"You've finally arrived?"
Ren's chakra wasn't only something Madara Uchiha had sensed. The four collapsed on the ground—Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin—had felt it too.
The moment they did, all four of them let out a quiet breath of relief.
But after hearing Ren speak, Kakashi's expression suddenly tightened.
"Madara Uchiha?"
That name was one he knew all too well. He had never imagined this man would be brought back as well.
As for Chiyo, she was so shocked she could barely speak.
That man… was summoned too?
"Mr. Kakashi, you know who he is?" Sasuke asked in a low voice.
Kakashi and Chiyo both knew exactly what that name meant. But that didn't mean Naruto and the others did.
Still, Ren's arrival had clearly steadied everyone's nerves. They trusted Ren's strength completely, so even Sasuke couldn't help asking.
Kakashi was silent for a moment. Then, staring at the arrogant figure still standing with his arms crossed, eyes fixed solely on Ren, he answered in a low voice,
"There's one thing you should know. He was one of the two heroes who founded Konoha alongside the First Hokage, and the entire ninja world acknowledged him as someone only slightly inferior to the First."
He paused before continuing.
"He was the head of the Uchiha clan, the man known as the Asura of the Shinobi World…"
"Madara Uchiha."
Only slightly weaker than the First Hokage.
Head of the Uchiha clan.
Asura of the Shinobi World.
One of Konoha's founders.
That string of titles nearly made Naruto and the others black out on the spot.
So he was another monster on the level of the First Hokage?
No wonder the four of them had been crushed instantly, unable to resist at all.
At the same time, a question rose in all of their minds.
If he was that important… then why had they never heard of him before?
After all, this was one of the people who had built Konoha itself.
"There's one thing you got wrong, brat."
At that moment, Madara suddenly shifted his gaze slightly toward Kakashi.
"I didn't lose to that fool Hashirama. On the contrary, I won. But there's no need for you lot to know the details."
His eyes soon returned to Ren and Hikari, and the interest in them was impossible to hide.
"What interests me now are you two little brats. You've given me a rather unusual feeling."
In Madara's eyes, he could truly see shadows of himself and Hashirama in them.
That familiar chakra.
That unusual balance of Yin Release and Yang Release.
Everything about them stirred old memories in him.
And along with that nostalgia… came irritation.
Back then, he and Hashirama had fought side by side, yes, but never to the point where they truly faced the whole world together as one.
Hashirama always had his own considerations.
Madara had his own ambitions.
Their differences had always created conflict.
But these two?
Just look at that Uchiha girl.
Her eyes were full of that Senju brat.
Madara didn't doubt for a second that whatever Ren said, that Uchiha woman would do without hesitation.
Damn it.
Why weren't Hashirama and I like that back then?
"Maybe," Ren said calmly.
At that moment, he too was sizing Madara up with open curiosity.
He had always been fascinated by this so-called greatest show-off in the ninja world.
Some of the most unforgettable moments in his memories were inseparable from Madara's existence.
And now, standing face to face with him, Ren could clearly sense it.
Madara had yet to fully recover his strength, but the aura radiating from him was already enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
As expected of the first man in a thousand years to awaken the Rinnegan while being completely played from start to finish.
"I never thought Orochimaru would actually bring you back," Ren said with a faint smile. "And I have to admit, the feeling you give me is… dangerous."
"Oh?"
Madara arched a brow.
"You feel even more dangerous than the First Hokage did when he was summoned," Ren continued. "Maybe Orochimaru used better materials this time."
He shook his head lightly.
"Unfortunately, he didn't cause me much trouble. Though I do wonder whether Orochimaru told you one important thing."
Ren's smile deepened.
"My Yin–Yang Release works extremely well on Impure World Reincarnation bodies."
"You really are arrogant…" Madara's eyes narrowed, the red of his Sharingan gleaming coldly.
Hashirama had already been summoned once?
And this brat had dispersed him with Yin–Yang Release?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Madara's mood turned strange.
And beneath that strangeness, irritation began to rise.
Because neither Orochimaru nor Black Zetsu had told him that.
But at that point, he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it.
A different thought had already surfaced.
If I defeat this brat… wouldn't that mean I've effectively defeated Hashirama in name as well?
That idea made the corners of his lips curl upward.
"Interesting. You're very interesting, brat."
His smile appeared at the same time his presence changed completely.
Cold chakra erupted from him, and the three tomoe in his eyes began to spin.
"You seem awfully confident just because you beat Hashirama. In that case…"
Boom!
Madara exploded forward.
In an instant, he was right in front of Ren, his fist carrying terrifying force as it smashed toward him.
"Let me see just how great your measure truly is!"
But the moment his fist shot out, a wall of wood suddenly rose between them.
"So fast?"
Madara frowned.
He hadn't seen Ren weave any signs at all.
Yet behind that wooden wall, Ren hadn't even looked at him.
Instead, Ren turned toward Hikari and smiled.
"I know you can handle him too, but I'm itching for this one. Leave him to me."
Madara almost ground his teeth at that.
This brat was treating him as if he were an afterthought.
"Oh. Fine."
Hikari glanced at Madara once, then gave a small nod. In a flicker, she had already appeared beside Kakashi and the others.
"Brat."
Madara's eyes turned even redder.
"Impressive Wood Release. But arrogant ninjas never have a future."
As he spoke, his power surged again.
Black Zetsu and Orochimaru had worked together on this summoning. Naturally, they hadn't used poor materials.
And Black Zetsu had subtly guided Orochimaru more than once, making the snake sannin think he had discovered the crucial methods himself.
Because of that, the strength Madara could display now wasn't weak at all.
In fact…
It might even have surpassed the level he originally showed when he was reanimated during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Crack!
With a burst of force, Ren's wooden wall shattered.
