"Did something happen over in the Rain Village?"
Having just finished dealing with matters in Konoha, Minato Namikaze looked toward the pillar of lightning that seemed to connect heaven and earth, then turned to the ANBU beside him in surprise.
"Th-this subordinate doesn't know."
The ANBU immediately dropped to one knee and answered.
As far as Konoha was concerned, everyone believed Ning Feng had complete control over the situation in the Rain Village. Combined with the close relationship between Minato and Ning Feng, they hadn't stationed any spies there.
As a result, Konoha couldn't obtain information from the Rain Village in a timely manner.
"Something must have happened."
Minato carefully sensed in the direction of the lightning.
He immediately detected two astonishing chakra signatures.
The sheer magnitude of that chakra was something he had only ever felt from Ning Feng before.
One of them had to be Ning Feng.
But who was the other?
A chakra so terrifying that even someone not specialized in sensory techniques could feel it from such a distance...
Had Feng been forced into a difficult battle?
"No. I need to go take a look."
Having made up his mind, Minato immediately ordered the ANBU beside him to assemble an elite force and prepare to head toward the Rain battlefield.
"Huff... huff..."
The Rain battlefield.
After the colossal Lightning Release technique, Kirin, had ravaged the area, the battlefield had become a scene of utter devastation.
The earth had split apart in countless places.
Mountains had been blasted into rubble.
Even the forests that once thrived in the perpetually damp climate were now filled with scorched remains.
The apocalyptic destruction stretched for several miles.
At the very center of the lightning strike—
The location where Ning Feng had directed Kirin at Madara's Susanoo—
A massive crater had formed.
Its diameter measured hundreds of meters.
The overturned earth around the rim exposed layers of bedrock beneath.
At the center of the crater stood Madara Uchiha.
His armor had been mostly destroyed.
His appearance was considerably more battered than before.
Large portions of exposed flesh were split open and charred black from the lightning strike.
Against a Lightning Release technique empowered by the chakra of eight Tailed Beasts, Ning Feng's attack possessed enough power to crush virtually anything.
Kirin.
An S-Rank Lightning Release forbidden technique originally used by Sasuke Uchiha against Itachi.
Normally, it required natural storm clouds and thunderous weather conditions, using Chidori to guide the power of natural lightning.
But Ning Feng had poured an enormous amount of chakra into it, amplifying its power to an absurd degree.
The result had been powerful enough to shatter the defenses of Madara's Perfect Susanoo.
"Huff... huff..."
Madara swayed slightly as he rose to his feet.
Although he had managed to absorb part of Kirin's power using the Rinnegan at the last moment, the overwhelming natural lightning itself couldn't be absorbed.
"So?"
A straight-backed figure stood before him proudly.
"Uchiha... Feng..."
A crazed smile appeared on Madara's face.
Though his wounds were slowly healing, residual lightning still crackled across them, continuously inflicting damage.
"With power like this..."
Madara gradually withdrew his smile.
The way he looked at Ning Feng became noticeably more cautious.
Originally, he had viewed Ning Feng as slightly below his own level.
But after witnessing Kirin...
He understood something.
Ning Feng's strength might truly be equal to his own.
A ninja of this caliber...
Was finally worthy of being treated as an equal.
"Oh? Still talking tough?"
The figure within the settling dust snorted.
As Ning Feng stepped out from the haze, his Sharingan stared coldly at Madara.
Whether in the original story or now, Madara had always been this kind of person.
Even when clearly outmatched, he'd still refuse to admit it.
"You should still be waiting for your body to recover right now, shouldn't you?"
Ning Feng slowly drew both the Kusanagi Sword and the Sword of the Thunder God from his back.
In the next instant, he charged forward and slashed.
Brilliant lightning flashed along both blades.
A tremendous amount of Lightning Release chakra had already been infused into them.
The two divine weapons were already extraordinarily sharp.
With the addition of lightning chakra, their cutting power became even more terrifying.
Just looking at the blades made Madara's heart tremble slightly.
If those swords actually landed...
He wasn't sure he'd be able to recover.
Whoosh!
Suppressing the discomfort in his body, Madara suddenly launched a kick directly toward Ning Feng's chest.
Swish!
Even though Madara's condition was poor, Ning Feng still chose caution.
He crossed both swords and blocked the kick, sliding backward a short distance.
"Interesting..."
"Uchiha Feng, let's stop here for today."
Just as Ning Feng was about to press the attack again, space suddenly distorted beside Madara.
A figure wearing a spiral-patterned mask slowly emerged.
"Obito. You're still acting as his dog even now?"
Ning Feng laughed slightly upon seeing him.
Whenever he thought about Obito, he couldn't help but feel the man was fundamentally abnormal—mentally unstable, even.
Right in front of them was proof that the Rinne Rebirth Technique worked.
It had already demonstrated that someone could be revived even long after death, even without a preserved body, as long as Edo Tensei had been used first.
And yet Obito still insisted on chasing the illusory Infinite Tsukuyomi.
No wonder people called him "Uchiha Wise Number Two."
As for his feelings toward Rin...
They had become deeply twisted.
The girl had clearly expressed her love for Kakashi.
Yet he stubbornly refused to let go.
If Ning Feng were Rin, even knowing that Obito had thrown the entire ninja world into chaos for her sake wouldn't make him feel moved in the slightest.
Love was something that couldn't be forced.
Obito might possess enough power to shake the entire world, but without understanding another person's heart, he'd never truly understand what love meant.
"..."
Obito ignored him completely.
Silently, he lifted one of Madara's arms over his shoulder.
His feelings toward Ning Feng had always been complicated.
On one hand, Ning Feng was a junior he had once held great expectations for.
On the other hand, he was the greatest obstacle standing in the way of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Every time he faced Ning Feng, conflicting emotions surfaced within him.
That was also why he would rather fight Minato than directly confront Ning Feng whenever possible.
"You chose your own path."
Ning Feng sighed softly.
He knew there was no way to keep Madara here today.
"Brat..."
"We'll continue this another time."
Seeing Ning Feng sheathe his swords, Madara snorted coldly.
If he hadn't secretly informed Black Zetsu and ordered Obito to come support him, he might very well have died here today.
This Uchiha Feng...
The power within him was truly astonishing.
Unlike Hashirama, whose strength was something impossible to replicate.
Ning Feng felt more like the same type of ninja as himself.
The difference was that Ning Feng had simply walked a few steps farther down that path.
And Madara understood exactly why.
Those extra steps...
Were largely due to the fact that Ning Feng possessed more Tailed Beasts than he did.
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