Several kunai shot toward Itachi Uchiha and the masked man.
Itachi's first instinct was to deflect them with shuriken, but the distance was too short for that. Instead, he prepared to rely on his Sharingan to read their trajectories and evade.
Just as he shifted to dodge—
The masked man, observing through his Mangekyō Sharingan, sensed something strange.
Among the incoming kunai, several carried subtle spatial distortions.
A bad premonition struck him.
Better safe than sorry.
Without hesitation, he lashed out and kicked Itachi hard in the side.
Itachi, focused on the kunai, was caught completely off guard and sent flying.
At that same instant—
Nagi appeared directly in front of the masked man, a short blade in hand.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Having once been struck by Minato's Flying Thunder God, the masked man was already wary. He phased through the attack with Kamui's intangibility.
Midair, Nagi twisted and hurled the short blade at him.
The blade passed through the masked man's head harmlessly as he reached forward to grab Nagi—
But Nagi seized the opening.
Water spiraled violently in his palm, compressed into a dense, rapidly rotating spear of layered currents.
"Water Release: Severing Wave!"
[Minato Namikaze: Not good. I've fought him before. He won't fall for the same trick again. Worse, the Second Hokage doesn't know that.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: Damn masked man! Second Hokage, beat him flat!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Smash him, Hokage Rock Uncle!!]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Come on… come on!]
Sasuke clenched his fists.
Back then, Nagi had been fighting his enemy.
And what had he been doing?
Running home in ignorance.
The thought filled him with bitter self-loathing.
Across the Shinobi World, countless spectators held their breath.
The moment the masked man's hand brushed against him, Nagi activated Flying Thunder God: Second Step, instantly shifting to his opponent's rear.
The masked man was dragged back to that nightmare—
The night he had been struck down by his teacher.
Move! Move, damn it!
In that split second, he phased part of his body.
The attack missed.
Regaining confidence, the masked man swung his blade toward Nagi at blinding speed.
But Nagi was already prepared.
He had gathered water needles in his mouth—
"Water Release: Heavenly Weeping!"
A barrage of ultra-high-speed water senbon erupted forth.
The masked man barely had time to react before a chill pierced his right eye—followed by searing agony.
The water needle punched clean through his right eye and out the back of his skull.
Nagi moved in to finish him—
But suddenly activated Flying Thunder God again, teleporting to the location of his short blade.
Black flames erupted where he had stood.
Tobirama instantly recognized the technique.
"Kagutsuchi? No… he isn't shaping the flames. This is Amaterasu."
Itachi stood with his Mangekyō Sharingan active, eyes locked onto Nagi.
The masked man's earlier kick had been vicious. Even Itachi's stoic composure had cracked from the pain. His anger had surged—
And Amaterasu had awakened ahead of its usual timeline.
The masked man slowly rose to his feet.
"I didn't expect Konoha to harbor a shinobi of your caliber. State your name."
Nagi replied calmly:
"Before asking someone else's name, shouldn't you give your own?"
"…Very well."
The masked man straightened arrogantly.
"My name… is Madara Uchiha."
[Minato Namikaze: What?! His head was pierced and he's standing like nothing happened?!]
[Rasa: An immortality technique? Or some kind of resurrection jutsu?]
[Fugaku Uchiha: That resembles… Izanagi.]
[Fourth Raikage (A): Izanagi? So such a forbidden technique still exists…]
[Ōnoki: Madara Uchiha?! Is he truly Madara?!]
Hashirama shook his head.
"No. He isn't Madara. The voice may be similar—but he is not Madara."
[Rasa: On what basis do you say that, First Hokage?]
Hashirama scratched his head.
"…He's too weak."
The entire Shinobi World fell silent.
Well… when you put it that way.
"Madara Uchiha?"
The voice was nearly identical—but the chakra signature was completely different.
Nagi slowly removed his mask, though the Flying Thunder God formula remained in place.
His face shifted—
Now bearing sharp features and deep tear troughs.
The masked man felt a flicker of familiarity. Itachi's gaze sharpened.
Nagi altered his tone.
"My name… is Tajima Uchiha."
[Naruto Uzumaki: Who did Nagi turn into?]
[Shikamaru Nara: I've heard that name somewhere…]
[Minato Namikaze: If I remember correctly, that was…]
[Izuna Uchiha: Damn you, Tobirama!]
[Madara Uchiha: Hmph. As underhanded as ever.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: So what's the point of taking that appearance?]
[Tajima Uchiha: Little girl… I'm his father.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Huh? Whose father?]
[Izuna Uchiha: Father!]
[Madara Uchiha: Father!]
[Hashirama Senju: Father!]
[Butsuma Senju: You brat! Who are you calling Father?!]
[Hashirama: Ahahaha—sorry, Father. Got carried away.]
The masked man showed genuine interest.
"Tajima Uchiha? I didn't expect such a master to exist within the clan."
Itachi shot him a sharp glance.
Isn't he supposed to be Madara?
The masked man seemed about to recruit Nagi—
But Tobirama had already made his move.
Whether this man was Madara or not, that voice meant he was connected to him.
Tobirama formed the Tiger hand seal.
Both Itachi and the masked man activated their Mangekyō Sharingan, focusing intently on Nagi.
"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."
Their vision was instantly stripped away.
Total darkness.
So accustomed to relying on their Sharingan, both felt a rare flicker of disorientation.
Enduring the pain in his eyes, Itachi unleashed both ocular powers simultaneously—
For the first time, Susanoo manifested.
A skeletal ribcage formed around him.
Sensing danger, the masked man felt sudden agony tear through his body.
"Water Release: Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure stream of water pierced through him again.
Nagi moved to slice him apart—
But suddenly, massive wooden branches erupted, intercepting the attack.
Tobirama and Nagi's expressions changed drastically.
"Wood Release?!"
At that moment, a black hand and a white hand emerged beneath the masked man's feet, dragging him underground.
Before vanishing, he shouted unwillingly:
"Tajima Uchiha! Madara Uchiha will remember you!"
The darkness faded.
Itachi looked up—
And saw Sasuke running toward them, tears streaming down his face.
Sasuke had returned to the compound to find corpses everywhere.
At home, he had discovered his parents dead.
He had nearly collapsed in grief—
Until the distant explosion jolted him awake.
Instinctively, he assumed invaders had attacked the clan, and that his brother was fighting them.
Forcing down his sorrow, he ran toward the Military Police Headquarters.