A lone figure blurred across the desolate landscape. For someone with Madara's native speed, the half-day journey was hardly a strenuous effort.
Even without the immortal, tireless body granted by [Reanimation Jutsu], his natural physical constitution was far from weak.
"Am I still some distance away?"
He glanced up at the darkening sky. During his journey, he had encountered several residents of this world.
Through a few brief inquiries, Madara had managed to gather a basic understanding of the situation regarding the "Major Nations" in this era.
"Honestly..."
Recalling everything he had experienced, he couldn't help but wonder why his past self hadn't realized such simple truths sooner.
"!"
His pace slowed to a crawl. His [Sharingan] snapped open, and a golden silhouette,decked in a Hokage cloak,suddenly "Flickered" into existence behind him.
A skeletal arm of [Susanoo] manifested from Madara's shoulder in a split second. It caught the other man's wrist, yanking him off balance and throwing him aside before the [Rasengan] could connect with his back.
The attacker's incredible reaction time caught Minato off guard, but he didn't hesitate for a moment. He activated the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] once more, vanishing into thin air.
"The [Flying Thunder God Jutsu], huh?"
"I see... I remember you..."
"You're Minato, Naruto's father, aren't you?"
Madara recalled the figure he had glimpsed just a second ago. Even without a clear look at his face, he would never forget that distinctive golden hair.
For Madara, enemies who had managed to cause him a significant amount of trouble during battle were etched into his memory.
"!"
Minato, hiding some distance away, felt a jolt of shock at having his identity revealed so effortlessly.
The [Sharingan]...
That appearance...
As the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Minato was well aware of the identity of the man before him.
Even if he hadn't personally encountered him during his lifetime, the village's classified archives contained detailed descriptions and portraits of this individual.
Madara!
But what confused him was the disparity between this Madara and the "Masked Madara" he had encountered before. Not just in terms of his aura, but even his tone and mannerisms were entirely different.
Furthermore, according to history, this man was supposed to have died during the battle at the Valley of the End against the First Hokage. Even if he had been summoned as a Heroic Spirit, it didn't explain the depth of his insight.
"I never expected to run into a ninja from Konoha here."
Madara offered a quiet, thoughtful sigh, his expression a mix of emotions he couldn't quite put into words.
Based on their brief exchange just now, he realized that this Minato hadn't actually fought him before.
Otherwise, the man wouldn't have been so "Reckless" as to try and close the distance using the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] like that.
For the current Madara, reacting to such a technique was a simple matter.
"You're an enemy Servant..."
"So there's no need to hold back."
"Come at me with your [Sage Mode]. Those [Shadow Clones] you have hidden in the distance... that's what they're for, isn't it?"
As if seeing through Minato's entire strategy, Madara didn't back down. Instead, he took several steps forward, intentionally entering the "Territory" the other man had prepared.
The ground was littered with [Flying Thunder God Seeds] that Minato had carved into the landscape to grant himself a tactical advantage.
The fact that Madara had already perceived his backup plan,the [Sage Mode],was a significant concern.
"!"
Minato's brow furrowed. This Madara seemed to know entirely too much about his capabilities.
Even the purpose of his [Shadow Clones] had been exposed.
It was true; he wasn't particularly skilled with [Sage Mode]. Gathering natural energy took a significant amount of time, and he couldn't maintain the form for very long.
That was why he had prepared two [Shadow Clones] at a separate location to gather energy in advance.
But Madara had seen through it with a single glance.
"Are you formulating a new strategy?"
Madara noticed the pause in the other man's aggression. He knew his words had triggered a defensive response.
Knowing that a direct, frontal assault would likely fail, Madara was certain about what the other man's next move would be.
'Exactly. To avoid the influence of the [Sharingan], an attack from the blind spot is the most logical choice.'
'Furthermore, a standard attack won't be enough to penetrate my [Susanoo].'
'The only way to achieve a decisive blow is...'
Two figures suddenly materialized.
[Shadow Clones]!
With a practically limitless supply of mana, Minato was no longer restricted by his own stamina. He could utilize his most advanced techniques with relative ease.
A skeletal [Susanoo] arm extended from Madara's back, swinging in a wide arc without him even needing to turn his head.
The two clones vanished instantly, reappearing a short distance away.
The density of [Flying Thunder God Seeds] in the area gave Minato an unprecedented level of mobility.
The technique Tobirama had invented was, in many ways, an incredibly frustrating hurdle to overcome.
Especially when used by an opponent who possessed lethal offensive capabilities...
SWISH SWISH SWISH!!
Minato continued to harass him with a series of high-speed maneuvers, but Madara's reactions were instantaneous. Every attempt to close the distance or land a [Rasengan] was countered, and every kunai thrown was either caught or knocked away.
'Does he have experience fighting the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu]?'
Minato's original body remained hidden in the distance, but he was starting to find the situation problematic.
Against any other ninja, a well-placed [Rasengan] would have been enough to secure a win. But against this man, his standard techniques weren't sufficient.
He needed to focus on his other specialty.
But Madara seemed to anticipate his move, maintaining a constant distance to ensure Minato couldn't get close enough to strike.
That one-meter gap felt like an insurmountable wall.
Getting close enough to tag Madara with a [Sealing Jutsu] was proving to be an impossible task!
"You're an even more adept user of the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] than Tobirama was."
"Using these markings to chip away at your opponent's guard... I can see why most people would find you impossible to deal with."
"Especially with such a powerful [Sealing Jutsu] at your disposal..."
Madara noticed that even when he intentionally left an opening, Minato's original body didn't take the bait.
"With such a massive supply of mana, you can use your techniques without any concern for exhaustion."
"Aside from lacking an immortal body, you're practically on the same level as a Reanimated ninja."
In some ways, this "Clone Minato" was indeed as dangerous as a "Full Power Minato."
Minato could afford to make a thousand mistakes, but if Madara made even one, a single well-placed seal would likely result in his defeat.
The most logical solution would be to erase the [Flying Thunder God Seeds] scattered around the area.
But doing so wasn't something that could be achieved easily.
"If you don't intend to fight me head-on, then I'll simply continue toward my destination."
Madara wasn't without options. His goal was to reach the enemy territory and force a confrontation. If he could simply run past Minato and lure out the rest of the faction, he could wipe them all out at once. Even if Minato was the only one left standing after that, it wouldn't matter.
Realizing that Madara was ignoring him and continuing his advance, Minato had no choice but to maintain the harassment with his clones while simultaneously contacting Amakusa Shirou.
***
"Hmm... so Assassin isn't enough to stop him on his own?"
"The opponent appears to be incredibly formidable."
Inside the church, Amakusa received the update from Minato. He fell into a moment of pensive silence.
Berserker was still in the middle of her recovery process. Semiramis was busy with her 3-day chant...
"Well then. We'll proceed with a two-pronged approach."
He thought of the remaining two Servants under his command and offered a faint, confident smile.
'(Assassin, I'll have you transport Lancer to the battlefield.)'
'(I'll go and notify the Saber pair.)'
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
There might be a mistake somewhere, im sleepy as heck when doing this shi, do tell the mistake you found on that paragraph comment, ill fix it asap later, yeah im uploading these chapter in advance cuz i want to sleep early, cya next week, uhh i already noticed some of thos mistake hereee, i frgot to change th formatingg, ill fixx later,byee