younger generation. Even that Tenseigan (Reincarnation Eye) can't compare to you!"
Natsuki snorted. "Flatter me all you want, it won't change anything. You and I are enemies. Today, I will defeat you!"
"Then let's see what else you've got!"
After his body finished restoring, Madara used the Rinnegan's power to float into the air, looking down at Natsuki.
Natsuki met his gaze without fear. The two sides became poised and tense once again, the atmosphere turning razor-tight.
Compared to the excitement here, Obito's side was simply brutal.
With his Kamui (Divine Authority) intangibility countered by Kakashi, and his Rinnegan (Samsara Eye) pressured by Neji, and with everyone else attacking relentlessly, Obito had no way to fight back.
That he had managed to hold on this long at all was already impressive.
And he, too, was drawn by the commotion of Madara and Natsuki's battle. When he saw the terrifying mushroom cloud rise, he gulped hard in fear.
He had always known Natsuki and Madara were strong, but he had never imagined they were strong to this extent.
This was no longer within the realm of human beings—ordinary people simply could not comprehend it.
And while the battlefield here raged like wildfire, a group of figures approached in silence.
At the front were two people.
Kabuto.
And Orochimaru.
(End of Chapter)
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