Iaijutsu.
A strike with no warning at all—Madara almost didn't sense it.
He only noticed once the wind blade was already in front of him.
Fortunately…
Though the slash was sharp, for someone of Madara's level, it wasn't difficult to evade.
Kyoichi also wasn't going all-out; he simply wanted Madara to understand—
He is not weak.
Madara's expression grew far more serious.
From a small glimpse, he could see the whole picture.
Kyoichi's strike wasn't especially powerful, but the ease of it—the way it appeared out of nowhere, effortless, clean, without the slightest motion—was terrifying.
This was merely one fragment.
But if Kyoichi could release such a sword technique at any moment in battle…
Even if Madara dodged every slash, he would be forced to expend considerable focus.
Not only that, he recalled something else—
That detestable instantaneous movement technique of Tobirama's.
Flying Thunder God…
Right.
This kid, and Konoha's Namikaze Minato, both mastered that technique.
If the two coordinated…
Madara could not even imagine it.
He now understood clearly—
Kyoichi's strength was not "strong."
It was complete.
Like Madara and Hashirama in their youth, this child possessed overwhelming talent and ninjutsu—
But more importantly…
He had forged his own style and system, blending everything into a seamless whole.
A layered, complex structure.
Trying to counter him would be extremely difficult.
But precisely because of this—
Madara felt even more exhilarated.
"HAHAHAHA… Defeating a true strong one is far more thrilling than crushing a horde of weaklings. Come—show me your strength."
Madara spoke, and this time—
He was truly serious.
His Sharingan spun.
Sharingan—Open!
In that instant—
His Genjutsu had already activated, and his body lunged toward Kyoichi.
From the moment Kyoichi released that wind-blade slash, the battle had already begun.
Madara's proficiency in Genjutsu was monstrous—
Even with Mirror Heavenly Rotation and numerous illusion-breaking methods, Kyoichi still needed almost a full breath to dispel it.
But in that single breath—
A fireball roared toward him.
Kyoichi didn't hesitate.
His blade swept out, compressed wind cutting the flames in half like parting a sea of fire.
Madara flicked his war fan—
And the wind-sword slash rebounded instantly.
The Flame Fan…
A weapon born from the God Tree—capable of rebounding even a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kyoichi knew it well.
Yet—
In the next moment, his speed exploded.
In a blink, he was already behind Madara.
Not only the blade in his hand—
A second blade whirled through the air.
A third blade hovered in the air, controlled through a combination of chakra manipulation, Lightning Release magnetization, and fine blade control—gliding through the air, redirecting mid-flight, weaving eerie, unpredictable trajectories.
Three-Sword Style.
Two blades in his hands—
One blade dancing overhead.
Three blades flashing like lightning—
Wind and thunder roaring in harmony.
Against two blades, Madara already felt pressured.
With a third blade weaving like a serpent, even with his body partly restored to his prime physical condition, he struggled to respond.
Of course—
This was only taijutsu and swordsmanship.
Madara wanted to prove he was not yet "old," that he could still compete with the young in every field.
But reality was harsh—
He was no longer in his prime.
And even at his peak, purely in swordsmanship, he might not have surpassed Kyoichi.
Let alone now.
The twin blades rained down like a violent storm.
At first, Madara used the war fan to defend, even forming one-handed seals to counterattack with simple ninjutsu.
But then—
The third blade came from behind.
It didn't fly straight—
It drifted like wind, light, floating, unpredictable.
Madara avoided once—
But the blade curled around midair and struck from an impossible angle.
In that instant—
Behind Madara, a translucent bone materialized, blocking the strike.
Susanoo.
But Madara's eyes were extremely limited now.
If he manifested Susanoo in full, his vision would instantly overload.
Still—
He was Uchiha Madara.
He deconstructed Susanoo into its most basic form,
condensing its power into a single point.
The blade could not scratch it.
Madara retreated several steps.
"Your swordsmanship has truly surprised me. This style… it doesn't exist in any of Konoha's records. A sword art entirely created by you—astonishingly powerful."
Madara was full of emotion.
Once, the Uchiha Clan had been famed for swordsmanship.
But compared with Kyoichi's blade style—
Uchiha kenjutsu was far too simple.
Though simplicity had its benefits on the battlefield,
there was no denying—
Kyoichi's Three-Sword Style was dazzling, unpredictable,
and absolutely practical.
A fusion of kenjutsu, shinobi assassination arts, and chakra manipulation.
"So it seems you don't intend to try close combat again."
Kyoichi saw Madara withdraw, and instantly understood he wouldn't continue a taijutsu exchange.
"In close quarters, I'm no match for you. Your swordsmanship surpasses mine."
Madara admitted, with a rare touch of humility.
"To be honest, I have always been proud.
Even with Hashirama, I only conceded that his monstrous Sage Body surpassed me—nothing else."
"But you… If you and I had been the same age…"
"I would not be your opponent."
"Back then, compared to today, ninjutsu wasn't nearly as developed. It's normal for us descendants to grow beyond our predecessors."
Kyoichi dismissed politely, withdrawing the airborne blade.
The Three-Sword Style was strong—
But against even a partial Susanoo, it wasn't enough.
That third blade, no matter how eerie, held no chakra—
it was purely a manipulated tool.
Madara stood on the rocky height, sighing:
"I originally had no more interest in this world…
But seeing you, I truly wish I could live another lifetime—
to compete with you young ones."
"Too bad… time never turns back."
"Heh…"
Kyoichi let out a soft, cold laugh.
Madara was still trying to cover things up—trying to make him ignore those who would remain after Madara died.
Like Black Zetsu.
But unfortunately for him—
Kyoichi already knew that Madara wasn't the true danger.
Black Zetsu was.
Still…
A man as confident as Madara would never believe him.
Even if Kyoichi said Black Zetsu was Kaguya's progeny, he had no evidence—
while Madara had "proof" that Black Zetsu was his own creation through Yin–Yang Release.
A man like Madara would never accept otherwise.
Which was why Kyoichi had never intended to persuade him.
There was no point.
What he would do—
was send Madara to meet the Sage of Six Paths.
Madara manifesting Susanoo meant the friendly exchange was over.
Truthfully—
Madara's taijutsu was disappointing.
That era's hand-to-hand combat had no flair, no surprises.
But his mastery of Susanoo was extraordinary—
He could manifest exactly the parts he needed, in the exact way he wanted.
"The warm-up is over.
Let's show our true strength.
Here, we decide victory—"
Kyoichi stepped forward.
"—and life or death."
Patterns spread across his skin—
The Sage Body.