"That crest… you're from the Uchiha clan?"
Madara's gaze quickly locked onto Fugaku, noticing the fan-shaped symbol stitched onto his sleeve.
Fugaku gave a slight nod, confirming it.
The moment he realized the one attacking the village was none other than Uchiha Madara himself, Fugaku was shaken to the core. The legendary name, a man who should have long been dead—standing here, alive. He could not understand how this was possible.
But though they shared the same bloodline, Madara felt nothing toward him. To Madara, the Uchiha had all betrayed him. They had chosen the village's comfort, chosen the false peace of Konoha, even if it meant walking into ruin, instead of following him. The day they cast him aside was the day he abandoned the clan.
Now, Madara had only one goal:
To find Uzumaki Naruto, rip the Nine-Tails from him, and awaken the Infinite Tsukuyomi—dragging the world into what he believed to be true peace.
"So… you've come here to stop me?" Madara crossed his arms, making no rush to strike.
"That depends entirely on what you intend to do," Fugaku replied firmly, meeting Madara's gaze without a trace of fear.
Whatever else he was, Fugaku was now a shinobi of the Land of Fire. He was the head of the Uchiha clan.
"You're this era's clan head of the Uchiha? Interesting…" Madara's crimson eyes narrowed in appraisal. "And if I told you my target was the Nine-Tails?"
"Then I'll stop you here, Madara."
Fugaku's voice dropped low as his eyes spun, tomoe swirling into the shape of the three-tomoe Sharingan. But he knew well enough—against this legendary figure, three tomoe alone would never suffice.
So his gaze shifted again, transforming directly into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"The Mangekyō, is it?" Madara studied it carefully. For the head of the Uchiha to not even have awakened it—that would have been true disgrace. This much was only natural.
"Kai, take the others and fall back. Leave this one to me."
Fugaku's voice was heavy with resolve. He had three reasons for making this stand:
First, the current jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails was Naruto—both rival and comrade to his own son, Sasuke.
Second, both Naruto and the Nine-Tails were crucial to the Land of Fire.
And third—most important of all—this was his way of atoning for the coup he once led.
With that, Fugaku let his chakra burst forth, solidifying into the massive form of Susanoo.
"Madara! As the one who bore the name of the strongest Uchiha, it's only fitting I meet you with my full Susanoo!"
He roared, commanding his colossal avatar to swing down upon Madara with all its might.
"Complete-body Susanoo, hm? A fine power indeed." Madara examined the towering construct. "Had you been born in my era, perhaps you might have stood as my equal."
In the Uchiha clan, even the three-tomoe Sharingan marked someone as a warrior of renown. The Mangekyō even more so. In Madara's time, however, there was only one who had ever manifested the full-body Susanoo—himself.
But now…
"You were simply born in the wrong era, Fugaku."
Madara clapped his hands together. The earth beneath them rumbled violently as massive trees erupted around his feet, merging, twisting, raising him up high.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
Madara now possessed not only the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but the very power of his once closest friend, Senju Haruto. At the Valley of the End, his own Susanoo had fallen before Haruto's Wood Release. Now, to have the roles reversed stirred something oddly nostalgic within him.
"Fugaku—entertain me with your Susanoo!"
Fugaku's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had sensed the massive surge of Wood Release before, and had wondered which shinobi in Konoha could wield it. He had sensed no trace of Senju Haruto's chakra.
Only now did the truth sink in.
It was Madara.
"You… how do you have Wood Release? That's a bloodline limit only the Senju clan should possess!" Fugaku's voice trembled, his mind conjuring the image of Yamato, the one who carried Hashirama's cells.
"Don't tell me… you transplanted the First Hokage's cells as well?"
Madara didn't bother denying it. With Wood Release, the Sharingan, and the Rinnegan, he now stood as the strongest existence in this world.
And in the instant Fugaku's thoughts strayed, the Wood Human drew back a fist and drove it down toward Susanoo.
Though Susanoo managed to brace and block, Madara clapped again, birthing a massive wooden dragon from the Wood Human's body.
The dragon roared, lunging forward to bite Susanoo's arm and coil tightly around it, striving to bind Fugaku's power.
Meanwhile, Guy had moved the wounded Hyūga to safety, returning swiftly to the battlefield. He could understand Fugaku's resolve, but against someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Madara, Guy refused to let him fight alone.
"Damn it, where's Kakashi? Of all times, he chooses now to be late?" Guy cursed inwardly. It was one thing for Kakashi to be tardy on missions—but at a time like this?
"Forget it."
He shook his head, exhaling sharply. Clearing his mind, he focused all of his will into his body.
"Seventh Gate—Gate of Wonder… OPEN!"
Guy knew well: anything less than the Seventh Gate would be useless. Attacking half-heartedly would only waste chakra. Better to open the gate at once and strike with everything.
His body surged with explosive power as he launched himself upward, bounding onto the Wood Human's massive frame. Channeling chakra into his feet, he sprinted across the colossal surface as if it were solid ground.
All that remained was to drive forward.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
His roar split the air as his speed tore past the limits of vision.
"The Blue Beast of Konoha… is here!"
Within mere breaths, he had reached the Wood Human's head, standing face-to-face with Madara himself.
Their eyes locked, and for the first time, Madara's expression shifted—surprise.
"The Eight Inner Gates?"
He hadn't expected to encounter such a warrior here. Combined with Fugaku's Susanoo, the shinobi of Konoha were proving far more entertaining than he had anticipated.
What other surprises, he wondered, awaited him in this era?
"Daytime Tiger!"
Guy roared as he unleashed his strike, throwing everything into the attack.
Fugaku, too, noticed Guy's sudden charge. Shocked as he was, he moved instinctively to coordinate with Guy's assault.