"The Eighth Gate—The Gate of Death….OPEN!"
Might Duy's voice thundered across the battlefield, his expression stern and unwavering.
All around him, the Konoha ninjas froze, stunned by his declaration.
No one truly understood what the "Gate of Death" entailed, but an ominous sense of finality filled the air.
"Dad!"
Might Guy's voice cracked with panic. Beside him, Shisui Uchiha turned, confusion evident in his eyes.
"The Eighth Gate… the Gate of Death? What does that mean?"
Inside the monstrous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Madara Uchiha, who was connected to its core, observed Duy's transformation through the beast's vision.
All of Duy's chakra was converging toward his heart.
Madara's sharp eyes immediately caught the vulnerability in this process.
"This moment—it's when his defenses are at their weakest!"
Not hesitating for even a second, Madara formed rapid hand seals, commanding the golem to attack.
"Roar!"
The monstrous entity let out a fearsome bellow. From its gaping maw, a soul-devouring dragon emerged, its transparent form coiling and twisting like a phantom as it rushed toward Duy.
At that exact moment—
Whoosh!
A crimson vapor erupted from Duy's body, swirling like a fiery inferno.
The sheer force of the energy expelled from him instantly shook the air, creating shockwaves that rippled outward.
A terrifying aura, suffocating in its intensity, blanketed the battlefield.
Duy head snapped up, and his burning eyes locked onto the incoming spectral dragon.
Then—he moved.
Faster than the eye could perceive.
He roared like a beast, his fist launching forward at a speed beyond comprehension.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sheer pressure of his punch compressed the very air, creating consecutive explosions as it tore through space.
A shockwave detonated midair, striking the spectral dragon head-on.
The monstrous apparition, which had previously devoured the souls of Konoha's elite shinobis, let out a mournful wail before—
Bang!
It disintegrated into nothingness.
Gasps echoed across the battlefield.
"The soul-devouring dragon… was destroyed!?"
The monstrous golem recoiled in agony, staggering backward from the impact.
Its massive chest, once seemingly invulnerable, caved inward from an invisible force.
It all happened so fast that the watching ninjas could hardly comprehend it.
By the time they processed what had occurred, the golem had already stumbled several steps, each footfall creating massive craters in the earth.
"So strong!"
Shock and disbelief were written across every face.
Among them were Konoha ninjas who had known Might Duy for years—some who had mocked him for remaining a Genin for decades, some who had dismissed him as weak.
But now—
This man.
This "eternal Genin" was displaying power beyond even the legendary Sannin… beyond even the Hokage!
"To think… this level of strength can be achieved through pure taijutsu alone!"
Uchiha Fugaku, his Sharingan spinning wildly, muttered in awe.
Through his keen vision, he could see it clearly—Duy's attacks were purely physical.
But they were so powerful that they compressed the air itself, turning each strike into an invisible cannon blast.
"How… how can a man become this powerful using only taijutsu?"
This level of strength defied the understanding of conventional shinobi.
Inside the golem, Madara Uchiha's blood-streaked lips curled slightly, his aged face betraying an expression of pure disbelief.
"I… coughed up blood?"
His old, withered fingers trembled as he wiped away the crimson stain.
For the first time in decades—he was shocked.
As a shinobi who had witnessed the mightiest shinobi throughout history, Madara had never encountered someone who could wield this level of power using only their fists.
Even at his peak, he had never seen a taijutsu user capable of rivaling him.
Yet, standing before him was a man who could not be ignored.
"This… this power… even in my prime, I would have been forced to take him seriously."
More than that—this "eternal Genin" standing before him felt even more dangerous than the Yellow Flash, the man currently feared across the five great nations.
Duy exhaled, watching as the golem staggered.
The attack had worked, but…
"I'm not sure I can completely defeat it."
Turning his head, he called out toward Fugaku, his voice urgent.
"Retreat! Take the army and retreat!"
Fugaku didn't hesitate. He gave a firm nod before shouting,
"All Konoha forces—fall back!"
The stunned ninjas snapped back to reality, immediately following orders.
They obeyed not because of Fugaku's command—
But because it was Duy who had spoken.
The only man capable of facing the monster before them.
"Guy, we should go too," Shisui said, his gaze filled with admiration as he watched the crimson-coated figure standing defiantly before the beast.
He turned to leave but noticed that Guy was frozen in place.
His face was filled with sorrow.
"Guy…?"
Guy's lips trembled as he stared at his father's back. His voice barely escaped his throat.
"This power… he earned it with his life."
Shisui's breath caught.
"For those who open the Eighth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation… the only outcome… is death."
Inside the golem, Madara's expression changed slightly.
His scarlet eyes sharpened, his vision zooming in on Duy's body.
"The chakra around his heart… it's diminishing."
Madara was a man who had walked the battlefield for decades, a shinobi with knowledge unparalleled in the shinobi world.
His experience told him one undeniable fact—
For a man to wield this kind of power, there had to be a cost.
His Sharingan observed every minute detail.
Duy's chakra, focused at his heart, was shrinking.
His life force was fading.
The blood-red flames surrounding him weren't just an aura—they were the embers of a man burning away his own existence.
Madara's lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"So… this is the price you pay."
By now, Fugaku and the Konoha forces had begun retreating.
Duy exhaled, relieved that they had moved to safety.
Swish!
In the next instant—he vanished.
A streak of crimson light shot through the air.
Even Madara's Sharingan struggled to track his movement.
"What!?"
"Evening Elephant."
"First Step!"
Duy appeared above the golem in the blink of an eye.
His fist, coated in compressed air, descended like a meteor.
Boom!
The moment it connected, a beam of pure force erupted downward.
The golem's massive legs buckled.
The earth beneath it shattered.
The colossal beast collapsed, its body half-embedded in the crater.
"Second Step!"
Duy's figure blinked in front of the golem's head.
Another devastating punch tore through the air.
The golem—already struggling to rise—was sent skidding backward, carving deep trenches into the battlefield.
"ROAAAAARR!!"
Blood spewed from the golem's mouth.
Inside, Madara coughed violently, fresh blood staining his clothes.
For the first time since the war began—
The legendary Madara Uchiha…
Felt fear.
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