Genius Sensei

Chapter 68: Madara Uchiha Part II

Author's personal note:

We're coming to the end! That makes me excited! After this story comes to an end, you can be sure that I will update "broken" regularly

***BREAK***

Madara's eyes lit up as the blond shinobi's body came charging at him.

'Senjutsu, it certainly gave you power Hashirama, let me see if it makes this boy a challenge.'

Madara drew his own blade and poured a protective layer of chakra over it. The metal wasn't designed to channel chakra like Naruto's, however for one skilled in chakra manipulation anything would do. It wouldn't allow his blade to strike harder or cut through anything it normally wouldn't but it would protect it from being sliced clean through by the Futon energy swirling through Naruto's katana.

The blades met and Madara's eyes widened. The senjutsu chakra made the boy physically stronger than himself! He skidded back and then the kenjutsu dance began in earnest. Their speed was roughly equal with a slight edge going to Naruto; however Madara's Sharingan made up for that.

'He is skilled.' Madara thought with grudging respect as their blades clashed a dozen times in a second.

Madara could see his earlier opponent who wielded his own Susanoo jam three soldier pills into his mouth. Using more than one was a risk and at the sheer amount of chakra the Susanoo required meant that there wasn't much gain from it in Madara's eyes. Dismissing it as irrelevant, Madara put it out of his mind and focused primarily on the senjutsu user.

'Not only is he skilled but he has clearly practiced against his Uchiha teammate or Hatake, he knows how to avoid being read until the final moment, contracting his muscles in a way that would allow a cut, parry or thrust.'

The old Uchiha grudgingly gave credit where it was due. The boy in front of him was highly skilled in kenjutsu and with the benefit of senjutsu chakra he was having difficulty. It became worse when the two toads on his opponent's shoulders began using ninjutsu.

A jet of water had to be dodged which set him up for Naruto's bone jarring two handed cross cut slash. Madara of course blocked, but the difference in strength pushed his blade down painfully. The blade reared up straight toward his neck and he contorted his body backwards and kicked aside the flat of the blade. Not receiving even a moment of reprieve the other toad completed Futon: Shinkugyoku (Wind Release Vacuum Bullets).

Madara raised his hand and absorbed the jutsu and then quickly parried another blow. On the dance continued and a smile crept over his face. It had been too long since he had fought a real battle! But as the battle continued he began seeing the level of the skill his foe displayed. Madara was a genius, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan during the Warring States Period. How was this boy who had to have seen less than eighteen summers garnered this much skill? It wasn't just speed and strength but raw skill and knowledge.

The thought gnawed at him; did this boy have more potential than he did? As he dodged and spun away from ninjutsu and kenjutsu strikes he found his answer.

'Kage Bunshin. The boy is clearly adept at using it, if he regularly fights with hundreds of clones he has the memories and experiences of the same battle from a hundred different vantage points. He may be young but he probably has more actual experience than any other shinobi.'

That was the answer. Though it did little for him in the battle he did not like thinking he was anything short of the ultimate pinnacle of shinobi talent. If he had used the Kage Bunshin like his senjutsu wielding foe he would have even more skill.

'Tobirama-teme you vex me in after the worms have fully devoured you.'

Madara was forced back. He could have easily used Susanoo but this kenjutsu battle enticed him. The thin margin between victory and defeat, blade against blade a duel for the ages, the thought of it invigorated him. So much of his existence had been as a hobbled old man defying death until appropriate pawns could be found. This was life!