Thousands of miles away, Flying Thunder God arrived in an instant!
Madara thought it was one of Kazu's shadow clones and kicked without hesitation!
But the moment Madara's foot landed on Kazu's body, the force that pushed back against him made his eyes narrow.
Then Kazu's fist moved like a flash of light.
Bang!
With a thunderous impact, Madara was sent flying—yet he halted himself midair.
"…So this is your real body. Looks like your chakra's running dry."
Kazu's counterstrike wasn't as heavy as before.
From that single exchange, Madara had already gotten a rough read on Kazu's condition.
So Kazu dared to chase him now… because he was basically asking to die.
The roles of hunter and prey had flipped completely.
"I said the only one who could truly stand against me was Hashirama Senju," Madara said coldly. "But now… you too, Kazu."
With that, Madara formed seals and refined his chakra.
Kazu was strong—no question—but his reserves weren't bottomless. In Madara's eyes, Kazu pursuing him at this moment was suicide.
Since you want to die… I'll send you to hell myself.
A vast, suffocating pressure surged outward from Madara, startling flocks of birds into the air.
"Perfect Susanoo!"
Madara's hands snapped through seals, and visible chakra poured off his body—so dense it was almost tangible.
A colossal behemoth, nearly a hundred meters tall, took shape in the air.
Its presence was overwhelming—like a tengu wrapped in armor, wings spread behind it, and twin long blades at its waist.
It towered into the clouds, crushing the air with sheer intimidation.
For a heartbeat, the whole world seemed to fall silent.
Madara looked at Kazu and said evenly, "It's a shame. Your chakra reserves are nowhere near mine. Don't call it unfair—you carry Hashirama's legacy in your bloodline, so of course I'm going all-out."
Then he didn't hesitate.
Perfect Susanoo raised its blade and brought it down in one brutal slash.
Rumble—!
The sword stopped—yet behind Kazu, a deep ravine split open instantly.
Whoosh!
The fissure raced outward like a wound tearing across the earth, stretching thousands of meters in a blink.
But in front of Kazu, a wooden shield shaped like a fanged grimace appeared—blocking the strike.
"Wood Release: Wood Shield (Ranking Technique)!"
Madara stared, momentarily stunned, as if he'd been yanked back to the Valley of the End.
Back then, Hashirama had used this same technique to stop Madara's slash through Susanoo.
And now… it had stopped his again.
"Heh. Not bad," Madara chuckled. "You exceeded my expectations. But if I keep swinging—how many times can you block it?"
The words had barely left his mouth before Perfect Susanoo's blade came down again.
Rumble!
Rumble!
Rumble!
Each strike heavier than the last.
By the third slash, Kazu's wooden shield shattered.
"You're already impressive," Madara said, raising his blade high. "But the winner is still me."
Destructive chakra condensed along the edge.
The pressure alone split distant trees before the blade even fell.
Kazu looked up at him and smiled.
"You think I'm out of chakra?" he said calmly. "Fine. Then I'll top myself off."
"Activate Indra's power."
[Ding. Host has activated Indra's power!]
According to the system, this wasn't a fragment—it was Indra's complete power, restoring Kazu to full strength in an instant.
But because Kazu hadn't fully adapted yet, Hashirama's Asura-derived power from the character card and Indra's power couldn't fuse into Six Paths power yet.
Kazu could see the system display: [Six Paths Power Fusion: 1%]
Only one percent… he had no idea how long it would take to reach full integration.
When it hit 100%, his strength should be on the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
Madara felt it immediately.
Kazu's chakra skyrocketed—so dense it felt like it could spill over, almost like liquid.
And the chakra spilling from Kazu was purple, with a faint golden tint threaded through it.
"What… is that?"
Kazu entered Sage Mode in an instant, wrapped in violet-gold aura.
"This," he said lightly, "is Indra's power."
"Indra's power?!"
Madara's expression twisted, and Perfect Susanoo's blade came down again.
BOOM!
Another fanged wooden shield formed in front of Kazu, stopping the slash—
—yet the shockwave behind him erased the forest like it was paper.
Madara's face went pale. His body trembled despite himself.
"That chakra… it doesn't make sense. Why are you still this loaded?!"
Kazu smiled. "Surprised?"
He formed seals and slammed his palms to the ground.
The earth shook violently.
A massive Wood Golem surged out—roughly the size of Perfect Susanoo.
"I don't believe it!" Madara roared as Perfect Susanoo's chakra blade crashed down again.
But the Wood Golem brought its hands together—
—and caught the blade barehanded.
Bang!
The impact could've flattened mountains.
And yet Kazu's golem stopped it—empty-handed.
"How is that possible?!"
"How does he still have the power to resist?! Why does his chakra feel stronger than before?!"
Madara had expected a one-sided execution.
Instead, his composure began to crack.
Not only was Kazu not dead—he'd become even stronger.
