The Ninja World.
Land of Rain, Sun God construction site.
Uchiha Madara lowered his crossed arms and gazed at Nagato, who was enhancing himself. He didn't interrupt.
As a true warrior, he had no interest in ambushing others. More than that, he was deeply curious about Nagato's current power. He wanted to see just how strong this energy truly was.
The intense chakra—it felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet still within the realm of chakra. However, it also carried something similar to the natural energy Senju Hashirama used.
The power itself was familiar, but the way it was being used was different.
A hint of excitement and anticipation appeared on Madara's face. It had been so many years… Even during the Warring States period, the only one who could truly fight alongside him was Senju Hashirama.
Now, another worthy opponent had appeared. How could he not be thrilled?
This was going to be an exhilarating battle!
"Then, to show my respect for this fight, I, Uchiha Madara, will go all out!"
A deep hum resonated.
The third-stage Susano'o he had been maintaining began to restructure. Violent chakra surged from his Edo Tensei body, forming armor and skeletal plates in an unstable manner. Like a cloaked war god, it slowly rose from the ground.
When the wings and the iconic tengu mask took shape, Madara stood firmly within the diamond-shaped forehead marking of Susano'o. Gripping his hands, he let out a low command:
"Stabilize!"
Instantly, the raging chakra calmed, as if following an order.
The towering giant, the embodiment of destruction—the Perfect Susano'o—had finally appeared. The sheer pressure of its presence sent the surrounding spectators into a panic, fleeing in all directions, terrified of being crushed into paste under its feet.
Compared to the wooden giant that had been shrunken earlier by Obito's Sukunahikona, this fully stabilized Susano'o radiated an overwhelming sense of despair.
"Susano'o is the very symbol of destruction. In this era, the only one who could stand against me was Hashirama."
With his arms crossed again, Madara looked down at Nagato, then glanced toward the Senju brothers locked in battle with Obito.
"But too bad—his wooden giant seems useless now."
Tch.
Once again, he had unintentionally worked together with that failure.
Madara let out a cold snort. He didn't want to admit that Obito had the power to challenge him, but he also wasn't sure whether that strange dojutsu could shrink his Susano'o as well.
"In terms of sheer size, I'll admit you have a reason to be arrogant."
Nagato, in his Sun God Seal mode, remained calm. The Susano'o before him was indeed a force of destruction, but he didn't believe he would lose.
For the Sun God Kingdom's elite warriors, who had developed a complete training system, activating the Sun God Seal was only the first step.
And for Nagato, who lacked Hyuga blood but possessed unmatched regeneration, he had his own unique way of fighting.
"The strength of the Perfect Susano'o isn't just about its size."
Oh well.
Madara could tell—Nagato had never witnessed the true power of the Uchiha. The power of the gods.
He forgave his ignorance.
With a casual swing of his chakra blade, the sky split apart.
In the next moment, an explosion of chakra erupted, and the sheer force of his slash cleaved through mountains and sent massive waves crashing across the inland sea.
A simple attack was enough to shake heaven and earth. No wonder Susano'o was called the embodiment of destruction.
The trembling land and roaring waters were proof of its might.
And what made the Perfect Susano'o truly terrifying wasn't just its raw power—it was the fact that even the simplest attack carried an all-encompassing force, far beyond just physical destruction.
"Among all of Indra's reincarnations, he is the most special, the most gifted, and the one I originally planned to be the strongest villain."
The hidden toad stared intently at the towering giant.
"In fact, even if Indra obtained Asura's chakra, it wouldn't necessarily awaken the Rinnegan. But somehow, he managed to do it."
Uchiha Madara's strength was unquestionable.
Even Obito, who had fought the Senju brothers, found the sight of the Perfect Susano'o a bit too much. He had seen the Susano'os of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui before, but compared to Madara's, those were nothing. At best, they could reach the height of Madara's toes. That alone showed how massive his Susano'o was.
But then again...
Couldn't he just use Sukunahikona to shrink it? That wouldn't be much of a threat.
