"Is that you.... Obito?" Kakashi asked, his voice quivering.
The words hung in the air like a wound reopening. His usual calm mask of his expression cracking completely for the first time in years.
"Obito?" Gai echoed beside him, voice tight with confusion. "Isn't he your teammate from back then? Isn't he supposed to be—"
"Dead?" Kakashi finished, in a hoarse tone. "I'm as shocked as you. But I had my suspicions."
Obito stood there on the water's surface, black cloak billowing in the stormy wind.
He didn't even try to hide it. His entire posture radiated pure, unfiltered rage shoulders tense, fists clenched at his sides, the air around him growing heavier with killing intent.
"Who I am doesn't matter," he said, voice distorted and cold "Only what I'm going to do. I am neither Obito nor Madara. I have no name—only a purpose. Infinite Tsukuyomi—"
He was cut off.
*BAM!*
Naruto appeared in front of him faster than Obito could perceive, his fist already cocked and blazing with concentrated power.
The punch connected squarely with Obito's face. It was filled with brutal, unyielding force sent him flying backward across the water's surface.
His body skipped like a stone.
skrrt-skrrt-skrrt
Bouncing violently across the waves, leaving deep trenches in the water before crashing into the distant water with a massive splash.
Naruto stood where Obito had been, fist still extended, breathing steady.
'I am tired of that dumb speech,' he thought to himself, lowering his hand with a faint sigh.
Suddenly Naruto felt it.
A surge of power vast and suffocating, rolling across the battlefield like a storm front. It didn't feel like chakra he had sensed before. His head turned toward the front lines.
' That's… Madara' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly.
Many kilometers away, where the main forces clashed. The sky had darkened completely, thick rain clouds gathering overhead, thunder rumbling faintly in the distance.
Atop a lone hill stood Madara Uchiha.
His armor intact, long black hair swaying slightly as the wind picked up. He stood with his arms loosely at his sides, posture relaxed as if he were not standing before an entire army, but simply observing a field.
Below him were thousands of shinobi.
'The smell of war… how I've missed it,' Madara thought, eyes scanning slowly across the battlefield. 'Seems the caster of this jutsu was right. A shinobi alliance…'
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. 'I never thought I'd see the day.' His gaze shifted slightly, sharper now.
'Where is Obito?'
He paused. Even through the storm, he could feel it, another presence, distant but undeniable.
Naruto.
'Hmm… someone interesting,' he thought.
The wind picked up, the first drops of rain beginning to fall, tapping lightly against his armor.
Madara looked up briefly. 'The rain is coming… and I hate getting wet.'
Below, the Allied Shinobi Forces stood frozen. No one moved, the pressure alone was enough to make breathing feel heavier.
Ōnoki swallowed, his eyes locked onto the man above them, his usual composure cracking just slightly.
"…That's Madara Uchiha," he said, voice low, strained fear slipping through despite himself.
Shock rippled through the ranks.
"WHAT?!"
Gaara's eyes widened, his gaze snapping toward the hill. "If that's him… then who is Naruto fighting? There can't be two Madaras!"
A heavy laugh echoed nearby.
"Seems like that other fool was a fake!" said Killer B, already shifting as the chakra of the Eight-Tails began to cloak his body, red energy bubbling outward.
The ground trembled faintly as the tension escalated.
Suddenly, two of Naruto's clones arrived, skidding slightly across the wet ground as they came to a stop. Their clothes were torn in places, faint traces of battle still clinging to them, but their expressions were calm.
After helping on the other fronts, they regrouped without hesitation.
"We should summon the boss."
"Yeah… let's do that."
One of them nodded, forming a quick hand sign before activating Flying Raijin.
Whoosh—
He vanished instantly.
In the next moment, he appeared beside the original Naruto and the others, water rippling beneath his feet as he landed. Obito was still recovering from Naruto's earlier punch, slowly rising, his cloak shifting with the rain.
"Here to get me?" Naruto asked, glancing at the clone.
The clone nodded. "I thought you might wanna try him out for a moment."
Naruto smirked slightly. "I do. Stay here. I'll deal with him."
Before Kakashi or Gai could even react. He vanished.
The clone remained behind, seamlessly taking his place, his stance identical.
Naruto reappeared amidst the other battlefield, rain still falling heavily around him. The air here felt different, heavier, thicker with killing intent.
He lifted his gaze.
Madara stood at the highest point of a jagged rock formation, unmoving, like a king overlooking his domain.
Madara noticed him instantly, sensing the Nine-Tails' chakra the moment Naruto arrived.
'So this is the Jinchūriki…' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly. 'I wonder… can I summon the Kyuubi from him?'
Before he could act. Naruto was already there.
He appeared right beside him.
A gust of wind followed a split second later, whipping Madara's hair and cloak as Naruto's sudden presence cut through.
"It's an honor to meet the Ghost of the Uchiha," Naruto said, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Madara didn't turn.
He only glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye, as if he hadn't just appeared out of nowhere.
'He's much stronger than I expected…' Madara thought, his expression unreadable. 'No wonder Obito hasn't secured the Nine-Tails yet.'
"You didn't come here to ask me to sign you an autograph, I assume?" Madara asked, his tone calm, almost amused.
"Of course not. I wanted to see firsthand how strong Madara Uchiha really is… and whether the rumors aren't just fables told to children," Naruto replied, meeting his gaze without hesitation.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved. Only the sound of rain filled the space between them.
Naruto then slowly backed up toward the edge of the rocky pillar, his feet scraping lightly against the wet stone. Without breaking eye contact.
He stepped off.
His body dropped through the air, cloak fluttering behind him as wind rushed past. A second later, he landed below with a heavy splash, water and mud bursting outward from the impact before settling into ripples.
Naruto rose from his crouch and turned to the gathered shinobi nearby, their faces tense, weapons raised despite the overwhelming presence behind him.
"You might wanna get some distance," he said casually, brushing water off his sleeve.
"No. We fight together!" one of them shouted, voice firm despite the pressure.
Others nodded, gripping their weapons tighter, some stepping forward instead of back.
Naruto looked at them, blinking once, clearly not expecting that response. His eyes lingered on them for a second. Then he let out a small breath and shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
Behind him.
Thud.
Madara landed.
The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet, water splashing outward as his armor rattled with a sharp metallic clink. His long hair swayed with the wind, strands sticking slightly from the rain, yet his posture remained perfectly composed.
The air shifted.
Even the shinobi behind Naruto felt it, the sudden weight pressing down on them, instinctively making their bodies tense.
"Since you dare challenge me," Madara said, his voice low but carrying clearly through the rain, "I won't be holding back, boy."
He spread his hands slightly, fingers flexing. Then clenched them.
Chakra flared around him, subtle at first, then heavier, distorting the air just enough to be felt. The ground beneath his feet creaked under the pressure.
Naruto turned to face him fully.
Water dripped from his hair, his expression calm but his eyes sharp, focused.
A grin slowly formed.
"I wouldn't want it any other way," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED