Fugaku sighs as he realizes that Suigetsu plans to attack Madra's clone head on. "I see I am going to have to take you as seriously as if you were the real Madara, and not just a clone," says Fugaku, activating his eyes.
Clone Madara laughs. "It's about time you figured that out, Hokage!"
"Everyone, gather close to me," orders Fugaku. "And bring Pantsu."
Gai runs over to where Pantsu is sitting. "What…" Gai recoils in shock. "Lord Fugaku, Pantsu is dead! That stuff he smoked must have been poisonous."
"Bring him over, and have a look at what is in his pipe," orders Fugaku, completely unsurprised.
"His pipe isn't here," says Gai. "It's vanished."
"Such a shame," says Madara's Clone. "He's the one I would've spared. He was a fun old man. Let us take this battle away from his body, around the other side of the Temple."
"Give us a moment," says Fugaku.
"Make it snappy," says Madara, turning and walking away. "I'll be waiting on the other side of the temple."
"Lay Zabuza beside Pantsu," says Fugaku.
"I'm going after him!" says Suigetsu, running after Madara.
"Stop!" says Fugaku. "If you go after Madara alone, you will die like your master. He is too strong for you."
Suigetsu stops running and turns to look at Fugaku. "Don't try to stop me!" he says, and continues on.
"Take care of the dead and come and join us," says Fugaku. "I had better stop this idiot before he gets himself killed."
"Yes Lord Hokage," says Gai, saluting.
Fugaku nods once and runs after Suigetsu and Madara. When he catches up to Madara and Suigetsu, Fugaku sees Suigetsu, flying through the air holding his sword above his head, ready to attack. Madara is simply standing, a bored expression on his face, waiting for Suigetsu's attack. Fugaku leaps forward, grabs Suigetsu by the back of his shirt and pulls him away from Madara.
"That silly child would be dead by now if you hadn't done that," says Madara flippantly.
Suigetsu turns to water and drips to the ground, escaping Fugaku's grip. "I could've taken him," says Suigetsu.
"Really?" says Madara, putting away his war fan and pulling out a kunai.
"Don't even try it," says Fugaku, realizing that Madara is about to kill Suigetsu. He starts molding his chakra, making the ground crack beneath him.
"Is that all you've got?" asks Madara, gathering his own chakra. It appears as a purple aura around Madara. The ground shakes, stones float into the air, Madara's hair starts whipping around in a frenzy and Madara grins.
"Monsters!" Suigetsu whimpers and backs away, half melted and terrified.
Fugaku only has a little chakra left, so he needs to make this quick. He grabs Suigetsu and activates his susanoo. With Suigetsu safely inside the susanoo, Fugaku does not need to worry about accidentally crushing him. Due to his limited amount of chakra, Fugaku does not risk going full perfect susanoo.
"Is that all?" says Madara. Susanoo chakra molds around him. Madara does not stop at the imperfect susanoo form, but goes beyond, all the way to the perfect susanoo.
Fugaku sighs, realizing he should have known Madara would one-up him. Fugaku upgrades to the perfect susanoo, wings, sword and all. "Let's make this quick," he says, swinging the susanoo's sword in a giant arc at Madara's susanoo.
Madara grins maniacally and blocks Fugaku's susanoo sword with his own. Suigetsu shakes in his sandals, all his earlier bravado gone. Fugaku pushes back against Madara, forcing him to retreat a step. Madara's susanoo steps forward, bringing his fist up in a stomach punch. Fugaku's susanoo manages to catch the fist right before it hits his stomach. He wraps his susanoo hand around Madara's susanoo fist and uses it as leverage to pull his enemy forward. Madara's susanoo stumbles, and for a brief moment Fugaku has the upper hand. He brings his susanoo's sword down on Madara's susanoo's back, cracking the giant chakra warrior. Madara's susanoo cracks and falls apart. Fugaku's susanoo sword bears down towards Madara's clone as he falls to the ground.
And then Fugaku's chakra runs out.
Fugaku feels a jolt through his body. His susanoo practically evaporates. He falls to the ground, landing awkwardly in the grass. Suigetsu lands beside him, shaking and half-transformed into water.
"What's the matter, Hokage?" demands the Clone Madara, landing on his feet. "Out of chakra?"
Fugaku tries to stand, but he can barely move his muscles. He used up far too much chakra just getting all those people from the Leaf to the Temple. Dammit, he should've settled this without trying to rely on a power he is only just beginning to master.
Madara strides up to Fugaku and lifts him up by the throat. "You can't control your eyes properly, can you?" he laughs mercilessly. "That mistake will be your downfall."
