Two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan!
Although Uchiha Itsuki was just a clone, it was obvious that Uchiha Madara had become interested. Even if it was only a clone, Madara still wanted to fight him.
On the hillside...
Hashirama's expression was one of surprise.
"Is that Uchiha Itsuki? He's changed a lot."
He sighed.
Thinking back, it had been several years since his last encounter with Uchiha Itsuki.
Itsuki was in a rapid stage of growth, so some changes were understandable.
But...
A clone!
Fighting Uchiha Madara with just a clone?
Even Senju Hashirama didn't have that kind of confidence.
"Where's the real body?"
Hashirama murmured, "Where did his real body go? Why isn't he here?"
The real body...
The real Itsuki was still back at the headquarters!
Itsuki had his eyes closed, focusing on restoring his chakra.
Fighting White Zetsu didn't take much out of him, but when facing Uchiha Madara, he had to be in peak condition.
Especially with Senju Hashirama also present next to Madara.
Although Hashirama's power was currently restricted, even at shadow-level strength, he could still have a significant impact on Itsuki.
"Sigh..."
Itsuki let out a deep sigh, saying, "Shikaku!"
"Yes!"
"Can you confirm the location of all enemies?"
"No!"
Shikaku was also frustrated. He wanted to be on the battlefield as well. He was strong, and so was Yamanaka Inoichi.
Together with Akimichi Chōza, they made an incredibly powerful team.
But they were stuck here.
"Keep searching!"
Itsuki said coldly, "We don't have much time. Find Uchiha Obito; he likely has a tailed beast with him. Also, inform all the troops to accelerate the clearing of the White Zetsu army!"
"Yes, sir!"
Shikaku stood at attention and shouted his response.
On the battlefield, the tempo shifted again.
Everyone's actions noticeably quickened.
Even the reserve forces from various villages began to join the fight.
Konan used explosive tags to create countless paper cranes, which bombarded the White Zetsu army.
Kakashi and others also increased the force of their attacks.
…
"Is this clone one of your eye techniques?" Madara suddenly asked.
"Oh? What makes you think that?" Itsuki asked with interest.
"Each Mangekyō Sharingan has its own unique abilities!" Madara said calmly. "Your clone is too special. I've never seen anything like it, so I can't help but think in that direction."
"Well..." Itsuki nodded slightly. "You're right. This is an eye technique."
"Then I must experience it for myself!"
Madara clasped his hands together and quickly formed a hand sign.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Itsuki followed closely behind.
Both launched their Great Fireball Jutsu simultaneously.
Boom!
Two massive fireballs collided.
Madara's was about forty meters wide.
That was already incredibly huge.
But!
Itsuki's fireball was over a hundred meters wide.
Madara was momentarily stunned.
When the fireballs collided, Madara's was shattered.
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the ground.
A huge crater formed.
Itsuki looked coldly at the pit, "Madara, come out. You can't be finished after just that!"
Hum!
A giant Susanoo appeared, staring coldly at Itsuki.
"Impressive!"
"There's more where that came from."
Itsuki's soft voice echoed in Madara's ears.
Another Itsuki.
He seemed to teleport, suddenly appearing behind Madara's Susanoo.
Lightning crackled in his mouth.
"Lightning Style..."
Itsuki whipped his head fiercely.
A thin streak of lightning flashed across.
Swoosh!
With a crisp sound, even Susanoo was sliced in two.
Madara's movements became a little frantic, but at the last moment, he successfully dodged the attack.
Otherwise...
That strike would have split him in half.
"You..."
Itsuki glared at Madara coldly. "This battle has only just begun. You..."
Boom!
A giant arm suddenly shot out from the ground, reaching for Itsuki.
Itsuki hurriedly dodged.
But the massive hand released a shockwave from its palm.
Boom!
Another enormous crater appeared.
Madara slowly emerged, glaring coldly at the pit. "Uchiha Itsuki, come out. This level of attack can't have affected you."
Boom!
