Chapter 349: The Battle For Konoha's Strongest
"Are you Uchiha Madara?" Nagasawa's incredibly audacious words instantly silenced the entire battlefield. No one made a sound as they all stared at Nagasawa in shock.
Regardless of how much they might hate Madara, they had to admit that he was an extremely powerful Shinobi. His strength was so overwhelming that even the entire Allied Shinobi Forces was no match to him. That was why they were so dumbfounded when someone had the audacity to speak so casually to Madara.
Madara squinted, and his imposing gaze focused on Nagasawa, exuding overwhelming aura. "I'm raring for a fight now. Do you want to dance as well?"
Madara might have ignored Nagasawa if he was just a random person, as he typically paid no heed to the opinions of weaker individuals. However, Nagasawa was far from an ordinary Shinobi. When Madara sensed Hashirama's presence, he also detected another powerful presence—Nagasawa.
"Dance? No, I just want to defeat you, or beat you to death," Nagasawa laughed and his whole body was brimming with power, countering Madara's overwhelming aura.
"Madara, don't underestimate Nagasawa. I'll be blunt: he's incredibly strong! Very strong! I'll leave you to him this time, while I'm dealing with the Tailed Beast over there," Hashirama said.
Before departing, they had a brief discussion and decided on a strategy. Nagasawa volunteered to face Madara while the other four Hokages would handle the Ten-Tails together.
"I finally get the chance to fight the legendary Shinobi Madara Uchiha. Just like in my world, I'll bring victory to Konoha," Nagasawa confidently declared.
Because Nagasawa was an unexpected addition to their lineup, and considering the fact that his aura earlier was indeed overwhelming, Hashirama and the others chose to trust him and let Nagasawa handle Madara.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, and Hiruzen quickly sprang into action, each taking a position to the east, west, south, and north of the Ten-Tails. They then swiftly made hand seals.
"Four Crimson Ray Formation!"
As the Sealing Technique was completed, four-sided crimson flimsy barrier was erected, forming a red cube that entrapped the massive Ten-Tails.
While Hashirama and the others engaged the Ten-Tails, Nagasawa wasn't idle. He leaped into the cliff where Madara stood.
"Heh heh, interesting! Hashirama acknowledged that you're strong," Madara just observed as Nagasawa approached.
Only after Nagasawa got close did Madara pick up the Gunbai beside him.
"Let's consider this a little appetizer before my battle with Hashirama. Don't disappoint me too much," Madara said arrogantly with a smirk.
In this entire world, there was no one besides Hashirama that Madara held in high regard.
"Don't disappoint me? That's my line. I hope you live up to your reputation," Nagasawa responded with a smile.
Boom!
Madara propelled himself forward with an overwhelming force at Nagasawa's direction.
Nagasawa laughed heartily. His Chakra and Sun Breathing erupted simultaneously. With his arms covered entirely in jet-black Color of Arms Haki, he counterattacked.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In a brief moment, the two exchanged blows dozens of times. Nagasawa's speed and strength outclassed Madara's, pushing him back little by little.
Kaboom!
Suddenly, a deep crimson flame erupted from Nagasawa's fist, reducing Madara's left hand to black ash.
Swoosh!
Madara's brow furrowed slightly, and he immediately put some distance between himself and Nagasawa.
Due to being revived by Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, Madara's hand quickly regenerated.
"Your dancing skills are nothing special. Is this all the legendary Uchiha Madara got? I'm a bit disappointed," Nagasawa said, putting away the flames and taunting Madara.
In his previous Challenge Mission attempt, Madara wasn't a bad opponent before he activated Supernova mode, so this time, he wanted to have some fun before Madara was fully revived.
Madara admitted he had underestimated Nagasawa a bit in their initial exchange. He didn't expect his opponent was this strong.
"Hahaha, among those I've battled, you may be the strongest in terms of physical strength. But if that's all, it won't satisfy me for what comes next!"
Facing Nagasawa's taunts, Madara's laughter echoed through the battlefield.
A formidable opponent was not something you came across every day.
"Susanoo!" Madara's Sharingan swirled as he summoned a colossal, blue Susanoo to the battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The appearance of the colossal blue Susanoo instantly changed the atmosphere on the battlefield.
Even though they knew Uchiha Madara was currently engaged in a battle with Nagasawa and wouldn't attack them, many of the Allied Shinobi couldn't help but look warily at Susanoo.
This was the power of Uchiha Clan's ultimate Eye Technique, the Mangekyou Sharingan.
The Complete Body - Susanoo, standing over a hundred meters tall, was a symbol of destruction, capable of cleaving through mountains with a single strike.
Nagasawa considered his options and decided not to borrow a sword from the Allied Shinobi Forces this time. Instead, he quietly entered Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode.
He had accumulated some Senjutsu Chakra at the shrine earlier, which should be enough for a couple of minutes.
Against the current Madara, two minutes in Sage Mode should be sufficient.
Rinnegan was indeed an extraordinary eye, but when he was still under the effect of Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, Madara couldn't use the Rinnegan's true abilities.
That was why Nagasawa had such confidence.
"So, how will you deal with this?" Madara smirked, controlling Susanoo as it drew his sword.
"Of course, I'll use a giant to deal with a giant!" Nagasawa remained composed and instantly entered Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode.
In this Sage Mode, two small white horns grew on his forehead instead of having markings on his face like before.
This was one of the clear distinctions between Ryuchi Cave and the Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode.
When he upgraded Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode to Great Sage-level, Nagasawa discovered the essence of Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode was evolution, or rather transforming into a dragon.
