In the forest between Konoha and the borders of Amegakure and Land of Fire, four figures followed the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, swiftly moving forward.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen; the Hokage's assistant, Homura; one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade; and the elite Jonin, Sakumo, hurried along.
It could be said that upon receiving news of the suspected attack by a powerful figure resembling Madara brought back by the Two-Tails, Konoha's top combatants were mobilized.
With three Kage-level combatants and one top-tier medical ninja, this combination was close to invincible in the entire shinobi world.
Kizaru, you must survive!
Leading the way alongside the Two-Tails, Danzo, his face showing signs of tension and worry.
Like Hiruzen, being a disciple of the Second Hokage, Danzo knew all too well the power of Madara.
"Why is Madara still alive? Wasn't he killed by Lord Hashirama?"
Thinking back to the disappearance of Madara's body, Danzo speculated on one possibility.
The forbidden jutsu invented by Tobirama-sensei, Edo Tensei!
With this thought, Danzo couldn't help but look sideways at Hiruzen.
Almost simultaneously, Hiruzen, who had made a similar guess, turned to look at Danzo.
Their eyes met, and both understood each other's meaning.
The forbidden jutsu was leaked; the attacker this time might be a traitor within the village!
Someone didn't want to see Kizaru become Hokage in the future!
Based on this speculation, Danzo instinctively thought of the Uchiha clan.
"Uchiha! If it's really you, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Boom!"
Just as Danzo and Hiruzen speculated about the identity of the enemy, in the far distance ahead of them, a tremendous explosion occurred.
Blinding light and expanding smoke rose, the ground began to shake, and a powerful shockwave followed, forcing everyone to stop in their tracks.
Jumping down from the trees to the ground, the four and the Two-Tails all looked at the massive smoke in the distant sky.
"Kizaru's chakra is still there, but the enemy's disappeared!" With a pleased expression, the Two-Tails, possessing extremely powerful sensory abilities, quickly spoke up.
Hearing the Two-Tails' words, the four beside him looked at each other, and their tension eased slightly.
"Let's go!" Without further ado, after the shockwave passed, Hiruzen said while jumping back onto a tree branch.
Almost simultaneously, the other three followed suit, leaping onto the trees, and continuing towards the location where the battle erupted.
"Shimura's brat, you're not worthy to dance!" Rejected, Madara looked at Kizaru with a disdainful expression, unable to suppress his anger.
"Ooh, right, right!" Going along with it, Kizaru leisurely crossed his legs, smiling and nodding in agreement.
Even more infuriated, Madara's breathing quickened slightly.
"You have no idea what opportunities you've missed. One day, you'll regret the decisions you made today!" Looking at Kizaru with disdain, Madara said scornfully.
After speaking, Madara turned around, ready to leave.
"Shoot him! Ama no Murakumo!"
Just as Kizaru's sneaky voice sounded, Madara felt a pain in his chest.
Looking down at the light sword piercing through his heart, Madara slowly turned to look at Kizaru behind him.
"If I let you go, it'll be troublesome in the future!" Holding the sword in his right hand and supporting his head with his left hand, Kizaru said with a grin.
Seeing the sneering Kizaru, Madara, pierced through the heart, also smiled.
"No one besides Hashirama can kill me from behind! You're too young, brat!"
As the words fell, Madara gradually turned into a wooden figure.
"Wood Clone! Madara is indeed terrifying!" Retrieving the light sword in his right hand, Kizaru looked at the fallen wood clone in front of him, sighing with emotion.
"Dodging my strike with the forbidden jutsu Yin-Yang Release and leaving behind a wood clone to communicate... Madara, as he aged, became even more sinister, mastering all kinds of methods!"
Leaving the stone chair and standing up again, Kizaru took a few steps forward and approached the wood clone left by Madara.
"This thing, Orochimaru-senpai would probably like it!"
Looking at the wood clone at his feet, Kizaru noticed its value.
"Kizaru!"
Tsunade's voice rang out from a distance, and Kizaru, who was examining the wooden clone, lifted his head and looked in the direction of the sound.
At the edge of the huge crater, the four, who had finally arrived, saw Kizaru standing alone in the pit apparently unharmed, which somewhat eased their nervous hearts.
"Don't relax yet, the situation of the enemy hasn't been confirmed!" Watching Tsunade, who was eager to rush down into the crater, Hiruzen reminded.
Just as Hiruzen was reminding his disciple, someone moved even faster.
Before Hiruzen could finish speaking, Danzo, worried about his nephew, remained vigilant around and jumped into the pit.
The first to reach Kizaru, Danzo observed Kizaru's condition and asked with concern, "Are you injured?"
Injuries?
Facing his uncle's concern, Kizaru smiled and replied, "I don't seem to be injured!"
