Chapter 79: Breaking the Seal, A Narrow Escape
"Such potent Fire Release," Uchiha Madara mused, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes as he watched his Wood Dragon's head vaporize. "It's already comparable to Amaterasu."
This was no ordinary Wood Style, like Yamato's pale imitations. This was the true, chakra-absorbing Wood Dragon of Hashirama Senju, capable of wrestling with Tailed Beast Balls. For Akatsurugi's flames to obliterate it so completely... this was a true Kekkei Genkai, a bloodline limit of the highest order.
Akatsurugi, however, was not focused on the compliment. His mind was on escape. Prolonging this fight was meaningless. Pushing Madara to his limits might force him to use Izanagi, and Akatsurugi had no counter for that ultimate Uchiha secret technique.
As if reading his thoughts, Madara sneered and extended a hand. A small, dense black sphere rose from his palm and shot into the sky above them.
"Chibaku Tensei!" (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent Truth)
Akatsurugi's blood ran cold. He couldn't let this technique mature. Once that gravitational core began pulling in enough earth, it would form a prison even the Nine-Tails couldn't break free from.
He swung Ryūjin Jakka without hesitation, unleashing a colossal wave of cutting flame toward Madara.
Madara merely raised his other hand, deflecting the fiery slash with a casual application of the Rinnegan's power.
There was no time to waste. "City of Fire!" Akatsurugi shouted.
A pair of gigantic, skyscraper-sized hands of flame erupted from the ground, clapping together to imprison Madara within their incandescent grasp. Meanwhile, the black sphere in the sky was already pulling massive chunks of the earth upward.
Instantly, dark eye-shadow and a black circle appeared on Akatsurugi's face and forehead. Sage Mode.
He took a deep breath, and a massive javelin of condensed, blue-white flame materialized in his hands.
"Sage Art: Hard Vortex Fire Blade!"
This was his own creation, an S-rank Forbidden Technique adapted from the Second Hokage's "Hard Vortex Water Blade." By applying the same principles of high-speed chakra rotation and compression, but using his mastery over fire and the Mera Mera no Mi, he had forged a weapon of pure, penetrating incineration. Infused with natural energy, its power was absolute.
He hurled the flaming javelin. It streaked through the air like a comet, not at Madara, but at the very heart of the forming Chibaku Tensei.
No technique was perfect. The core was its weakness. Destroy the core, and the planetary prison would collapse.
The result was instantaneous. The moment the Hard Vortex Fire Blade pierced the black sphere, it detonated. A sunburst of blue flame consumed the gravitational core, and the Chibaku Tensei dissolved, the captured rocks raining back to the ground.
Uchiha Madara, having just shattered the "City of Fire," watched the display, his expression unreadable. "So, you possess Sage Mode as well. Like Hashirama. This must be the Sage Art of the Shikkotsu Forest."
Akatsurugi ignored him. Instead, he turned and launched a Great Fire Fist, this one shimmering with an intense, light-blue aura, directly at the wall of the Four Red Yang Formation.
The supposedly unbreakable barrier shuddered. A web of cracks spread across its crimson surface before it shattered completely.
A weakness, Akatsurugi noted. Good.
The counter-attacking flames from the barrier washed over him harmlessly. He didn't hesitate, shooting through the broken seal into the open sky.
Uchiha Madara's frown deepened. This boy was frustratingly slippery. More concerningly, he seemed to possess an uncanny understanding of his techniques, targeting their vulnerabilities with precise, almost prescient efficiency. It was... abnormal.
But there was no time to dwell on it. He pointed a finger at the fleeing Akatsurugi.
"Banshō Ten'in!" (Universal Pull)
Akatsurugi, even as he fled, was monitoring Madara's movements. The moment that hand rose, he intensified the jets of flame from his feet, fighting the tremendous suction force. He didn't resist it head-on; he simply adjusted his trajectory, using the pull to add to his own velocity, ensuring he didn't get dragged back into melee range. Getting close to Madara, with his chakra-disrupting black rods, was an unacceptable risk.
Seeing his pull fail to secure his prey, Madara's irritation finally showed. A black receiver rod materialized in his hand. Using a burst of repulsive force to accelerate, he shot toward Akatsurugi like a bullet.
Akatsurugi didn't look back. He swung Ryūjin Jakka behind him.
"Songming!" (Searing Gust)
A fire tornado erupted in his wake, enveloping the charging Madara. It wouldn't hold him, but it would buy a precious second. In that moment, Akatsurugi poured every ounce of his speed into his flight, becoming a streak of fire across the sky.
"If you have the guts, Uchiha Madara, keep chasing!" he yelled behind him, a final taunt to mask his retreat.
Watching the blur of flame vanish into the distance, Uchiha Madara finally let the fire tornado around him dissipate, absorbing its energy with a flick of his wrist. A rare feeling of frustration settled in his chest. The boy was... troublesome. Yet, this skirmish had revealed much about his strengths and limitations. In the current ninja world, Akatsurugi was a top-tier power. But he was not an insurmountable one. Not for the real Uchiha Madara, especially once he reclaimed his full power and gathered the Tailed Beasts.
"Fine. You get to live a little longer," he muttered to the empty sky. So what if the boy reported his survival? He was an old man, living on borrowed time. Let them think him a ghost in the machine, pulling strings from the shadows. It suited his purposes.
Akatsurugi flew until his chakra reserves groaned in protest, only slowing when a long look back confirmed the horizon was empty. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Finally.
The mission to the Land of Demons had spiraled beyond all expectation. Ambushed by three Kage, he had turned the tables, slain the Third Raikage, and avenged his teacher. And then, as if that weren't enough, he had to face the legend himself, Uchiha Madara. His luck had been truly tested.
He maintained a cautious pace, his senses stretched to their limits, ensuring he wasn't followed. The last thing Konoha needed was the ghost of the Warring States era appearing at its gates. Even a victory against Madara would leave the village in ruins, its status as a Great Ninja Village shattered.
A grim resolve solidified in his heart. If that old monster ever chases me again, I'll lead him on a merry chase across the continents. I'll even take him to Kumo's doorstep. He won't find me an easy pawn to control.
With that thought, he adjusted his course, the familiar forests of the Land of Fire finally appearing on the horizon. He was going home.