Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!-Chapter 450: Kawakaze vs. Madara

Crack—

The sound of bones breaking echoed clearly through the dark cave.

Kawakaze's blade came to an abrupt halt mere inches from Madara's face, blocked firmly by his scythe. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't advance any further.

"Susanoo."

With a single glance, Kawakaze recognized the enormous blue skeletal frame before him.

As expected, even with just a borrowed three-tomoe Sharingan, nothing could stop Madara from activating his ultimate defense.

"You are impressive. I acknowledge you."

Madara gazed at Kawakaze, whose face bore no resemblance to Hashirama, yet a trace of admiration flickered in his expression.

The ability to threaten Susanoo with mere swordsmanship was already proof of Kawakaze's strength—he didn't need Madara's validation.

Wood Release was merely an extra tool in his arsenal; it wasn't what made him the so-called "God of Shinobi."

Even without it, he was among the elite few who stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

As the two faced off, Susanoo continued to grow.

The ribs Kawakaze had severed began to regenerate, and four massive swords took shape in its skeletal hands.

The moment they solidified, Madara wasted no time.

With a single thought, Susanoo swung all four blades down toward Kawakaze in a devastating strike.

The sheer pressure of the chakra-filled cave made the air howl around him.

Rather than dodging immediately, Kawakaze pushed forward, attempting to drive his sword through.

But as his instincts screamed danger—his skin tingling from the oppressive force—he vanished from the spot.

"Heh, you underestimated me."

Madara's chuckle echoed through the cavern. The four blades remained suspended in the air, precisely stopping where Kawakaze had been.

"I was just testing."

Kawakaze didn't offer a direct response, but there was truth to his words.

As he teleported away with the Flying Thunder God, Susanoo's evolution accelerated.

Its lower body and legs rapidly formed, and Madara shifted to stand atop its head.

Dark armor encased the skeletal frame, growing ever larger.

If the cave hadn't been built to accommodate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Susanoo would have already shattered the ceiling.

Kawakaze's heart pounded.

He had expected an aging Madara, cut off from the Demonic Statue's support, to be severely weakened.

Yet here he was, pushing Susanoo to a level Kawakaze hadn't anticipated.

And it was still evolving.

If Madara had access to the Nine-Tails, Kawakaze knew he'd be witnessing the full power of the Armored Susanoo.

"Yasaka Magatama."

While Kawakaze remained motionless, Madara did not hesitate.

Under his command, Susanoo's hands transformed its twin blades into a dozen linked magatama.

Without even aiming, the deadly projectiles shot forward.

"Troublesome..."

Watching the chakra-infused beads hurtling toward him, Kawakaze felt the weight of the battle.

If he remembered correctly, even in the original events, Gaara and Ōnoki had struggled to block this attack.

Both had used some of the strongest defensive jutsu—Sand Release and Earth Release.

This meant one thing: Yasaka Magatama was no joke.

"Sage Art: Wood Release—Hōbi Technique."

Kawakaze channeled a massive amount of chakra into the ground.

In an instant, two massive wooden shields, each carved with a snarling demon's face, erupted beside him.

Boom! Crack!

The two halves slammed together, forming a massive barrier that sealed him inside.

As Madara's barrage rained down, he didn't seem particularly concerned with the result.

Instead, he continued pouring chakra into Susanoo, growing its form even larger.

By the time the cave's ceiling was breached, Susanoo had expanded beyond the size of a mountain.

A suit of solidified blue chakra armor now covered it entirely, each scale gleaming with intricate detail.

The Tengu-like face burned with twin, furnace-like eyes, and a transparent pentagonal crystal embedded in its forehead housed Madara himself.

Then, with a mighty tremor—

Wings burst from Susanoo's back, massive and armored, their flaps stirring a violent storm within the cave.

Rumble—

The explosion of energy sent shockwaves through the cavern.

Yet, despite the relentless assault, Kawakaze's wooden barrier remained intact.

When the dust settled, it was riddled with cracks, barely recognizable.

The fangs had shattered, leaving a half-destroyed demonic visage with only one nostril intact.

A miserable sight—

But it had served its purpose.

Madara's attack had been completely nullified.

With a light push, Kawakaze shattered the barrier.

As his vision cleared, he saw Susanoo drive its sword into the cave's ceiling, obliterating it.

Rocks cascaded down, yet they bounced harmlessly off Susanoo's armored form.

It didn't even flinch.

Then, with a single powerful beat of its wings—

Susanoo soared into the open sky.

"...Haven't seen the sun in a long time."

Madara tilted his head back, inhaling deeply.

After so long buried underground, wrapped in endless scheming, he felt like a mole finally surfacing.

The warmth of the sun was faint, but he stretched, savoring it.

"Sage Art: Gate of the Great God."

Kawakaze emerged from the cave, his hands forming seals.

Five massive torii gates, glowing red with divine power, descended from the heavens.

If they struck, Susanoo would be pinned to the ground.

"Different opponent, same move."

Madara smirked.

Susanoo shot higher into the sky as the torii gates plummeted toward it.

With a casual swing of its four massive blades, it cleaved through them effortlessly.

One after another, the torii gates shattered.

Within mere moments, the sky was clear once more.

"I'd like to see how you defend against this."

Muttering to himself, Madara commanded Susanoo to dive.

Wings flared, it plummeted toward Kawakaze with its swords raised high, poised to cleave him in half.

"You won't last much longer."

"Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands."

Kawakaze could feel it—Madara's life force was dwindling.

With each powerful technique, he edged closer to death.

Sending him off with this final Wood Release technique was the least he could do.

A colossal wooden Buddha erupted from the ground.

Larger than even Susanoo, it towered above the battlefield.

Its hands pressed together in prayer, countless arms radiating behind it in layered halos.

Kawakaze stood atop the Buddha's head, watching as Susanoo charged forward.

"...I never thought you'd know this technique."

Madara wasn't sure if he felt envy.

Despite all his years mastering Wood Release, he had never learned True Several Thousand Hands.

"But that's not all!"

"Top Transformed Buddha!!!"

Kawakaze didn't waste any more time.

Even if he didn't go all out, Madara wouldn't survive much longer.

Countless fists erupted from the Buddha's back, each one carrying the weight of an entire mountain.

"Ahhh—!"

Madara's eyes widened in disbelief.

His roar was drowned out by the deafening impact.

He saw his end.

He had been defeated before, and now, once again—

Susanoo barely endured a few punches before its blades shattered.

Its armor cracked under the relentless barrage, and one after another, the massive fists reduced it to nothing.

With his final defense destroyed, Madara was sent flying, coughing blood.

Before he even hit the ground—

Kawakaze sensed it.

His life force had completely faded.

Time had finally caught up to him.

The fallen god had lost his last battle.

Leaping down from the Buddha's head, Kawakaze walked slowly across the shattered earth.

He gazed at the unmoving figure in the distance, a complex feeling stirring within him.

A legend of his era—killed by his own hands.

What did he feel?

Relief? No.

Sorrow? Not quite.

Perhaps it was simply the weight of history settling in.