That violet-gold chakra… those Sage markings… it felt even more oppressive than Hashirama's presence in the old days.
Before Madara could recover, Kazu moved.
No True Several Thousand Hands—just the Wood Golem.
It drove a punch down like a falling mountain.
BOOM!
A plain, simple punch—
—and it smashed straight into Perfect Susanoo's chest… right where Madara stood.
Madara's eyes blew wide as that giant fist filled his vision.
"I—"
He didn't even get to finish.
The punch blasted him out of Perfect Susanoo and into the air.
The shockwave ripped the sky apart.
RUMBLE!
Madara cratered the ground, dust exploding outward.
Perfect Susanoo's chest armor cracked open with a massive fissure.
Bang!
Perfect Susanoo retaliated immediately.
Two giants—fist and blade—collided in a brutal exchange.
Madara launched himself out of the crater.
Bang!
Another deafening impact.
"How is this possible?!"
Madara coughed blood in midair—then was slammed back down again.
RUMBLE!
He hit the same crater, embedding deeper into the earth.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Above, Kazu stood atop the Wood Golem's head.
"Why?" Madara rasped. "Why are you still this strong?!"
Meanwhile, the fight between the Wood Golem and Perfect Susanoo neared its end.
The golem's arms were severed, but it still kicked Perfect Susanoo away.
Perfect Susanoo flew back and smashed into a hill—obliterating it.
RUMBLE!
The chakra skeleton fractured.
Susanoo began to disintegrate into chakra and flow back into Madara.
Madara turned and ran.
"I can't win right now… but at the bay on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, the Three-Tails is still sleeping. If I absorb three more tails, there's still a chance…"
The border bay was just ahead.
Kazu chased, honestly stunned—Madara actually managed to escape again.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Madara loved posturing, sure—but he also knew exactly when to retreat.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War, he looked down on the allied shinobi forces and the Five Kage because he truly was stronger.
To outsiders it sounded arrogant, but to him it was just reality.
And he praised Hashirama plenty, too—so much that people joked he was the "Number One Hashirama Fan."
Madara was honest in his own way: if you're weak, he calls you weak; if you're strong, he acknowledges it.
Even running away was the same—no shame, just pragmatism.
As he fled, he kept firing Tailed Beast Bombs to slow Kazu down.
But to Kazu, those were nothing but speed bumps.
Then Kazu reached the bridge he'd straightened earlier—
—and saw Madara leap straight into the sea.
"No way… he's escaping by diving?!"
Kazu rushed to the shoreline and watched Madara vanish beneath the waves.
At that moment, a massive turtle-like creature surfaced—
A spiked shell, three tails.
Kazu narrowed his eyes.
"Three-Tails?!"
Before he could react, Madara burst back out of the water.
From his body, countless chakra chains shot out and wrapped around the Three-Tails.
"ROAR—!"
Isobu barely got the sound out before Madara slammed it with Susanoo, stunning it.
Pushed to the brink, Madara didn't hesitate.
He dragged the Three-Tails into himself in one go.
"Absorbing the Three-Tails…"
Kazu instantly understood.
He's going all-in.
Just as Kazu expected, after absorbing it, Madara turned and stared at him from the sea.
They faced each other across the cliff and the ocean.
Madara didn't waste words. He formed seals and pressed his palms to the water's surface.
The sea erupted.
Waves churned violently.
Madara aged at a visible speed—black hair turning gray, his face collapsing back into the wrinkled old form.
And in front of him… the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path appeared.
This time, it had opened four eyes. Its nine tails swayed. Its movements were far more fluid—
—and its roar shook the coastline.
With the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails absorbed, it was already a pseudo Ten-Tails.
On the far side, Mist ninja stared in horror.
"What is that?!"
"Hurry—report to the Fourth Mizukage-sama!"
"Why is Kirigakure always getting dragged into disasters?!"
Madara's eyes stayed locked on Kazu as he formed seals again.
"Susanoo armor!"
At the Valley of the End, he'd armored the Nine-Tails with Susanoo.
This time—he armored the Ten-Tails.
Susanoo plating wrapped around the Ten-Tails instantly.
"With your Wood Release, it's impossible to break my Susanoo!" Madara snarled.
He had seen Kazu use True Several Thousand Hands in Konoha, and he refused to believe Kazu could still do it now.
"If you can still use True Several Thousand Hands, I'll eat the Ten-Tails!"
But in the very next second, Madara's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
Kazu froze for a beat. "You can put Susanoo on the Ten-Tails…?"
Then he moved.
Hand seals blurred. He slammed his palms down.
RUMBLE—!
A flood of Sage chakra surged out like a river turning into a sea—
mixed with Indra's power, violet-gold and overwhelming.
"Sage Art: Wood Release – True Several Thousand Hands!"
