"Hm?"
Madara's Rinnegan locked onto the kunai that had been thrown from nearly a blind spot, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.
The throwing technique behind this kunai was exceptional.
Not only was the chakra infused into it astonishing, but if he chose to dodge it, the trajectory would continue on and destroy the Rinnegan still embedded in Nagato.
Pfft!
The kunai pierced flesh.
Blood immediately flowed from Madara's hand.
"Lord Feng!"
The sudden turn of events filled Yahiko with delight.
Looking toward the familiar figure slowly walking in through the cave entrance, he shouted excitedly.
"I didn't expect you to get your hands on the Rinnegan after all."
The newcomer was Ning Feng.
At this moment, he stared warily at Madara, who ignored his wound and calmly removed the second Rinnegan from Nagato.
As expected of a powerhouse who had survived since the Warring States Era.
In that brief instant, Madara had already made the optimal choice.
An injury could be healed.
But there was only one pair of Rinnegan in existence.
If that kunai had struck the eye in Nagato's socket, Madara would have been left with only one Rinnegan.
And the difference between one Rinnegan and a complete pair was enormous.
"Uchiha... Feng?"
Having inserted the second Rinnegan into his eye socket, Madara slowly raised his head and examined the youthful ninja before him—the one who had given him a strangely familiar feeling.
A simple black robe.
Neatly kept black hair.
Two swords strapped to his back.
And a familiar gunbai fan.
His entire presence felt ethereal.
Combined with his handsome appearance, few would believe he was one of the strongest shinobi in the world.
He looked more like a wandering swordsman drifting through life.
"Didn't expect our first meeting would be like this."
Ning Feng shrugged and drew the Kusanagi Sword from his back.
"You're Uchiha Madara, right? No need for pointless talk. Show me what you've got."
"Yahiko, fall back."
Without taking his eyes off Madara, Ning Feng gestured for Yahiko to retreat.
Even though Yahiko possessed the strength of an elite jonin, the aftershocks generated by a battle between two Super-Kage-level fighters would be enough to kill him.
Yahiko nodded knowingly and quickly retreated.
As for Nagato's safety...
He trusted that Ning Feng already had a plan.
The two men remained where they stood, silently sizing each other up.
One was the strongest Uchiha of the Warring States Era.
The other was the strongest Uchiha of the current peaceful age.
Their temperaments were completely different.
Yet when their eyes met, they sensed the same thing in each other—
The desire to determine who stood above the other.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Nagato's weak cough suddenly echoed through the narrow cave.
The instant Madara's attention wavered slightly, Ning Feng slammed his hands together and launched the first fierce attack.
"Interesting..."
Madara was just about to activate the Preta Path's absorption barrier when he sensed a faint spatial fluctuation coming from the kunai he had blocked earlier.
His reaction was immediate.
He leaped out of the cramped cave.
As expected—
The very next moment, Ning Feng appeared from the Flying Thunder God seal on that bloodstained kunai, sword already drawn.
"Hmph."
Ning Feng grabbed Nagato and pulled him away.
Meanwhile, the massive fireball arrived.
He activated the Preta Path barrier and absorbed the entire technique.
"Yahiko, take Nagato and go."
Ning Feng instantly flashed to Yahiko's side and handed over the frail Nagato.
His tone grew serious.
"Understood."
Yahiko took Nagato into his arms.
Ning Feng continued:
"Get every Rain shinobi away from here immediately. The farther, the better."
Boom!
Before he could say anything else, Madara's attack arrived.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique!"
Suspended in midair, Madara's chakra surged wildly.
He opened his mouth and expelled five terrifying fire dragons, each approaching Ning Feng from a different direction.
At the same time—
Limbo: Border Jail!
Madara's unique Rinnegan ability activated.
Five invisible figures split away from his body and charged directly toward Ning Feng.
"Dragon Flame Release Song..."
A faint smile appeared on Ning Feng's lips.
At their level, ordinary ninjutsu was rarely capable of deciding the battle.
Both possessed the Rinnegan.
Both wielded the Preta Path.
Any conventional ninjutsu could simply be absorbed.
As a result, nearly every ninjutsu they used served merely as a feint.
The true killing moves were hidden elsewhere.
And because Ning Feng also possessed the Rinnegan, he could clearly see the five Limbo clones.
Against opponents without the Rinnegan, this ability was terrifying.
Imagine fighting Madara while five invisible Super-Kage-level combatants continuously attacked you from all directions.
It was a nightmare.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Ning Feng could absorb the incoming fire dragons.
But he couldn't absorb the Limbo clones.
Boom!
The invisible assaults were blasted away.
"Fast reactions..."
Watching from above, Madara secretly admired what he saw.
Power could be obtained through talent, opportunities, mentors, and hard work.
But instincts and combat experience?
Those could only be forged through countless life-and-death battles.
That was why there were many ninja with powerful abilities—
Yet only a handful ever became legends.
Most possessed strength but lacked the experience to wield it properly.
Ning Feng was different.
In Madara's eyes, not only were his abilities extraordinary—
His reactions had also reached the same level as Madara's own.
Whoosh!
Ning Feng vanished from his original position.
At this rate, endless exchanges of feints would accomplish nothing.
If he wanted to quickly determine the victor, he would have to engage in close-quarters combat.
"You're actually coming in close?"
Madara's lips curled upward.
His body had already been enhanced by Hashirama's cells to an astonishing degree.
His taijutsu had already stood at the peak of the ninja world.
After being strengthened by Hashirama's cells, it had become even more terrifying.
But just because Madara had confidence in his taijutsu—
Did Ning Feng lack confidence in his own?
With the Rinnegan.
A body that surpassed even Hashirama's cells.
And reflexes honed by constant use of Flying Thunder God.
Ning Feng's close-combat prowess had likewise reached the pinnacle of the ninja world.
"Chidori Blade!"
The Kusanagi Sword in Ning Feng's hand erupted with the sharp cry of a thousand birds.
Brilliant lightning illuminated Madara's lean face.
🌟 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.