Chapter 345: Deflated
"He's already on his way, but it might take a moment," Tonbo Tobitake said with a smile.
He truly wanted to test his strength against Madara—to see what kind of power Madara possessed at different stages of his life. If he merely used a shadow clone, he feared it would be insufficient. After all, a clone disappears the moment it's hit. For a ninja as experienced as Madara, any kind of counter-measure was possible.
"How long?"
"Two seconds."
"???"
Gaara and Onoki both looked at him in shock, thinking he was joking. Although they didn't know where Tonbo's main body was, it couldn't possibly be that close.
Swoosh!
In the time it took them to blink, Tonbo's original body materialized right in front of them.
Poof!
The shadow clone then vanished.
"Mhm. Although my Flying Raijin Jutsu takes a bit long to prepare, it works perfectly fine for traveling," Tonbo stated calmly.
There was no need to hide this ability. A technique that took two seconds to execute wouldn't seem too outrageous to them, given that he had served as an Acting Kage.
"The Second Hokage's Flying Raijin..."
The shock on their faces deepened. To think Tonbo also possessed the ability of the "Yellow Flash" who had once famously dominated the ninja world.
"Your Reanimation is different from theirs. I prepared this specifically for you; you are stronger now than you were in your prime," Kabuto said, speaking through Mu to Madara.
Uchiha Madara, having grasped the current situation, looked at Mu. "You've seen my prime?"
A powerful, oppressive aura flared out. It was clear he was utterly dismissive of Kabuto's words. He then shifted his gaze toward Tonbo's main body, which had just arrived in the distance.
"Tobirama's Flying Raijin..."
"Don't underestimate him, Lord Madara. He is currently Konoha's most troublesome individual. Underestimating him will carry a heavy price," Kabuto chuckled.
"Hmph. In that case, I'll play with them for a bit and test the power of my ninjutsu."
Madara looked down at the Allied Shinobi Forces with a trace of interest. Using the entire army as a testing ground for his techniques seemed like a decent diversion. As for Tonbo Tobitake, he ignored Kabuto's warning. Aside from Hashirama, no one was worthy of being his opponent.
Then, he noticed a yellow figure appearing. The specific chakra signature immediately caught Madara's attention. The power of the Nine-Tails...
"What? Uchiha Madara?"
"The legendary ninja?"
"How are we supposed to fight that?"
"Everyone, stay calm! The Hokage and Raikage have already left HQ and will be here shortly!"
Fear washed over the Alliance at the mention of the legend. However, knowing that two Kage were en route gave them hope that they would have the advantage in numbers. Gaara, noticing the commotion, began his speech to stabilize morale.
Whoosh!
Tonbo sensed Naruto's arrival but left him to Gaara. He rode his giant eagle and flew directly in front of Madara and Mu.
"Uchiha Madara, the powerhouse who ended the warring era. I've heard much of your name; we finally meet."
Tonbo had indeed been looking forward to this. A popular character—he loved fighting popular characters. He also wanted to see if his own talent could hold a candle to the strongest individuals in the history of the shinobi world. Madara had lived nearly a century; Tonbo was thirty-one.
"Also, you're Kabuto, right? Would you mind bothering the rest of the Alliance? I'd like to have a match with the legend here," Tonbo said to the Mu-possessed Kabuto.
Kabuto gave a hollow laugh. "Your sensory skills are truly impressive. Fine. Just don't let me look down on you too much." After saying this, he quickly departed, leaving Madara and Tonbo to face off.
"Bold. But I will make you understand that not just anyone is qualified to challenge me."
Madara was visibly annoyed by Tonbo's casual tone. Had the name of Uchiha Madara fallen so far in the later generations that any random person felt they could look down on him?
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
Without giving Tonbo a chance to speak further, Madara wove signs, and a massive fireball erupted from his mouth. Tonbo, however, just stood there smiling, seemingly making no move to defend himself.
Madara frowned. He watched as Tonbo was incinerated into ashes by the flames.
"A shadow clone, or...?"
"Genjutsu. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Tonbo's body, which had been turned to ash, slowly reconstructed itself as he spoke with a grin.
"Release!" Madara's eyes spun slowly, dispelling the illusion.
"Daring." To try and show off Genjutsu in front of his Sharingan—and even to mockingly provide intel as a warning—was an act of blatant disrespect that left Madara fuming.
"Genjutsu: Hypnotic Eye."
"Genjutsu: Eight-Way Inversion."
The moment Madara used his Hypnotic Eye, he found his world turned upside down. Left was no longer left; right was no longer right.
"How is it? Is my Genjutsu a bit more impressive than your Sharingan's?" Tonbo was still smiling.
This was too amusing. Kabuto hadn't given Madara any intel on him—he had clearly overestimated Madara's natural immunity. For a ninja, the gap between having intel and being blind was like heaven and earth. Of course, Tonbo didn't think it would be this simple to take Madara down; this was just the appetizer.
"What is Uchiha Madara doing?"
"Is he caught in a Genjutsu? Let's go help!"
"He looks so silly."
"Madara is done for. I think I see another of Captain Tonbo's clones in the sky taking pictures."
The Allied Forces, who had originally worried about Tonbo being crushed while stalling for the Hokage and Raikage, were now baffled. They watched as Madara occasionally spat out massive fireballs at nothing, or moved his body erratically as if his coordination had failed. He looked like someone suffering from a severe twitching disorder.
"Nice! Uncle Tonbo is as amazing as ever! Gaara, Old Man, let's go!" Naruto's clone shouted excitedly.
"Naruto, you deal with the Second Tsuchikage, Mu. We need your sensory abilities," Gaara commanded. Mu's invisibility made him impossible for ordinary sensors to track.
"Fine. You guys be careful!" Naruto nodded, acknowledging Gaara's role as the field commander, and led a squad to hunt Mu.
Gaara and Onoki then turned their sights toward Uchiha Madara.
"I'll disintegrate you in one shot!" Onoki gathered Particle Style in his hands. Gaara's sand also began to swarm around Madara, preparing to seal him the moment he recovered.
Boom!
Sensing the lethal danger, a massive surge of chakra erupted from Madara's body. He forcibly shattered Tonbo's Genjutsu, his eyes shifting from three-tomoe to the Mangekyo Sharingan. Using a Body Flicker, he narrowly evaded the Particle Style and Gaara's sand.
He stood some distance away, glaring at Tonbo.
"A Genjutsu that controls the five senses... to have ensnared me for that long, I suppose I should commend you. But you know nothing of the power of the Sharingan. Now, it is my turn."
Madara's interest had finally been piqued. Since becoming the head of the Uchiha clan, he had never been manipulated by Genjutsu. This was the first time in decades he had truly felt deflated in an illusionary battle. Whether it was casting or dispelling, the man before him was a top-tier master.
Moreover, the Genjutsu wasn't easily broken. It was as if a "seed" had been planted in his body; the moment he utilized his chakra, he risked falling right back into the trap.
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