Mere Mortals

After absorbing the God Tree, Madara felt the surge of Chakra within him, and excitement appeared on his face. But it vanished in an instant, because there were still two formidable enemies below.

He studied the Truth-Seeking Orbs behind Naruto and Sasuke's Rinnegan, confusion flashing through his eyes.

One of these brats had had the Tailed Beasts extracted from his body, while the other had been stabbed through the heart by him. They should both have been doomed to die, yet their power had actually skyrocketed.

What had happened when they were on the brink of death?

Or rather—

Madara looked toward Shiraishi Yoshijo, who was flying in the sky and gazing up at the moon. These two brats had both been saved by Shiraishi Yoshijo. Did their sudden increase in strength have something to do with him?

What method had he used? No, even Shiraishi Yoshijo had failed to control the Sage of Six Paths' power. How could he possibly have enabled these two brats to awaken such power?

It seemed that something he did not know about had occurred.

Wariness appeared in Madara's eyes. No matter what, he could no longer regard Naruto and Sasuke as mere brats. Furthermore, Shiraishi Yoshijo had yet to personally make a move; his current strength was still a mystery.

He could underestimate Naruto and Sasuke, but he absolutely could not underestimate Shiraishi Yoshijo. This man had actually managed to seal Black Zetsu, and that space-severing swordsmanship of his also looked extremely troublesome.

"Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch!"

Purple lightning crashed violently toward the two of them. Naruto flung the Black Receiver in his hand forward, blocking the lightning, while Sasuke suddenly vanished.

"Hmm?"

Madara froze for a moment. When he saw Sasuke appear elsewhere, he said thoughtfully, "That distance... teleportation?"

Naruto