The raging flames and the surging water dragons violently intertwined!
For a brief moment, they collided and clashed, erupting into countless dazzling sparks and shimmering droplets of water.
A massive surge of steam burst forth like a white flood, quickly spreading and filling the air.
It rose in thick, billowing clouds, shrouding the already scorched and blackened earth below.
The steam seemed alive, rolling and churning in the sky—sometimes condensing into massive clouds, other times dispersing into wispy tendrils of mist, dreamlike and ethereal.
Meanwhile, the ground below, moistened by the steam, gradually exuded a damp, earthy scent, starkly contrasting the earlier searing dryness.
This was, in a way, a form of nourishment for the land, as the previous Fire Release techniques from both combatants had nearly eradicated all life in the area.
Under the relentless urging of Madara and Yato, the feast of water and fire continued unabated.
At the very least, Tom, who was still recording nearby, found the spectacle thoroughly enjoyable.
After all, this was a peak-level battle between Kage-tier shinobi. If only Madara could be restored to his prime, the fight would be even more thrilling.
At this moment, Madara couldn't see Yato through the dense mist.
Anxiety gnawed at him.
He both wanted to defeat Yato and hoped that Yato could surpass him—the student surpassing the master.
When the mist finally began to dissipate, Madara didn't spot Yato in the distance, which puzzled him.
Then, a strange thought took root in his mind.
A bad premonition crept over him—something was about to happen.
And he was right. After unleashing his technique, Yato had made a small adjustment.
After all, being airborne made one an easy target, so precautions were necessary.Moreover, Uchiha Yato had made it very clear to Uchiha Madara from the very beginning that his abilities were related to time.
What Uchiha Yato did was quite simple—adjust the conflicting power levels of two techniques while simultaneously removing himself from the battlefield.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara, standing nearby, heard Uchiha Yato's voice.
"So, people should accept their age. I still have the upper hand."
And Uchiha Madara knew Uchiha Yato was right beside him.
But the scenes in his vision were already beginning to change.
This made him somewhat curious—when had he fallen under genjutsu?
For ninja of their caliber, resistance wasn't impossible.
Moreover, Uchiha Yato had only been playing around this time, not intending to control him for long.
By the time Uchiha Madara woke up, Uchiha Yato and Tom had long since left the scene.
All that remained was a brief note and a doll.
The note clearly read: "As expected of Hidden Leaf's former Dance King. Your moves aren't bad."
Upon seeing this, Madara's expression immediately darkened.
Their final battle had taken place around dawn.
Even accounting for pauses and other exchanges, noon would have been the latest it could have lasted.
Yet now, the golden-hued sky signaled the approach of night.
This meant he'd lost at least two to three hours.
Which meant Uchiha Yato and his Summoning Beast must have done something during his unconscious state.
Already furious, Madara grew even angrier when he saw the doll beside him.
Just then, the doll's instruction manual fluttered into view.
Communication Doll: Input a small amount of Chakra to initiate calls and contact.
Input a large amount of Chakra to conduct item exchanges.
Note: Don't get any funny ideas~
Seeing the item's description and abilities, Madara felt somewhat pleased.
This meant Uchiha Yato wanted to stay in touch—or that he could contact Yato whenever he wished.
Finally, Yato had also left Madara some life-extending items.
Just as Madara was thinking Yato wasn't so bad, he realized another problem.
How was he supposed to get back?
This plain was somewhere Yato had brought him—to put it bluntly, he didn't even know where he was.
Great. Now he'd have to rely on the "No. 11 bus" (his own two legs) to return.
Furious, Madara began cursing loudly in the empty wilderness.
"Damn it! No manners or upbringing at all, making this old man walk all the way back!"
Of course, the unlucky ones who bore the brunt of his anger were some delinquent youths and wandering ninja along the way.
Meanwhile, our Uchiha Yato had already returned to the Hidden Sand Village's oasis.
After all, games were more fun when everyone played together.
But upon returning, Yato noticed something odd.
Ebizo, who usually smoked by the table, was gone—likely dragged back to work by the Third Kazekage.
And among the current group of players, Sasori was nowhere to be seen.
This instantly halved Yato's enthusiasm for his usual mischief.
Turning to the "pig-headed" companion beside him, Yato asked:
"I was only gone for two or three days. How did you end up like this?"
"Are you sure that face won't affect the upcoming events?"
The "pig-head" replied, "Relax, it's not a big deal."
"By the way, what's your last game about? Not another one of those bombs, right?"Over the past two days, the watermelons left behind by Uchiha Yato had basically been smashed to pieces.
It could be said that they were essentially a test of luck—separating the unlucky from the blessed.
For example, the "pig-headed" figure nearby was none other than the original Rasa.
He had opened nearly 100 watermelons, getting blown up almost every single time.
The only reward he ever obtained was a small hairpin, which he promptly gave to Karura as an apology.
The reason he became "pig-headed" was also due to Karura's loving fists.
At this moment, Rasa spoke up, "Don't hold back—just laugh if you want to!"
Right now, Rasa's speech was slightly slurred, his tone and accent completely altered.
Listening to him, our Uchiha Yato was struggling to hold back his laughter, clearly in pain.
Uchiha Yato said, "Sorry, hah—"
"Look at you!"
"I really can't help it."
But after laughing for a while, Uchiha Yato finally composed himself.
Tom stepped in to provide commentary.
It was the same familiar monitor and fluorescent board.
Tom announced, "This game is called Beach Volleyball."
"It's also a small competition, so everyone, do your best!"
Hearing this, Rasa immediately began pondering countermeasures.
The news quickly reached the higher-ups of the Sand Ninja, as well as the Hidden Leaf exchange group.
After all, any activities held were entirely at Uchiha Yato's discretion.
Thus, Hizashi also learned of this and began considering the possible outcome of the game.
Pakura, upon hearing it was a competition, was eager to participate.
No matter the method, as long as she could defeat Uchiha Yato, it would count as a victory for her.
Soon, word of the beach volleyball event spread like wildfire.
A new game was about to begin...
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