"So, these are the people of the Akatsuki?"
"Nothing special." Madara stood atop a high slope, arms crossed, surveying the battlefield below with a dismissive gaze.
"Indeed, Lord Madara," White Zetsu replied. "Shall we launch the attack now?"
Madara raised his right hand and made a dismissive gesture. "There's no need for you all. I can handle this alone."
Still brooding over the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Mōryō, Madara was itching to regain his confidence by crushing some weaker opponents.
"Alright," White Zetsu replied, while the other Impure World Reincarnation bodies obediently stayed back. After all, in this ambush force, Madara was officially the leader.
"Hmph!" With a cold snort of disdain, Madara wasted no time and leapt directly into the battlefield below.
"Who's that?" Both sides of the conflict below were startled, but no one seemed to recognize the red-armored figure.
"Hey, Kakashi, that guy looks kind of familiar," said Might Guy, clad in his signature green jumpsuit.
"Yeah, if I'm not mistaken…" Kakashi's expression grew serious. After witnessing the battle between the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara, he had come to understand just how terrifying the two founding figures of the ninja world truly were. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Uchiha Madara."
"Indeed, he looks exactly like the statue in the Valley of the End," Tsunade added.
Noticing that someone had recognized him, Madara's interest was piqued. He shifted his gaze toward them. "So, you can identify me? You must be from Konoha."
But he wasn't interested in waiting for Kakashi and the others to answer. Instead, he launched his attack directly.
"Then I'll start by destroying all of you!"
With an air of supreme dominance, Madara strode forward and single-handedly launched an assault on the Amagakure forces.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!" Might Guy was the first to engage, delivering a powerful spinning kick aimed at Madara's head.
Madara raised an arm and effortlessly blocked Guy's attack before countering with a taijutsu strike of his own.
"Lightning Cutter!"
Kakashi rushed in from behind at high speed. Although Madara didn't turn to look, he seemed to sense the attack instinctively. He grabbed Kakashi's right hand mid-strike and redirected the Lightning Cutter toward Guy.
Guy quickly dodged, and Tsunade emerged from behind Madara, delivering a mighty punch disguised by her delicate-looking fist.
Caught off guard, Madara's body bent into an arc as he was sent flying.
"This feeling… You remind me of someone," Madara said as he slowly got up, brushing the dust off his armor. He then finished his thought: "Hashirama Senju."
"What's your relationship with him?"
"He's my grandfather," Tsunade replied.
"I see," Madara nodded, his expression turning sinister. "Then I'll kill you first!"
Huh?
Everyone was baffled. Based on Hashirama's behavior last time, their relationship seemed amicable. Why was Madara suddenly hell-bent on killing Hashirama's granddaughter?
Could their fallout have been that severe?
Hearing Madara's arrogant declaration, Tsunade was infuriated. She was not one to back down easily. "Then try me! I'll use the power I inherited from my grandfather to defeat you!"
"How dare you mention Hashirama!" Madara charged at Tsunade, his speed more than doubling from before. It was clear he was getting serious.
"Haah!" Tsunade threw another powerful punch, but Madara didn't dodge. Instead, he countered with a heavy punch of his own.
Boom!
A shockwave burst forth from the impact. Known for her monstrous strength, Tsunade was actually overpowered in the direct clash and sent flying by Madara's blow.
"Pathetic! You've inherited Hashirama's bloodline, yet you can't even measure up to one percent of his strength."
"Your existence is an insult to him! Let me help Hashirama clean up this disgrace!"
As he spoke, Madara relentlessly pursued Tsunade, continuing his assault.
Kakashi and Guy rushed to her aid, feeling utterly speechless.
This reason for killing someone is just too absurd!
Initially, they thought Madara's murderous intent stemmed from a fallout with Hashirama. But it turned out he simply despised Tsunade's lack of strength, viewing it as tarnishing Hashirama's legacy.
Hey, Uchiha Madara, isn't this overstepping? What gives you the right to decide such things?
Wait a minute!
Kakashi suddenly froze, recalling a private conversation he had overheard between Hashirama and Tobirama.
"You got married, but after founding Konoha, you spent more time with Uchiha Madara than with Lady Mito."
What the—! Could it be that the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara were…?
No! Kakashi, you can't entertain such blasphemous thoughts! That would be a grave disrespect to the ancestors!
Shaking his head to dispel the ridiculous notion, Kakashi refocused on rescuing Tsunade.
After a brief exchange of taijutsu, Madara grew bored of the straightforward combat.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Without forming any hand signs or performing any preparatory actions, Madara unleashed a massive Fire Release technique as if by sheer will. Flames erupted from his mouth, blanketing the battlefield.
Oh, crap!
Asuma, standing nearby, was so startled that he nearly dropped his Flying Swallow blades. Was this really just a standard B-rank Fire Release?
The flames surged forward like a tsunami, reaching over ten meters high and leaving no room for escape.
"Use Water Release, quickly!" Kakashi's shout snapped everyone out of their stupor.
The group hastily formed hand signs. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Though a relatively low-level Water Release technique, its effectiveness was amplified by the sheer number of users. With water countering fire, they managed to barely neutralize Madara's flames.
As white steam billowed across the battlefield, Madara frowned, displeased that his Fire Release had been stopped.
"Susano'o!"
A colossal blue figure appeared on the battlefield. However, Kakashi and the others could clearly see the skeletal structure of the giant, indicating that this was only the standard form of Susano'o, not its fully evolved state.
They were being underestimated.
Tsunade took the initiative. "Kakashi, Guy, cover me!"
"Got it!" Kakashi responded, charging in from the side.
Guy, as always, was more direct.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of View, Open!"
With his speed and strength amplified dozens of times, Guy also attacked from the flank.
"Naive!" Madara remained motionless, countering with a Fire Release technique.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
This was another B-rank Fire Release, but in Madara's hands, it had the power to rival even Jiraiya's Sage Mode Fire Release techniques. Three massive fire dragons roared forth, their intensity overwhelming.
But no matter how strong Madara was, Kakashi, Guy, and Tsunade were no pushovers.
"Kamui!"
Kakashi used Kamui to absorb one of the fire dragons—not the one in front of him, but the one targeting Guy.
With Guy being the fastest among them, this allowed him to launch a direct attack.
"Morning Peacock!"
(For more details on the twists in Madara's storyline, stay tuned for the author's notes in the following chapters!)
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