"Bang!"
The ground exploded once again, sending countless fragments of rock and clods of earth flying in every direction.
Before Shihōin Naraku could dive down from the sky, Madara Uchiha rose from the deep crater and shot skyward again.
Their clash had gone on for quite some time, but even now, it showed no sign of ending.
Naraku undoubtedly held the upper hand in the fight, but defeating Madara completely did not seem so easy.
Of course, that was what Madara himself thought.
He felt that even if he was no match for Shihōin Naraku, he still had a chance of holding out as long as he gave it everything he had.
Little did he know that Naraku had already been holding back considerably without letting it show.
Otherwise, Madara would have lost long ago.
The problem now was that Naraku wanted to let Madara leave for the Main Battlefield.
And Madara wanted the same thing.
But Naraku could not openly let him leave. That would make far too little sense.
As for Madara, with Naraku there, he had no way to break away and head for the Main Battlefield.
So, unexpectedly, both sides were now trying to think of a way.
Time trickled by, and the Sun gradually sank toward the west. The explosions and firelight from afar grew increasingly distinct.
Once, an enormous Tailed Beast Bomb even exploded without warning right beside where Naraku and Madara were fighting.
"Rumble..."
Watching the rising ball of fire blot out the sky, Naraku raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised, yet not all that surprised.
Given the Ten-Tails' abilities, unleashing a Tailed Beast Bomb this powerful over such a great distance was hardly a problem.
After all, in the original storyline, the Ten-Tails could fire a Tailed Beast Bomb straight from the battlefield