The Ghost of the Uchiha
Naruto's clone, having just knocked the stuffing out of the reanimated Tsuchikage Mū, felt something really weird happening in her stomach. It wasn't the usual kind of post-battle queasiness, but something far more awkward. Like a gut-punch, but internally. She grimaced, trying to shake off the discomfort, but it only grew more intense.
Gaara, who had been silently watching her from the moment she arrived, immediately picked up on her sudden discomfort. He was still having trouble accepting the fact that this girl was his His eyes narrowed in concern, his brows furrowing. "Naruto… are you alright?" he asked, voice calm but laced with genuine worry.
Naruto gave him a half-hearted thumbs-up, even though her expression screamed, I have no idea what's happening. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered. But before she could finish, her whole body was enveloped in a bright, eerie green light.
"Naruto… is this still you?" Gaara's voice wavered, his eyes wide in confusion. He took a cautious step closer, his sand swirling protectively around him. "Or… are you mal… forming again?"
The light faded, and there she stood—Naruto Uzumaki—but something was drastically different. Gaara's mouth hung open as he took in her new appearance. Naruto wasn't short anymore. Standing before them was a spitting image of another Uzumaki— Kushina Uzumaki, but younger, taller, and somehow… prettier? All the baby fat was gone. The red hair that was once a mess now cascaded down her back, longer, glowing in the faint sunlight. Her face had taken on softer, more mature features, though her trademark goofy grin still shone through.
Naruto blinked as the memories from her other clone rushed into her mind. "Oh… great," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I'm a teenager again. Just what I needed—puberty, round two version two point 0. This is such joy." She poked at her new body, her fingers prodding her now more matured… assets. "And of course, I have to deal with these now." Her finger jabbed at her chest experimentally. "They seem… sensitive. What if I get—"
"Naruto," Gaara interjected, his voice flat but desperate. "Please. Don't."
Naruto froze, blinking as the reality of the situation caught up with her. She glanced around, and sure enough, every shinobi present was gawking, their jaws practically on the ground. The mix of horror, confusion, and second-hand embarrassment on their faces would've been hilarious if it wasn't directed at her.
"What?!" she barked, her face flushing a deep red. "You guys got nothin' better to do than stare?!"
Instantly, the shinobi scrambled, moving with no sense of purpose, pretending to busy themselves with absolutely anything else. A few of them even started inspecting their shuriken as if they were suddenly the most fascinating objects in existence.
Onoki, hovering above them, squinted down at her, his tiny figure making circles in the air as he flew. "You look just like your mother," he said, his tone a strange mix of amusement and bafflement.
Naruto groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, yeah, I get it," she muttered. "Hey Gaara, if we're done with the undead—" She trailed off mid-sentence, freezing in place as something far more sinister caught her attention.
Gaara followed her gaze, his expression hardening as he, too, sensed it. "Naruto—"
His voice cut off, his eyes glued to the massive natural stone tower that loomed over them. From the top of the structure, a sickening, oppressive chakra rolled down like a tidal wave. It wasn't just powerful; it was suffocating. The sheer weight of it made the air feel thick, like trying to breathe through mud. It was dark and malevolent, the kind of chakra that crawled under your skin and made your blood run cold.
Two figures appeared at the peak, shrouded in the menacing aura.
"Impossible," Onoki whispered, his voice shaky.
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"That can't be…" Onoki muttered again, this time louder, as if saying it would somehow make it less true.
"What can't be possible?" Gaara asked, his gaze darting between Onoki and the figures. "Is it Mū? We did seal him, but maybe—"
Onoki shook his head violently. "No… not him." He pointed, his old, bony finger trembling. "That… that man… is Madara Uchiha."
A cold silence fell over the group, each word hitting them like a hammer. Gaara's brows knit together in utter bewilderment, while Naruto cocked her head, utterly lost. "Wait… what? If that's Madara…" she began slowly, "then who the hell is the masked weirdo starting this war?!"
From above, Madara Uchiha stood tall, his posture regal, almost indifferent as his piercing eyes scanned the battlefield below. His gaze briefly flickered over the multitude of shinobi gathered. Most notably, his eyes landed on the headbands that bore no village symbol, only the word "Shinobi," marking them as the Allied Forces. His lips curled in faint amusement.