That wasn't all! The Sage Mode and Nagasawa's Sun Breathing fused together. The red aura that previously covered his body turned into an even more radiant golden glow. Even the white horns on his forehead glowed as he entered the Radiant Sun Mode.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!" Nagasawa immediately used a Sage Technique to manipulate inorganic substances on the battlefield.
Boom!
The earth began to tremble, as if experiencing a magnitude 8 earthquake. Many Allied Shinobi Forces were nearly knocked down by the intense tremor.
Countless inorganic substances from the ground flew into the air, combining into a colossal giant that was equally big as the Complete Body - Susanoo.
The commotion caught Naruto and Sasuke's attention, who were busy dealing with the Ten-Tails' fissions.
Naruto exclaimed, "What is that thing? It's amazing!"
Sasuke, who had seen this jutsu before during his battle with Kabuto, was even more astonished. "Is that really Inorganic Reincarnation...?" he muttered, comparing it to what he had witnessed during his fight with Kabuto. The power and scale of Nagasawa's Inorganic Reincarnation was on a whole different level.
Madara, however, was not one to be taken by surprise. He sneered and his Susanoo that was now holding two swords lunged at Nagasawa.
Nagasawa's giant that was made of Inorganic Reincarnation was surprisingly fast despite its size, dodging Susanoo's slash and countered with a punch!
The clash resulted in a loud explosion, pushing Susanoo back several steps and crushing numerous massive rocks beneath it.
Nagasawa pressed his advantage, calling forth a pair of gray serpent-like creatures using Inorganic Reincarnation. These serpents rushed toward Susanoo at an incredible speed.
Despite Madara's swift reaction, he could only cut down one of the serpents, while the other coiled around Susanoo, immobilizing it. Nagasawa then had the giant deliver a powerful blow to Susanoo.
Madara didn't seem pleased. This scene felt strangely familiar to him, and not in a good way.
However, the serpent lacked the Chakra absorption properties that Hashirama's Wood Dragon possessed, and Madara managed to break free from the serpent's grasp.
Nagasawa, assessing the situation, commented, "Beating up on you with the giant is pretty good, but there are better ways to do it in a real fight."
In reality, Nagasawa, could deliver far more powerful punches than his giant. His current strength was basically nearly at Six Paths-level. He merely used Inorganic Reincarnation because he was dying to control a giant creature like Susanoo.
Nagasawa swiftly hurled five Flying Thunder God Kunai as he leapt from the giant toward Madara.
Madara responded by throwing several blue Magatama in Nagasawa's direction!
Swish!
"You've lost," Nagasawa declared that the battle was over the moment he used the Flying Thunder God Techniqueto appear right beside Madara.
Crack! Crack!
His fist that was ablaze with golden flames, struck the colossal Susanoo.
Compared to the over 100-meter-tall Susanoo, Nagasawa seemed so small, yet when his punch made contact with the colossal Susanoo, cracks were immediately fromed all over its body.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion occurred as Susanoo was blasted to smithereens, engulfing Nagasawa and Madara's battlefield in a thick cloud of dust.
Hashirama, who had been closely watching their fight, couldn't help but reveal a surprised expression upon witnessing Nagasawa obliterate the Complete Body - Susanoo with a single punch.
He initially assumed that Nagasawa's strength would be on par with his own, but it appeared that Nagasawa had surpassed the physical strength of his current body, possibly even surpassing when he was in his prime.
As the dust cleared, it revealed a disheveled Madara.
Madara was now in no condition to be arrogant as he stared at Nagasawa with his armor broken. Compared to Madara, Nagasawa was in a much better shape.
Madara was getting curious, "Who are you? How do you possess such incredible power?"
What had started as a seemingly lighthearted encounter over "dessert" had evolved into a battle that defied all Madara's expectations. Nagasawa's power had reached levels that no Shinobi should be capable of achieving.
Even if he was fully revived and could use his Rinnegan's true power, Madara dared not claim he could confidently defeat Nagasawa.
The sheer power displayed by Nagasawa was beyond expectations. After all, Nagasawa did not possess Rinnegan or Hashirama's physique.
"I am Fujiawara Nagasawa, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. If you intend to harm the village, you'll have to ask my fists first," Nagasawa declared confidently, glancing briefly at Ten-Tails. Naruto was already charging, so Obito should come out soon.
"With such power, you're content with just being a Hokage? Join me! Together, we can create a world of peace without war. Once we achieve that, no one will threaten Konoha," Madara proposed, attempting to sway Nagasawa to join his side.
"But I'm not from this world, and Konoha of my world gains nothing from this," Nagasawa replied. He had no motivation to help this world since his own was unaffected.
"Then why are you helping them if you're not even from this world?" Madara questioned.
"Because you're trying to destroy Konoha," Nagasawa said with a straight face.
Madara's fists clenched in frustration. The last time someone had infuriated him like this was when he dealt with Tobirama.
"You said you're not from this world. Why would you protect the Konoha of this world?" Madara asked again.
"It's only natural to protect Konoha," Nagasawa said with confidence. He made it clear that he could defeat Madara at any moment, so he didn't mind conversing with him like this.
"Ha, interesting," Madara chuckled. It was rare for someone to treat him this way, but he didn't mind. Madara intended to show Nagasawa that underestimating him would come at a heavy price. He was waiting for the right moment to resurrect himself as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and attain Six Paths Sage Mode. By then, Nagasawa would realize that he was messing with the wrong opponent.
"Interesting?" Nagasawa grinned. "Did you forget what I said earlier?"
"Today, it's either you or me. One of us is going down!"
As he finished his words, Nagasawa suddenly punched Madara, sending him flying, crashing into a massive rock several dozen meters away.
Just as Nagasawa pummeled Madara, the space above the Ten-Tails' body distorted, and a heavily injured figure tumbled out.