Speedrunning Naruto to the Top

"Now that you've learned this world's true face, you little frog in the well—how does it feel?"

Back in the "real" palace hall, Izayoi savored the sight of Madara looking like his CPU was on the verge of overheating. It pleased him deeply. He loved seeing these behind-the-scenes masterminds caught off guard and rattled.

Uchiha Obito had been that way; so, too, was Uchiha Madara. If only Black Zetsu were around, Izayoi would have liked to watch Madara confronting him—it would have been quite a show.

As Madara silently digested the flood of information, Izayoi didn't seize the opening to attack. He clearly saw with his Tenseigan that two black silhouettes lurked by Madara's side—his Limbo Shadows. As a war-seasoned "Ninja God of the Warring States," Madara wasn't about to collapse in panic just from an enemy's illusory "world truth."

Soon, Madara finished processing it all. His expression again calm, he looked up at Izayoi, enthroned above.

"Kaguya Otsutsuki—be she real or not, I couldn't care less. I'm only curious about one thing. If the Otsutsuki clan has known all along about Black Zetsu, about his manipulations leading me to the Rinnegan—why didn't you act earlier to take me and him out when I was old and feeble, or when I awakened the Rinnegan? Don't tell me you can observe the ninja world yet fail to accomplish something so trivial. Even if Black Zetsu's immortal, you must have ways to seal him."

Izayoi answered with a scornful laugh. "Why would we do anything?"

"What?"

Madara's eyes widened—he genuinely couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Protecting this world? That's the Sage of Six Paths' job." Izayoi spoke with the lofty tone of a superior being. "He was the one who sought to create a conflict-free world by granting everyone chakra—leading to the birth of ninjutsu, and eventually the so-called shinobi.

"It was his actions that turned an era of cold steel into an era of chakra warfare. Merely a bit of outside goading, and you 'descendants' wage fratricidal strife for generations. You have the Warring States Era… then modern ninja wars.

"Clearly, the world the Sage created is a failure. Such a hopeless world isn't worth saving."

With that, Izayoi pointed at Madara's eyes and continued,

"Though you inherited that 'failed' Rinnegan, you still had a chance to correct this world's mistakes. But your choice has now doomed it entirely."

"You're talking about the Infinite Tsukuyomi…?"

Memories of that jutsu turning humans into White Zetsu made Madara's stomach sink again. He still refused to believe all of this. He asked,

"If looking after this realm is the Sage's job, then what is your Otsutsuki clan's 'duty'? Just hover above, mocking us as monkeys?"

"To watch the ninja world… and judge it," Izayoi declared, adopting a high-and-mighty posture suitable for an advanced being. "When it's beyond saving, we will eradicate it and rebuild a new world and new humanity. That is our clan's mission."

Staring at that seemingly calm yet utterly arrogant figure, Madara stood dumbstruck for a moment, then exhaled a half-sardonic laugh.

"I see…so this is the mindset of a so-called 'god.' Talking to you is a waste of breath."

Abruptly, his face twisted with killing intent.

"I guess you're the real threat to this entire realm. Then let me see for myself the strength of these 'descendants of gods'—and hopefully your Tenseigan won't disappoint me, an eye 'failure'… Limbo: Border Jail!"

At that moment, two black silhouettes invisible to normal eyes leaped from Madara's side, charging toward Izayoi. Precisely what Izayoi wanted: Let Madara's rage burn to its peak so he'd fight at 120% strength. That might boost the drop rate.

Izayoi's eyes shone with battle spirit. He summoned the teal aura of Tenseigan Chakra Mode, raised both hands, condensing two chakra Orbs glowing brilliant greenish-blue. With a flick, they transformed into two tornadoes roaring outward. Limbo Shadows, lacking the advantage of stealth now that Izayoi's Tenseigan could see them, were blown away. Madara's pupils shrank.

"Limbo… unsuccessful?"

So Tenseigan could indeed perceive and strike his Limbo clones. Seeing them vanish into the wind, Madara's expression stiffened in disbelief. Meanwhile, Izayoi formed more Chakra Orbs. Two swirling tornadoes converged on Madara, who reflexively tried using the Preta Path to absorb them.

A mighty blast resounded. The palace's front half collapsed in an ear-splitting crash. Dust mushroomed. Amid the swirling debris, Madara got flung back, snapping his hands up:

"Shinra Tensei!"

A violent storm of repulsion battered the swirling tornadoes, and the rest of the palace collapsed in pieces. Madara soared free, then instantly formed another seal:

"Chibaku Tensei!"

