A barrage of violent explosions erupted.
Reiji didn't linger—he swiftly backed away.
His objective was to hold Madara Uchiha at bay, not to win or die in this battle.
As the blasts continued, his Senjutsu chakra cycled—used, then replenished.
Amidst the chaos, a low, furious shout boomed:
"Shinra Tensei!"
In an instant, a spherical vacuum wave radiated outward, blasting away the flames, smoke, and debris from the explosions.
"Brat, you're begging for death!" Madara's voice rang clear.
Reiji could sense his fury.
Being taunted with Izuna's death, and the use of Flying Thunder God Technique—the legacy of Tobirama Senju, one of Madara's greatest resentments—was enough to rile him.
As the dust settled, those ominous Rinnegan fixed their gaze on Reiji.
About 800 meters away, Reiji felt a brutal force surge from his abdomen, hurling him violently backwards.
Boom!
He rolled across the ground and crashed into a nearby hill, shattering stones.
Moments later, Reiji sprang from the crater—his bowl shattered, his black shirt in tatters.
Eyes shut tight, his brow furrowed.
If he guessed correctly, that was the signature ability of Madara's Rinnegan:
Limbo: Border Jail.
Though the impact had been moderate—nothing unrecoverable—he could've taken it all day.
Reiji's strength lay in his resilience.
To put it simply: the chakra levels of the Sanrei (Three-Lightning-Brothers) hit Kage rank.
His own lightning-trained physique could withstand a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken from Naruto.
By comparison, Reiji, with only his cat chakra and Eight Inner Gates, was still solid—maybe ten times stronger than Sanrei.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was incredible—but for Reiji, it would never be his top-tier move.
His senses locked onto Madara in the distance, Reiji lowered into a crouch, hands planted, knuckles tight.
"Go!"
He muttered, and instantly, blue chakra and crackling lightning blurred around him. The ground beneath him exploded outward.
Madara's eyes tightened; he grumbled:
"So fast!"
He could see Reiji—but couldn't respond fast enough.
If that was the case...
No holding back.
With that thought, Madara funneled chakra from his head into his eyes. His Rinnegan morphed—vision blurring—until they became spinning wheels of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Susanoo!
Blue chakra erupted, shaping a thick skeletal armor.
At the same time—less than three seconds later—Reiji, crackling with electric glow, had closed the gap. He stood in front of Madara, fists clenched at his waist, eyes shut, a fierce grin on his face.
He roared:
"The third set of school PE broadcast calisthenics—Dance of Youth! Begin now!
Section One: Stretch exercise!
Morning Peacock!!!"
His roar echoed across the battlefield.
Reiji unleashed a flurry of punches, each strike accompanied by sonic booms. Sparks flew as the air ignited around his fists.
Fangs bared, fierce and wild.
The blue Susanoo and red flames ignited around him, like a majestic yet deadly peacock displaying its feathers.
Madara watched, brow furrowing.
His chakra drain spiked dramatically. His armored Susanoo ribs cracked and dissolved under the assault.
With a thought, Madara's skeletal Susanoo arm whipped forward in a devastating strike aimed at Reiji.
"Raimei?! Or should I call you the Immortal?!"
Hearing this, Reiji froze.
When the heck did I get mixed up with a big boss like this? I've been hiding perfectly!
Seeing Reiji's stunned expression, Madara narrowed his eyes and continued:
"You spent nineteen years in Konoha, sunbathing at the beach for over two months. Then you flew to the Land of Lightning, unleashed the Two-Tails, attacked the Eight-Tails, and took Raimei's place—doing countless favors for nameless shinobi from Kumogakure.
Then you brokered a deal with the Two-Tails.
You disappeared for a while, but with your mastery of Heavenly Transfer Technique, sending the Four-Tails to the Land of Grass battleground was probably easy for you.
Next, you used the Four-Tails to bait the Third Raikage—the fool—sowed chaos, and tipped off the Land of Earth, missing its Four-Tails.
Finally, you defeated the Eight-Tails as a hero."
As he spoke, Madara couldn't help but applaud, a mocking smile curling his lips.
"I thought you'd seize the moment, become that ridiculous 'Raikage', and eventually become the Fourth Raikage. With your scheming mind, it should've been easy.
But you just vanished. You've disappointed me. What a waste of such a fine place like the Land of Lightning."
Reiji suddenly broke into a cold sweat—which immediately steamed off in pale blue plumes from his Sage-mode aura.
This... This... does this even happen to me?!
Can I report you for spying on me while I was taking a bath? I was only eight or nine years old then! Are you some smelting expert or what?
Heavens above!
Earth below!
Sensei, I'm filing a complaint!
There's a John Doe here!