Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Unlike the white smoke of ordinary shadow clones, this split was accompanied by violent fluctuations in chakra, almost forming a small energy storm.

After the chakra turbulence subsided, the two Narutos stood side by side, yet they exuded completely different auras.

Naruto on the left raised his head, his eyes now transformed into crimson three-tomoe Sharingan, the black tomoe slowly rotating as if capable of devouring souls.

Naruto on the right hasn't changed much, except that his originally bright blue eyes have become lighter, turning into a nearly transparent pale blue.

Who are you?

Kakuzu asked sharply, while secretly forming hand seals to prepare a ninjutsu.

His intuition, honed over decades of life, told him that the "thing" before him was extremely dangerous.

"Madara Uchiha."

"Namikaze Minato."

The two Narutos answered at the same time, their voices perfectly synchronized.

Hidan paused for a moment, then burst into wild laughter: "Hahaha! What nonsense are you spouting! Madara Uchiha is long dead, as is the Fourth Hokage! You brats—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

The Sharingan-wielding Naruto—no, Madara—had vanished from the spot.

The next second, Hidan felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing into three bridge piers before finally coming to a stop.

Only then did the sonic boom, as if the air was being torn apart, reach everyone's ears.

Kakashi's Sharingan spun wildly, but he could only catch a blurry afterimage.

Are these the other souls residing within Naruto? The real Madara Uchiha.

Kakuzu reacted extremely quickly, completing the hand seals the instant Madara moved: "Earth Release: Hardening!"

His skin instantly hardened like rock, just in time to block the side kick that Ban was about to deliver.

With a dull thud, Kakuzu's feet carved two deep furrows into the bridge surface, and he staggered back more than ten meters before regaining his footing.

He was horrified to discover that even with the Earth Escape Hardening Technique, two of his ribs were still broken.

Madara gave a playful smile: "Those threads must be Earth Grudge Fear. I heard that Hashirama once beat up a brat who possessed Earth Grudge Fear, and then..."

"Shut up! I fought the First Hokage head-on!" Kakuzu shouted sternly.

This is his honor, and no one is allowed to desecrate it!

Madara gave a mocking smile upon hearing this: "Fighting Hashirama? It's a good thing that idiot was kind, otherwise you wouldn't be alive today."

Kakuzu's pupils suddenly contracted: "How did you know...?"

"Earth's Resentment..."

Madara coldly interrupted him: "The forbidden techniques of Takigakure are a despicable trick of prolonging life by stealing the hearts of others. If Hashirama were to truly fight you, you wouldn't even be qualified to stand before him."

A voice, filled with gritted teeth, came from beneath Kakuzu's mask: "Arrogant! I've lived for ninety-one years and collected five hearts; today I'll use yours as my sixth!"

His black robe suddenly billowed out, and four masked black monsters burst forth from his body, each emanating a different chakra nature.

Wind, fire, thunder, water.

"Oh?" Ban raised an eyebrow. "There's one more than I expected."

Meanwhile, Hidan finally crawled out of the rubble on the other side.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but a fanatical smile graced his face: "It hurts so much...it's amazing! This kind of pain...the Evil God will definitely love it!"

He picked up the fallen scythe and was about to join the fight when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck.

"Your opponent is me."

Naruto, under Minato's control, had somehow appeared behind him, a kunai gently pressed against his throat.

Hidan swung his scythe backward with a sudden sweep, but it only cut through the air.

Water Gate had already appeared five meters away, its pale blue eyes calmly watching him.

"Body Flicker Technique? No..." Hidan licked his lips, "That was... a space-time ninjutsu?"

Minato didn't answer, but simply turned his head slightly to Madara and said, "Madara-san, do you need to switch opponents?"

"Hmph," Ban sneered, "We don't need to deal with these small fry."

Before he could finish speaking, Kakuzu's wind and fire-attribute masked monsters launched their attacks simultaneously: "Combined Ninja Art: Flame Wind Chaos!"

The blazing flames, amplified by the hurricane, formed a massive fire tornado that instantly engulfed Madara's figure.

