"Madara is probably right behind all of that. Stay alert later—if things really go south, we don't have to rush. Just like you said: as long as we wipe out his subordinates, Madara is someone we can take down sooner or later."
Jiraiya's expression grew solemn.
Kyoichi nodded.
"I know."
"We've got a whole future ahead of us. As long as we keep getting stronger, we'll eventually surpass Madara."
Jiraiya wasn't joking.
He truly believed the next generation would always eclipse the one before it.
That was the inheritance of spirit and will.
What's more…
Konoha now had research advancements across every field. Ninjutsu was becoming more systematic; even Sage Mode was no longer some distant, unreachable mystery.
Sooner or later, many shinobi might be capable of Sage Mode—or even abilities beyond it.
To Jiraiya, defeating Madara wasn't something Konoha had to accomplish here and now.
If anything…
It was the other villages who needed Madara gone.
Konoha had Kyoichi—someone who could sense Madara's presence and even stand against him directly.
The other villages had no such person.
That was the biggest gap between Konoha and the rest.
Besides…
Maybe Madara being alive was better for the shinobi world.
Yes, Uchiha Madara caused chaos wherever he went. But it was precisely his presence that kept the Great Villages from going to war with one another, creating a kind of forced, uneasy peace.
It wasn't a noble thought—but Jiraiya felt that this fragile peace was sometimes easier to maintain than chasing after an ideal that might never be reached.
Of course…
He kept that thought to himself.
Kyoichi smiled faintly.
"Relax, Jiraiya. Madara can't kill me. This is a king facing a king—if I lose this battle, how am I supposed to keep getting stronger?"
He shook his head calmly.
He believed he could win.
Before, the problem was finding Madara.
Now that he had finally found him, why would he back away?
If Madara wasn't dealt with now, things would only grow harder in the future.
More importantly…
Their opponent was already here.
A massive surge of chakra tore across the distance.
A figure burst out of the forest, a familiar war fan in his hand.
Uchiha Madara had arrived.
The real body.
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes slightly and stepped forward to meet him.
Jiraiya's face tightened.
He could already sense the boiling chakra crawling beneath the earth—a concentration no living creature could ever disguise.
He didn't move yet.
Instead, he gathered chakra quietly, waiting for the right moment.
Seconds passed.
Then his eyes snapped open.
Once, Jiraiya needed Fukasaku and Shima to help him enter Sage Mode.
But now—
Sage Mode: Activate.
A thin trace of toad-like texture appeared around his eyes—still a partial transformation, but his power far exceeded his old Sage Mode.
His body instantly shifted into a hyperactive breathing rhythm.
Talent-wise, Jiraiya might not equal Tsunade or Orochimaru.
But he was absolutely a prodigy.
Because he had turned the biggest drawback of his Sage Mode—partial toad transformation—into an advantage.
Toad features?
Fine—he simply guided all the toadification to his skin instead, allowing it to enhance his Seven Heavenly Breaths technique.
At this moment…
His physical functions were pushed to their current limit.
He formed hand-seals.
Then pressed both palms to the ground.
The earth rippled.
Soil turned soft. A vast stretch of land liquefied into a bottomless swamp.
Water pooled, dissolving the ground, turning it into a flowing molten mire.
Next—
His hands flew through seals again.
From beneath the mud, massive jets of earth erupted upward, dragging with them countless White Zetsu.
Earth Flow River!
But a far stronger version—one requiring fine, advanced control that normal shinobi simply could not achieve.
White Zetsu burst from underground like soybeans poured from a pot.
And this was just a tiny fraction.
Jiraiya's scalp tingled.
Madara's accumulation was terrifying.
If Madara had been left alone for even longer… who knew how insane the number of White Zetsu might have become?
Thankfully, they had found him early enough.
No hesitation.
More seals.
The liquid earth turned into oil.
Jiraiya spewed flames—
A sea of fire erupted across the battlefield.
A pillar of black smoke rose high into the sky.
A signal.
The clearest possible signal.
…
"Not bad for a brat of Konoha. You're full of surprises."
Madara's voice drifted across the battlefield.
Kyoichi stepped into view.
Madara hadn't run.
He sat on the highest crag of the rocky terrain, war fan resting against his shoulder.
He looked down at Kyoichi.
"So you're Kanda Kyoichi. I've looked into you these past few weeks. I'll admit—you were nowhere in my plans. Without you, my strategy would have been flawless."
Madara's lips curled upward.
Kyoichi dipped his head politely.
"To be personally recognized by Madara-san… what an honor. But please—once you're dead, don't pay attention to me anymore. I'm not interested in corpses."
"HAHAHAHA—!"
That familiar, wild laugh.
For a brief moment, Kyoichi felt like he'd been pulled back into the anime he once watched.
Madara was still Madara.
No matter when or where, he never doubted he would win.
"Child, you've seen too little. You touched the ceiling of your little house and thought it was the sky. In reality… you still have a long way to go."
Madara lifted his war fan, his expression sharpening.
But soon he chuckled again.
"Still… I like your arrogance."
"If you're not arrogant, are you even young?"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Madara paused—irritated for a moment—but the words hit him hard enough that nostalgia washed across his face.
Yes…
If you weren't arrogant,
were you even young?
Without the will to stand invincible,
how could anyone rise to lead an entire era?
Madara stared carefully at Kyoichi.
"I acknowledge you. You are the one in this generation closest to Hashirama. In some ways, you surpass even him and me—you were born without what we naturally had."
He spoke sincerely.
Kyoichi had no kekkei genkai at the start.
Only Senju blood.
But Senju blood alone meant nothing.
If Senju blood made people strong, why weren't all Senju monstrous?
Kyoichi's starting line was far behind Hashirama and Madara, yet he had reached this level anyway.
That kind of talent…
Yes.
It surpassed theirs.
And that was why Madara desperately wanted to fight him.
He exhaled deeply.
"Enough talk.
Let's have the battle we've both been waiting for.
This long-awaited… exhilarating clash."
Madara twirled his war fan.
Kyoichi unsealed his scroll and drew his blade.
"Then allow me to start by showing you one of the things… I'm best at."
Before his words finished—
The blade left its sheath—
And an invisible wind slash shot toward Madara without warning.
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