A powerful breeze swept across the battlefield. Along the hundred-meter path where the two had been forced back, dust billowed into the air, sending several unlucky shinobi flying.
After regaining his footing, Uchiha Madara calmly brushed the dust from his crimson armor.
During the Warring States Era, the greatest measure of a shinobi was not Ninjutsu, but Taijutsu.
Battles in those days were constant, and more often than not, a shinobi fought alone rather than alongside the massive armies common in the current era. Once chakra began to run low, victory depended on whose close combat skills were superior.
Madara's Taijutsu was naturally among the very best.
Without exaggeration, only Hashirama had ever been able to consistently suppress him.
Now, with the Rinnegan enhancing his already overwhelming strength beyond what he possessed during the battle at the Valley of the End, being knocked back, even by a surprise attack, was enough to prove the newcomer's extraordinary power.
"So, there are still juniors in this era worthy of my attention."
A broad smile spread across Madara's face.
Over the decades, generations of prodigies had risen and fallen.
From the great clans of the Warring States Era, to the age dominated by himself and Hashirama, and later the era of the Five Kage, countless renowned shinobi had appeared.
Yet in Madara's eyes, none of them had truly been worthy opponents.
Why had Hashirama alone earned his respect?
Their long rivalry was part of it. Their mutual understanding and shared convictions played a role as well.
But above all else, only Hashirama had ever made Madara's blood boil, filled him with exhilaration, and allowed him to experience the intoxicating thrill of fighting at his absolute limit.
It was a feeling that reached the depths of his soul, something impossible to explain to anyone else.
No one but Hashirama had ever given him that sensation.
Without him, Madara's life had become unbearably dull.
Now, although Hashirama had yet to return, another shinobi had appeared who could reignite that excitement.
Madara was almost ecstatic.
As for the Ten-Tails, it could wait until he had enjoyed this battle to his heart's content.
He laughed loudly, his gaze fixed on Hayashi, who stood unharmed in the distance like prey that had finally caught the predator's interest.
Madara's chakra surged violently, rivaling that of a Tailed Beast as it rolled across the battlefield like a boundless ocean.
He bent his knees slightly, extended his left hand, lowered his center of gravity, and drew back his right fist.
It was an ordinary stance with no flashy techniques or visible chakra.
Yet in the next instant, the battlefield seemed to split apart.
Madara vanished.
He reappeared before Hayashi in an instant, unleashing a devastating spinning kick aimed directly at his neck.
Hayashi raised his elbow and blocked the blow.
The tremendous force carried him into a complete spin around Madara before centrifugal force flung him outward.
Although Madara appeared to have gained the advantage, Hayashi had already formed hand seals with his free hand during the rotation.
A blinding flash erupted.
The surrounding shinobi instinctively shut their eyes, yet tears still streamed down their faces from the overwhelming brilliance.
Yin Release: Purple Lightning, Qilin!
Hayashi flicked his hand.
A massive violet bolt tore across the battlefield with the force of heavenly lightning, hurtling straight toward Madara.
It was merely a probing attack, but Hayashi's immense strength elevated even a casual strike beyond the power of many S-rank techniques.
Madara calmly lifted one hand.
Shinra Tensei.
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted, shattering the incoming Purple Lightning before it could reach him.
Hayashi did not hesitate.
Wind Release chakra and Magnet Release chakra rapidly merged into a buzzing Rasenshuriken.
The spinning technique carved a deep trench through the earth as it sped toward Madara without the slightest pause.
Everything happened within a single heartbeat.
Although Shinra Tensei could not be used again immediately, Madara possessed countless other methods of defense.
With a flick of his shoulder, his gunbai appeared in his hand.
A nostalgic smile crossed his face as he gripped it firmly with both hands and raised it before him.
The Rasenshuriken struck.
Crackling impacts hammered against the gunbai like a torrential downpour.
"Uchiha Reflection."
Then came a sharp crack.
The gunbai shattered.
Madara fell silent.
The Wind Release and Magnet Release Rasenshuriken engulfed him completely.
A blinding explosion erupted with Madara at its center, accompanied by continuous thunderous blasts that shook everything within a hundred-meter radius.
More than a hundred shinobi from both sides were swept away by the raging winds, tossed through the air like trees uprooted by a violent storm.
Hayashi did not pause.
The fake gunbai had only been a small trick. He had never expected it to defeat Madara.
If anything, it had simply created an opening.
Sure enough, Madara appeared instantly to Hayashi's left.
Hayashi immediately recognized it as Limbo: Border Jail.
This unique Rinnegan ability allowed Madara to create invisible Limbo clones that existed in a parallel plane. They could defend the original body or launch devastating surprise attacks.
With only one Rinnegan, Madara could create a single clone. With both eyes restored, he could summon up to four.
Earlier, it had been one of those Limbo clones that had intercepted Hayashi's Magnet Release sealing effect.
Hayashi remained unfazed.
He threw a punch.
Their fists collided with an explosive boom.
This time, Hayashi did not give ground.
The tremendous force behind his strike sent Madara flying backward like a kite with its string cut.
But almost instantly, Madara reversed his momentum and charged back at an even greater speed.
His fist slammed into Hayashi's raised elbow.
At the same moment, Hayashi's right fist collided with Madara's left.
The two men each took only two steps back.
The land stretching hundreds of meters in both directions collapsed beneath the force of their exchange.
Hayashi smiled faintly.
Green chakra erupted around his body.
Eight Gates, Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit, Open!
He exhaled slowly.
Although only the Fifth Gate was open, he no longer moved across the ground.
Instead, he stepped through the air itself.
Each step created rippling shockwaves, as though he were skipping across the surface of invisible water several meters above the battlefield.
With every stride, his breathing grew heavier.
The vibrations coursing through his body intensified, and the veins around his temples bulged noticeably.
He still made no move to attack.
Madara simply watched with unconcealed excitement, making no attempt to interrupt him.
Such Taijutsu was something he might witness only once or twice in an entire lifetime.
To honor both the technique and himself, he would face it head-on.
Hayashi accelerated until even his movements disappeared from the sight of most observers.
Then he leaped.
Crossing more than a hundred meters in a single bound, he landed heavily upon the air itself, gathering all of his momentum into one final strike.
"This technique is the ultimate Taijutsu created by Konoha Genin Might Duy after more than twenty years of dedication."
"It is called... Night Phoenix!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield as every eye turned skyward.
Suspended in midair, Hayashi was engulfed in crimson flames, resembling a phoenix diving from the heavens.
Some people devoted decades to pursuing a single moment of brilliance.
When that moment finally arrived, it shone so brightly that no one could look away.
Hayashi had never wanted Might Duy to sacrifice his life by opening all Eight Gates.
If possible, he would let Duy's lifelong effort shine in another way.
Wrapped in blazing flames, Hayashi descended like a phoenix.
Madara had no time to evade.
The kick struck him squarely in the chest.
The earth caved in beneath the point of impact.
The tremendous shockwave spread outward like a vast lake, distorting the air itself as a deafening roar echoed across the battlefield.
Shinobi caught at the edge of the collision were instantly shredded by the expanding wall of compressed air.
This was the true pinnacle of combat between shinobi.