She was fast — with terrifying strength to boot.
Max knew how strong he was in his base form, even without enhancements from the Gates or Haki. To be overpowered so casually by a single blow, even while infusing chakra into his strike, was deeply concerning. From what it looked like, that had been just a casual punch from her.
He rolled to the side as the masked woman crashed down on his previous position, the ground erupting on impact. Max flipped back to his feet, hands flying into the Ram seal.
"Fire Style: Fire Annihilation!" he muttered, before exhaling a massive column of flames that illuminated the forest and roared toward the woman.
She didn't flinch. Calmly, she made a single hand seal.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave," she said, spewing a vast surge of water that met Max's flames head-on.
The two elements clashed violently — fire and water colliding with a thunderous hiss as steam blanketed the battlefield.
Max's eyes widened.
She just used a water jutsu... which means she has chakra.
That realization alone was startling. But what unsettled him more was that he had never once used a water-style technique himself. If she were simply a clone made from his DNA, she couldn't have known that jutsu.
Which left only two possibilities:
Either she was another reincarnator like him — or she was him from the future.
The thought made his chest tighten. If that were true, it would shatter his theory that he only existed in the present timeline. Unlikely… but not impossible.
Max cut off his jutsu as the steam grew too thick, his eyes darting around for any sign of movement. A sudden ripple in space made his instincts scream — he instantly hardened his body with Armament Haki and crossed his arms in defense.
A lightning-coated punch slammed into his guard, detonating the ground beneath them. The shockwave ripped the lingering steam apart as Max was blasted backward, his arms smoking from the point of impact.
He steadied himself, eyes locking onto the woman as she stood with her fist still extended. Sparks of lightning crackled across her body — she was completely cloaked in electricity.
Lightning Chakra Mode. The Raikage's signature technique.
But that wasn't what made Max's stomach drop.
The teleportation she used just before the punch , that was Flying Thunder God.
She'd marked him during her earlier strike.
If she could use that technique, it meant she was a seal master. And if that was true… a single well-placed seal could end this fight instantly.
Max exhaled sharply and placed his left hand on his right fist to nullify the Flying Thunder God mark she'd placed on him. His expression hardened as he activated his own Lightning Cloak, lightning crackling around his body like a living storm.
"Let's go," he muttered.
The world blurred.
Both figures vanished — twin streaks of blue lightning flashing through the forest. Explosions echoed across the land as trees fell in their wake, every collision between the two blurs sending shockwaves that shattered the silence of the night.
Max and the masked woman met in the center as their fists collided — but this time, Max infused Haki into his strike to match her strength. The ground beneath them rippled and exploded from the sheer force, yet both stayed rooted in place, neither yielding.
They threw another punch. Then another.
Each collision echoed like thunder, their fists meeting in a blur of motion until the sound became one continuous boom-boom-boom.
Finally, they both saw openings and went for it — their fists flying at the same time.
Max's punch landed squarely on the woman's mask while her strike smashed into his cheek. The resulting shockwave blasted them both backward in opposite directions.
They flipped midair, landing in mirrored crouches that dug trenches into the ground as their momentum dragged them back. Max rubbed his cheek, easing the stinging sensation, while the masked woman placed a hand over her cracked mask, assessing the damage.
Her aura flared with fury. She clenched her fist, made a single hand seal, and shouted,
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The earth trembled violently before erupting — massive vines and roots shot out like serpents, rushing toward Max.
Max raised his palm calmly.
"Almighty Push!"
A wave of force blasted outward, shattering the vines into splinters. But by the time the dust cleared, the woman was gone.
There was a puff of smoke nearby — one of the pebbles on the ground transformed into her. The air crackled as the sound of a thousand screeching birds filled the clearing.
"Chidori!" she roared, lightning flaring from her hand as she lunged for Max's chest.
At that same instant, another clone of the woman burst out from the ground behind him, a sword aimed for his spine.
Max smirked.
"Great Clone Explosion!"
The clone that was about to be struck detonated in a massive explosion that engulfed both attackers. Fire washed over the clearing.
As the flames subsided, Max emerged from beneath the ground, completely unscathed and so did the woman, her body unharmed. Both of them realized the same thing at once. The fighters that had been battling so fiercely up until now... were clones.
