Chapter 40

The sun had barely begun to rise above the horizon. Blazing fireballs streaked across the sky, setting half of it ablaze and bringing light and heat to the earth in place of the sun. The two Uchiha Madaras darted through the murderous flames, moving so fast that the naked eye couldn't pin down their positions for even an instant.

In a battle between top-tier shinobi, even a moment's pause meant death.

Once they realized the other's Mangekyo could withstand the level suppression of their Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and was completely unaffected by genjutsu, their only option was to clash with chakra and Taijutsu. Madara knew he was at a disadvantage in Taijutsu, so he kept using his extreme speed to widen the distance between them. Ninjutsu was immensely destructive, and Uchiha Madara was mindful of Konoha, so he controlled the pace of the fight and gradually moved it outside the village. Madara needed something from the First, so he wouldn't go too far, either. He dodged sideways as two roaring fire dragons twisted toward him, then pressed forward.

The buildings in the area where the earlier fit of rage had caused destruction had collapsed, leaving everything charred black. Fortunately, there had been no casualties. People who had just woken from their dreams were startled by the flames and thunderous crashes outside. Panic-stricken, they rushed out and sought protection from the shinobi. The streets were in chaos.

When the First arrived with a group of elite shinobi, this was the scene that greeted him.

Hashirama was helping calm the villagers. When he noticed the First's arrival, he nodded in greeting.

The elite shinobi who had come with the First saw Hashirama and froze.

H-how-how could there be two Lord Hokages?! Was I still dreaming?! ...Right! I had to be dreaming! Dreaming that Konoha, which had been fine yesterday, was under attack—and that there were two Lord Hokages... More than one shinobi tried to convince himself of this.

The First ordered the shinobi, "Go evacuate the people and assess the damage!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" the shinobi answered in a daze. Even in a dream, they still had to obey the First's orders!

The First gazed toward the place lit by flames as far as the eye could see... He could sense Uchiha Madara's chakra there. He asked Hashirama, "Who's Madara fighting?"

"Madara."

The First froze, then caught on and frowned. "Why didn't you stop them?"

"Two Uchiha Madaras. Could I stop them?" Hashirama smiled helplessly. "It's fine. Let them fight it out. At least we can keep the situation under control if they fight within our sight." Either Madara's death would be an enormous loss.

"True. Madara's personality..." The First swallowed the rest of his sentence. There was no need to spell out what they both knew. If the Madara from the other world was the same, then getting them to coexist peacefully really would be... difficult.

The First fell silent.

Hashirama fell silent, too, looking at the First with a hint of pity. What did he mean, similar personalities? The Uchiha Madara of this world was merely proud and cold. Once he actually met the Madara from our world, he'd understand what it meant to have a poisonous tongue with no limits, to set a trap every three sentences, to be sold out and help count the money, to be a thousand-year-old menace...

"Is that all you've got?" Madara spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered. "The Eternal Mangekyo you got by trading Izuna for it is nothing special!"

The name Izuna once again hit Uchiha Madara right where it hurt. He intercepted a hidden weapon with his left hand just before it pierced his heart, then swept out his right. Five fire dragons surged with immense energy, sealing off his escape routes once more. "You've still got the strength to run your mouth. Guess you're not hurt badly enough."

Both fighters held back even as they struck to kill. Uchiha Madara hadn't used Susanoo, and Madara hadn't activated his mental field to suppress his opponent. It wasn't mercy. They simply disdained winning by cheating against another version of themselves. That was the pride unique to Uchiha Madara.

After several exchanges, they'd both gained a new respect for each other. Madara admired his opponent's seemingly endless chakra, powerful Taijutsu, and extraordinary battle instincts. Uchiha Madara was secretly impressed by his precise control of energy, command of the battle's pace, and ever-changing tactics. Fighting Madara was both exhausting and taxing on the mind.

His opponent was worthy of the name Uchiha Madara!

Overall, this world's Uchiha Madara had the edge. After all, he was nearly twenty years older. Some things couldn't improve without the passage of time.

Madara looked miserable now. He hadn't wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his white clothes were stained with blood all over. Uchiha Madara wasn't in much better shape, though. His yukata was ripped in patches and nearly in tatters...

"Just admit defeat! You can't beat me!" Uchiha Madara said coldly from his high perch.

"Jumping to conclusions so soon isn't a good habit." Madara licked his lips, the taste of blood sharp on his tongue. "Many powerful people make the same mistakes: judging things by their surface, indulging in illusory emotions to deceive themselves, revealing their thoughts too carelessly, treating others with contempt because of their own strength, and forcing their personal will on others without considering the reality before them."

Uchiha Madara wasn't moved in the slightest. "Are you still trying to bluff?"

Madara's lips curled slightly. He'd explained it plainly. Whether his opponent had understood the deeper meaning was no longer his concern. "Did you forget something? My hidden weapons... weren't thrown away for nothing."