Kazu stood atop the Wood Golem—
and the Wood Golem sat atop the head of the colossal Buddha.
Violet-gold chakra roared like a storm.
BOOM!
The cliff face collapsed.
The bridge that once linked both sides shattered instantly.
The coastline shoved inland by hundreds of meters as sand and rock poured down and formed new land.
Just the appearance of the Thousand-Armed Buddha reshaped the entire shoreline.
The Mist ninja on the far side screamed again.
"The Thousand-Armed Buddha! It's Kazu's Thousand-Armed Buddha—report to the Mizukage-sama, now!"
"My god… that's the Konoha Demon King's technique!"
By now, Kazu's name had spread through Kirigakure.
They called him the Demon King of Konoha—because only a demon could summon a demon-buddha like that.
Compared to the Thousand-Armed Buddha, the Susanoo-armored Ten-Tails looked… small.
Kazu stared down at Madara from above.
Madara was frozen, voice stuttering.
"You… you… you—how is that even possible?!"
True Several Thousand Hands crushed what was left of Madara's confidence.
"It's unbelievable," Madara said, rage and awe twisting together. "That chakra… fine! I'll admit it. Of all the opponents I've ever faced… you're stronger than Hashirama. No one can deny you!"
"I, Madara Uchiha… call you the strongest!"
Madara roared, and a violet chakra blade formed in the Ten-Tails' Susanoo hand and slashed at the Thousand-Armed Buddha.
Even knowing he would lose, he still swung.
That was Madara—burning everything at the end.
A slash packed with his entire life's will.
RUMBLE!
The blade sank deep between the Thousand-Armed Buddha's legs and got stuck.
Then—
The Thousand-Armed Buddha grabbed the Susanoo-armored Ten-Tails with one hand—
—and a thousand fists fired at once.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Susanoo shattered instantly.
The incomplete Ten-Tails was beaten apart like it was made of clay.
As the beast broke, Madara—still maintaining Susanoo—spat out a mouthful of blood.
"I still… lost," he muttered. "God wasn't on my side. If I'd collected all nine tailed beasts, today wouldn't end like this…"
"I'll come back… next time I'll become a true Ten-Tails jinchūriki!"
At the last moment, Madara dismissed the Ten-Tails summoning.
The Ten-Tails vanished instantly.
Only Madara remained, collapsing onto the beach.
Kazu dropped from the Thousand-Armed Buddha, and the system prompt appeared.
[Ding. Option 1 complete. Reward obtained: SSS-level Character – Madara Uchiha (Reanimation/Edo Tensei).]
"…Madara Uchiha died like that?"
Kazu frowned, confused—but if the system said it, it should be true.
…
When Kazu returned to Konohagakure carrying Madara's body, the village's reconstruction was in full swing.
The moment people saw him, they surged forward.
A sea of people.
Packed shoulder to shoulder—everyone staring from a distance at Kazu's return.
"Kazu-sama!"
"Kazu-sama is back!"
"Is that… Madara in his hands?!"
"Hero!"
"Konoha's hero!"
"Kazu-sama!"
"Kazu-sama is mighty!"
At the front stood Konoha's highest authorities:
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mito Uzumaki, and the clan heads of thirty-five families.
They had formed a provisional supreme council to oversee the reconstruction.
Team 7—Kakashi, Obito, and Rin—were squeezed somewhere in the back.
"So many people…"
"So many came to welcome Kazu-sensei!"
"Kazu-sensei is insane!"
Even Kazu was slightly stunned—he had never seen this many people gathered at once.
He set Madara's body down and asked immediately,
"Where's Kushina?"
Everyone froze, then quickly parted.
Kushina stepped forward from behind.
Kazu smiled when he saw her. He ruffled her hair.
"I'm back."
Hiruzen, Mito, and the thirty-five clan heads became background scenery, silently watching Kazu and Kushina's moment.
Kushina glanced at all the eyes around them and said, embarrassed,
"Ahem… Kazu, talk to Hiruzen-sama first. We'll talk when we get home…"
After that, she retreated shyly. With this many people watching, how could she not?
Kazu turned to Mito.
"Grandma Mito, I brought Madara's body back."
By then, Hiruzen had already walked over and examined the corpse carefully.
"So it really was Madara…" Hiruzen murmured. "I thought he died forty years ago. To think he was alive, working behind the scenes all this time… This answers a lot of questions from the past years."
He frowned.
"Secure the body. We can't let him fake his death and slip away again like he did forty years ago."
At Hiruzen's order, Minato Namikaze immediately led ANBU to take Madara's body away.
Then Hiruzen looked at Kazu.
Killing the Third Mizukage, ending the chaos among Konoha's three major factions, and now bringing back Madara's corpse—
With feats like that, Kazu's reputation would likely surpass his own.
Hiruzen took a breath and raised his voice.
"Everyone—welcome Kazu's return!"