An hour had passed, and the sun was already halfway down the mountain.
"Clan Leader, there's been no unusual movement from the Uzumaki clan member," an Uchiha scout quickly reported to Madara.
Madara sat atop a large rock, his expression showing impatience. "Izuna, let's attack. If we wait any longer, night will fall."
Izuna, standing beside him, looked puzzled. "Nightfall would actually work in our favor, big brother."
Madara hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
Seeing this, Izuna's face showed surprise. "Big brother… your eyes…"
Madara didn't respond, simply confirming with a nod.
Realizing the situation, Izuna immediately stood up and commanded, "All units, assemble! Prepare to attack!"
On the Senju side, Akio had already sensed the Uchiha's movements. Watching his three disciples still sobbing beside him, he felt helpless.
"Alright, stop crying. Your teacher isn't dead yet. Get back and stay put—battle is about to begin!"
After making sure they had retreated, Akio couldn't help but smile wryly. Internally, he thought, "If I don't die this time, I really won't have a way to explain it..."
Meanwhile, Tobirama also spotted the approaching Uchiha and shouted, "All units, prepare to engage!"
Akio observed the distance between their forces and the advancing Uchiha, then gave a small nod. With a flick of his thoughts, several small fireballs formed in front of him. But instead of bombarding the enemy as before, he focused, altering their shape until they transformed into miniature shuriken.
"Scorch Release: Spiral Shuriken!"
The burning shuriken whistled through the air as they shot toward the Uchiha ranks.
Madara's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, his Mangekyō Sharingan spun. "Susanoo!"
A towering, ethereal blue giant materialized, effortlessly shattering the flaming shuriken with its massive fists.
"Old man! You said you were my opponent, didn't you?! Well, here I am!" Madara bellowed as the giant charged straight toward Akio.
Akio glanced at Tobirama and gave him a reassuring look before dashing toward Madara.
Tobirama steadied himself and roared, "Senju clan, engage!" before charging directly at his longtime rival, Izuna Uchiha.
As Akio rushed toward Madara, he shouted, "Madara Uchiha! After fourteen years, we cross blades again. Let's hope you don't end up as pathetic as last time!"
Madara shot him a fierce glare but didn't respond. Instead, he measured the distance before forming a series of seals with Susanoo's hands. "Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A colossal wave of fire, ten times larger than before, roared toward Akio. Madara sneered, "Let's see you absorb this one!"
Akio didn't bother defending. Instead, he hurled a specially crafted shuriken through the flames toward Madara. The moment it neared him, Akio activated the Shuriken Body Replacement Technique, instantly appearing right in front of Susanoo.
"Dark Release: Illusionary Killer!"
In Madara's shocked gaze, Akio's technique tore a hole through Susanoo, and with a powerful kick, he sent Madara flying. Without his control, the massive ethereal warrior began to dissipate.
"Madara, history has a way of repeating itself. After fourteen years, you've been kicked by me again," Akio teased as Madara barely managed to steady himself.
Madara's face darkened with anger. "Damn old man… still using those bizarre techniques…"
Standing up straight, Madara muttered, "I didn't want to use this, but it looks like I can't hold back against this old bastard…"
"Susanoo!" Madara's eyes bled as an even larger Susanoo formed—now dual-headed with four arms, two of which wielded massive luminous swords.
Akio rolled his neck and sighed. "Fighting giants is such a pain. Now you're even bigger… Are you trying to tire me out?"
Madara didn't bother with words, instead bringing both blades down in a crushing strike.
Akio quickly formed seals. "Earth Release: Earthland Return!"
A massive rock formation erupted between them, but within moments, Akio's expression changed slightly as he activated the Shuriken Body Replacement Technique once more.
The enormous boulder was split cleanly in two by Madara's twin blades.
Akio wiped away nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "Whoa, he's serious. If I don't take this seriously, I might actually die here…"
His expression hardened. "Sage Mode—activate!"
To Madara's eyes, Akio's entire presence suddenly shifted.
Madara frowned. "The same technique as Hashirama, huh?" Clearly, unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind.
"Sage Art: Wind Release—Spiral Shuriken!" Akio shouted as he hurled an attack vastly more powerful than before.
Madara snapped out of his daze, smirking coldly. "You're still far from Hashirama's level!"
He swung his blade at the shuriken, but within moments, his expression changed. Even with both swords crossed in defense, he was pushed back nearly a hundred meters before finally dispersing the attack.
"Yeah, I'm far from Hashirama's level. But you're also far from who you used to be!" Akio taunted.
Madara's irritation flared. The last thing he could tolerate was being compared unfavorably to Hashirama. He immediately charged back into battle, unleashing both swords while forming hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball aimed directly for Akio's shuriken landing spots.
"I'll give it to you, Madara. You figured out my Shuriken Body Replacement Technique so quickly… But I still have three more shuriken left," Akio said, smirking as he threw three shuriken in different directions.
Madara's expression darkened, his Sharingan spinning rapidly as he tried to track Akio's true position.
But in a mere blink, Akio disappeared from sight, and none of the shuriken revealed his whereabouts.
"Underground!" Madara cursed, shifting his swords downward.
"Sage Art: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
Emerging from the ground, Akio intercepted Madara's strike head-on for the first time, using the opportunity to get even closer.
"Dark Release: Illusionary Killer!" Once again, Akio's cursed hands reached for Susanoo.
But Madara wasn't about to fall for the same trick twice. His eyes flashed as he cast an instantaneous genjutsu, momentarily stunning Akio. When Akio snapped back, Madara's sword was already inches away, forcing him to use the Shuriken Body Replacement Technique again.
Landing at a distance, Akio took a deep breath.
"Damn Susanoo. Other than Illusionary Killer, I have no way to deal with it. And now that Madara's wary of it, defeating him is near impossible…"
Surveying the battlefield, he noticed that the Senju forces held a slight advantage, and his disciples were managing to hold their own.
"For now, I'll just have to buy time—until Hashirama returns or another battlefront is decided…"
With that, Akio deactivated Sage Mode. The chakra consumption was too great for prolonged combat.
Madara saw this and sneered. "Old man, giving up already? You're not even close to done!"
With that, he charged again.
"Scorch Release: Overheated Death!" Akio muttered. It was a dangerous technique, but at this point, it was his best option.
Though it failed to penetrate Susanoo, the heat still singed Madara's face, turning it bright red.
"Old man! You're dead!" Madara roared in fury.
Akio: "..."
"Well, that backfired… What do I do now?"
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