The smoke thinned.
What remained of Madara stood at the center, his body torn apart, pieces scattered, form completely destroyed. For a brief second, there was nothing.
Fragments shifted.
Paper-like strands gathered from the air, swirling inward as if pulled by an unseen force. They wrapped around what remained, layering over each other, stitching him back together piece by piece. Flesh reformed. Limbs reconstructed. His form rebuilt itself with eerie precision.
Until, he stood whole again.
Naruto watched it happen, his smile not fading in the slightest.
'…Fighting an immortal really sucks,' he thought, scratching his cheek lightly as if mildly annoyed. 'What happened to Hidan again? Pretty sure we buried him somewhere… and they dug him out. Since they got Two Tails.'
He paused for half a second.
'…Eh. Plot hole, I guess.'
Madara rolled his shoulder once, then brushed dust off his armor as if nothing had happened.
His expression remained calm, but his eyes hardened, a faint irritation settling beneath his composure.
'…He reminds me of Hashirama,' Madara thought, gaze locking onto Naruto. 'And I'm not fond of that.'
He moved with no warning.
Madara dashed forward, his speed sharp and direct as chakra surged through him. His hand extended, and wood erupted instantly, forming into a long, solid blade.
He raised it high, then quickly brought it down.
Naruto shifted to the side at the last moment, his body tilting just enough for the blade to miss him completely.
SHRAAAK—
The sword cut through the air with force, the leftover energy forming a crescent slash that traveled forward, slicing clean through a massive boulder behind Naruto. The stone split instantly, collapsing in two.
Naruto glanced at it briefly, still smiling.
'…That would've been me.'
Madara didn't stop.
He twisted his wrist, seamlessly transitioning into the next strike. The wooden blade carved diagonally upward, aiming straight for Naruto's torso with precise intent.
Naruto reacted instantly.
He leaned back just enough for the blade to skim past his chest, the edge close enough to feel as it cut through the air. At the same time, his foot slid across the ground, repositioning his stance as his hand came up.
Palm open. Ready to counter. Madara didn't give him space.
The moment the blade passed, he stepped in, twisting his wrist and reversing the grip. The sword came back across in a tight horizontal cut aimed at Naruto's neck.
Naruto dropped.
His knees bent sharply as he sank under the swing, the blade slicing just above his head. His hand pressed briefly against the ground for support as he pivoted on his heel, turning his body inside Madara's reach.
He rose into him. His shoulder drove forward.
THUD
The impact hit Madara's chest, forcing a slight shift in his stance. Naruto followed instantly, his right hand snapping up in a short hook aimed at the jaw.
Madara tilted his head. The punch grazed.
Madara's free hand shot forward, fingers tightening as he aimed to grab Naruto's throat.
Naruto knocked it aside with a sharp parry, his forearm striking Madara's wrist and redirecting it outward. In the same motion, he stepped closer again, closing the gap completely.
Too close for the sword. Madara reacted by releasing it.
The wooden blade dissolved instantly, splintering back into chakra as his hand came up to strike. His elbow drove downward toward Naruto's collarbone.
Naruto shifted his weight back half a step, the elbow missing as it cut through the space in front of him. He rotated his hips and drove a kick toward Madara's side.
BAM
It landed solid.
Madara slid back slightly, feet grinding against the ground as he absorbed the force. His eyes sharpened as he adjusted instantly, stepping back in without hesitation.
Their fists collided.
BOOM
The impact echoed outward, the ground beneath them cracking from the force. They didn't separate. Madara's other hand shot forward.
Naruto caught it.
Their grips locked for a split second, strength pressing against strength as their bodies tensed. Naruto twisted his wrist, breaking the contact as he stepped to the outside, trying to move behind him.
Madara turned with him. Always matching. Naruto's punch came fast, aimed at the ribs.
Madara blocked. A counter followed immediately, a sharp jab toward Naruto's face.
Naruto slipped to the side, letting it pass, then stepped in again, his knee rising toward Madara's midsection.
THUD
This one landed cleaner.
Madara's body folded slightly from the impact, just enough for Naruto to press the advantage. His hand snapped forward, grabbing Madara's shoulder as he pulled him down into a follow-up strike.
His forehead drove forward.
CRACK
The headbutt connected. Madara's head snapped back slightly. But his hand was already moving.
He caught Naruto's arm mid-motion and twisted sharply, attempting to break his balance. Naruto reacted instantly, rolling with the motion instead of resisting it. His body turned, feet lifting briefly off the ground as he flipped over Madara's arm.
He landed behind him.
Naruto's leg whipped around in a tight arc toward the back of Madara's head.
Madara ducked.
The kick passed over him, but Naruto used the momentum, spinning through the motion and planting his foot down as his other hand came forward.
Palm strike.
BAM
It slammed into Madara's back, forcing him forward a step. Naruto didn't chase blindly.
He reset his stance for half a second.
Madara turned. They locked eyes again. Then both moved.
Madara dashed forward, his speed sharp as his hand extended again. Wood burst from his palm, forming another blade mid-swing as he slashed diagonally downward.
Naruto stepped inside the arc. The blade missed him completely.
He drove forward, his fist snapping toward Madara's chest.
Madara shifted his body, letting the strike glance off as he twisted, bringing the blade back up in a rising cut. Naruto leaned away, the tip barely missing his torso as he slid his foot back.
He stepped back in again immediately.
A jab? Blocked.
A cross? Deflected.
Naruto shifted angles, attacking from the side now, his movements faster, tighter. Madara matched him, every defense precise, every counter calculated.
Naruto ducked under another swing, stepping deep into Madara's space again.
His hand came up. A Rasengan forming instantly in his palm. Madara's eyes narrowed. He reacted immediately, grabbing Naruto's wrist before it could fully form. The chakra destabilized, dispersing before completion.
Naruto didn't resist, he let it go. His other hand shot forward instead, striking toward Madara's face.
SMACK
It connected lightly, just enough to disrupt. Naruto pulled his arm free, stepping back half a step.
Then forward again, relentless. Madara's foot slid back slightly as he adjusted, then surged forward once more, refusing to yield ground.
Their clash continued.
To the normal shinobi, the entire fight looked like nothing more than a blur, two figures flickering in and out of sight, movements too fast for the untrained eye to follow. One moment they were on the ground, the next they were high above, then suddenly gone again. These two were really on a whole other level.
TO BE CONTINUED