"Natsuki! Why are you here?!"
Everyone lit up, as if they had just seen hope itself.
With Natsuki around, even if he did not instantly warp them all back to safety, there was a real chance he could even go toe-to-toe with Madara.
Natsuki quickly wolfed down the last of his ramen, then teleported the bowl and chopsticks away. "I figured you were about to track down Kabuto and was worried you might be in danger, so I came to check on you. Looks like I was right to come."
As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward Madara, who had dispelled his Susanoo (Guardian Deity Avatar).
The Shura of the ninja world, huh… I really want to have a fight with him and see whether I can actually win.
Natsuki also noted the presence of the Gedō Mazō (Outer Path Golem) and Kabuto. If he wiped all of them out here… would that not basically solve everything?
Kabuto hurriedly called out, "Lord Madara, be careful of this guy! His name is Natsuki. He defeated the Rinnegan (Samsara Eye) before!"
"Oh? Defeated the Rinnegan?"
Madara's interest spiked. "Seriously? There's still a youngster this strong in this era? And just now, that was Tobirama's Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), wasn't it? Interesting. Far too interesting."
"The interesting part is just getting started."
Natsuki shot back, then waved to Neji and the others, signaling them to fall back to a safe distance.
In the very next instant, he shot forward. Madō Senjin (Demon Blade Thousand Edge) was already drawn, its White Fang-style swordwork—Byakuga Tōjutsu (White Fang Sword Style)—slashing straight for Madara's head.
Madara raised an eyebrow and casually scooped a kunai off the ground to meet him. At the very first clash, he sensed something was off. Madō Senjin split and shifted on its own, slipping around the kunai's guard and continuing its arc toward his skull.
"An interesting ninja tool."
He gave it a brief word of praise as he tilted his head, narrowly slipping past the blade.
But Natsuki's foot followed immediately after. His big kick was about to slam into Madara's stomach when Madara's reaction speed showed its fangs—his other hand snapped out and caught Natsuki's leg.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their fists and feet collided in a rapid blur.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sword and kunai rang out as they struck again and again.
Because Madō Senjin was ill-suited to pure blocking, Madara was clearly on the defensive.
Even though his Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) body could not truly die, he still did not want to lose in technical skill to some youngster. That would be a real blow to his dignity.
Bang! Madara was sent flying by a kick, but he rolled several times along the ground and came up standing, looking completely unfazed. The look he gave Natsuki, however, carried clear approval—he had acknowledged the boy's taijutsu and kenjutsu.
"Youngster, your name is Natsuki, correct?" Madara asked.
"You can also call me Grandpa Natsuki," Natsuki replied, utterly fearless.
"Arrogant brat! A young man should not get so full of himself!"
"Heh. If you are not full of yourself, can you even call yourself young? You, on the other hand, are just some fossil from a bygone age. Stop crawling out here to embarrass yourself."
That jab actually made Madara angry. He flashed through a rapid string of hand seals and spewed forth a sea of roaring flame. "Katon: Gōka Messhitsu (Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame)!"
Natsuki was not about to lose ground. He even showed off by forming seals with one hand, then opened his mouth and unleashed a massive torrent of water. "Suiton: Daibakushōha (Water Style: Great Exploding Water Wave)!"
Boom!
Water and fire collided with equal might, and in an instant, dense steam billowed up like thick smoke, blotting out everyone's vision.
Natsuki's performance honestly took Madara by surprise. He clearly had not expected a teenager to possess such a huge chakra reserve, and his ninjutsu was no joke either—this Water Style was no weaker than Tobirama's.
But it still was not enough.
Madara laughed. "Hahahaha! If this is all you've got, there's no way you'll ever defeat me! The only one worthy of being called my rival, from beginning to end, has always been Hashirama alone!"
Yeah, yeah, we know you're obsessed with Hashirama. No need to bring him up every time. He's not here.
Natsuki, however, said, "Speed is power. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he vanished with Arashi Shunshin (Storm-Style Body Flicker), reappearing at Madara's flank. A kōsoku kikku (light-speed kick) whipped toward Madara's waist, the laser-charged chakra at his foot enough to blow half a body to pieces.
But this was Madara he was dealing with. Madara had already sensed Natsuki's movement.
"Arashi-dō (Storm Release), huh? You certainly know a lot for someone so young."
He chuckled softly, raising his arm to block Natsuki's leg. The laser blast fired from Natsuki's foot, obliterating a distant small mountain on impact.
The sheer power of that strike made Madara take him even more seriously. He had clearly underestimated this boy's talent.
And Natsuki's combo was not done. He simply switched legs and launched another kōsoku kikku (light-speed kick). Madara was about to block it again when he suddenly felt something coil around both his ankles and yank them hard. He lost his balance in an instant and only had time to raise one arm in defense before Natsuki's kick smashed into his shoulder.
Boom! Madara's left shoulder exploded into fragments on the spot.
At the same time, both his legs were severed by slicing edges. A closer look showed it was caused by densely packed iron sand.
"Oh? You even wield Jiton (Magnet Release)? Remarkable boy."
Madara did not stint on his praise. He had always looked fondly on the strong. In the original events, after nearly being kicked to death by Guy, he loudly declared that Guy was the strongest taijutsu user he had ever seen.
Now, without even using Susanoo (Guardian Deity Avatar), he had been battered to this extent. It was only natural he would offer generous praise.
In truth, the reason Madara had not used Susanoo for defense earlier was because he had already activated his Mangekyō and cast a genjutsu, intending to win with illusions. The genjutsu had done absolutely nothing, and by the time he thought of defending, it was already too late.
Fortunately for him, he was an Edo Tensei body. Otherwise, he might really have died just now.
Everyone watching was already stunned speechless by their battle. This level of combat was clearly beyond their understanding.
Even the village's Kage would probably not reach this height. So Madara and Natsuki… had they already completely surpassed the Kage level?
Seeing Natsuki maul Madara like this, all six members of Neji's squad could not help but cheer.
If they could actually take Madara out here, that would be ideal.
In contrast, Kabuto's face was extremely ugly. He had not expected Madara to fail to suppress Natsuki and instead get torn up like this.
He did not believe Madara had lost already—after all, that gigantic Susanoo form from earlier had not even appeared yet, and Natsuki still had not used Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) or several of his trump cards. Who would win in the end was anyone's guess.
"Hahahaha! Well done! Natsuki, you are the most impressive youngster I have ever seen!!" Madara roared with laughter as he praised him.
"Thanks for the compliment—but you're the dumbest would-be overlord I've ever seen."
Natsuki shot back without missing a beat. And was he wrong? Madara had let a weakling like Black Zetsu play him like a fiddle, turning his life's work into a joke.
Natsuki, however, had no intention of letting this golden opportunity slip away.
He immediately summoned a coffin with a Kuchiyose (Summoning) and pressed both palms toward Madara. He was going to seal Madara away.
Kabuto's expression changed. "Lord Madara, watch out! That technique can seal an Edo Ten—"
Boom! Kabuto was blown away mid-sentence by one of Neji's long-distance palm strikes.
Madara also sensed something was wrong and hurried to cloak himself in Susanoo for protection.
"Too late! Fūinjutsu: Mafūba (Sealing Technique: Demon Sealing Wave)!"
Spiraling chakra erupted, sweeping up Madara's battered body and ramming him straight into the coffin.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]