"Damn it!"
Every Rain ninja present felt their hearts sink.
They had never even heard of a Fire Release technique this terrifying.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a blade of light tore through the mist and shot straight toward the Rain ninja standing at the forefront of the defense.
"Damn!"
The ninja had no time to dodge.
The slash struck him head-on.
Before he could finish speaking, his body split cleanly into two from the point of impact.
"W-What?!"
"Heihei!"
The surrounding Rain ninjas stared in horror at the sudden scene.
Swish!
A figure descended through the flames.
Everyone looked up warily.
Uchiha Madara stood there, holding an ordinary sword he had casually picked up from a fallen Rain ninja.
Without slowing down, he charged directly into their encirclement.
"Don't panic! Attack together!"
"He's alone!"
"Keep the Water Release going! That fireball is almost through!"
Several quick-thinking Rain ninjas immediately shouted commands.
Their attention shifted toward Madara.
"You're nothing more than gravel..."
Madara chuckled softly.
"...Dance to your heart's content."
He showed no concern whatsoever for whether his own flames would consume him.
Instead, he leapt forward, effortlessly weaving through incoming attacks.
His eyes gleamed with icy killing intent.
"Hah!"
Dozens of swords and kunai stabbed toward him from all directions.
Meanwhile, countless shuriken flew in from afar.
Yet Madara remained unmoved.
With a few simple movements, he neutralized every attack.
He barely seemed to move at all.
Every strike was either blocked or avoided with perfect precision.
"This guy!"
"Use ninjutsu!"
Seeing that taijutsu was completely ineffective against him, several Rain ninjas immediately began forming seals.
Madara, however, was a veteran of countless battlefields.
Aside from his duels against Hashirama Senju, he had spent most of his life fighting entire armies by himself.
His experience in large-scale combat was virtually unmatched.
The moment he saw their hand seals, he understood exactly what they intended.
"Ninjutsu?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
His taijutsu had already been terrifying during the Warring States Era.
After being enhanced by Hashirama's cells, his physical capabilities had reached an even greater level.
Using nothing but the Body Flicker Technique, he could evade even large-area attacks.
Slash!
Another Rain ninja fell as Madara's blade swept through a vital point.
His expression remained indifferent as he watched several Water Dragons and bolts of lightning approaching from afar.
The Land of Rain was filled with water and dense moisture.
Fire Release techniques were naturally weakened here.
As a result, most Rain ninjas specialized in Water Release and Lightning Release.
Meanwhile, the defensive specialists were still desperately trying to hold back his Majestic Destroyer Flame.
Whoosh!
One moment Madara was standing in place.
The next, he became a blur.
The incoming techniques slammed into the spot where he had been standing.
A massive wave erupted, crackling with countless arcs of lightning.
"Not bad."
Appearing atop a nearby cliff after using Body Flicker, Madara nodded in approval.
At that very moment—
"We can't hold it!"
The Rain ninjas maintaining the defensive barrier against his flames finally reached their limit.
The wall of water shattered apart into countless droplets.
"Ahhh!"
"Damn it!"
The moment the barrier opened, the crimson-violet flames surged forward like starving beasts smelling blood.
"We're dead!"
The front-line Rain ninjas had already felt the heat through the water wall.
They knew exactly how terrifying those flames were.
Now that they faced them directly, the sheer temperature made their hearts tremble.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Just as one Rain ninja closed his eyes and prepared for death—
A familiar voice rang out beside him.
At the same time, the scattered droplets of water began gathering together once more.
Combined with the endless rain falling from the sky, they formed an enormous wall of water.
"Lord Nagato!"
The surviving ninja's eyes widened with joy.
He immediately recognized the figure standing nearby.
"What terrifying Fire Release..."
Nagato's expression, however, was graver than ever.
His chakra surged continuously as he poured power into the surrounding rainwater.
Yet even with environmental advantages, his Water Release struggled to suppress the flames.
Who exactly was this person?
Nagato considered himself among the very best Water Release users alive.
Yet whether in scale or power, he was clearly being overwhelmed.
"Oh?"
Madara, standing atop the cliff, looked down.
His eyesight immediately picked out the unusual features of the newcomer.
The red hair.
The gaunt face.
And most importantly—
Those familiar purple eyes.
"Nagato..."
Madara brushed dust from his armor.
"...So you're on this battlefield."
He hadn't expected his random attack to lead him straight to Nagato.
And judging from what he saw, both of his Rinnegan were still implanted in the young man's body.
Years ago, Madara had carefully arranged everything.
He transplanted his Rinnegan into Nagato.
Then he intended for Obito to manipulate Nagato into carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Nagato would capture the tailed beasts using the power Madara had left behind.
Finally, after mastering Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, Nagato would resurrect him.
That had been the plan.
But things had gone wrong.
Very wrong.
Instead of becoming an ally, Nagato now stood firmly against him.
Still...
Perhaps this was for the best.
Executing the plan personally was far more reassuring.
Whoosh!
While Nagato focused on resisting the flames, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
Without warning—
A kick exploded toward him.
"Who—?!"
Nagato didn't even have time to turn around.
Boom!
The kick landed squarely.
Pfft!
Blood burst from Nagato's mouth.
The moment the strike connected, he nearly lost consciousness.
His body flew backward like a cannonball.
The pain spreading across his back was so intense that it felt as though his bones had shattered.
He stared in disbelief toward the place where he had been standing moments ago.
A black-haired man in crimson armor stood there with his arms folded.
Watching him calmly.
Nagato's body had been strengthened for years by the Rinnegan.
As a member of the Uzumaki clan, his vitality and durability were already extraordinary.
His physical resilience surpassed even many of Amegakure's dedicated taijutsu specialists.
Yet with a single kick—
His defenses had been broken completely.
How was that possible?
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Claim early access on Patreon: patreon.com/c/LuneWriter
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:
💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter
🔷 200 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.