Speedrunning Naruto to the Top

"What a powerful chakra!"

"That chakra—what's going on? Why does it feel somewhat like the chakra Onii-chan unleashed back then, but weaker?"

Hanabi and the other three women showed mild surprise, then all turned toward Izayoi with puzzled looks.

Izayoi did not hide anything. Smiling, he said, "It's the Three-Tails reviving. If you could sense that chakra, it means all of you have reached top-tier sensory standards."

Tailed Beasts are fragments of the Ten-Tails' chakra, itself a mutated Divine Tree that absorbs the entire planet's life force.

Thus, the nine Tailed Beasts are all bound to this world. As long as the planet remains alive, no matter how many times the Tailed Beasts die, they will eventually re-form somewhere in the shinobi world.

At the moment of their revival, the energy that manifests can be sensed by expert sensorial ninja.

"Ah, so it's a tailed beast's revival. No wonder that chakra is so huge."

Hanabi and the other three nodded in realization.

Izayoi then said, "All of you go ahead and have dinner. I need to take care of something."

With that, Izayoi vanished on the spot.

…

Konoha's Hokage Office – Rarely Lit at Night

"You're actually working overtime this late? That's not your usual style."

Called here on short notice, Sasuke cast a teasing glance at Izayoi.

Izayoi sighed. "No choice. You sensed that chakra just now, right?"

"Mm."

Sasuke nodded, looking somewhat serious. "It felt similar to your energy in the past, but obviously not on the same level."

"That's because it's a chakra entity forming—the Three-Tails is back," Izayoi explained. "Now that all nine Tailed Beasts are alive again, Madara and the Akatsuki will surely take action. You go bring Naruto here right away. He must be closely guarded; otherwise, Madara could capture him at any time."

Sasuke's face changed subtly. Still, he gave a nod. "Got it."

Truth be told, without further talk, he clapped his hands, immediately entering Sage Mode.

Forming a small black hole, he stepped inside and disappeared.

…

Meanwhile, in a pitch-black alternate dimension…

Madara paused his search for unknown realms with Tobi at his side, smiling faintly. "Finally, the one I've been waiting for has awakened."

Tobi—Obito's reanimated spirit in White Zetsu form—stopped using Kamui to warp space. He looked over, asking, "The Three-Tails is resurrected?"

"Indeed. Let's put finding new dimensions aside for now," Madara said cheerfully. "Once I become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, catching that mouse will be far simpler."

"Suit yourself." Obito's tone was indifferent.

Serving as his "corrected and reborn body" with infinite chakra and stamina, Obito had spent two years helping Madara search well over two hundred dimensions, all to no avail. Suspecting at times that Madara was misleading him, Obito finally believed the stories after seeing how seriously Madara had spent all this time searching.

Ten-Tails, the Sage of Six Paths, the Chakra Ancestor—those weren't truly the oldest secrets. There was something older in this world, though Obito thought it had nothing to do with him now.

If he were still fully alive, perhaps he would think about stealing the Ten-Tails for himself. But being dead had dampened that ambition. Now all he wanted was for Madara to succeed, so maybe Madara would honor their deal and restore him along with the people he held dear.

At that, Obito activated Kamui, bringing them back into the real world at Amegakure.

The second they emerged, Madara went straight to Nagato.

"You must have sensed that chakra just now, correct?" Madara asked, obviously knowing the answer.

"It was too obvious to miss," Nagato replied calmly. "What do you plan next?"

Madara said nothing but employed his Rinnegan's illusion to pull Nagato into a genjutsu world. There he revealed his plan:

"To prevent any unexpected obstacles, we must swiftly gather all Nine Tailed Beasts. I'll entrust my Edo Tensei Army to you, leading the Akatsuki members to do so. Meanwhile, I'll head to the Moon and Konoha to hold up those two. This should be an easy task," Madara continued. "Obito and those puppet fighters can overwhelm anything short of Otsutsuki Toneri or Izayoi personally stepping in."

"I see your point. However, if you want to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, you must secure the Nine-Tails from Izayoi's domain," Nagato observed. "Don't forget his lover is no ordinary woman: with a space-time Byakugan to match Obito's Kamui, arguably the most underestimated kunoichi in the world."

Madara merely smiled. "Don't worry. I've prepared a contingency. I assure you, Nine-Tails won't be a problem."

Nagato gave a nod. "Then let's keep casualties minimal by finishing quickly."

With that, the illusion world collapsed, and both began their actions.

Madara split a wood clone—vastly infused with chakra—and parted ways with his real body. The main body flew off toward the Moon, while the wood clone traveled to Konoha.

