"Preparation…"
"Start!"
As soon as Midnight gave the signal, Uchiha Madara launched forward like a bullet, the ground cracking under his feet.
Izuku Midoriya flinched instinctively, cold sweat forming on his brow as he narrowed his eyes. "Left!"
He read Madara's move in real time—and guessed correctly.
Whoosh!
Boom!!!
Madara's fist sliced through the air, its force creating a shockwave that blasted past Izuku, sending him skidding several meters across the arena floor. Dust whipped around them.
Madara's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He dodged?
Izuku didn't waste the opening. He leaped backward, putting distance between them, his breathing steady but sharp.
Madara rose slowly from his striking stance, his dark eyes observing Izuku with renewed interest.
Impressive. He's improved significantly. Perhaps the butterfly effect of my presence is starting to show...
"Until now, I've only gathered minimal information about you, Uchiha-san," Izuku began cautiously, his eyes not leaving Madara for a second.
Madara halted his advance, curious.
"I've noticed you prefer overwhelming power—direct confrontation. And from what I've seen, your strength is on another level entirely."
Izuku clenched his fist. "If I try to fight you head-on, I'll lose. That's a fact."
His gaze dropped momentarily to the bandages on his fingers—evidence of battles past, and his own growing resolve.
"But... I've done my research. You might be powerful, but you're not without pattern. You're fast—unbelievably fast—but your melee style isn't complex. That's the only opening I have."
Madara's expression didn't change, but the glint in his eye sharpened. "So you're going to try and beat me at close range?"
Without answering, Izuku dashed forward, closing the gap between them with determined steps.
From the stands, the crowd roared. Many expected Izuku to stall or delay the inevitable, not to meet Madara head-on.
He's betting everything on reading me again, Madara mused.
Izuku struck—feinting left, then right—his limbs moving with controlled bursts of One For All. His eyes scanned Madara's posture, watching every twitch in his muscles.
But Madara was ready this time.
He countered with a punch, fast and fierce.
"Right!!!" Izuku shouted mid-dodge, his body twisting with momentum as his foot swept in low.
But—
Whoosh!
Madara vanished.
He reappeared on the far end of the arena, expression unreadable.
Again... he dodged?
Izuku staggered forward from his failed attack, nearly tripping from the force of his own momentum.
In the distance, Madara began focusing his chakra, his eyes narrowing.
Once is chance. Twice is skill. But if he dodges a third time... I'll need to start taking him seriously.
"Let's see how you handle this," Madara muttered under his breath.
With another burst of speed, he vanished from sight once more.
Izuku crouched low, body tense, eyes scanning—
"Above!"
He reacted immediately, lowering his stance and planting his hands on the ground. With a pivot, he channeled power into his right leg and launched a sweeping kick.
Madara's figure appeared overhead—but he was already activating his next move.
His eyes morphed instantly into the Sharingan, the triple tomoe spinning ominously. A faint blue glow erupted around him, expanding into a skeletal ribcage made of pure chakra—the partial form of Susanoo.
Izuku's kick connected—
Thunk!
It was like striking reinforced concrete.
The recoil knocked Izuku back, his body tumbling a few feet before he regained his balance.
Meanwhile, Madara landed gracefully, the Susanoo fading away into the air.
"That makes three," he said calmly, his crimson eyes fading back to black. "So it wasn't a fluke."
Izuku pushed himself up, wincing as he twisted his ankle slightly. "Even though I've seen it... even though I knew you used that move against Nomu…"
He gritted his teeth.
"…I didn't realize just how overwhelming it really is."
Nomu was said to be All Might-level... and Madara blocked it like nothing.
From the observation deck, Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "He's still holding back. That Susanoo wasn't even at full manifestation."
"Izuku's reading him well," All Might murmured, arms crossed. "But Madara… he's not even fighting seriously yet."
Back in the arena, Izuku steadied himself, determination flaring in his eyes.
He couldn't afford to panic. He couldn't afford to retreat.
Even against a monster like Madara.
The real match had only just begun.
---
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