The two black blurs zipped across the training grounds at a speed that even the Sharingan could barely follow. Each collision brought a violent clash of sparks and a fierce shockwave.
*Their taijutsu is evenly matched,* was the immediate assessment in everyone's mind.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
It was Madara who struck first with ninjutsu. He formed the hand seals for the C-rank fire jutsu with one hand and, in less than the blink of an eye, fanned the flames with his gunbai, more than doubling their power in an instant.
"Such a minor enhancement is nothing," Uchiha Gakugyo said coolly, his tachi now coated in a layer of wind blades. With a flash of his arm, he effortlessly sliced all the phoenix fireballs to pieces.
He possessed both fire and wind affinities. Wind-style jutsu was the specialty of the Shimura clan. Uchiha Gakugyo had fought them in his youth and copied this technique with his Sharingan. He had been using it ever since, and now he wielded it even better than the Shimura themselves.
"Just an appetizer. Don't be hasty," Madara called from across the field, his hands flying through seals. "Fire Release: Great Fire Majestic Arrow!" He immediately changed seals again. "Lightning Release: Emotion Wave!"
The fire jutsu dissolved the lightning jutsu, creating what looked like countless giant serpents of lightning surging through a sea of fire. In an instant, he had created a large-scale offensive jutsu with power above A-rank.
"That's the lightning jutsu Izuna invented! Madara's already learned it!" Uchiha Kai's expression was one of shock, but he quickly understood and couldn't help but glance at Izuna. *This vice-chief will surely bring more surprises to the clan in the future.*
***
"Fire Release: Great Fire Majestic Arrow!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Uchiha Gakugyo was no slouch either, unleashing two different elemental jutsu in quick succession. He combined wind and fire, a highly compatible pairing, but his wind jutsu was only C-rank. This couldn't be helped; in this era, each clan had a limited arsenal of techniques. Even for a great clan like the Uchiha, the highest-ranking jutsu they possessed outside of Fire Release was typically B-rank. The scroll of seals filled with jutsu during Sarutobi Hiruzen's time as the Third Hokage, and the hundreds of techniques he himself mastered, were all accumulated over time.
*BOOM!*
The two attacks, both clearly surpassing A-rank and approaching S-rank in power, collided. Uchiha Kai's face changed. "All Chunin and below, retreat a hundred meters!" he commanded. Even with the barrier, such terrifying power could lead to accidents, and the battle had only just begun.
*WHOOOOSH!*
After about fifteen seconds of the two massive jutsu clashing, the tide began to turn. Uchiha Gakugyo was starting to struggle. The strain of maintaining two elements on his chakra was far greater than a simple 1+1=2.
Madara, however, seemed perfectly calm maintaining his lightning and fire, and the power of his technique was actually increasing, threatening to break through from A-rank to S-rank.
It was then that Izuna and a few others noticed something different about Madara's eyes. The normal three tomoe had merged into a unique shape of curved lines forming a circle.
The Mangekyo Sharingan! It was already active! The ability of the Mangekyo!
"Wind Release: Gale Wind Wall!"
On the verge of being overwhelmed, just as Madara's technique was about to hit him, Uchiha Gakugyo grit his teeth and unleashed a new wind jutsu. A protective wall rose from the stone tiles at his feet, forming a shield that bought him enough time to dodge the brunt of Madara's attack. But the sleeve of his right arm was still burned to cinders, revealing the scorched flesh underneath.
"This Mangekyo ability is..." Izuna activated his own three-tomoe Sharingan, observing the flow of chakra within Madara's body. The power was originating from Madara's left Mangekyo. The lightning and fire had fused perfectly, not only conserving chakra but also allowing them to unleash greater power.
Izuna then remembered that the future Madara would use a special kekkei genkai called "Storm Release," a fusion of lightning and water. Moreover, he was the first and only person to transplant Hashirama's cells into himself and evolve his Sharingan to the Rinnegan on his own, unlike Sasuke who got it as a power-up from the Sage of Six Paths. This proved that Madara was highly skilled in "fusion."
That was the ability of his left eye. It wasn't as direct in combat as Izuna's own Amaterasu, but it was perfect for ninjutsu development and research.
On the other side, the wind blade on Uchiha Gakugyo's tachi flared up again. A second later, flames erupted along the blade, fusing fire and wind into a terrifying chakra weapon that resembled a Susanoo sword.
By Izuna's generation, combat had shifted more toward ninjutsu battles. But for Uchiha Tajima's generation, they trained in both swordsmanship and ninjutsu. When it came to sword fighting, Uchiha Gakugyo was currently the best in the entire clan.
"Here I come, Madara!" Uchiha Gakugyo's voice fell, and he vanished, reappearing at Madara's right side with the Body Flicker Technique.
The sword struck.
Madara's right Mangekyo contracted.
*RUMBLE!*
The single slash utterly destroyed at least a third of the Uchiha training grounds. The ninja maintaining the barrier had to pour all their chakra into it to keep the shockwave from spreading further.
"What incredible power. Lord Gakugyo is truly in a ninja's prime," a Uchiha jonin said with apprehension.
"Is the match decided then?" another Chunin asked.
"No," Uchiha Tianzang and the others, who had also activated their three-tomoe Sharingan, noted.
Izuna murmured to himself, "Is that the ability of his right eye?"
He dodged it. Madara had dodged Uchiha Gakugyo's slash, a blow with the power of an S-rank jutsu. It was incredibly powerful, but meaningless if it couldn't hit its target.
With that, Izuna had figured out Madara's Mangekyo abilities. His left eye was a support type, aiding in chakra fusion and conservation. This ability would be crucial in his future development of Storm Release and even in awakening the Rinnegan.
His right eye, like Izuna's, possessed the ability to briefly see into the future. This wasn't surprising. The Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke brothers both shared Amaterasu as one of their Mangekyo abilities. It wasn't odd for Madara and Izuna to share one as well. Izuna also realized why Madara hadn't used his Mangekyo abilities after being reanimated. It wasn't that he didn't use them; he just never announced them. Both were the type of abilities that an enemy wouldn't understand unless they were explained.
***
Uchiha Gakugyo, a Kage-level expert skilled in both swordsmanship and ninjutsu, was rendered completely ineffective by Madara's right eye's predictive ability, which was the same as Izuna's. This power was the perfect counter to a taijutsu specialist.
"Secret Art: Fire Stream Wind Revolution!"
After several of his ultimate moves were dodged by Madara, Uchiha Gakugyo was finding it difficult to remain calm.
Madara's Mangekyo was active, the future laid bare before his right eye. *Gakugyo will swing his sword from my left. It's a feint. He'll use a wind clone as a decoy, concealing his left hand to stab my abdomen with a kunai.*
The next second, just as Madara's right eye had foreseen, Uchiha Gakugyo attacked from his left.
A nearly imperceptible smirk touched Madara's lips as he raised his scythe to block.