At his words, the chakra left on the hidden weapons scattered across the area began to glow. In an instant, the lights connected, forming a crisscrossing pattern that bound both of them at its center. Viewed from above, a huge formation covered the entire area.

Most of the hidden weapons were ones he'd "missed" when throwing them. Scattered, they formed a pattern—seemingly random, yet orderly. Madara had managed to lay out such a vast formation in the midst of a battle where each move could mean life or death!

"See? Even if I can't kill you, I can still take you down with me." The earth beneath their feet began to shake, but Madara's faint smile didn't waver. "So the result of this match should be... a draw!"

—BOOM!

After a tremendous crash, a hill to the north of Konoha was gone.

The two Uchiha Madaras returned covered in dust.

The Uchiha clan members present wore complicated, conflicted expressions at the sight of their two clan heads. The First, meanwhile, showed rare anger. "Madara, you caused all this commotion. You went too far!" He didn't single out either Madara, because both Uchiha Madaras deserved a scolding!

Uchiha Madara turned away. Madara took some clothes and a handkerchief out of the Space Eater, then leisurely tidied himself up. Seeing that neither of them would listen to reason, the First helplessly rubbed his throbbing head. One Uchiha Madara was bad enough. Two were a disaster!

Once Madara had finished tidying up, his elegant appearance was restored. He gave the First a slight nod. "Senju-kun, I apologize for causing you trouble by imposing on you."

The First couldn't help taking a step back. He wasn't used to seeing Uchiha Madara in this state. "...It's fine. Just be more careful next time."

"As long as a certain someone doesn't deliberately provoke me, I doubt anything like this will happen again." He continued to smile politely while planting the idea in their minds for the long term: if they fought again, it would absolutely be the other person's fault!

Hashirama silently turned his head aside. So you were just shifting the blame onto someone else?

"This is compensation." Madara took something else out of the Space Eater—or rather, poured out a pile of money. "It's a small token of my sincerity."

A pile of money! Not a few bills or even a stack! Everyone watched the endless flutter of banknotes, their expressions shifting from curiosity to speechlessness, then finally to envy and resentment!

"Madara-kun." Since they weren't familiar enough to call him Uchiha, and calling him by his name alone seemed inappropriate, the First added the formal "-kun" to distinguish him. "The currencies of our two worlds can't be used interchangeably."

"I see..." Madara sighed and waved the money back into the Space Eater. His face showed a hint of regret and apology. "I damaged quite a few things by accident during the fight. Compensation is only right and proper. I feel guilty that I can't make it right now."

Everyone present lowered their heads... Please don't make such an artistic expression with our clan head's/Lord Madara's face! We simply couldn't handle it!

"How about this? If you ever need help, Senju-kun, I'll do everything I can." Madara's gaze was perfectly sincere. Uchiha Madara couldn't help scoffing from the side, but he quickly stopped laughing.

Madara settled the matter in just a few words, then left with Hashirama. The moment the First, who'd kept a mild expression for half the day, turned his gaze back to Uchiha Madara, his tone turned cold again. "I'd nearly forgotten! Madara, now let's discuss the compensation. And, of course, not just for this time..."

After tripping up the Uchiha Madara of this world twice, Madara felt much better.

Ignoring the respectful and disbelieving glances that followed them along the way, Madara suddenly turned his head. "Hashirama, why have you been staring at me?"

"You have internal injuries," Hashirama said firmly.

"They're only minor." Madara instinctively touched his abdomen. How had he noticed such a well-hidden injury?

"Don't be so reckless next time. The Uchiha Madara here has the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan," Hashirama said solemnly. He'd only found out while talking with the First. Otherwise, he would definitely have stopped him.

As the Uchiha's longtime rivals, the Senju knew a thing or two about the Sharingan. The higher-level Sharingan's suppression alone could put Madara at a disadvantage. The Uchiha Madara of this world was no soft touch!

Madara narrowed his eyes slightly. "I already knew. But I wanted to test my own strength... and his, too."

"Madara!" A nameless anger rose in Hashirama's heart. Realizing his emotions were out of control, he paused, then lowered his voice. "Don't risk your life!"

"If I dared to do it, I was naturally certain I'd win. Although we're different in many ways, we're alike in one respect..." Madara rubbed the Jade Ring on his thumb, smiling as calmly as drifting clouds. "How could an Uchiha Madara who'd already lost his younger brother bear to make Izuna lose his older brother? Even if that Izuna lived in another world."

Uchiha Madara wouldn't kill him. He'd understood that from the start, and it was why he'd remained so confident despite being at a disadvantage.

He'd gotten far too much information from the illusion in Uchiha Madara's dream. So from the moment he'd first spoken to the Uchiha Madara of this world, he'd already been quietly setting his plan in motion.

No matter how powerful someone was, if they had a weakness in their heart, they couldn't beat him. Even if they won one battle, he could still make them lose their entire life.