Gravity clutched the palace's remains into a giant sphere—yet just then, a greenish-blue ring appeared atop that makeshift meteor.

"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"

A colossal twister pierced the sphere from within, pulverizing it. As though guided by radar, the vortex howled at Madara. Seeing an even stronger gale coming, Madara didn't attempt to absorb it via Preta Path again.

Instead, he summoned Perfect Susanoo, drawing its massive sword to slash downward. Despite slicing storms, the weapon got partially disintegrated by the fierce wind. Its fragments shattered under the unstoppable spin. Remnants of the vortex acted like countless razor blades, sparking against Susanoo's mighty armor with strident screeching.

In the end, though, they failed to break Perfect Susanoo's defense. Just then, a glowing green beam tore apart the wind, streaking toward the Susanoo. Madara recognized it as a small orb of ominous energy—exactly what had drained Nagato's chakra last year.

With zero hesitation, Madara had Susanoo hurl Yasaka Magatama at it. Yet the moment those blue magatama collided, they melted into raw chakra, sucked into the tiny green orb. Refusing to relent, Madara swung Susanoo's blade, only to have it warp and dissolve as well. The orb greedily absorbed the entire weapon before continuing forward unfazed.

"What a dominating absorption technique," Madara muttered, forced to unleash Susanoo or watch it keep being devoured. These green orbs—his Rinnegan's Preta Path—was overshadowed. Even from a distance, they could strip any ninjutsu or weapon into pure chakra, storing it as their own. Worse, if that orb struck him, it would instantly suck him dry. Talk about an attack–defense combo.

Cursing inwardly, Madara canceled Perfect Susanoo, formed hand signs, and summoned a storm of thick green tree branches to lash out. On collision, the green orb triggered its self-destruct. A resounding boom ensued, releasing a large shockwave.

But the explosion, containing primarily Madara's stolen chakra, ended up only fueling him. Madara calmly used the Preta Path to absorb the lion's share of its scattered energies.

"Five-Dragon Desolation!"

Izayoi flung five more Chakra Orbs, each shining a different color, unleashing a surge of tornado-like "dragons" formed of five elements—wind, water, earth, lightning, and fire. Except they weren't plain ninjutsu elementals; like Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, these "dragons" were quasi-natural disasters conjured via Yin–Yang Release. Preta Path absorption was not suited to devour them.

They slammed into Madara's Preta barrier. Gripping him tight, the five dragons flung him downward. Moments later, he crashed into the gold barrier of the artificial sun. Breaking a hole upon impact, Madara tumbled outside to the lunar surface.

Izayoi seized that chance, leaving the barrier gap before it resealed, effectively moving their battleground to the moon's surface. Madara landed amid a deep crater. While the swirling dust soared up, he again used his Shinra Tensei–like "pressure storm" to blow it away. Standing at the crater's bottom, he formed signs:

"Summoninv Technique!"

"Roar…!"

A thunderous bellow shook the lunar surface as Gedo Statue reappeared on the moon for the first time in centuries. Madara stood atop the statue's head, a white conduit plugged into his back. Cloaked once more by his signature blue yin-chakra, Gedo Statue sprouted an armored layer plus a pair of wings—a "Susanoo Exoskeleton".

Seeing this, Izayoi conjured multiple Chakra Orbs, turning them into teal beams burrowing underfoot. Another ear-splitting quake erupted as cracks radiated in luminous greenish-blue. Up rose a giant figure, matching Gedo Statue's scale but shaped like a humanoid—Ultraman Tiga from Izayoi's past. Madara snorted.

"A stone giant? Tch, worthless."

As if to prove his point, Gedo Statue soared forth and pummeled Tiga's head with a single blow, shattering it. But almost immediately, the shattered bits reassembled themselves, Tiga's head reforming. Madara frowned. "Regenerative, is it? Even so, I only need to keep smashing it. A worthless punching bag for Gedo Statue."

But then Izayoi funneled more Chakra Orbs into Tiga's body, turning it from plain stone to brightly colored red, blue, white, and gold—just like Tiga from Izayoi's childhood shows. Its hardness soared through intangible additions, akin to diamonds on steroids.

Madara's expression twitched. What in the hell are those black orbs? Besides conjuring natural disasters, they can create…stuff like this? This is beyond mere Yin–Yang Release.

While he raged, Tiga hammered Gedo Statue so hard it staggered backward. If not for the Susanoo armor, Madara might have been knocked flying off its shoulder.

~~~

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