Another giant Susanoo appeared, standing opposite Madara, confronting him.
It was Itsuki!
"Should I say it's to be expected from Uchiha Madara?"
Itsuki chuckled softly, "Indeed, you're strong. If you had been just a little stronger, my clone would've been destroyed."
"Even if it's just a clone, it won't be that easy to take down!" Madara refuted. "Uchiha Itsuki, you're indeed interesting. Come, let's continue dancing!"
"Alright!"
Whoosh!
Both charged at each other simultaneously, their colossal Susanoos clashing with a thunderous roar.
The massive entities launched fierce attacks at each other.
The earth seemed to shake with every impact.
The onlookers were in awe.
So, this is the power of Uchiha Madara?
And the commander was actually able to fight him to a standstill with just a clone?
"Don't just stand there!" Itachi suddenly shouted, "Some of you, go help Tsuchikage-sama and the others finish off their opponents. The rest of you, be ready to assist the commander in his attack at any moment."
"Yes!"
After a brief hesitation, Deidara was the first to fly towards Ōnoki.
He had been resting after using several No. 18 bombs, which had taken a toll on him.
Everyone had fought Madara, so he hadn't fully recovered either.
But he couldn't just sit and rest until the battle was over, right?
Absolutely not!
With that in mind, Deidara charged at the Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
"Boom!"
A few white birds flew toward Mū and exploded as they neared him.
Mū was blasted back.
"Hmm?"
He frowned slightly, muttering, "Reinforcements have arrived?"
"That's right!" Sasori had also joined the fight.
From below, he shot a stream of high-pressure water that arced gracefully.
Luckily, Mū was a sensory ninja, and he narrowly dodged the surprise attack.
"Excellent!" Ōnoki's spirits lifted.
"Let's attack together and finish off Lord Mū as quickly as possible!"
Boom! Boom!
Many ninjas launched attacks against Uchiha Madara. Although the attacks weren't powerful, they still made Madara's Susano'o stagger.
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Madara growled in anger, "Annoying little bugs, get lost!"
"Heh, even little bugs can be quite useful if used well, Lord Madara!"
Itsuki calmly deflected Madara's techniques, protecting the other ninjas.
Seeing this, Madara's expression darkened.
"Uchiha Itsuki, you want to play like this, huh?"
Itsuki's heart skipped a beat, and he forced a smile, saying, "So, what do you plan to do, Lord Madara?"
"Hmph!"
Madara snorted coldly, "What will I do? Of course, I'll squash these bugs!"
He made hand signs, his expression cold and indifferent.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara appeared godlike! Simultaneously, his chakra began to grow exponentially.
His summoned Susano'o, just like him, started making hand signs as well.
"Damn it!"
Itsuki's eyes widened.
No way! No way! Uchiha Madara isn't really going to use that move, is he?
Damn it, if he really does, who knows how many people will die here.
Realizing this, Itsuki couldn't sit still any longer. He let out a low shout and charged toward Madara.
"Die!"
He raised his hand, releasing a giant crossbow bolt.
"Bang!"
The massive bolt shot straight at Madara, its sheer power momentarily freezing Madara's body.
"Bang!"
Madara's technique was interrupted. His Susano'o raised its giant sword, blocking Itsuki's bolt.
Amid the tremendous impact, Madara was forced to step back.
"Let's go again!"
Itsuki shouted once more, raising his crossbow and firing again.
"Roar!!!"
Madara's Susano'o let out a low growl. Both of its hands lifted giant swords, slashing down in a cross pattern.
"Bang!"
With a single sword strike, the bolt was shattered.
"Incredible!"
Madara looked at Itsuki with excitement. "I didn't expect one of my descendants to be this strong!"
"There's a lot you didn't expect!"
Itsuki grinned.
"Boom!!!"
He fired another bolt.
But this time, it was different.
Behind Madara, another Itsuki attacked as well.
He also used his Susano'o, firing a massive arrow.