Having mastered Otsutsuki Isshiki's power, Obito smirked but didn't interfere with Madara. He needed to focus on the Senju brothers. If he split his attention trying to shrink Madara's Susano'o, he might lose control of the Kāma, causing the wooden golems and dragons he had already shrunk to return to their original size. That would be a nightmare.
After all, both the wooden golem and the Susano'o were terrifyingly large monsters, but the real enemies in front of him were the Senju brothers. So, for once, Obito unwillingly found himself cooperating with Madara.
Boom!
With a simple swing of its chakra sword, Madara could no longer hold back his excitement. He raised the colossal blade and swung it down hard at Nagato, who looked as small as an ant from above.
The long sword slashed downward like a blade cutting through the sky, carrying a fierce and terrifying force. Despite its massive size, it moved incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it was already above Nagato's head.
"When an ant faces an attack that can destroy everything, it tries to dodge to survive. But behind you is your home—the Land of Rain. If you choose to run, your hesitation will bring its destruction."
"So, what will you do?"
Will you dance like an ant?
Or will you stop this world-ending attack like Hashirama?
Or will you simply use Shinra Tensei with the Rinnegan to repel the Susano'o's blade?
"Show me your choice, Nagato."
Madara's power surged again, his eyes filled with both anticipation and madness. He wanted to see the man below scramble desperately to dodge.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
As the devastating sword came crashing down, Nagato let out a low growl. Suddenly, eight golden chains burst from his back as if he had awakened his bloodline.
Was he trying to use Adamantine Sealing Chains—capable of restraining Tailed Beasts—to control the Susano'o?
Such a simple-minded idea.
How insulting.
A flash of killing intent appeared in Madara's eyes.
He had once wrapped the Nine-Tails with his Susano'o—not the other way around. His Susano'o didn't need the power of the Nine-Tails.
But in the end, did Madara underestimate Nagato? Or did he overestimate himself?
"Bind!"
With another low growl, Nagato spread his arms wide. The golden chains wrapped around his forearms, and with a furious roar, he clenched his fists and swung them directly at the descending chakra blade!
Madness.
Madara had no words for Nagato's actions.
In his eyes, this was just a fool pushed to the brink, turning into a lunatic.
Using Adamantine Sealing Chains as gauntlets was one thing, but trying to take on Susano'o's sword with just the power of the Uzumaki Clan?
Die.
Then I'll take my eyes back.
Madara suddenly felt like his Susano'o wasn't getting the respect it deserved.
That made him angry.
Now, he just wanted to end the fight as fast as possible.
Normally, Madara only truly fought when his opponents gave it their all.
But Nagato—Nagato was treating this like a joke.
Boom!
Clang~
A powerful shockwave spread in all directions from the open ground in front of Susano'o. Cracks split across the earth, radiating outward. The invisible force of the impact swept through the entire site. With just a single attack, all the remaining buildings were reduced to rubble right before Senju Hashirama's furious eyes.
If Senju Tobirama hadn't stopped him, his brother might have abandoned his fight with Obito and rushed straight at Madara in a rage.
At this moment, Uchiha Madara made it clear to everyone just how terrifying the power of a legendary shinobi could be.
"What a shame. If my opponent were Hashirama, the landscape would have changed even more."
Up in the air, Uchiha Madara scanned his surroundings with a hint of regret.
"The shinobi world isn't too big, but it's just enough for me to tear apart."
Fighting Nagato didn't give him the same satisfaction as fighting Hashirama. With Hashirama, every attack was met with an equal response, creating an exhilarating battle. The emptiness he felt inside wasn't something Nagato could fill.
"Well then..."
Madara turned his gaze toward Obito and the Senju brothers in the distance. His eyes flickered with renewed fighting spirit.
He had overestimated Nagato.
It looked like the real fight worth his time was happening over there.
With that thought, he prepared to withdraw his sword—
Hmm?
Controlling Susano'o, Madara tried to stand up and head toward Hashirama, but when he moved, he realized his blade was stuck in the ground.
He chuckled.
