In the history of the ninja world, the most renowned ninja is undoubtedly the "God of Shinobi," Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. However, the most feared individual is Madara Uchiha.
If not for Hashirama's restraint and Black Zetsu's manipulation, Madara would have unified the entire ninja world long before the First Great Ninja War.
This is akin to what Madara declared after being resurrected by Kabuto during the Fourth Great Ninja War: "This world is too small for me to mess around in."
If anyone else had said this, it would be arrogance. But coming from Madara Uchiha, it was confidence born of unmatched power.
This was the confidence of a cross-generational powerhouse!
Most of Madara's contemporaries in the ninja world had passed away by now. Even Onoki, a mere boy during Madara's era, had become an older man over seventy.
Yet, seeing Uchiha Bantou fighting in the arena, memories from sixty years ago flooded Onoki's mind. Madara's terrifying eyes and disdainful words echoed in his head.
"Do you wish to dance too?"
A cold sweat ran down Onoki's cheek at that moment, making him stand up involuntarily.
"That man... the one in red armor using the blue Susanoo... is Madara Uchiha!"
His statement wasn't a question but a declaration!
As someone from the same era and the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki's words carried significant weight. The other four Kages were visibly shocked upon hearing this.
"How is this possible? Are you sure that man is really Madara Uchiha?"
"If Madara were still alive, he'd be over a hundred years old by now. He doesn't look that old!"
"Yes, and why would Madara Uchiha be here?"
As the other Kages expressed their disbelief, Onoki's expression remained firm.
"He is Madara Uchiha. Even if he were to turn to dust, I'd recognise him!"
"This..."
Onoki's resolute words silenced Rasa and the others. Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was smoking his pipe, spoke up.
"Whether or not he is Madara Uchiha, the strength of these two fighters is on par with Madara. Let's continue watching."
"Indeed."
As soon as Hiruzen finished speaking, Rasa nodded in agreement.
"Neither of the two in the arena is someone we can handle alone. Let's keep watching."
Hearing Hiruzen and Rasa's words, the other three Kages nodded, realising the logic. They focused on the battle, knowing such high-level fights were rare.
With everyone's attention on the arena, the battle reached its climax. Uchiha Yo's red Susanoo, wielding the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, started gaining the upper hand against Uchiha Bantou. Seeing this, Uchiha Bantou unleashed his full Susanoo.
As the "Tomoe" Mangekyo Sharingan wielder, Uchiha Bantou's Susanoo had greater offensive power than Uchiha Yo's. With his full strength unleashed, Uchiha Yo struggled but wasn't close to losing. The two fought from morning till dusk, seemingly ready to continue all night.
Zhang Miao wasn't interested in an all-night fight, so he used telepathy to instruct Namikaze Iron Gate, the match announcer, to end the match and declare Uchiha Bantou the winner.
Hearing Zhang Miao's order, Namikaze Iron Gate shouted.
"The Intermediate Group match ends! The winner is Uchiha Bantou!"
"…"
Hearing the announcement, the five Kages were dumbfounded. Madara Uchiha? Uchiha Bantou? What was going on?
The first to recover was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Seeing Uchiha Bantou and Uchiha Yo leave the arena, he frowned.
"Did you notice what the announcer said? He mentioned the Intermediate Group?"
"Yes!"
Rasa nodded.
"When the Jonin matches ended, he announced it as the Junior Group. I didn't pay much attention then, but now it seems odd. If there's a Junior Group and an Intermediate Group, is there a Senior Group tomorrow?"
"Uh..."
Rasa's words left the other four Kages stunned.
"Damn, if the Intermediate Group is this powerful, what will the Senior Group be like?"
Shocked, the Kages fell silent again. After about a minute, the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage snorted.
"Hmph, whether there's really a Senior Group or it's just a bluff, we'll find out tomorrow. I'm leaving!"
With that, he strode off the viewing platform.
Though the Fourth Raikage's approach was blunt, it made sense. After he left, the other four Kages also nodded and returned to their temporary accommodations.
Despite leaving, their minds were still on the tournament, and none of the five Kages slept that night, all pondering the upcoming Senior Group.
However, they couldn't figure it out, no matter how much they thought. Early the following day, they returned to the viewing platform.
To their surprise, a red barrier had been erected around the arena, isolating it from the stands.
Seeing this, Rasa frowned.
"A barrier? What's going on?"
"This is no ordinary barrier," Hiruzen said gravely, holding his pipe. "It's the Four Red Yang Formation!"
Known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu" and the "God of Shinobi," Hiruzen's expertise in ninjutsu was unparalleled. Seeing him so severely, the other Kages realised something was wrong and waited for his explanation.
Amid their sombre expressions, Hiruzen continued.
"The Four Red Yang Formation has extremely strong defensive power, far exceeding the Four Violet Flames Formation. Not even a Tailed Beast can break it, but it requires four S-rank ninjas to activate."
"That..."
Hiruzen's explanation further shocked the Kages.
They understood that the barrier was to protect them from the fighters' attacks. However, there was no barrier during Madara Uchiha's supposed fight, yet it was here today. Did that mean today's fighters were even more potent than Madara?
As they pondered this, their expressions grew even more severe, coupled with a hint of curiosity.
"Who are today's fighters?"