"Since you're here, come out!"
In the southern forests of the Land of Fire.
The night wind was rather cool, but within the forest, it carried a grim, murderous air. Unconcealed killing intent permeated the surroundings, making the silence utterly terrifying.
The young man stood in place with a Bone Blade in hand, his handsome face illuminated by the nearby campfire.
After a moment of silence, a tall young man clad in a black skintight combat suit and layered red armor stepped out of the forest, walking toward him one step at a time.
With every step he took, the Chakra around him grew bit by bit. When the firelight finally fell upon him, the calm expression on the young man's face changed at last.
The newcomer carried the Gunbai passed down through the Uchiha Clan from generation to generation. Combined with that incomparably vast amount of Chakra, how could the young man not recognize him as Madara Uchiha, one of the two greatest powerhouses in the Land of Fire?
Looking at the Gunbai on Madara Uchiha's back, the young man knew it was made from a branch of the God Tree. It was exceptionally sturdy and possessed the special ability Uchiha Return, capable of reflecting an opponent's ninjutsu back at them. In the original story, Madara Uchiha had used this ninja tool to reflect Naruto Uzumaki's miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
That alone showed how formidable the Gunbai was. It was a standard divine artifact.
The two stared into each other's eyes. Madara Uchiha glanced at the campfire beside his opponent and frowned slightly as he said coldly, "Lighting a campfire at night in a forest near the battlefield... I don't know whether you lack common sense or are simply too confident."
"Heh, if it hadn't been you and had been one of the thirty-six people who intercepted me before, the presence of a campfire wouldn't have made much difference." The young man chuckled, delight appearing on his face.
The war was nearing its end, and the Land of Water's main force had already begun withdrawing from the Land of Fire. Why had he remained here? Wasn't it so he could personally witness super powerhouses like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha?
Now that Madara Uchiha had come in person, how could he not be delighted at the chance to fight a god of the Shinobi World like him?
Across from him, Madara Uchiha could see it as well. The delight—or rather, excitement—on his opponent's face was enough to show that this young man had been waiting here specifically for him.
Thinking of this, Madara Uchiha nodded and asked, "Were you waiting here specifically for me?"
"Not necessarily for you. I could have been waiting for Hashirama Senju.
After all, the two of you have been called the Twin Pillars of the Land of Fire on the battlefield these past few years, and you both bear the title of gods of the Shinobi World. I've wanted to see you both for myself.
So whether it's you, Madara Uchiha, or Hashirama Senju, either is fine with me." The young man smiled and shook his head before looking at Madara Uchiha as he spoke.
Hearing this, Madara Uchiha burst into laughter. He sized the young man up, then released all his Chakra with overwhelming Haki and declared loudly, "Terrifying young man, tell me your name. I don't want to kill a young man with courage like yours without even knowing his name."
"Takenaka Kaguya, Takenaka!"
The young man grinned, utterly unconcerned by the contempt in Madara Uchiha's words.
After all, this was Madara Uchiha, one of the two strongest men in the Shinobi World.
A powerhouse like him had the right to look down on him.
However, he believed that after this battle, Madara Uchiha would change his mind the next time they met.
"Takenaka Kaguya... what a domineering name. Since you were waiting for me, then come. Let me see the measure of your ability. I hope you can entertain me!"
As Madara Uchiha's voice fell, he drew the Gunbai from his back. Vast Chakra erupted wildly from him, even stripping the bark from the trees around him.
Seeing this, Takenaka Kaguya was equally excited. Ever since the previous leader of the Kaguya Clan—his adoptive father—had died on the Land of Fire battlefield, his sole pursuit had been ultimate power.
Now, Madara Uchiha, a god of the Shinobi World, stood right before him. His body trembled with excitement.
Whoosh!
The Black Bone Blade in his hand spun through a flourish, and the immense Chakra within his body erupted in an instant.
Boom! Boom!
The instant both Chakras erupted in full, the ninjas of the Land of Fire within the forest all wore grave expressions.
Especially the two Elite Jonin fortunate enough to escape. At this very moment, they finally understood just how lucky they had been to leave alive.
"Such terrifying Chakra... this young man has actually become a Kage-level powerhouse."
"My god, the one we faced before was actually such a monster."
"Hiss... Chakra no weaker than Lord Madara's, appearing in a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy?"
"..."
As the Land of Fire ninjas cried out in shock, every word reached Madara Uchiha's ears. He looked at Takenaka Kaguya, surprise and admiration flashing through his eyes. "I thought Hashirama and I were remarkable enough. I never expected a monster like you to exist.
If we were the same age, neither Hashirama nor I would be your match.
Unfortunately, you are still too young."
The moment Madara Uchiha finished speaking, he formed a seal with one hand at a speed that left people dumbfounded.
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu.
Madara Uchiha spewed four fire dragons from his mouth. They attacked simultaneously from above, below, left, and right. This Fire Release technique had an almost one hundred percent hit rate; aside from taking it head-on, there was no way to evade it. However, it required an extremely vast amount of Chakra to use.
Faced with Madara Uchiha's opening probe, Takenaka Kaguya's expression returned to calm. As the four fire dragons closed in, the Black Bone Blade in his hand was instantly filled with Chakra, its blade covered in an incomparably sharp edge.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Black Bone Blade danced, flashes of blade light cutting through the air as all four fire dragons were severed down the middle.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original story, Madara Uchiha used this move against the Five Kage after Kabuto Yakushi revived him with Impure World Reincarnation. Though Tsunade blocked it, it consumed the Chakra of her Strength of a Hundred Technique. Its power was exceptionally great.
Yet now, Takenaka Kaguya had precisely neutralized it, and he even seemed to do so with ease.
Madara Uchiha witnessed the scene from across the way, and he thoroughly acknowledged Takenaka Kaguya's strength.
He did not continue attacking. He merely gave the Gunbai a light swing, then said appreciatively, "Truly remarkable. In the entire Shinobi World, fewer than a handful of people can deal with that move of mine so easily.
Takenaka Kaguya, you truly amaze me."
"Heh, receiving praise from Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the Shinobi World, is quite an honor. But this sort of probing can end now.
After all, this isn't the level of ninjutsu I came to witness!"
Facing Madara Uchiha's praise, Takenaka chuckled. Then he stared directly at his opponent and spoke.
"Ha ha ha, very well. In that case, let me test your strength a little further."
Madara Uchiha was not angry. On the contrary, having such an opponent put him in a very pleasant mood.
After all, throughout the wars of recent years, every enemy he encountered had been effortlessly slaughtered by him.
At times, he even felt those opponents were too weak—so weak that he had no interest in making a move at all.
"Come!"
Before you continue