Delta stared at the man before her, her expression gradually darkening.
Was this truly the legendary Uchiha Madara?
That overwhelming pressure—arms crossed, posture relaxed yet utterly domineering—was unmistakable.
Compared to the Delta who once looked down on Uzumaki Naruto, the Delta standing here now felt something entirely different: fear.
If Madara alone exuded this much power…
Then what kind of monster was Uzumaki Naruto—
…the man who defeated Uchiha Madara?
No wonder Jigen had warned them never to underestimate that man.
Within Kara, Naruto's existence was practically taboo.
He had countless titles:
Terminator of Wars.
Supreme Emperor of Great Unification.
Ruler of the Shinobi World.
And many more.
Even though Kara preached the supremacy of scientific power and stood ideologically opposed to the Shinobi World, that didn't stop Amado and others from admiring Naruto's earlier deeds.
The butterfly effect caused by Naruto's reign had forced Kara underground, and only in the last two years had they dared to act more openly.
Madara spoke slowly, voice deep and resonant:
"You must be one of Kara's core members. Use your full power. Dance for me—entertain me.
If you wish to survive, then prove your strength."
At that moment, Senju Hashirama stepped up beside Madara.
His gaze settled on Delta.
Hashirama nodded quietly. This woman was strong—very strong. Her strange capabilities made her a match for elite shinobi, perhaps even comparable to the strongest of the former Hyūga clan.
Delta roared:
"Don't underestimate me!!!"
Her body exploded into motion, an afterimage ripping across the ground as it cracked beneath her feet. Her speed shattered the sound barrier, rivaling the Body Flicker Technique.
She appeared beside Madara in an instant.
Madara's eyes sharpened, reacting immediately.
His punch came like the strike of a rampaging ancient beast—overwhelming, unstoppable. Delta morphed her legs into blades and kicked toward him.
Her razor-sharp limbs—capable of slicing through stone and steel—met Madara's fist head-on.
A layer of bluish-gray aura coated his knuckles.
The collision exploded with a thunderous roar.
Delta screamed, staggered, and stared at Madara in disbelief.
The blade-legs she relied on—the ones that could cut through almost anything—had been shattered in one strike.
Though they regenerated instantly, the shock of Madara's raw power rattled her to the core.
Hashirama sighed and shook his head.
With attacks this excessive, how was she supposed to lead them back to Kara's base?
At the very least, Madara shouldn't be flaunting his power so aggressively.
But Madara had changed these past years.
In Martial Arts, he had completed full body-tempering, refined his physique, and awakened a Martial Divine Power—
"King's Proof."
With this ability active, Madara naturally radiated an overwhelming, sovereign aura.
His mental force increased by thirty percent, exerting crushing pressure on anyone with weaker mental strength.
In other words:
In a group battle, just appearing would weaken his enemies.
It was similar to killing intent—but far beyond it.
A true mental domination ability.
The bluish-gray aura he used earlier was another martial art he created:
"Azure Steel Body."
A simple name, but terrifying in practice. Its greatest strength lay in its overwhelming defense, though its offensive capability was far from negligible.
He had developed it specifically to deal with Hashirama, who had undergone the same martial refinement and awakened his own Martial Divine Power—"Azure Wood Body."
Hashirama's vitality, physical strength, and recovery had all reached true Six Paths level.
And because Madara had long been inferior to Hashirama in pure Taijutsu, he devoted himself to mastering martial arts.
Now, that effort was showing its results.
Madara had researched countless things over the years, and Azure Steel Body was one of his greatest achievements.
Within the Uzumaki Empire's Martial Arts Hall, Azure Steel Body had become widely popular—its popularity comparable to the early-era Unbreakable Golden Body technique developed by Naruto himself.
After years of improvements and refinements, Unbreakable Golden Body had long reached perfection.
The battle between Madara and Delta looked like a clash between ferocious beasts.
Madara fought exactly like that—relentless, domineering—while Delta's movements were wild and ruthless, punctuated occasionally by bursts of high-energy laser fire.
But no matter how she attacked, Madara suppressed her effortlessly.
This lopsided battle actually made Hashirama exhale in relief.
With Madara's true strength, he could have finished Delta instantly.
Instead, this kind of slow, overwhelming suppression would crush her psychologically—far more effective for their objective.
And indeed, Delta was already shaken.
No matter what technique she used, Madara shut it down casually.
And he still had not used a single ninjutsu.
Which left Delta with a chilling thought:
Is someone who doesn't even need ninjutsu… still a shinobi?
No one else knew what she was thinking—but Madara certainly knew his own mood, and at this moment, he was genuinely enjoying himself.
After all, aside from sparring with Hashirama, his only practice had been with the Empire's troops. And nobody—absolutely nobody except Hashirama—could withstand even a fraction of his power.
But Delta, at least, could endure a little.
Barely.
Thanks entirely to her Super Speed Regeneration.
"Damn it! I'll get my revenge sooner or later!!!"
Delta screamed, and her body erupted with dazzling light. A massive wave of condensed energy blasted toward Madara.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Explosions shook the battlefield, dust and debris flying everywhere.
At that moment, Delta also threw a smoke bomb, the thick smoke swallowing her completely.
When the smoke finally cleared—
Delta was gone.
She had fled long before the dust even settled.
Madara stepped through the haze with a faint smile.
Exactly as planned.
Delta had already been marked by Madara.
Not with the Flying Thunder God Mark, like the Fourth Hokage.
Madara's mark was subtler—a mental imprint, an anchor tied directly to her mind.
Hashirama frowned.
"Madara, aren't you worried the mission might fail? If we miss them this time, Kara will only burrow deeper. They might vanish entirely."
Madara snorted.
"Don't lecture me, Hashirama. Are you really telling me how to do things?"
Hashirama: "…"
After her escape, Delta didn't return to Kara immediately.
She drifted around the shinobi world first, trying to lose any possible pursuit.
Madara didn't mind.
"Let's return. With my mental mark, she can't escape."
He spoke quietly—almost too quietly, as if he realized his tone had been harsher a moment earlier.
Hashirama sighed but nodded. Despite everything, he still trusted Madara's abilities.
The two of them continued clearing out Kara's hidden facilities, and as they dismantled base after base, Kara's technological strength and secret operations gradually surfaced in full clarity.