The battlefield was still burning from the aftermath of the recent clash. Craters, shattered boulders, and scorched earth stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky above was thick with smoke, painting the world in a deep, ominous gray.
And in the heart of that devastation, Uchiha Makoto stood tall—back straight, chakra surging like a roaring inferno, Sharingan spinning with cold, absolute dominance.
"Remember," he said, voice calm yet echoing with disdain, "if you plan to fish with traps, at least wear a helmet next time. Otherwise, you'll end up like this—humiliated. First Raikage, you've already lost."
He raised his hand slightly, pointing at the heavily injured First Raikage as if he were already a corpse.
"Oh, no… what am I saying?" Makoto corrected himself with a mocking grin. "There won't be a next time. Because today—right here—you die."
Every syllable was heavy, deliberate, and merciless. The distance between the two of them was not far, and Makoto made sure every word reached the Raikage's ears with perfect clarity.
The battle was already decided.
But the First Raikage was not a man who backed down from death.
"No!" he roared, his voice carrying the pride befitting the founder of the Hidden Cloud. "I haven't lost yet!"
His chest rose and fell violently as he glared at Makoto, but his will did not falter for an instant.
"You seem quite sure of yourself," the Raikage continued, "sending your main forces to strike my village's third defensive line. You think killing me is enough to dictate the outcome of this war?"
He clenched his fists, lightning crackling around him.
"But if I return with your head, Uchiha Makoto, the fate of this entire conflict changes! I may be wounded, but as long as I breathe, the battle—this war—remains undecided!"
He roared once more, refusing to bow to fear.
His bloodlust surged so fiercely that even the air vibrated.
Makoto grinned slowly.
"Good," he replied in a low voice. "A man like you deserves a proper battle."
Then—
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Makoto burst into wild, manic laughter. The kind of laughter that only an Uchiha intoxicated by battle could unleash. His chakra surged upward like a tidal wave, shaking the very earth beneath them.
He knew very well that he didn't need to kill the First Raikage. All he needed was to delay him—stall him long enough for their forces to succeed elsewhere.
But Makoto was an Uchiha.
And Uchiha did not live for duty alone.
They lived for passion.
For power.
For the will to impose their desire upon the world.
"What is the meaning of power?" Makoto murmured, eyes narrowing. "Power is the right to push your will to the very end… without compromise."
That was the Uchiha philosophy.
And it was not enough.
Makoto sought something greater.
"I will be free," he whispered. "The freest man in the entire shinobi world."
His voice gained strength.
"I will be the strongest. Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama… they're monsters standing at the summit of the ninja world—but one day, I will surpass them."
His Sharingan glowed like molten gold.
"One day, I will stand above all. I will become the sun of this world."
Behind him, several Akatsuki ninjas watched in stunned silence as Makoto's chakra became so dense it almost took physical form. Their skin crawled, their instincts screaming that the battlefield was now a place no ordinary man should step foot in.
Even the First Raikage felt the shift.
He responded instinctively, releasing his full power.
Lightning devoured his body, thick and violent like raging beasts. His muscles expanded, veins bulged, and his already massive frame grew even larger as the demon-like visage appeared on his back—an ancient Kumogakure symbol of overwhelming power.
At that moment, both warriors released their full strength.
And every shinobi watching them realized—
This was no longer a battle humans could interfere in.
Makoto had specifically instructed the Akatsuki ninjas behind him to keep watch on the small Kumogakure squad accompanying the Raikage. Their mission was simple:
Do not let them escape.
Do not let them send word to the village.
As long as that squad remained stuck here, the Cloud could not learn what was happening.
The Kumogakure shinobi themselves were trembling in indecision.
Fight?
Run?
Report?
Each option meant death.
If they charged forward, they would be vaporized.
If they tried to flee, Makoto would slaughter them instantly.
And reporting the information was impossible; Makoto's people were right behind them.
So in the end—
The only thing left was to watch.
To witness the kind of battle that only legends participate in.
Makoto raised his hand.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Three colossal fire dragons surged forth, maw agape, heat distorting the air around them. The dragons spiraled through the battlefield as if alive, turning everything in their path into molten ash.
"Lightning Release: Body Lightning Mode!"
The Raikage stomped the ground, and in the next moment—
He vanished.
A streak of lightning flashed across the battlefield, leaving dozens of afterimages as the fire dragons exploded behind him.
The shockwave alone was enough to force him to leap backward more than a dozen times before he could stabilize himself.
When he finally stopped, patches of flame still clung stubbornly to his cloak. He slapped them away with irritation.
"What terrifying firepower," the Raikage muttered, smoke rising from his shoulders. "Uchiha Madara's Fire Release was said to be unmatched… I wonder how yours compares?"
Makoto shrugged and answered honestly.
"He's stronger."
There was no arrogance, no false pride, no shame—only a simple statement of fact.
Makoto's mastery of Fire Release was tremendous, but Madara operated on a level that defined an era. Makoto was strong—but not yet strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the founders of the shinobi world.
The Raikage let out a low chuckle. "Is that so…? Then I hope I get the chance to spar with him someday."
He lowered his stance.
"It's my turn!"
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he charged.
Makoto didn't dodge.
He stepped forward as well.
In the next instant—
BOOM!!!
Their bodies collided, unleashing a hurricane of raw chakra. The shockwave ripped trees from their roots and sent debris flying hundreds of meters away. The air twisted with every impact.
Neither of them could be seen clearly—only blurs, flashes, and the echoing cracks of bone striking bone.
If a regular jonin took even a single hit from these strikes, they would die without question.
But the Raikage wasn't done.
"Lariat!"
His arm crackled with deadly lightning as he swung forward with enough power to tear a bull in half.
Makoto's Sharingan saw everything.
He ducked.
The Raikage grinned savagely.
"Still dodging?"
"If you want to kill me," Makoto replied coolly, "you'll need more than that."
"Then try surviving THIS!"
The Raikage raised his hand, lightning gathering intensely.
"Hell Stab—Four-Fingered Thrust!"
He thrust forward.
The air split.
The earth beneath them cracked open like a spiderweb.
The Kumogakure shinobi screamed.
Uchiha Makoto simply tilted his head.
"Oh?"
His Sharingan glowed.
"Why bother forcing my hand?" he muttered. "I didn't want to use this yet."
"But you leave me no choice."
He inhaled—
And roared.
"Susanoo!!!"
A monstrous surge of chakra burst from Makoto's body. In an instant, the golden skeletal frame of Susanoo erupted into existence, towering over the battlefield.
Bones.
Muscle.
Armor.
Each layer manifested in the blink of an eye.
The Raikage's Hell Stab smashed into Susanoo's ribs—
BANG!!!
And shattered his fingers.
"W-what is this…?!" the Raikage yelled, horror filling his face. "How can it be this hard?!"
Blood poured from his damaged hand. If he hadn't pulled back at the last second, his entire arm would've been destroyed.
The smoke cleared.
A golden titan stood behind Makoto, wrapped in thick armor, radiating ancient fury.
Makoto stood calmly within its ribcage, blood dripping continuously from his eyes—
But his smile?
His smile was wild.
Unrestrained.
Purely Uchiha.
"Hahahaha!!!"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
He threw his head back and laughed at the sky.
"Susanoo…"
His chakra surged again, making the air quake.
"To force me to use this move…"
His eye sharpened with crazed excitement.
"FIRST RAIKAGE!!!"
"Today, I will blast you—"
"Into ABSOLUTE DUST!!!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)