Each had been testing the other.
Max chuckled, tilting his head. "Still don't want to tell me who you are?"
"I see no point in answering the same question twice," the woman replied coldly.
Max's expression hardened. He slammed his hand down.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In multiple bursts of smoke, monstrous creatures materialized — a gigantic ox, a three-headed dog, and three enormous centipedes, all with rippling Rinnegan eyes. They roared as Max gave a mental command.
"Attack."
The summons charged at once.
The woman clasped her hands together.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
Several massive wooden dragons erupted from the ground, coiling and roaring as they wrapped around Max's beasts. The summons struggled but were drained of chakra one by one, vanishing in puffs of smoke.
"Tch…" Max clicked his tongue in annoyance. The wooden dragons turned toward him next, surging forward. But instead of fear, a grin spread across his face.
"For once," he muttered, "I've found someone who can use everything I can — against me."
Lightning erupted from his hand.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
The piercing beam of lightning sliced through the incoming wood dragons, cutting them apart. But before Max could catch his breath, he heard a sharp whistling sound.
He looked up — a Rasenshuriken was spinning straight toward him.
Max raised his hand to absorb it… but the jutsu transformed mid-flight into a sharpened stake covered in explosive tags.
"Clever—"
He didn't finish. The tags detonated in a blinding explosion that tore through the forest.
When the smoke finally cleared, Max stood unharmed — encased within the glowing ribcage of his Susanoo.
Max dispersed his Susanoo, crossing his arms and closing his eyes before shouting,
"Seventh Gate of Shock — open!"
A blue aura of evaporating sweat mixed with chakra burst from his body, steam hissing off his skin. He dropped into a stance, ready to charge.
In the brief exchange they'd had so far, Max had already analyzed several things. First, the woman before him couldn't be him from the future — her combat awareness and skill were slightly inferior. He'd had a few chances to land devastating blows but deliberately let them slip.
Her reaction time couldn't fully keep up with the Flying Thunder God; there was a delay whenever she teleported behind him, just enough for him to block her surprise attacks. She'd noticed it too — if she tried again, he'd counter before she could even strike.
Still, she was undeniably fast and powerful, and seemed highly resistant to genjutsu — several attempts had failed. Most of his ninjutsu were too slow or were countered with Wood Release. The ones that could land might kill her outright. That left him with only one viable option: taijutsu. He didn't want to kill or seriously injure her.
Max vanished in a blur of speed.
The masked woman opened the Gate of Joy, but just as she was about to move, her body froze in place. Her eyes widened in realization.
Limbo!
She cursed and tried to perform a substitution, but Max's punch connected first — smashing into her mask with explosive force. A shockwave erupted, blasting her through trees and boulders until she crashed against a cliffside.
Gasping in pain, she dropped to her knees, blood dripping from her lips as she tore off the cracked mask. Max didn't hesitate — he dashed forward, intent on ending the fight.
But then.
Her eyes lifted to meet his, the tomoe of her Sharingan spinning rapidly before transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
A tear of blood slid down her cheek as she whispered, "Amaterasu."
Max's eyes widened in shock. He barely dodged in time as black flames erupted where he had stood, devouring the earth in silence.
The woman staggered to her feet, ripping away her tattered cloak to reveal black combat armor beneath. Despite her injuries, her gaze was cold.
Max froze as recognition struck him. Her face, though older and battle-worn, was one he knew all too well.
"Thena…" he breathed.
"Hello, Father," Thena spat the word like venom.
"What happened to you?" Max asked, tension rippling through his voice.
"You happened."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You abandoned us — left us to die! It would've been better if I'd died too… but you made sure I wouldn't. You gave me this."
She raised her hand, revealing a silver Time Ring on her finger.
Max's blood ran cold.
"I'll bring them back," she said, chakra flaring violently. "But to do that… I'll be needing your eyes."
Thena clasped her hands together. Chakra exploded from her body, and a white, ethereal warrior formed around her ,a towering Perfect Susanoo, gleaming with blinding light.
Max could only stare upward as the colossal being rose to its full height as it then took a step forward.
End of Chapter.
iam exhausted from mass producing chapters lately guys so I'll be taking a break for a while .please make the sacrifice of my only free time worth it by leaving a powerstone and maybe a comment.