Attacks from both front and back!
"There's no dodging this…"
"Roar!"
Faced with attacks from both sides, Madara finally stopped holding back.
His enormous Susano'o let out a majestic roar, and then it started to expand.
Originally, Madara had kept his Susano'o at about 20 meters for mobility and chakra conservation.
Itsuki's Susano'o was the same.
But now, Madara's Susano'o began expanding toward 100 meters.
The massive arrows were easily swatted away.
This was the fully evolved Susano'o!
"This… this…"
"You've got to be kidding, right?"
"How can it be this big?"
The surrounding ninjas were stunned.
Compared to this, the tailed beasts looked like mere chicks!
What kind of monstrous chakra is this?
Can a human really reach this level?
"Not bad, really not bad, Uchiha Itsuki!"
Madara crossed his arms, looking down at Itsuki. "To push me this far, I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge you as the strongest!"
"Well, thank you!"
Itsuki's two clones frowned as they stared at the enormous fully evolved Susano'o.
This is tough!
Although Itsuki could also grow that big, his clones had limited chakra. Using the fully evolved form might not allow him to finish the fight.
Should he summon his main body now?
One of Itsuki's clones silently considered.
...
"Report!"
Yamanaka Inoichi's voice echoed, filled with shock.
"We've detected chakra levels surpassing that of a tailed beast."
"Why are you panicking?"
Itsuki scolded, "That level of chakra already appeared once before, didn't it?"
White Zetsu!
The Wood Style White Zetsu's chakra also surpassed the tailed beasts.
However.
Compared to White Zetsu, Uchiha Madara was clearly superior.
A human surpassing a tailed beast!
"What do we do now, commander?"
Faced with such overwhelming power, even Nara Shikaku was at a loss.
This seemed unsolvable.
"What to do? What else can we do?"
Itsuki rolled his eyes.
"Aren't my clones right there?"
"Clones?"
Shikaku's tone changed. "You think two clones can take on Uchiha Madara?"
"Can't they?"
Itsuki shrugged. "I mean, I've got two clones there."
Two clones using Dojutsu, which meant two normal Uchiha Itsuki's worth of power.
If they unleashed their full potential, Uchiha Madara would have a hard time.
Of course, that's assuming Madara doesn't use the Rinnegan.
Shikaku was speechless.
What's the big deal about clones? No matter how many clones there are, they're still just clones.
What can clones even do?
"Commander! Commander!"
Yamanaka Inoichi's voice came again, this time with an odd tone.
"What now?"
Itsuki looked up, puzzled. "Something else happened?"
"Yes!"
Inoichi hesitated.
"Speak!"
Itsuki grew impatient, "What are you waiting for? Do you want to wait until I'm dead to tell me?"
"N-no, that's not it…"
Inoichi said quietly, "We've detected two massive chakra signatures in Hidden Fire."
"Huh?"
Everyone's eyes turned in surprise.
Itsuki finally understood why Inoichi hesitated.
At this critical moment, every village had deployed all their forces. But now, two massive chakra signatures had been detected in Konoha, where the commander was located. What would people think?
Holding back?
Not using all their strength?
But Itsuki knew very well that he had already deployed almost all his power. He had left behind one force, but it was unable to fight a second battle.
Uchiha Setsuna!
The old man also had the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he was too old, and his eyes were severely damaged. He couldn't fight a second battle.
If he did, he'd lose his sight—maybe even his life.
So Itsuki had left him to guard the village.
But now, the question remained.
How could there be two other massive powers in the village?
Itsuki grew anxious.
That's his village! It better not be in trouble!
He stood up, his tone serious. "Inoichi, are you sure? Two chakra signatures in Konoha? Massive ones? How massive?"
"Tailed beast-level."
"No way!"
Itsuki gasped, "Konoha only has the Two-Tails, and I've secured her as my trump card. Where did these other two come from… Uh!"
As he spoke, Itsuki suddenly froze.
Could it be…
(End of Chapter)