Beside him, controlling Mū's reanimated body, Kabuto smiled wickedly. Through Mū, he spoke, his voice slick and patronizing. "It seems you've been summoned at quite an interesting time, Lord Madara. The man who calls himself 'Tobi' has started a war, and the Shinobi Nations have joined forces against him. They call themselves the Allied Shinobi Forces."
Madara's eyes lingered on a specific figure—Naruto, or rather, her clone. His eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed something unique about her. "Who is she?" His voice was calm, almost curious. "She has quite impressive chakra reserves for a child."
Kabuto chuckled softly. "That's Naruto Uzumaki. A shadow clone, yes, but a very capable shinobi nonetheless. She… was the vessel for the Nine-Tails." Kabuto tactfully left out the small detail that Naruto had recently undergone some interesting changes. No need to confuse the ancient warrior further.
"Uzumaki…" Madara's gaze darkened, and a flicker of recognition crossed his face. "Mito's clan, I see." He didn't dwell long on the thought, as he quickly shifted gears. Slamming his hand onto the ground with lightning speed, he called out, "Summoning Jutsu."
A pause. A long, awkward pause.
The gathered shinobi braced themselves for something big. Anything. But nothing came. The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Kabuto raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled.
Madara's expression didn't change. Instead, he simply nodded to himself. "Interesting," he mused aloud. "The Kyuubi's chakra is present… but the beast itself is gone."
Naruto, arms crossed, was now staring up at Madara with a mix of defiance and curiosity. "Hey, zombie dude! Why the hell is this 'Tobi' guy dragging the entire ninja world into a war, huh?"
"A war, huh?" He looked at Kabuto for an explanation.
Kabuto responded through Mū once more, his tone sly. "He was unable to retrieve the remaining two Tailed Beasts. The nations refused to hand them over, and they stood against his dream of eternal peace. And so, he decided that war was his only option."
Madara glanced at his own body, inspecting it carefully. "Edo Tensei," he muttered. "Such a vile jutsu."
Kabuto's grin widened, his voice practically oozing with arrogance. "Ah, but I've made improvements. Your body is now even stronger than it was in your prime. I've enhanced you, given you more power than you ever had before."
Madara's calm façade shattered. He sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think you know my glory days, boy? You know nothing."
Kabuto's grin didn't falter. "Then why don't you show me, Madara Uchiha? Show me what you're truly made of."
Madara didn't respond with words. Instead, he jumped from the tower with fluid grace, landing softly on the ground below. The tension among the shinobi spiked instantly. They could feel his overwhelming power pressing down on them like a weight they couldn't shake off. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, their hands shaking despite their best efforts to stay calm.
Madara took a single step forward, his aura growing darker, more oppressive with each movement. The shinobi gulped collectively, exchanging glances. They didn't stand a chance, and they knew it. But still, they had to fight.
With a war cry that was more desperate than brave, the shinobi charged. It was chaos. Madara moved like a phantom, his speed unreal. He tore through them mercilessly, tossing them aside like ragdolls, putting some into genjutsu, and slaughtering others without a second thought. His movements were a blur, his strikes precise and brutal. Shinobi screamed in terror as they fell to his onslaught.
Then, just as Madara was about to cut down yet another shinobi, a brilliant flash of red and gold streaked across the battlefield, hitting him square in the chest with the force of a battering ram. Madara was sent flying through the air, crashing into a nearby stone formation with an impact that shook the ground.
Naruto stood tall, her body emanating a mix of golden chakra and fiery red light that seemed to warp the air around her. The battlefield fell into a tense silence, with every shinobi's eyes glued to the teenage girl who had just done what seemed impossible—knock Madara Uchiha, the undead legend, halfway across the desert.
Naruto flexed her hips and limbs, "Damn, these are quite flexible! I almost broke my hip bone."
