The Story of Hagami III [Naruto Fanfic | Uchiha] [Completed]

48 | Dragon

Part I

Gai was the first to strike, his speed and power raised to their maximum or rather bending the very bindings of the body.

"Sekizō (Sekizō, Evening Elephant)! First step!" He shouted and Hagami had relied on his voice to track him. Already, he was level with Madara in the air, both fists drawn back. The first blow was delivered, a gale of wind radiating in all directions as Madara was thrown into the ground, creating a fresh crater.

Second step! Gai thought as he descended. However, Lee knew as much as Hagami that this technique put extreme pressure and stress on Gai's body, and when he pulled out of it in midair, the two of them assumed and then knew that a bone had been fractured just from contact.

The extent of this technique is unbearable from what I've researched. ...Yes...now I remember. After the fifth gate is opened, the pain and stress is increased multifold. What he's feeling is probably comparable to being torn apart, fibre by fibre. However, this is supposed to be a continuous attack, for Gai to stop because of pain...I don't think I can fathom it. Hagami thought and her eyes searched the ground. Her eyes locked onto the crater and the sheer depth of it shocked her.

However, Madara rose seemingly unfazed by the attack. But Hagami noticed that there was something missing. The horn on the left side of his head had been shattered or severed uncleanly from the rest of the bone-like structure covering Madara's forehead.

So there is some damage to that single attack. Four or five should be enough to finally put his life in danger where it can't be replenished or revived. Hagami realized and hoped.

"The Eight Inner Gates Formation... It's a technique that allows one to draw out their maximum power by releasing the limiters placed on it." Kakashi started to explain to Gaara. But whether it was directed at her or someone else, she listened. If she were to learn this technique, she may as well learn everything she could possibly get her hands on if Gai were to not be around for it. "It's the final stage of the jutsu Lee used against you in the Chūnin Exams long ago.

"Releasing all eight limiters results in power tens of times greater than that of the Five Kage. But it's only temporary... After using the technique, the user will...inevitably die."

Hagami watched as Gai used the air itself to propel himself upward. Another large leap could possibly destroy his abilities to even run later during this technique. But either way, they advanced at about the same rate.

"Lee...are you...?"

"I am not sad!" Lee responded to Gaara's cautious question. "Showing any pity or sorrow to someone who has resolved himself would be an insult!"

Amidst a plan that Hagami tuned out, she saw Gai begin to run in a circle in the air. If he even missed a step, he could lose control, but that wasn't the case. Gai was a master of Taijutsu, and even pain now couldn't stop him now that the shinobi world was resting on his shoulders.

"First step!" He shouted and a wave of energy generated from mere exertion of the muscles and his fist flew past Madara. However, he formed a shield to block the first step but that only allowed Gai to move to the second position at an angle from below. "Second step!" Madara didn't have time to move out of the way and he didn't for the third step either. He received two direct hits, the shield and the Truth-Seeking balls doing nothing for him anymore.

"Fourth step!" Gai shouted from above on Madara's right. "Fifth step!"

"Hagami! Throw the kunai straight at the black orbs once they're fired!" Minato threw her a kunai and she snapped her arm back. She anticipated them right before they fired and flicked her arm forward. This time, her Sharingan helped her with needle-like precision in getting Minato just in the way of them as to not distract Gai but while teleporting the Truth-Seeking balls back.

She saw Minato appear in the air in front of the Truth-Seeking balls for a second and then a few meters away where Kakashi was. There, Kakashi used the Kamui granted from his Mangekyō Sharingan to warp them away. Meanwhile, Madara endured a direct hit from Gai who had slipped through an opening in the shield that Madara didn't get to finish forming.

The material the Truth-Seeking balls were made of actually shattered upon impact. Gai withdrew his fist once they began losing momentum and Madara felt the blood welling in his throat. He coughed it up to prevent himself from choking and crashed into the ground, creating a gash in the earth.

Gai landed, panting heavily whilst Madara began to get to his feet. Hagami snapped her head to him, the sight of blood dripping down his chin adding to the wretched smirk on his face now.

"You're the first since Hashirama to make me feel this excited about a battle!" Madara admitted. "Can you still dance? Do you have any other techniques?" He taunted rather carelessly. "Give me some more fun!"

He got up from Sekizō? Hagami looked on with shock. But wait, there is another technique, isn't there? I don't remember what it's called, but I know there's something else.

"This is great! Keep on dancing!" Madara shouted as he received another blow. It seemed he was interested in the fight more than the plan; but this was unique to almost all Uchiha, where their thirst to fight outweighed their original goals.

Hagami suddenly saw Madara get into a crouching position. Both arms were placed in front of him, as well as his right leg, but his left leg remained behind him. All in all, he was barely raised over the ground more than four feet. He looked like a dragon, ready to strike.

His heart won't be able to take much more of this stress, and neither will his body. By now, even if Gai stopped, his body would beyond repair...I doubt even Tsunade and Sakura together will be able to reverse this damage. Hagami drew in a sharp breath as a bone-rattling tremor ran through the ground.

Hagami stumbled back as she felt the sheer strength of the power of the Eight Inner Gates Formation. She kept her eyes locked onto the technique before her as the red vapor took the form of a dragon.

"I, Madara, declare you the strongest!" Madara praised with unbridled excitement in his voice. Hagami's eyebrow quirked at Madara's interest in fighting rather than his legitimate goal.

To this, Gai responded with startling speed that Hagami was just barely able to track. She allowed her primary Sharingan to take shape in order to get a better grasp. From what Hagami could gather, Madara had held his staff in front of his body, the crescent facing Gai as a shield to sever the technique in half. However, due to speed and the emanating shockwave that forced itself through space, space itself bent the staff backward.

"YAGAI (Night Gai)!" It was a single kick that was brought about through Yagai. But it wasn't ordinary in the least. Hagami saw Gai's precision to kick at the ribs. His foot was angled where it'd hit the majority and shatter them into the surrounding organs. The speed assisted with how far and how deep the wound would afflict Madara too. And Hagami saw just how devastating the technique was when mere contact between the two sent out a shockwave capable of throwing everyone within a ten meter radius off their feet.

Hagami felt herself being catapulted backward, or at least until she felt someone's around wrap around her torso and the shockwave being partially blocked. Her eyes snapped open when she realized that the shockwave was being blocked by green chakra in the form of a skeleton.

Hagami looked to her left and then right to see that the rest of the shinobi in the area had been brought inside the green chakra too. And when she looked up, she saw Shisui standing over her, his arm holding her in place as he protected each shinobi within his Susanoo until the shockwave cleared.