He wasn't underestimating Izayoi; however, as Sixth Hokage, if Izayoi was in Konoha, direct confrontation might not happen. The real threat was on the Moon in the form of Otsutsuki Toneri, with whom Madara had clashed twice but always lost.

This time, Madara only needed to stall him. Meanwhile, if Nagato plus Obito and the Akatsuki captured all beasts except the Nine-Tails, once Madara became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, it wouldn't matter how powerful Toneri or Izayoi were.

…

Konoha – Hokage Office

"Yo, Izayoi, what's the big idea, calling me here so late?"

Naruto emerged from a swirling black hole alongside Sasuke, asking the question with arms folded.

"That chakra earlier—did you notice it?" Izayoi responded with a question of his own.

Naruto tilted his head. "Huh? What chakra? I didn't sense anything."

Izayoi and Sasuke both wore exasperated looks. Sasuke, glaring, muttered mockingly, "You've had Sage Mode for two years, yet still as clueless as ever, dobe."

"Shut up, you stuck-up jerk!" Naruto retorted, outraged.

Before their squabbling escalated, Izayoi interjected, "The reason I called you is to train you further—help you level up."

"Really?"

Naruto's eyes lit up. "You're personally going to train me?"

Given Izayoi's famed ability, Naruto felt excited. He'd long admired how Sasuke had benefited from Izayoi's personal guidance, obtaining not only Kakashi's Chidori but also the advanced Super Typhoon Serial Spheres variant and even Wood Release and Sage Mode.

Meanwhile, Naruto had simply been stuck trying to fuse his own Rasengan with wind nature… and he still hadn't perfected it. Of course, his basics were lacking, so he didn't resent the disparity. He merely yearned for Izayoi's direct teaching.

Observing Naruto's enthusiasm, Izayoi nodded with a smile. "I'll train you myself. Interested in learning about my Super Typhoon Serial Spheres?"

"Absolutely!"

Naruto nearly burst with excitement.

"Then go with Sasuke to the training field and wait; I'll be right behind you after I wrap up here," Izayoi instructed.

Sasuke nodded. "Let's go," he said to Naruto, then opened a small black hole. The two vanished inside.

The moment they left, Madara's wood clone quietly noted something. "Swift reaction as usual. They must be hiding him with that Byakugan girl's dimension or that brat's dimension?"

Izayoi and Madara were each aware the other's side had moved.

But the scale of their confrontation went far beyond that. They both possessed so much power that the entire continent might be destroyed, so each step had to be precise.

Izayoi calmly looked at his dinner, sipping soup before wiping his mouth. Suddenly, the space across from him warped. A small black hole appeared, from which Madara's wood clone and a second wood clone of Obito emerged.

They were unbelievably harmonious: both had sent clones to negotiate.

"Moving so quickly—seems you're in a rush," Izayoi teased. "But sending just a clone? Doesn't that look like an insult?"

"I'm not here to fight," Madara's clone replied. He pulled out a chair and sat, smiling peaceably. "I actually want to make a deal with you—or rather with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."

"Deal?" Izayoi raised a brow.

"I want his Nine-Tails. If he surrenders it willingly, I'll guarantee I quietly resurrect him and everyone he cherishes."

At that statement, Obito's clone quietly twitched at the corners of his mouth, thinking: He wants to resurrect the parents of the Jinchūriki I killed… truly a brazen pitch. But Madara didn't bat an eye, continuing to lock gazes with Izayoi.

Izayoi took his time finishing a mouthful of food, then asked, "You really think that's possible?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll destroy Konoha?" Madara challenged with narrowed eyes.

Izayoi raised a brow. "Try it if you dare. In the past, you needed other people to create trouble. You really think you can do anything to me?"

Their stares clashed, sparks seeming to fly in the air. A moment later, Madara casually smiled. "Then let's watch and wait together."

"How much chakra have you split off? Think your real body can handle that guy on the Moon?" Izayoi quipped.

"No idea," Madara admitted, then abruptly changed the subject: "How about you— any harvest these two years?"

Izayoi also shrugged. "Not really. If you'd gone missing for two years, I might have suspected you were deceiving me."

"I gain nothing deceiving you," Madara said with a sigh. "I've found nothing either— guess that guy's unbelievably cunning after all."

"Could it be that he never existed in the first place?"

"He doesn't seem like the lying sort. Besides, would a god need to lie to mere monkeys?"

Izayoi cracked a grin. "Makes sense. Well… guess I'll keep searching if I'm bored anyway."

From their conversation, it seemed they were both engaged in something far beyond the perception of ordinary people. Meanwhile, all across the shinobi world, the night's calm was about to be shattered.

~~~

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