"I wipe it!"
Madara's shout rang sharp as a Hyuga ninja lunged straight at him. He twisted on his heel and bolted—but Raizen froze for a moment. Wait… did that Hyuga just completely ignore him?
What kind of rookie move was that? One special agent had kept Madara busy, now another just came barreling toward him like a charging bull.
"What the hell's going on?" Raizen muttered, raising an eyebrow. The Hyuga clearly didn't see him as a threat, only Madara. Still, seeing him struggle, he didn't hesitate—he urged the giant clay bird to surge upward.
"Jump!" he barked, gripping the reins as the bird rocketed toward Madara.
Madara's eyes lit up like a kid spotting candy. He leapt, landing effortlessly on the bird's back. "Earth Style·Rock Stealer!"
A massive stone spear shot forward, hurled by an Ueshi clan ninja. Chakra turbulence twisted it midair, but Madara didn't flinch. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, slamming into the oncoming rock with a thunderous roar.
Raizen grabbed him just in time, holding him steady as he threw multiple clay grasshoppers toward the ground.
"Boom!"
The fireball collided with the rock spear, shattering both in a blast of heat and smoke. Nearby, a Hyuga ninja barked out, "Eight Trigrams·Mountain Break!"
A violent chakra wind tore through the smoke, blowing debris and mist aside. Raizen angled the giant bird skyward, pinching out a biplane clay construct in one hand and detonating it midair.
"Drink!"
The explosive clay erupted with a violent roar. Even the Hyuga's eyes widened at the sudden chakra traces dancing alongside the detonation.
"Retreat! Quickly!" the Hyuga shouted.
The Ueshi ninja glanced down—three clay grasshoppers sat at his feet. He stepped back, cautious. But Raizen smirked: the grasshoppers leapt upward at the exact moment, matching his speed almost perfectly.
"Boom!"
The biplanes and grasshoppers exploded in a cataclysmic wave, sending smoke and raw energy spiraling outward.
Madara, refusing to show weakness, flung three shurikens, their threads hidden in plain sight. A cough echoed through the smoke as one struck the Ueshi ninja, igniting a mud dragon from beneath him that yanked him skyward.
The Ueshi ninja shot down Madara's shurikens—but he smirked, tugging the threads, and the weapons ricocheted to strike him in a blind spot.
"Hateful!" he roared, slapping a hand seal to defend. Mud and earth hardened around him, creating a protective shell.
"Sclerosis? That won't survive my clay!" Raizen muttered, hurling a biplane toward him. Another detonation engulfed the Ueshi ninja in a fireball of heat and kinetic energy.
"Won!" Madara exclaimed, exhaling with satisfaction—only to hear a chilling voice:
"Eight Trigrams·Mountain Break!"
"No! Jump!" Raizen yelled, realizing the Hyuga weren't playing around. Life and death were irrelevant to them—they just needed a chance to strike.
Grabbing Madara's hand, Raizen dove from the giant bird. They barely landed before a terrifying chakra wind shredded the clay bird into pieces.
"Eight Trigrams·Empty Palm!"
The Hyuga struck again, both palms pushing the pair backward. Madara gritted his teeth and pressed his hands against Raizen, stabilizing him. In a flash, he formed a seal—summoning a massive fire dragon that roared toward the Hyuga.
The Hyuga responded instantly: "Revolving Heaven!"
Raizen landed on a tree safely, eyes narrowing. "Biplanes, don't fail me now." He threw three huge clay biplanes at the enemy and detonated them with a low shout.
"Boom!"
The explosions engulfed the Hyuga's Revolving Heaven chakra barrier, overwhelming it with raw force. The fire dragon barreled through the debris, engulfing the enemy ninja in flames.
Madara collapsed to one knee, panting, but refused to be idle. As the smoke cleared, the Hyuga ninja lay sprawled on the ground, charred and motionless.
"Success!" Madara whispered, relief mixed with awe.
Raizen exhaled, watching him closely. Without Madara's Dragon Fire Technique, this Hyuga would have been impossible to take down. "Okay, that's officially Lord Madara-tier," he thought. A kid this age mastering B-level ninjutsu? Unreal.