Ban was clearly not the type suited for acting with a hot head or a dramatic exit.
It wasn't unreasonable that many characters in the original work questioned Obito's identity. There were just too many contradictions.
Right now, Yun Du was feeling exhausted, but more importantly, he had to pretend he hadn't heard Madara's earlier remarks. Keeping up the act was essential.
Madara Uchiha, still laughing from earlier, failed to notice anything strange. Yun "ignored" the moment as well, and the battle resumed.
As if they shared an unspoken understanding, both Madara and Yun shifted to close-quarters combat simultaneously.
The use of large-scale ninjutsu risked drawing attention. If their fight got too intense or the power level slipped out of control, it would far surpass what an average Kage could produce—and that would inevitably raise suspicions.
Neither of them could afford to let their true strength be exposed.
Close combat was the only logical choice.
Fortunately, Yun had wanted to engage Madara in this kind of hand-to-hand battle. He hoped to refine his taijutsu through this fight.
He activated the Body Flicker Technique and combined it with a propulsion method—using the explosive force from flame chakra to boost his speed.
Though he only had a transplanted Three Tomoe Sharingan, Yun's techniques made up for the lack.
Utilizing his heavy pupil abilities, he left a clone on his original trajectory. At the same time, he used the Transformation Technique to become invisible and switched positions with the clone, effectively masking his real location.
The clone gave off a chakra signature.
This misdirection mimicked the illusionary afterimage technique used by Shisui, but Yun didn't use genjutsu. His heavy pupil wasn't strong enough to challenge Madara's Sharingan in illusion techniques. That would be like showing off a cheap sword to Guan Yu.
Instead, he relied on a combination of clone and transformation to produce a similar effect.
In an instant, Yun reappeared near Madara and launched a punch.
The speed of the strike sliced through the air and generated a burst of flames.
Though briefly caught off guard by Yun's combination of high-speed movement and substitution, Madara didn't panic. He faced the attack with unshakable confidence.
That was the aura of a true battle god.
One moment of confusion during an exchange was all it took to expose everything. But for Madara, even a moment was enough.
How effective could melee combat really be when it came to wide-scale attacks?
Madara's Sharingan caught Yun's fist. He shifted his body to the side with perfect timing, letting Yun's punch graze past him.
In the same motion, Madara grabbed Yun's wrist. A kunai appeared in his other hand, aiming for a clean stab.
Yun reacted instantly. He placed his right hand on Madara's shoulder, kicked off with his leg, and twisted his body horizontally mid-air to dodge the kunai.
Then, the flame chakra at his wrist erupted, forcing Madara to release him.
Using the flames under his feet, Yun generated air pressure and shot himself backward with a flip, narrowly avoiding Madara's next kunai strike.
Breaking free from the entanglement, Yun reactivated his body flicker and began circling Madara again, looking for another opening.
Eventually, Yun had to admit—Madara's physical prowess was overwhelming.
In pure taijutsu, perhaps only a future Might Guy could rival this level.
Madara's reflexes were incredible, and his movements were concise and sharp. "Masterful" didn't even begin to describe his level.
Perhaps this was what it truly meant to master combat.
After repeated collisions, Yun began sustaining injuries.
Activating the chakra in his heavy pupils, the mysterious patterns flickered. He triggered his palm healing technique, and green chakra light glowed at his wounds, visibly accelerating recovery.
Madara, in his Three Tomoe state, clearly saw Yun's healing process.
"So it's these eyes again, huh?"
Madara had finally noticed the unique traits of Yun's heavy pupils.
There was no trace of pupil power.
Despite being a dojutsu said to resemble a bloodline limit, it was chakra-driven rather than relying on inherent ocular power.
Many might miss that detail in battle, but Madara wasn't just anyone. Even if it wasn't the same lineage, he could tell immediately—Yun's eyes lacked true pupil force.
"Impressive eyes."
So many abilities, and none reliant on pupil power. As long as chakra reserves held, the user had no need to worry about strain.
Truthfully, Madara felt a pang of envy.
Compared to this, the Sharingan was burdensome.
But only for a moment. After all, the Sharingan could evolve into a Mangekyō and even the Rinnegan.
And after awakening the Eternal Mangekyō, its strain vanished. There was no need to envy eyes like Yun's.
