"Believe it or not," Tsunade said, her voice grim, "just think of it as seeing a ghost." She gently pushed the still-sleeping Shizune aside and rose to her feet, her expression now one of deadly seriousness.

"Whether he is Madara or not, his power just now proves he is no ordinary man. I will join forces with you. As long as we can capture him, I will help you treat your subordinate."

"Fine," the Raikage growled. "You have a deal. I don't care who he is. For the honor of the Raikage, I will capture him!" He still didn't truly believe the man was Madara. And even if he was, he was not afraid. The man's dismissive arrogance, his utter contempt for the title of Raikage, was an insult he could not bear.

From the sea of fire, a lone figure slowly emerged. Madara raised a hand, casually brushing the dust from his shoulders. He shook his head, a look of mild disappointment on his face as he muttered to himself, "Still not enough. The activation speed and the effect of the technique are still too poor. It seems I will have to wait a few more years to restore it to perfection."

"Let's go!" The Raikage and Tsunade exchanged a look, and in the next instant, they both charged toward the man, their movements a blur of speed and deadly intent.

"Hmph. Fools," Madara said, his head tilted in a gesture of pure contempt. The Sharingan in his eyes began to shift, the tomoe swirling and merging. "You dare to challenge me? Then I will use you to test my eyes."

The scarlet of his Sharingan bled into a deep, rippling purple. The Rinnegan had appeared.

Under the flickering light of the flames, Madara's purple eyes seemed to glow with an otherworldly power.

"What… what are those eyes?!" Tsunade gasped, her feet stopping involuntarily.

"What are you doing, Tsunade?! Don't stop!" the Raikage roared, turning to her for a split second. "It doesn't matter what his eyes are! We have only one goal: to defeat him!"

"Hyaaah!"

The Raikage was the first to reach him, his entire body crackling with an aura of blue lightning chakra. He lunged forward, his right fist raised high. "Take this! Go to hell!"

"Hmph." A small, arrogant smile touched Madara's lips. He raised his right palm, almost casually, and whispered, "You overestimate your own abilities. Almighty Push."

Just as he was about to land his blow, the Raikage felt a massive, invisible force slam into him. With a deafening bang, he was sent flying, crashing into the sea of fire.

"Lord Raikage!" Samui cried out in alarm. She rushed toward the direction he had disappeared, her hands a blur of motion as she formed the seals for a water jutsu.

"Water Release: Water Collision Wave!"

Wave after wave of water erupted from her hands, extinguishing the flames. She finally found the Raikage in a pile of smoldering ruins.

"Lord Raikage, are you alright?"

"I'm… I'm fine," he grunted, pulling himself painfully from the wreckage. A second later, the lightning chakra flared around his body once more.

"You're lucky you have such a strong body," Tsunade remarked. "If an ordinary person were hit with that force, they would have been shattered to pieces."

"Hn," the Raikage nodded, a flicker of pain crossing his face. "Although I am loath to admit it, I believe I have a few broken ribs."

"What?!" Samui rushed forward, but the lightning chakra enveloping the Raikage prevented her from getting close.

"Lord Raikage, please release your Lightning Release Chakra Mode! I cannot heal you in this state!"

"We can talk about healing later! This battle is not over yet!"

"...Lord Raikage, we can't fight anymore! To be honest, we are no match for that man!"

"Shut up, Samui!" the Raikage roared. "We of the Hidden Cloud have never been afraid of anyone! And I am the Raikage! I will not run from a battle!"

"But… but that man is the legendary Uchiha Madara!"