The high temperature scorched the bridge surface black, and the nearby fog evaporated completely.

"Did you succeed?"

The moment Kakuzu had this thought, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Flames ten times hotter than his Fire Release technique spewed from Madara's mouth, instantly engulfing Kakuzu and his four masked monsters.

This is no ordinary Jonin-level Fire Release technique; it is a terrifying ninjutsu belonging to the Asura of the Ninja World, requiring twenty Water Release ninjas to withstand!

The two masked monsters, whose attributes were incompatible, were instantly burned to ashes.

Kakuzu himself barely survived thanks to his Earth Release: Hardening Technique, but his entire body was covered in burns.

"First."

Madara coldly announced that his Sharingan had locked onto the remaining three masked monsters.

Meanwhile, the battle between Hidan and Minato also intensified.

"Go to hell, die, die!"

Hidan swung his scythe wildly, but every attack missed its mark.

Minato flickered around him like a ghost, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound each time he appeared.

"it's useless!"

Hidan grinned maliciously: "No matter how you attack, I will not die! The Jashin has granted me immortality!"

Chapter 48 A crushing battle

(I specifically enhanced Hidan so that I wouldn't be instantly killed in battle.)

Faced with Hidan's seemingly indestructible body, Minato stopped in his tracks and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Immortality? No... it's just a variant of some advanced medical ninjutsu."

"What do you know!"

Hidan suddenly bit his finger, smearing the blood on his scythe. "Once I get your blood, you'll know how powerful Lord Jashin is!"

He hurled his scythe, its three blades twisting and turning in mid-air, covering all of Minato's evasive angles.

However, Minato merely raised his hand slightly—

A black sorcerer, three meters tall, appeared before the Water Gate...

"Flying Thunder God Guides Thunder."

The wildly spinning scythe plunged headfirst into the sorcerer.

The next second, the mark on the kunai that had been positioned behind Hidan began to glow.

The wildly spinning scythe pierced Hidan's thigh.

"what?!"

Hidan's eyes widened: "This is impossible!"

"It's just a basic application of space-time ninjutsu."

Minato calmly said, "Now, tell me what this so-called immortality is all about. In exchange, I can let you die a quick death."

Hidan burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahaha! You think you can kill me like this?"

He pulled the scythe from his leg, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye: "See? This is the blessing of the evil god!"

Minato frowned slightly: "High-speed regeneration... I see. So, what if I cut you into pieces?"

"You can try!" Hidan laughed wildly and charged forward again.

This time, Minato didn't dodge. Instead, he took out several kunai with both hands at the same time, all of which bore the mark of the Flying Thunder God.

Minato then unleashed all the kunai at once.

Dozens of kunai instantly filled the entire battlefield.

"Flying Thunder God Second Stage - Spiral Flash Super Wheel Dance Roar Three Styles!"

Minato's figure flashed continuously among the kunai, so fast that it seemed as if a dozen of him were attacking at the same time.

Hidan's body was constantly pierced and cut by kunai, but each wound healed quickly.

"It's no use! It's no use!" Hidan screamed madly.

Minato suddenly stopped at a specific point, his hands clasped together: "Sealing Technique - Four Symbols Lockdown!"

The sealing talismans that had been placed on the kunai beforehand lit up simultaneously, forming a huge barrier that trapped Hidan inside.

Hidan was surprised to find that his regeneration speed had slowed down significantly.

"Regeneration requires the consumption of chakra."

Minato explained, "This barrier will continuously absorb your chakra. Now, let's see how long you can hold out."

"Damn it!" Hidan roared as he rammed into the barrier, but he couldn't break through.

Meanwhile, the battle between Madara and Kakuzu was nearing its end.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

"Water Release: Water Curtain!"

Kakuzu's two remaining masked monsters simultaneously unleashed ninjutsu, combining a high-pressure water gun with a lightning spear for a deadly attack.

However, Madara merely smiled dismissively, his Sharingan rapidly spinning before finally merging into a complex mass.