Had he put too much force into that last strike? Or was his control over chakra not as precise due to his Edo Tensei body?
Calming himself, he attempted to pull the sword again.
It didn't budge.
That's when he realized something was off.
The dust and debris stirred by Susano'o's attack finally settled as the rain washed it away. When Madara looked down, his pupils shrank.
Because down below, Nagato was still standing in the same position, fist extended forward.
But the shocking part was that his body was completely unscathed.
Instead of being shattered into pieces, as one would expect, he had perfectly blocked Susano'o's attack with a single punch—wrapped in Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Not only that, but after stopping the attack, he even extended the chains further, completely wrapping around and locking down the chakra blade.
"Heh..."
The sight was so absurd that even Obito, watching from afar, let out a laugh, shaking his head at Madara.
"Is that all you got? What a joke."
"Who do you think you're calling a joke?"
Smack!
Distracted, Obito took a brutal slap across the face from Hashirama, instantly flying into a rage and resuming his brawl with the Senju brothers.
Even though Madara hadn't heard Obito's insult, he could guess he was being mocked.
"Not bad, Nagato."
The kid had definitely grown stronger.
Madara scoffed. "But how will you handle the next strike?"
Everyone knew that normal people had two arms.
And a fully-formed Susano'o, in its warrior deity form, also had two hands.
As the second chakra blade slashed down at Nagato, Madara's gaze locked onto him, watching closely.
The familiar feeling of the ground shaking and splitting apart returned, but just like before, something felt slightly off. There was a faint sound of metal clashing.
Did he block it again?
For the first time, a serious look appeared on Madara's face. He stopped holding back. The two wings behind him extended, forming two massive chakra swords, which came crashing down toward Nagato.
A person has only two arms, but Susano'o has wings!
He was certain that even Hashirama at his peak, controlling his wooden golem, would be forced back several steps by this move. And Nagato? Just a kid he had once used—there was no way he could withstand such an attack!
But reality often defied expectations.
When the dust settled, the scene reflected in Madara's Mangekyou was surprising.
Nagato was still standing tall, though his lower body had been completely buried in the ground. However, his energy remained just as strong as before—completely unaffected.
Not only that, but all four of Susano'o's chakra swords were tightly wrapped in golden chains, unable to move at all.
"Do you see it now? This is the difference in power."
Nagato raised his head and spoke to Madara with a calm expression.
"If I only relied on the Rinnegan's power, even if I used a life-draining method to unleash Shinra Tensei, I wouldn't be able to block a continuous assault from a complete Susano'o."
But with the Uzumaki clan's power combined with the Sun God Seal, he could!
Feeling the overwhelming life force and immense power surging within him, the frustration that had been building up in Nagato's heart was completely released.
In truth, Nagato's Uzumaki bloodline wasn't very pure, which meant he originally couldn't use Adamantine Sealing Chains.
After all, only his mother was from the Uzumaki clan. His father was just a commoner from the Land of Rain—not even a ninja. His Uzumaki heritage was weak.
But the Sun God Seal had awakened his dormant bloodline, allowing him to fully control the signature power of the Uzumaki clan. And with the seal's boost, the chains were even stronger than expected.
"Now… it's my turn."
It was time to fight back.
Boom!
His heart pounded violently.
Nagato's energy began to shift, and the Sun God Seal on his forehead grew hotter and brighter.
Meanwhile, up in the air, Madara's expression darkened.
What do you mean, "it's your turn"?
Are you saying that even while facing a complete Susano'o, not only can you keep up, but you still have the strength to continue fighting? That this isn't even your full power?
Fine. Fine. Fine.
That kid from back then—Madara had to admit—had grown into something that couldn't be ignored.
But did he really think he could dance on equal footing with him?
Did he forget who he was standing against?
He was Uchiha Madara!
Since the Warring States era, no one had ever treated him like this. Even Hashirama had to be cautious when fighting him!
And Nagato thought he could?
Clap!
Madara pressed his hands together.