Still, Yun's use of the heavy pupils had given away some hints.
"The ability to store ninjutsu... That's an exceptional power."
Storing and reusing ninjutsu at will equaled having the original caster's strength—a power more versatile than almost any jutsu Madara had seen.
And Yun's insight was on par with his Three Tomoe Sharingan—possibly even sharper.
Madara's Sharingan had evolved far beyond the average Three Tomoe, so for Yun to match that meant his eyes were no joke.
Yun's heavy pupils were likely more powerful than the Uchiha's standard Sharingan.
Perhaps Madara alone could stay indifferent, but any other Uchiha would covet such a dojutsu.
"It's about time," Yun thought inwardly, assessing his performance.
He'd shown just enough.
Some truths were best left unspoken—known but not revealed.
He kept his strength hidden not only to deceive others but also to obscure his own identity. Just as Madara moved behind the curtain, so too did Yun.
Both men were harboring secrets. Since their interests didn't currently conflict, there was no need to escalate things unnecessarily.
Madara, in his prime, might've made a different decision—but right now, he wouldn't risk it all.
They both backed off.
"Young one, the next time we meet, I'll want to see your true strength," Madara said in a dignified elder's tone before vanishing instantly.
"That Earth Release technique of his... impressive as always. The truly strong always have life-saving techniques like this. Anyone who survived the Warring States Era needed one," Yun muttered.
After cleaning the battlefield, Yun activated his Concealed Chakra Technique. Instead of instantly erasing his chakra signature, he gradually lowered it.
He fled along obscure paths, leaving behind blood trails and misleading signs to throw off pursuit.
Eventually, his chakra signature completely vanished, and Yun hid in a cave.
"Perfect," he whispered.
He activated his spiritual perception. Everything he'd encountered along his escape route was now within range.
Not just that—he'd left remnants of his chakra at Akatsuki's base during his previous battle. As long as those traces remained, his perception covered that range too.
Back at the Akatsuki headquarters, things had begun to change.
When true genius explodes, it becomes terrifying.
Zetsu, with his age-old cunning, sensed something.
Seeing signs of awakening in both Konan and Nagato, he knew he had to act before it was too late.
Yahiko, however, showed no such signs.
That alone meant Yahiko wasn't about to explode with power.
"Spore Technique."
White spores dispersed, infiltrating Yahiko's body and absorbing his chakra.
"Wood Release—Cutting Technique."
The spores germinated into sharp thorns that pierced Yahiko from within, cutting savagely.
Yahiko cried out in pain. His movement slowed, and he was blasted by Hanzō's Water Shockwave Technique, sending his body flying.
The water pressure disoriented him, weakening his ability to resist the internal cutting.
The thorns grew rampantly, rendering Yahiko nearly helpless.
Even the strongest shinobi can fall victim to a well-placed sneak attack.
And Zetsu's silent approach was nearly impossible to detect.
"Yahiko!"
Konan and Nagato's screams tore through the battlefield. They could only watch as Hanzō's blade skewered Yahiko—and simultaneously, wooden spikes burst from his body.
After such a drawn-out fight, Akatsuki's members were worn down mentally and physically. Yahiko's death finally shattered something within them.
Konan, who had grown up alongside Yahiko, held deep feelings for him. Seeing him die broke her completely.
"No!"
Cracks formed across her skin. Her body burst into paper fragments and vanished.
When she reformed, she appeared atop the giant salamander.
Her arms turned into razor-sharp blades that drove deep into its hide.
"AHHHH!"
She ignored the creature's shrieks, dodged its attacks by transforming into paper, then reassembled and continued slashing.
She didn't aim to kill—no, she deliberately avoided fatal strikes. She attacked where it hurt the most.
"DIE! All of you, DIE!"
A terrifying surge erupted from Nagato—not just his body, but his very eyes.
The concentric circles of the Rinnegan radiated doom. Hanzō, still relishing his kill, suddenly felt dread grip him.
"Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
Nagato's mind screamed that this was his strongest technique—his only hope to destroy Hanzō.
The Rinnegan's power activated, drawing on an overwhelming amount of chakra.
When that wasn't enough, it began draining Nagato's life force.
In a matter of seconds, Nagato's body...
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