From the rubble, Madara slowly emerged, his movements slow but deliberate. He dusted off his dark armor, his face still expressionless, but there was a flash of something in his eyes—annoyance, perhaps? He rolled his neck, cracking it as he took a step forward, his gaze fixed firmly on Naruto. "The Flying Raijin, huh?" he muttered, almost to himself. "I didn't even see the kunai…"
Naruto crossed her arms, a smug grin spreading across her face. "Baka!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the open air, earning gasps from the nearby shinobi. Was she seriously talking like that to Madara Uchiha? "That wasn't Flying Raijin! That was just my natural speed! Although, I can use the technique."
Madara narrowed his eyes. For the first time, he seemed genuinely intrigued. This girl… she wasn't like the others. "Your natural speed, huh?" His lips curled into a cold smile, though there was a hint of acknowledgment there. "You're definitely unique."
Naruto smirked, flexing her fingers as golden chakra flared around her. "Oh, I'm more than unique, zombie dude! I'm interesting." She cracked her knuckles with exaggerated confidence. "But you? You're boring."
A collective gasp rose from the remaining shinobi. The audacity! Was she seriously insulting Madara Uchiha? Onoki, still floating in the air, facepalmed so hard he could've knocked himself out. Even Gaara was shaking his head in disbelief.
Madara's eyes twitched, his expression hardening. He vanished in a blur of speed, and in the blink of an eye, reappeared right in front of Naruto, faster than most shinobi could even comprehend. He didn't waste time on words. His hands flashed through a series of seals faster than a human eye could follow.
"Fire Style: Majestic Flame Destroyer!"
The air sizzled and roared as a massive wall of fire surged forward, so large it threatened to swallow the entire battlefield. The sheer heat of it could be felt from miles away. Naruto's eyes widened for a split second, but then a rush of sand shot in front of her, courtesy of Gaara, blocking the inferno with a towering wall of sand.
But Madara wasn't done. He appeared on the opposite side, faster than the eye could track, his fingers forming almost identical hand signs with deadly precision.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Annihilation!"
Another wave of fire, just as monstrous as the first, roared toward the Allied Forces. Gaara, still holding up the first barrier, struggled to summon enough sand to protect both sides. His teeth clenched in frustration. Dammit, not enough time.
But before the fire could hit, there was another flash of gold and red light, followed by a high-pitched whistle. In an instant, Naruto appeared, skidding to a stop right in front of the approaching flames. Her hands flew into a series of seals, her chakra flaring wildly, utilizing the technique Kakashi-sensei had copied in the Snow County.
"Water Style: Cry of the Great Blue Whale!"
Out of nowhere, an enormous whale made entirely of water materialized above the desert sands, its massive form so large it blocked out the sun for a moment. The shinobi gaped, slack-jawed, as the aqueous creature slammed into Madara's fire with a thunderous crash, extinguishing the flames completely. Steam hissed and rose from the ground, the battlefield momentarily obscured by a thick fog.
When the steam cleared, Naruto stood there, arms crossed, her face split into a wide grin. "Nailed it, dattebane!"
Madara's eyes widened, though only slightly, before his expression returned to its usual calm. He wasn't just impressed; he was intrigued. But instead of acknowledging Naruto's accomplishment, he simply raised his hand, forming a ram seal. The air around him grew dense, the oppressive weight of his chakra thickening.
"You're skilled, I'll admit," Madara said, his voice even. "But can you handle this?"
A dark-blue skeletal figure began to rise around him, growing taller and more menacing with each passing second. It wrapped around his body, expanding into a hulking, chakra-infused behemoth.
The Susanoo.
Its massive blade gleamed as it materialized in the figure's hand, the sheer power radiating from it making the earth tremble. The chakra was so thick, so oppressive, it felt like gravity itself had increased tenfold.
The shinobi stared, their eyes wide with fear and awe. Many of them trembled, barely able to stand beneath the weight of Madara's monstrous power. Some fell to their knees, sweat dripping down their faces as the pressure bore down on them.
"What is that…" Naruto muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of the colossal chakra avatar. Her own chakra flared even brighter, the golden aura surrounding her pulsing with raw energy. "Alright, old man. Let's see if this old fossil can keep up with me."
Madara's smirk returned, more sinister this time. "You talk big for a child."