Hearing Kizaru's words and seeing that there was hardly any dust on his clothes, Danzo completely relaxed.
"Madara...."
"Kizaru!" Following closely behind Danzo, Tsunade rushed down and called out excitedly, directly approaching Kizaru.
With both hands grabbing Kizaru, Tsunade immediately checked to see if Kizaru was injured.
"Tsunade-senpai, I'm not injured!" Caught by Tsunade, Kizaru lowered his head and smiled as he spoke.
After carefully checking and confirming that Kizaru was indeed uninjured, Tsunade looked up and met Kizaru's gaze.
"Why didn't you run?" Watching Kizaru, who had worried her all the way, Tsunade asked.
"Because I wanted to confirm the identity of the enemy." Kizaru smiled and replied.
"Kizaru, is the enemy really Madara?" Standing beside Tsunade, Danzo asked curiously.
"Yes!" Without beating around the bush, seeing Hiruzen, Sakumo, and the Two-Tails all coming down, Kizaru nodded and admitted.
Taking a sharp breath, Hiruzen, upon hearing this news, quickly stepped forward and squeezed in front of Kizaru.
"How did you confirm it?"
"The enemy is an old man, his appearance resembles a young Madara, and he admitted it himself." Facing Hiruzen's question, Kizaru explained.
"His eyes?"
"Just the Three Tomoe Sharingan, but he used a giant made of chakra, similar to what Madara used according to the records in the books." Kizaru continued to explain.
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen nodded solemnly.
"An old man, a chakra giant! Could it be that Madara is really alive?"
"But Tobirama-sensei personally confirmed Madara's body; he did die at that time!"
"It seems that Madara has mastered a ninjutsu that can make him immune to damage. After being hit by my strongest attack, his chakra seemed to have weakened to the point of disappearing.
But it quickly reappeared, except that one of his Three Tomoe Sharingan turned white, there were no signs of any injuries." Seeing Hiruzen deep in thought, Kizaru voluntarily revealed some information, describing it intuitively.
Hearing Kizaru's words, Hiruzen's eyes flashed with understanding, realizing instantly why Madara was still alive.
"The forbidden jutsu that the Uchiha clan sealed away!" Recalling the historical records passed down by the clan, Danzo said coldly.
"Madara is really alive!" Feeling complicated, Hiruzen said with a tone of emotion.
"Hiruzen, we must be careful of the Uchiha clan!" In that moment, Danzo thought of more and reminded aloud.
Nodding silently, hearing Danzo's reminder, Tsunade suddenly became alert.
"Kizaru, how did your encounter with Madara go?" Feeling quite worried, Tsunade asked.
"That old man is as strong as a monster, but I managed to drive him away." With his hands in his pockets, Kizaru said with a smile.
After speaking, Kizaru turned around, drawing everyone's attention to the wooden clone behind him.
"This is the wooden clone he left behind!"
"Wood Clone!?"
Tsunade, Hiruzen, and Danzo all exclaimed simultaneously.
How could Madara have the Wood Release of the First Hokage?
Filled with puzzlement, everyone followed Kizaru's gaze and looked at the humanoid wooden figure lying on the ground in front of him.
Taking two steps forward, Hiruzen, also known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," squatted down beside the wooden clone in Kizaru's mouth.
Placing his hand on the wooden clone, Hiruzen used chakra perception to inspect it, then stood up again.
"It is indeed a wooden clone used by the First Hokage."
"Madara may have possibly transplanted cells from the First Hokage." Danzo, who had once seen Tobirama Senju research the cells of the First Hokage and had his own desire to study them, speculated.
"That damn Madara!" Hearing Danzo's speculation, Tsunade angrily exclaimed.
"Tsunade, calm down!" Reminding his disciple, Hiruzen issued a command with a serious expression, "Today's events are classified as S-rank confidential. No one present is to leak anything!"
"Understood!" Understanding the importance of the matter, everyone present responded in unison.
After issuing the command, Hiruzen took out scrolls from inside his clothes.
Unrolling the scrolls, Hiruzen sealed the wooden clone left by Madara into the scrolls.
After completing the seal, Hiruzen looked at Kizaru again and said, "Kizaru, Madara attacked you. For your safety, come back to the village with us."
With a smile of concern on his face, Kizaru reminded, "Sensei, is it possible that Madara, who I drove away, is now even more dangerous?"
Upon hearing Kizaru's words, Hiruzen was momentarily stunned.
Intimidated by Madara's former reputation, Hiruzen only then realized that his disciple had defeated Madara.
Even though this victory might be because the current Madara is old and frail, Kizaru won the battle completely unscathed, without even a torn piece of clothing!
Thinking of this, Hiruzen gained a clearer understanding of the strength of his most outstanding disciple.
You're truly remarkable, Shimura Kizaru!