Good grief.
Madara was genuinely stunned.
Knowing Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) was one thing.
But this kid also knew Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates Released Formation)…
And he was using both together.
Was he trying to ascend to heaven?
In the rear, Guy was being treated while still pumping his fist in the air.
"Hahahaha! As expected of Natsuki! Combining Hiraishin with Hachimon Tonkō, he's even faster and stronger! He's only opened the Sixth Gate and he's already fighting at the same level I was just now. If he opened the Seventh Gate, wouldn't he just kick Madara into pieces? Go, Natsuki! Your burning youth is the strongest!"
A, Ōnoki, and Kakashi all nodded along, full of confidence in victory.
They had originally thought that Natsuki could only match Madara in ninjutsu. Clearly, they had underestimated him.
He really was the strongest fighter in the entire Allied Shinobi Forces right now.
Only he could defeat Madara.
"Sit still! Stop moving around!"
Tsunade could only pin Guy down, half helpless, half amused, as she continued to heal him.
But she did finally exhale in relief. When the three Kage had been unable to beat Madara, they had been close to despair. Guy's overwhelming entry had given everyone hope again. Now Natsuki made them see a future.
This so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi catastrophe… they were going to shatter it here and now.
Swish! Boom! Swish! Boom!
Natsuki flickered with Hiraishin no Jutsu while attacking with the power of the Sixth Gate.
Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan and Rinnegan could track Natsuki's movements, but his own body couldn't keep up. If he used Susanoo to defend, it would just get blown up again, so he had no choice but to rely on a repulsive-force barrier from the Rinnegan.
However, every punch and kick Natsuki slammed into the barrier left cracks in it.
This was a barrier formed from the Rinnegan's ocular power, and it was being cracked like this. How ridiculous could this get?
Madara understood that, at such a young age, Natsuki's physical strength had already surpassed Might Guy's. With just the Sixth Gate opened, he had power comparable to Guy's Seventh Gate. If Natsuki ever opened the Seventh Gate, Madara's repulsive barrier definitely wouldn't hold.
This brat was a real threat.
"Kōsoku Geri (Lightspeed Kick)!"
Natsuki suddenly switched forms, the force of his kick carrying hidden Ranton (Storm Style) lasers.
With a deafening blast, the repulsive barrier was swept apart. Madara jerked his head aside in a hurry, but the laser still grazed him, blowing away half his head.
"Damn… Mokuton (Wood Style)…"
Boom!
Natsuki's kick smashed into Madara's chest, blowing his whole body apart.
But the scattered body turned into wooden fragments. Madara had used a Wood Style clone successfully and had already repositioned himself far from Natsuki.
Just as Madara was staring intently at Natsuki, a girl's figure suddenly appeared behind him with a soft swish.
The Hōkinjō (Golden Canopy Rope) snapped across his shoulder. It didn't look like much, but it gave him an immediate sense of foreboding.
"An attack like that is supposed to do wha—whoa!"
Madara hadn't even finished speaking before the words were dragged out of him, becoming a spoken "word-spirit." Tenten's Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) immediately extended, ready to slice that word-spirit apart.
Of course Madara couldn't let her succeed. He immediately unleashed repulsive force to blow Tenten away, but she vanished in the next instant, leaving his repulsion hitting nothing.
Natsuki flashed in again and launched another Kōsoku Geri, forcing Madara to dodge once more.
At that moment, Tenten flickered back into position. One clean stroke of Shichiseiken cut off the word-spirit, and she instantly jumped away to a safe distance.
The severed word-spirit was sucked into the Benihisago (Crimson Gourd), triggering the curse effect.
Tenten flipped Shichiseiken so Madara couldn't see the writing on the blade, then glanced down herself… and froze.
"Ha-shi-ra-ma~?"
So Madara's verbal tic was the First Hokage's name?
Just how much did he love the First Hokage, to the point that even "Hashiramaaa" had become his catchphrase?
Fortunately, Tenten managed to swallow her urge to comment. Hugging Benihisago to her chest, she calmly watched Madara.
Natsuki closed Hachimon Tonkō and flickered to Tenten's side, standing in front of her with the same "got you" expression.
Madara let out a low laugh. "So that's it. You two brats really pulled one over on me. Hahahaha! Nicely done."
He had figured it out.
The reason Natsuki had brought Tenten into the fray was exactly for this.
Among the barrage of marked kunai he had thrown at the start, some were Natsuki's Hiraishin kunai, and some were Tenten's marked kunai. Natsuki had then gone all-out against Madara to fully monopolize his attention, while Tenten waited for the opening to use the "three-piece set" of Sage tools to curse him with word-spirit.
He had to admit, these two brats were terrifyingly competent. He almost wanted to give them an applause.
In the rear, A and Ōnoki high-fived, clearly fired up by Natsuki and Tenten's perfect teamwork.
Madara, as an Edo Tensei body, couldn't be killed no matter how hard they hit him. After all, he was already dead. There were only two real options:
First, kill Kabuto.
Second, seal Madara away.
The second option was the hardest, but also the most realistic one right now.
Even putting aside the still-unused Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Bottle), just Tenten's Sage-tool three-piece set alone was enough: once the curse took effect, no matter how strong Madara was, he would still be sealed.
Guy stuck his thumb up again. "As expected of my disciple! That was brilliant!"
Guy and Tsunade both finally relaxed completely, as if they could already see victory.
Natsuki stood facing Madara, guarding Tenten, saying nothing. As long as Madara stayed silent, Benihisago would slowly suck him in.
As for making Madara say the cursed word on purpose, Natsuki had not tried to bait him.
This guy was no fool.
If he sensed something was off, all their careful planning would have gone to waste.
…
Madara finally spoke.
"I'll admit, you've made me see you in a new light. Those Rikudō ninja tools may be trivial in my eyes, but in my current Edo Tensei body, I do have to take them seriously."
Natsuki chuckled. "Even if you weren't Edo Tensei, you'd still get countered just the same. Madara, you've already lost. Give up on that Tsuki no Me Keikaku (Eye of the Moon Plan). That thing is nothing but a lie Black Zetsu fed you. Once Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) is cast, everyone will be turned into White Zetsu. There is no peace and no dream world, only the destruction of the world. You're not a savior, you're an executioner."
"Silence! What does a brat like you know!"
Madara snapped, "You may have some strength, but you're still too young. You understand nothing, so you spout nonsense!"
There was no way he would believe Natsuki.
In his eyes, Natsuki had simply learned some scattered intel and was trying to undermine his conviction with words. But Natsuki was far too green; there was no way he could fool Madara.
Natsuki spread his hands. "No wonder you and the First couldn't agree and ended up fighting."
Madara sneered. "And what do you know about me? What do you understand about Hashi—"
He cut himself off mid-sentence, eyes widening as he clamped a hand over his mouth, staring warily at Tenten.
But he couldn't see anything wrong with her at a glance.
He did know a bit about the Sage tools.
Back when he was searching for a way to bring peace to the shinobi world, he had naturally researched the things the Rikudō Sennin (Sage of Six Paths) had left behind. It was precisely because he understood them that he had once dismissed them as "boring."
That didn't mean he looked down on their power.
And right now, that power was pointed straight at him.
(End of Chapter)
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