"Yeah, well, I fight big too," Naruto shot back, her hands tightening into fists as she crouched slightly, ready to spring into action. "And for the record, this child is gonna kick your zombie butt back to the afterlife!"
Without another word, Naruto shot forward, her speed a blur as she charged directly at the towering Susanoo. Madara's eyes gleamed with amusement. 'Let's see how far your bravado takes you, Uzumaki.' He swung the blade down with deadly force, the massive weapon slicing through the air toward the charging girl.
But Naruto wasn't fazed. With a burst of golden light, she leaped into the air, dodging the blade by mere inches as it slammed into the ground, leaving a massive crater in its wake. She spun mid-air, her foot glowing with chakra as she aimed a kick straight for Madara's head.
Madara raised his hand, catching her foot with ease. But the moment her foot touched the chakra avatar, Naruto's chakra surged through her leg, the force of the impact sending Madara skidding back several feet despite the protection of his Susanoo.
"I gotta admit," Naruto said, smirking as she landed gracefully on the ground. "For a dead guy, you're still pretty spry."
Madara's expression darkened, but there was no denying it—Naruto was an interesting Shinobi. This girl… she's something else. He swung the blade again, and Naruto leaped back, avoiding the strike with ease.
"You're quite a shinobi," Madara grinned. "Let's dance, shall we?"
From a distance, the shinobi watched in awe, completely out of their depth. Gaara's mouth hung open slightly as he observed Naruto trading blows with the legendary Madara Uchiha, while Onoki, who had seen more wars than anyone else present, could only stare, his jaw hanging.
"Is this really… possible?" Gaara asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
Onoki sighed, rubbing his temple. "At this point, I'm not even sure what's possible anymore."
Naruto's clone continued to dart around, avoiding Madara's strikes while landing her own blows, each one sending shockwaves through the air. The battlefield was filled with the sound of their clash, and for the first time, it seemed like Madara was truly being pushed.
But as the battle raged on, Madara's smirk grew darker. "You're fast, Uzumaki. But speed alone won't be enough to defeat me."
Naruto's grin didn't falter. "Oh, don't worry," she said, her voice dripping with confidence. "I've got plenty more tricks up my sleeve!"
Naruto charged forward, her golden-red chakra flaring wildly around her like a blazing comet as the battle between her and the legendary Madara Uchiha ramped up to unprecedented levels. The earth shook beneath her feet, and the air seemed to vibrate with anticipation as the tension reached its breaking point.
Madara's Susanoo, now fully formed, loomed over her like a towering, spectral colossus. It stood a hundred meters tall, lean and imposing, its chakra blazing with an eerie, otherworldly light. The sky darkened under its sheer presence, and every shinobi on the battlefield could feel the weight of the immense power radiating from it.
The towering Susanoo's skeletal frame had fully taken shape, muscles formed of pure chakra encasing it in a body that glowed with an intimidating blue hue. Two massive blades rested in its hands, shimmering ominously as if they could cut through the fabric of reality itself.
"This," Madara's voice echoed ominously from within the behemoth, "is not even a fraction of my abilities. I am Madara Uchiha. Fear me."
The gathered shinobi could only stare, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. They had already seen the legendary Uchiha cut down their comrades effortlessly, but this… this was something else. A living nightmare made flesh—or rather, chakra.
Naruto, for the first time, was beginning to feel the strain. She was just a clone after all, and the energy she had been using was quickly fading. She was panting now, beads of sweat rolling down her face. Her chakra cloak had flickered and disappeared, leaving her vulnerable.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. "I'm not done yet!"
Without missing a beat, Naruto crossed her fingers in the familiar hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a loud puff, three clones of Naruto appeared beside her, but instead of attacking, they immediately sat down on the ground, cross-legged, closing their eyes as if meditating. They began gathering nature chakra.
Gaara, watching from a distance, raised an eyebrow, his face betraying the slightest hint of confusion.
"Naruto…?" a voice called out, cutting through the tense atmosphere. Temari had arrived on the scene, frowning as she took in the bizarre sight. "What the hell are you doing?"