At the same time, Susano'o's hands released the restrained chakra swords and, in a bizarre twist, started forming hand seals—just like Madara.
"Feel it well… the power of an Uchiha surpassing even the gods."
In his eyes, the Mangekyou slowly faded away, replaced by the same ripple-patterned Rinnegan as Nagato's.
The heavy atmosphere started spreading.
People who didn't know what was happening looked up at the sky, feeling as if they couldn't breathe. Their chests felt tight, and even the falling raindrops seemed lifeless, as if drained of energy.
*Buzz—*
In the perpetually gloomy skies of the Land of Rain, another strange phenomenon occurred, separate from the Rain Village's divine sanctuary. The clouds above the construction site suddenly split apart, but unlike the sanctuary, where the clouds cleared to reveal sunlight, this opening revealed something far more terrifying—a massive meteor, blotting out the sky, plummeting downward!
At that moment, Obito and the Senju brothers, who were in the middle of battle, the toad watching from the sidelines, Hagoromo, and even the workers who hadn't run far enough, all looked up in despair.
"Is this really a ninja's power...?"
Tokaido Benimaru, a worker who had just been bragging to Hashirama moments ago, closed his eyes in hopelessness.
"This generation's Indra is really going overboard," Hagoromo muttered, wiping sweat from the toad's brow. He suddenly felt a bit unfamiliar with his own reincarnated descendant. The meteor might not be as large as the moon, but if it hit, earthquakes and tsunamis were inevitable. Unless it was destroyed before impact, disaster was unavoidable.
What was he thinking?
Was he being reckless just because he had an Edo Tensei body?
"In terms of destructive power, this move surpasses Susano'o."
Well...
"What will you do, Nagato?"
With his arms crossed, Uchiha Madara looked relaxed. Anyone who underestimated him or the power of the Uchiha clan's god would pay a heavy price.
"I see now... I already knew how powerful you were, but it seems I still misjudged you."
"How should I put it? As expected of Uchiha Madara."
Nagato stared at the sky. With the Sun God Seal activated, he had full control over the Uzumaki clan's power. His instincts immediately triggered his sensory abilities, allowing him to perceive the true danger of this attack.
"The real threat isn't this meteor."
He could sense it—there was a second meteor, twice as large as the first. The impact of the two colliding would ensure maximum destruction while expanding the area of devastation. Compared to Susano'o, this was much harder to deal with.
Hard to deal with, but not impossible.
And he could even "see" the second meteor?
Madara was momentarily surprised but quickly regained his calm. Being able to analyze the power of *Tengai Shinsei* was impressive, but that didn't mean he could counter it.
Even Madara himself wouldn't use this move unless he was confident in his own survival. If he weren't an Edo Tensei body or didn't have Perfect Susano'o to fly away, escaping would be difficult.
"I can't stop it, but..."
Nagato took a deep breath. Then, under Madara's shocked gaze, he slowly pulled himself out of the ground and knelt on one knee, facing the eastern sky.
"Your Excellency, Sun God. Special Operations Unit 'Akatsuki'—Zero, requesting higher-level authority. Disturbing your meditation was not my intention. Please forgive my offense. I will dedicate myself to training my body and spirit, repaying your divine power with unwavering loyalty."
What was he doing?
Did he not feel embarrassed?
Somewhere else, Hyuga Hitoshi, who had been casually toying with Otsutsuki Isshiki, rolled his eyes.
Well, someone like Nagato, who had been integrated into the divine system, truly understood the relationship between gods and mortals. He had already fallen into the mundane world, so he believed in revering the new god. He also encouraged others to be grateful for divine blessings. Ever since Hyuga Hitoshi granted him the Sun God Seal and restored his body, he had become a devoted believer—a loyal follower of the Sun God Kingdom.
And for subordinates who knew their place, respected boundaries, and showed gratitude, Hyuga Hitoshi was always generous.
In the sky, a massive golden eye appeared, followed by a towering figure materializing in a phantom-like form, standing before Nagato.
The figure gazed at his devout follower, nodded slightly, and spoke a single word:
"Approved."
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