Madara immediately followed with a savage kick aimed straight at Ren.
But Ren was even faster.
For just a split second, Madara felt a strange blur—and then Ren was gone.
"This is…"
Madara muttered instinctively, his body dropping low in an instant.
A leg swept over his head from behind.
"Flying Thunder God… that damned Tobirama's technique?"
"Correct," Ren said. "No reward, though."
This time, his voice came from Madara's flank.
He had used Flying Thunder God again.
A sharp flash sliced toward Madara's neck, fast as lightning.
Even when facing Flying Thunder God, Madara's reactions were monstrous.
Whether because he wanted to preserve the dignity of the Uchiha or because he truly feared Ren's Yin–Yang Release, he chose to evade rather than take the hit head-on.
With an extreme twist of his body, he narrowly avoided the slash.
Strange. There's no visible mark. How is he teleporting?
Madara's mind spun rapidly, but Ren gave him no time to think.
No sooner had Madara moved than Ren flickered again, appearing above him.
"Try this. Rasengan!"
A sphere of violently rotating chakra smashed downward.
For a moment, Ren had completely forced Madara onto the defensive.
"Hmph!"
Madara gave a cold snort.
He twisted around at the fastest possible speed, his eyes whirling.
Blue chakra flared around his body, forming a defense that blocked the Rasengan.
At the same time, he used the force of the impact itself to leap backward, instantly opening dozens of meters between them.
"I see now," Madara said after landing. "You're far better than Tobirama Senju ever was at using Flying Thunder God, brat."
His gaze remained flat as he formed hand seals.
"You hide your Flying Thunder God markers through Wood Release seeds. That trick would be enough to beat almost anyone."
He looked at Ren coldly.
"But not me."
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
A sea of flames surged forward, vast enough to swallow the world itself.
"A Fire Release to burn away my seeds?"
Ren raised an eyebrow at the scale of it, then vanished from the spot at once.
But the moment he leapt into the air, he looked up—
And saw a giant of blue chakra already descending above him.
The Third Form of Susanoo raised a glowing blue blade and brought it down with explosive force.
"Your timing's pretty good."
Ren didn't look flustered in the slightest.
Madara Uchiha really was Madara Uchiha. His sense for seizing opportunities was absurd.
The smallest opening could become a killing blow in his hands.
"In that case…"
"Wood Release: Wood Human!"
Boom!
Violent energy burst outward.
The next second, an enormous hand erupted from the ground and shot upward.
That giant hand caught the descending blade of Susanoo, and the collision unleashed a visible shockwave that exploded in every direction.
The ground cracked like a spiderweb.
Dust and debris filled the sky.
The earth trembled like it was about to split apart.
And the hand that had blocked the blade didn't stop there.
Fueled by Ren's chakra, it continued growing.
In the midst of smoke and dust, a giant over a hundred meters tall rose into view.
Boom!
Wave after wave of terrifying energy rolled out from it, instantly reducing the nearby oasis to nothing.
The remaining trees were set ablaze by Madara's flames, black smoke rising together with the dust.
Only the silhouettes of two gigantic figures remained visible through the haze, radiating a pressure so overwhelming that the whole scene looked like hell itself.
"This is bad…"
Kakashi stared at everything before him, cold sweat already running down his forehead.
This wasn't a distant aftershock anymore.
They were standing right beside the battlefield.
His heartbeat had sped up.
His blood was surging.
Even his breathing had become strained.
Back then, just the aftereffects of Ren's battles had been enough to make them afraid to get close.
Now a fight of this level was unfolding right in front of them.
How could he not be shaken?
"Those are truly inhuman powers…"
Even Chiyo couldn't help murmuring.
Compared to Kakashi, she understood Ren's strength even more clearly.
After all, she had once personally received one of his "heavy punches."
Even so, Madara Uchiha's name carried too much weight. Chiyo came from that era herself.
She knew Ren was absurdly strong—so strong he could barely be called human—but she still couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"Can your Hokage's aide really handle Madara Uchiha?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Hikari's voice was calm as she glanced at Chiyo from the corner of her eye.
"This Madara Uchiha seems strong, but I can tell his strength is being limited."
She paused, then added flatly,
"And just because you've fought Ren once doesn't mean you know where his limit is. Against people like you, he never even got serious."
That wasn't polite at all.
It hit Chiyo so hard her chest nearly tightened with anger.
But the worst part was that she couldn't refute a single word.
Ren was too strong.
She genuinely had no idea where his limit lay.
Stuffed full of frustration, Chiyo held her tongue.
Karin thought for a moment before speaking softly.
"Big Sis Hikari, we should move away first. Even with your protection, staying here might affect Big Brother Ren's fighting. So…"
The intensity of the battle was simply too high.
To shield everyone, Hikari had already activated her Susanoo.
Her original plan had clearly been to reinforce Ren at any moment, but after hearing Karin and glancing around at the environment, she thought for a bit before nodding.
"Fine. Let's withdraw for now. We're not far, so if I need to help, I can get there quickly. Let's go."
Naruto and Sasuke had gone strangely quiet.
Their eyes were locked on the battlefield, fixed on those gigantic figures within the smoke and sand.
Their gaze was full of longing.
As though they were desperately wishing to one day stand where those two stood.
And more importantly—
At that moment, they both felt something changing in the chakra within their bodies.
The battle ahead seemed to be tugging at their chakra itself, creating a strange resonance.
The reaction was faint, almost subtle.
But it was there.
It felt like something inside them was being guided.
Their yearning deepened.
Even the power in their bodies seemed to be shifting.
"This is…"
Inside Naruto, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes in disbelief.
"Damn it… that's Madara Uchiha!"
"And…"
"How is that possible?"
"That aura… it feels like the old man's?"
"What the hell is going on?"
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