In the original series, Uchiha Madara's overwhelming power during the Fourth Great Ninja War was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
When the Five Kage united against him, it was like watching a master playing with children. And when he single-handedly faced tens of thousands of shinobi from the Allied Shinobi Forces, the situation was so one-sided that fans quipped, "Uchiha Madara has surrounded the Allied Shinobi Forces."
Now, even though Uchiha Akira, after opening the Seventh Gate, wasn't at Madara's level, the circumstances of their battles were entirely different.
Madara had faced an army of tens of thousands, while Akira was dealing with a few hundred.
But as Akira unleashed the full force of the Seventh Gate, effortlessly cutting down everything in his path, he couldn't help but feel a taste of the godlike power that Madara must have relished.
This complete dominance in battle was exhilarating. As Akira held his opponent by the throat, the words slipped out almost naturally: "Do you want to dance too?"
And the satisfaction of delivering such a line was incredible.
Maybe this desire to show off is something that comes with being a reincarnation of Indra?
Just look at Uchiha Madara, another reincarnation of Indra.
"Oh, I've created twenty-five shadow clones. Should I have them all activate Susano'o? Eh, why not."
And then, twenty-five Susano'o appeared. Was that not a spectacle?
"Grains of sand, unworthy of my attention."
Was that not an impressive line?
"What adult would stoop to fight with children?"
Madara said this to the Five Kage, effortlessly asserting his superiority.
"Go tell the caster—Forbidden Jutsu isn't something to be used lightly."
And then Madara broke free from Edo Tensei by sheer willpower, showcasing his ultimate power.
Madara's strength was undeniable, shaking the ninja world to its core.
But just as undeniable was his flair for theatrics, constantly reveling in his own superiority.
Then there's Uchiha Sasuke, another reincarnation of Indra.
He's known for his own dramatic flair—fans have dubbed his style "The Art of Showmanship."
It's fitting. Naruto Uzumaki excels at talk-no-jutsu, while Sasuke is a master of show-no-jutsu.
The difference is that Sasuke didn't have Madara's overwhelming strength, which often led to his theatrics backfiring. For instance, during the Chunin Exams, Sasuke bragged that his Sharingan could see through everything—only to be smacked down by Rock Lee. Later, he tried to show off against Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and was swiftly humiliated.
Even against the Third Raikage, Sasuke attempted to flaunt his power, only to be thoroughly beaten.
Looking back at Sasuke's many attempts at showmanship, one has to wonder: Was it really about showing off, or was he just setting himself up to get knocked down?
But leaving Sasuke's blunders aside, in this moment, Uchiha Akira stood alone against over two hundred Iwa-nin, not just holding his own but dominating the battlefield. It gave him a glimpse into the sheer joy Uchiha Madara must have felt in battle.
"Everyone, hold your ground! He's using the Eight Gates; he can't keep this up for long!"
Despite the overwhelming power Akira was displaying, Kitsuchi could only shout out orders to keep his troops' morale up.
The Iwa-nin knew what Kitsuchi meant—if they could just endure this onslaught, they might survive until Akira's Eight Gates technique wore off.
But how could they endure this?
Even though they were all at their limits, the Iwa-nin dug deep, mustering every last ounce of chakra they had left.
One by one, they began to erect Earth Release defensive jutsu.
In the hierarchy of jutsu types, Earth Release was particularly known for its defensive capabilities.
But against lightning, Earth crumbles. Seeing the Iwa-nin setting up their Earth Release defenses, Akira couldn't help but smirk. With a quick sequence of hand signs, the crackling sound of lightning filled the air as Akira charged up the S-rank Lightning Release technique, Chidori.
In a flash, Akira's speed was like lightning itself, and under the force of his Chidori, the Earth Release defenses crumbled like paper.
Ninjas and their earth barriers were effortlessly pierced through, one after another.
The display of sheer power left not only the Iwa-nin stunned but also the Konoha shinobi who were witnessing the spectacle.
"He's... so strong!"
Naruto Uzumaki, who had already mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Rasengan, and even Summoning Jutsu, had always considered himself strong.
But watching Akira in the Seventh Gate, displaying such overwhelming power, Naruto couldn't help but feel a surge of awe.
It was clear to him now—if he wanted to compete with Akira for the title of Hokage, he still had a long way to go. He needed to keep pushing himself to become stronger.
