The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki
Madara Uchiha murmured to himself, his hands forming seals as he pressed them against the water's surface.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Buzz!
Rumble!!
Hundreds of miles away, across the vast ocean of the Shinobi World, Naruto Uzumaki, racing toward the Land of Water, suddenly felt a searing heat in his abdomen. He crouched down on the water's surface, his face contorted in pain.
Konan stopped abruptly, alarmed.
"Naruto!?"
Inside Naruto's body, the long-silent Nine-Tails, Kurama, reappeared, its face full of panic. Bloodshot, vertical pupils darted wildly.
"This ominous chakra trying to summon me... Could it be—?"
"Ah, it's him! There's no mistake about it!" Kurama growled. "Though the timing is slightly different, that man has finally come!"
Naruto stood back up, placing a hand on his abdomen to calm the beast.
"Don't worry, Kurama. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
Though his words were firm, a trace of unease flickered in Naruto's expression.
Konan asked urgently, "What's going on?"
Naruto's face turned grim.
"The real Madara Uchiha has been resurrected, and he's detected my location. I'm afraid he'll be here very soon!"
Konan pressed, "Then we must return to Amegakure immediately and take shelter!"
Naruto smiled faintly.
"It's no use. That would only bring destruction to Amegakure. Besides, what's meant to come will come, and there's no avoiding it."
The Valley of the End.
Madara slowly rose from the water's surface.
"It seems you were correct. The Nine-Tails is indeed still within the Jinchūriki."
Black Zetsu asked, "What now, Lord Madara?"
Madara glanced at the statues behind him and said in a low voice,
"What else? I'll reclaim both the Rinnegan and the Nine-Tails. As for the Jinchūriki himself..." He smirked coldly.
"Perhaps it's time to shorten his stature by a head."
Black Zetsu chuckled.
"As expected of Lord Madara. But do take caution—since his battle with Nagato, that boy hasn't lost a single fight, even against Obito!"
"Hmph." Madara sneered dismissively.
"Don't compare me to some brat who spent years just trying to bring home a pet. There's only one person in this world who could ever make me taste defeat, and that was Hashirama. But he's long gone."
Out at sea, Naruto's expression was tense.
"No choice now. I'll have to recall the summoning beasts searching the ocean near Amegakure."
Poof! Poof! Poof!
In a burst of white smoke, the summoning beasts stationed underwater near Amegakure disappeared and reappeared on the ocean's surface before Naruto. Alongside them, other powerful summoned creatures materialized.
In total, thirty beasts—this was the limit of what Naruto could summon at the moment.
Whoosh!
Naruto leapt onto the head of the Three-Headed Hellhound, sitting cross-legged.
"Konan-nee, I'm entering Sage Mode!"
Konan's gaze darkened, sweat trickling down her temple.
"In all the time I've known Naruto, this is the first time I've seen him so on edge."
As Naruto entered Sage Mode, his sensory abilities expanded to their fullest, meticulously monitoring every disturbance across the ocean. Half an hour later, a sinister wind of calamity breached his sensory range.
Naruto's eyelids twitched.
"He's here—and fast!"
Crash!
The ocean's surface erupted in waves!
Whoosh!
A gust of air sliced through the atmosphere!
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!
The instant the figure landed on the water, a towering tsunami rose in its wake.
The Three-Headed Hellhound stood firm on the churning waves.
Naruto exhaled slowly and rose from the Hellhound's head. Beneath his mask, his eyes had regained their calm, unwavering focus.
The ocean stilled.
Madara, arms crossed over his chest, glanced at the surrounding summoning beasts before turning his gaze to Naruto. His tone was mocking.
"Quite the spectacle. You must be Naruto Uzumaki. You've been playing with my eyes rather well, haven't you?"
Naruto's expression remained unchanged.
"I don't know what you're talking about. These are the eyes of my mentor, Nagato, and I've inherited both his will and his Rinnegan."
"Hmph." Madara lowered his gaze, chuckling coldly.
"Feigning ignorance, are we? Black Zetsu has already told me everything about your little escapades."
Naruto glanced around.
"Black Zetsu? Where is it? Let it come out and face me directly!"
Madara scoffed, shaking his head.
"You've got some nerve. But let me ask you this—was the defacement of the statues at the Valley of the End your doing?"
High above, Konan's eyes narrowed.
"So it's true."
Naruto's tone was indifferent.
"Ah, there might have been a tiny... mishap during the restoration process."
Madara's voice deepened.
"So, knowing full well the disrespect it entailed, you chose to turn a blind eye. Is that correct?"
Naruto shrugged.
"And if it is? They're just statues, aren't they? It's not like your actual body was shortened. For someone as grand as Madara Uchiha, your pettiness is rather unbecoming. Consider yourself lucky I even bothered to fix them!"
Madara's arms lowered, his voice unreadable.
"Naruto Uzumaki, a clansman of Mito... Show me what you're capable of."
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
FWOOSH!!!
A massive inferno surged forward, consuming the ocean ahead.
Konan gasped.
"What terrifying power!"
Naruto, however, simply smiled as two shadow clones appeared beside him.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
FWOOSH!!!
An ocean of oil-fueled flames surged forth, bolstered by the wind, transforming into a towering inferno that clashed with Madara's flames. The resulting firestorm painted the sky in chaotic hues of red and orange.
"He's holding his own against my enhanced Fire Style?" Madara mused. "This boy's chakra reserves are impressive. And like Hashirama, he can use Sage Mode... Very well, let's raise the stakes."
Maintaining his fire jutsu, Madara's hands formed new seals.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Dance!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dozens of massive whirlwinds erupted from the flames, merging into fiery tornadoes that churned the ocean into a maelstrom.
Konan exclaimed, "Such reckless techniques—doesn't he fear harming himself?"
Naruto's gaze sharpened.
"He's using an Edo Tensei body. He doesn't have to worry about self-inflicted damage. As always, he's adept at exploiting every advantage."
Amid the chaos, Naruto's hands moved steadily through seals.
"Sage Art: Three-Way Water Formation!"
CRASH!!
With the roar of the tides, colossal waves rose, their crests towering over the fiery tornadoes before crashing down toward Madara's position.
Madara raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? A water jutsu that combines natural energy with the ocean's terrain? Interesting."
Splash!
As the waves fell, the Susano'o emerged from the waters, its form towering and unyielding.
The summoned beasts encircled Madara, preparing to strike.
"Heh... Things are heating up."
Madara, piloting his Susano'o, wielded twin blades and unleashed powerful jutsu, battling over a dozen massive summoning beasts without faltering.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield became a whirlwind of chaos, with wind, water, and fire intertwining in a symphony of destruction.
Suddenly, a tentacle coiled around Madara's ankle, dragging him underwater.
"Hmm? A tentacle? Could it be... a mantis shrimp?"
Beneath the waves, Madara followed the tentacle to its source. Upon seeing the creature's true form, he chuckled.
"Ah, it's just a crab."
Snap! Snap!
The Susano'o formed seals with its hands.
"Fire Style: Susano'o Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Underwater, Madara unleashed an enhanced version of his fire jutsu, evaporating the surrounding water and turning the crab's shell red-hot before it vanished in a puff of white smoke.
After dispatching the crab, Madara noticed numerous shadows lurking beneath the ocean's surface.
"So many ambushes lying in wait... Very well."
Splash!
Madara resurfaced, his eyes transforming into the Rinnegan.
FWOOSH!
The Susano'o ignited, its dual heads emanating an ominous glow. Madara's hands formed seals for a devastating technique.
"Let's end this in one fell swoop."
"Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star!"
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