Naruto waved her hand dismissively, not even turning to face her. "Just give me a sec, Temari. I'm about to do something awesome."
Temari looked at her incredulously, her fan clutched tightly in her hands. "You're sitting down in the middle of a battlefield while that… thing towers over us! You've lost it!"
Naruto, standing in front of her meditating clones, gave her a wink. "Trust me."
As the clones continued to gather nature energy, Naruto stood up slowly. Her usual brash demeanor was replaced by something more focused, more intense. Her eyes snapped open, revealing a transformation—vivid orange borders framed her eyes, and her pupils had become horizontal slits against irises that glowed an almost ethereal yellow.
Onoki, hovering nearby, muttered under his breath, his old eyes wide with awe. "Senjutsu… You're just like… Minato. Except… much more…"
"Yeah!" Naruto grinned, her face lighting up with renewed energy. Her sage mode aura crackled around her, more potent than ever. She charged toward Madara, who stood waiting, his expression unreadable behind the spectral figure of his Susanoo.
Without hesitation, Naruto leapt into the air, her hands raised above her head as she summoned a massive swirling vortex of chakra. "Wind Style: Compressed Rasenshuriken!"
The Rasenshuriken was smaller than usual, but it crackled with an intensity that made the air around it tremble. The sharp, high-pitched whine of the wind chakra reverberated across the battlefield as the spinning construct of energy screamed toward Madara.
Madara raised his Susanoo's blades in defense, expecting the attack to be repelled like all others before it. But to his shock, the Rasenshuriken didn't fly straight—it curved in an unpredictable path, its trajectory bending at an impossible angle. The screeching ball of wind chakra smashed into the Susanoo's shield with a deafening roar.
To everyone's astonishment, the Susanoo's impenetrable defense cracked.
Gaara's eyes widened as the massive shield of the Susanoo crumbled under the Rasenshuriken's assault. "Impossible…"
The shinobi, who had been watching the battle in awe, could only look on as useless spectators, realizing they had no part to play in this clash of titans. They were ants witnessing the gods of war at play.
Then, in a brilliant flash of light, the Rasenshuriken detonated. The explosion was blinding, lighting up the entire desert. The shockwave ripped across the battlefield, sending sand flying and knocking shinobi off their feet.
And then… nothing.
Naruto blinked, squinting through the fading smoke. "Huh?"
In the center of the crater where the Rasenshuriken had exploded, Madara stood, completely unharmed. He looked down at his body, inspecting himself as if the attack had done nothing more than ruffle his cloak.
A cold chill ran down Naruto's spine. "No way… not again…"
Gaara, standing not far behind her, sensed her sudden fear. "What is it, Naruto?"
Madara's voice cut through the air, low and ominous. "The Rinnegan…" he whispered. Without wasting another moment, he leaped from the ground, landing gracefully on a nearby stone tower where Kabuto was watching the battle with a smirk.
"I told you," Kabuto said, his voice smug as he controlled Mū's body. "You are now stronger than in your glory days."
Madara's eyes narrowed, turning toward Kabuto. "How did you know about the Rinnegan?" he demanded, his tone sharp. "How did you implant it in this body?"
Kabuto's smirk only grew wider, his voice dripping with false modesty. "Just a theory," he replied smoothly. "And my research."
Madara's eyes darkened, a flash of bitterness crossing his face. 'He discovered the secrets of the Rinnegan that I learned through the Stone Tablet… he thought angrily. The Stone Tablet that only my Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could decipher.'
Kabuto, still grinning like a predator toying with its prey, continued, "Also, now that you have Hashirama's cells, you may want to try some new tricks."
Madara glared at Kabuto, clearly not appreciating being told what to do. His hands moved swiftly, forming a series of seals. "Listen well, boy," he said, his voice low and threatening. "I awakened my Rinnegan prior to my death, and this is not the power of your creation."
He slammed his hands onto the ground. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Û~Û
Author's Note:
That was absolutely great to write!
I'm curious to know what you all think, so don't forget to drop your thoughts in the review section!
Hope you had fun with this chapter, folks! Buckle up, because things are about to get wild. Stay tuned for the next one!
Till next time!