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Might Guy appears out of nowhere and plants a flying kick right in Madara's face. Madara flies backwards, releasing his hold on Fugaku. Fugaku falls back to the ground and coughs, trying to get some air back into his lungs.
Madara's clone vanishes with a poof.
"THE POWER OF YOUTH PREVAILS!" says Gai, fist-bumping the air enthusiastically.
"Thanks Gai," says Fugaku, rolling onto his back. "You really are a Master of Taijutsu. Now let's all rest while we wait for someone to come and get us."
When Sasuke is finally finished telling Madara her life story, Madara sighs. "So your dreams of living up to your clans expectations were literally crushed by a kid who became a Kage before he started growing facial hair?" Madara says, facepalming. "Well if that's the worst you have to complain about, then I suppose the world has improved."
"Well when you put it like that…" mutters Sasuke, pouting.
"Honestly, Princess, the biggest injustice in your life is that you have a boy's name," says Madara, deliberately trying to anger the girl. His clone was dispelled before the two young ninjas even finished writing lines, and Madara has been trying to figure out a strategy to beat the angry reanimations and the rejuvenated shinobi waiting outside. That Might Gai is the only one who might pose a real problem. Madara has a sneaky suspicion that Taijutsu User can defeat him.
Sasuke crosses her arms and glares at Madara.
Naruto falls over backwards and starts rolling around on the ground, helpless with laughter.
Madara regards the two young teenagers in mild amusement. He still cannot figure out a solution to the problem he is facing. His allies are dead and, apparently, his plan to create a perfect world in which everyone is happy will only bring death and suffering. It is just like he told Obito all those years ago: for something good to happen, something bad must happen to balance it out. The price for a perfect world is the death of everything.
Madara is not sure if he really wants to revive Kaguya. But, on the other hand, is this hellish nightmare of a world really worth not destroying?
An idea forms in Madara's mind. There might be a way to buy some time and also think over what to do in light of the new information about Kaguya.
Madara comes to a decision. "Alright brats, it's time to leave," he says, grabbing Naruto by his scruff and Sasuke by the back of her dress. "You are now my hostages."
Kushina elbows Iruka. "You don't have any pictures of Naruto as a kid, do you?" she asks.
"As a matter of fact I do," says Iruka, fishing around in his pockets. "Technically he's still a kid, but here's one of him during his floating period." Iruka hands over a picture of Naruto and a little girl with short blue-black hair. The girl is holding onto Naruto by a leash, while Naruto floats in the air like a balloon on a string. There is a unicorn behind them and a phoenix sitting on Naruto's back.
"Who's the girl?"
"That's my daughter Hinata," says Hiashi, without even looking at the picture. "They are convinced they are getting married when they grow up. We'll see how that goes."
"You didn't even look at the picture."
"Don't need to. That's the one of them with Sparky and Sparkles, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," says Iruka, handing the picture to Kushina. "How much longer do you think Fugaku will take to kick the clone's butt?"
"They should be done by now," says Tobirama, looking at the sun. "It's been over an hour."
"Do you think the clone won?" asks Mei.
"I'm going to go check on them," says Nagato, standing. "I'm finished eating now, anyway." He is a bit chubby now that he has spent the last hour stuffing his face with food.
Kushina watches Nagato leave the barrier, shrugs and goes back to studying the photo of Naruto and his little girlfriend. Minato peers over her shoulder and they stare at the photo together.
After a few minutes, Nagato returns with Fugaku, Gai, Haku and Suigetsu. Fugaku is carrying Pantsu's dead body, while Gai is carry Zabuza's body. "They won, Zabuza was killed and the old guy smoked poison," says Nagato.
"Aw," says Kisame, sadly. "I'm gonna miss Zabuza."
"Me too," says Nagato, sighing sadly. "Has Madara come out yet?"
At that exact moment, the barrier vanishes, revealing Madara standing behind the low table he made for Sasuke and Naruto. He is holding Sasuke firmly in in one hand and Naruto tightly in the other. "Are you all nice and refreshed?" he asks. "I have two hostages and I'm not afraid to kill them."
"Bull s***," says Hashirama. "They're too young for you to kill in good conscience."
Madara frowns. "Plan B, then." He takes a deep breath and says, "Hokage, since we've reached a stalemate, I have decided to present you with an ultimatum."
"You mean you're into a corner and you want to negotiate your surrender?" asks Kushina, trying to figure out how to rescue Naruto.
"I have your kid hostage," says Madara. "You might want to hear me out."