"Naruto, you're the same age as that guy. Look at what he's doing, and then look at yourself!" Gamabunta, despite his own injuries, couldn't resist grumbling at Naruto.
"Don't worry, boss! I'll surpass him someday! I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto replied, undeterred, his determination shining through.
"The Seventh Gate... It's incredibly powerful when combined with taijutsu, but when paired with ninjutsu, the results are even more devastating," Might Guy mused, watching Akira intently.
He never expected that the Eight Gates technique he had taught Akira would one day become something he would study, looking to learn from Akira's mastery.
He found himself analyzing Akira's use of the technique, pondering what he could incorporate into his own style.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's focus was on Akira's Chidori.
Where Guy was concerned with the Eight Gates, Kakashi's attention was entirely on the lightning technique.
Kakashi couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as he watched.
While it was true that Lightning Release had an advantage over Earth Release, Kakashi knew he couldn't replicate Akira's effortless piercing of the Earth defenses.
Why? It came down to chakra reserves.
Even with the same Chidori technique, the amount of chakra one could channel into it determined its ultimate power.
It was like driving the same car—how hard you pressed the accelerator made all the difference in speed.
The other Konoha shinobi, including Hiashi Hyuga, were similarly stunned by Akira's performance, watching as he seemed to single-handedly dominate the battlefield.
Opening the Seventh Gate, Uchiha Akira's power was terrifyingly immense.
No wonder he had been able to kill the Third Hokage. With this kind of strength, who in the ninja world could stand against him?
Even though the Seventh Gate didn't carry the same toll as the Eighth Gate, it still wasn't a state that could be maintained for long.
But Akira didn't need to sustain it for long. In just four or five minutes, another thirty to forty Iwa-nin fell to his relentless assault. He was like a machine, a relentless reaper of lives.
As those few minutes passed, Jiraiya finally completed the preparations for Sage Mode.
His face was adorned with even more toad-like markings, his features shifting slightly to resemble those of a toad. The powerful chakra that radiated from him was immense—Jiraiya's Sage Mode chakra felt nearly as powerful as Akira's in the Seventh Gate.
"This is Sage Mode? It really is powerful," Akira thought to himself, glancing at Jiraiya.
While Sage Mode's chakra might have seemed comparable to that of the Seventh Gate, Akira knew the difference. He couldn't maintain the Seventh Gate for long, and the aftereffects were severe. Sage Mode, on the other hand, had no such drawbacks.
Now that Jiraiya was ready, Akira decided it was time to step back, leaving the fight to him. He withdrew from the battle, passing the baton to Jiraiya.
With renewed vigor, Jiraiya charged forward, launching a combination jutsu with the two toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima. They unleashed the powerful Sage Art: Goemon.
With the strength of Sage Mode, combined with the power of the two toad sages, Jiraiya's attacks were like three Kage-level forces working in unison.
In an instant, the combination of Sage Arts brought devastating pain to the Iwa-nin, their screams echoing through the battlefield.
The Iwa-nin had fought so fiercely mainly because of their hatred for Uchiha Akira.
But now, with Akira stepping back and the equally formidable Jiraiya taking his place, the remaining two hundred or so Iwa-nin lost the will to fight.
Dragging their exhausted bodies, driven by the will to survive, they turned and fled for their lives.
Jiraiya, having spent four or five minutes preparing Sage Mode, wasn't about to let them go so easily. He immediately gave chase.
Seeing this, Akira felt a wave of relief and deactivated the Eight Gates.
Immediately, it was as if all the energy had been drained from his body. Akira collapsed to the ground, his muscles screaming in pain, his bones aching as if they were crying out in agony.
The man who had just been a living embodiment of power now looked utterly drained and worn out.
His body had once again entered the half-crippled state that came with the aftereffects of the Eight Gates.
"Looks like the timeline here is much earlier than in the original series. Jiraiya's Sage Mode still isn't fully mastered—it took him four or five minutes just to prepare," Akira thought to himself, his body aching.
"If I hadn't held them off with the Seventh Gate, we wouldn't have lasted long enough for him to enter Sage Mode."
"Then again, even in the original series, Jiraiya's Sage Mode never seemed fully perfected."
As he lay there, every muscle in his body screaming, Akira couldn't help but reflect on Jiraiya's long preparation time for Sage Mode. He sighed, his thoughts laced with a hint of frustration.
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