For a moment, Kaito stood surrounded by Rasengans and Thunder Spears. Roughly thirty of each orbited around the Thunder Giant, not counting the earlier waves, which had already numbered more than forty.

Madara's eyes narrowed as he looked upon the storm of jutsu surrounding the Thunder Giant below. His voice was low, tinged with reluctant admiration. "Even after using everything I had… I couldn't defeat a junior…"

Hum…

In the sky above, the second meteorite began its deadly descent.

Kaito lifted his right hand.

In response, dozens of Rasengans and Thunder Spears surged upward, bursting with violent energy.

The black Thunder Spears rained like a barrage of arrows, shredding through the massive meteorite and turning it into a honeycomb of destruction.

Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, appearing as though the ancient stone was on the verge of shattering apart, fragile like the bones of a dying man.

BOOM! BOOM!

More Massive Rasengans followed, their explosive power echoing like battlefield artillery.

One, two, three…

Each blast was powerful enough to obliterate a Kage-level shinobi outright.

Swirling with black and blue chakra, the Rasengans wrapped around the meteorite and began to devour it piece by piece, as if a swarm of ants had descended upon a feast.

This time, the speed was even greater than before. Within mere seconds, the meteorite was completely erased from existence—not even dust remained.

The second of Madara's mighty meteors had been obliterated.

As the energy faded, the scroll of black and blue chakra that lingered in the air slowly dimmed until it too vanished.

Whoosh! BOOM!

Madara's Susanoo dropped like a stone from the sky, kicking up gusts of wind and debris as it landed with a thunderous crash.

The armor dissolved. Madara stepped out, his entire form glowing faintly with white light.

He looked across the battlefield, directly at Kaito.

"You've earned my recognition, junior," Madara said, his tone proud yet weary. "In this world of shinobi, only two people have ever been acknowledged by me—Hashirama… and now you."

"The ironic part," he muttered with a sardonic smile, "is that both are from the Senju clan."

Kaito floated gently downward, the lightning around his body fading into the breeze.

"There's nothing ironic about it," he replied with quiet confidence. "It just means the Senju are naturally gifted."

As he touched the ground, Madara's body began to crumble, starting from the legs.

"You still have trump cards hidden, don't you?" Madara murmured, watching him closely.

"You're one to talk," Kaito said. "This wasn't your full strength either. Your eyes… they're not even your own anymore."

Madara's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"So, you know more than I thought… I look forward to the day we truly fight at our best," he said. His voice faded as the ash reached his mouth.

Moments later, Uchiha Madara's form disintegrated completely into dust and vanished from the battlefield.

But Kaito knew better.

Only Madara's body was gone—his soul had not been destroyed. There was no doubt he had prepared a resurrection technique for himself, perhaps through the [Impure World Reincarnation] or some other hidden method.

Their next battle would not be a copy of today—it would be with the true Madara, in his prime, wielding the power of the Rinnegan and the Six Paths.

Kaito looked down at the battlefield. Massive craters and scars littered the land like open wounds.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "might as well let Rock Shinobi handle the damage. They do use Earth Style the most, after all."

He raised his head toward the distant figure of Ōnoki, floating anxiously in the sky.

"Third Tsuchikage," Kaito called, voice carrying with casual authority, "tell your people to fill in these craters."

Without waiting for a reply, Kaito disappeared in a flicker.

Far above, Ōnoki flinched. "That Senju brat! Does he think Rock Shinobi are construction workers?!"

He let out a long, defeated sigh. His shoulders slumped.

But in the end, he relented. "Tch… fine. He's too strong to refuse."

Kaito's strength was beyond anything Ōnoki had ever seen. If defying such a person meant risking the safety of his entire village, it simply wasn't worth it.

Even if every Tsuchikage throughout history stood together, none could match Kaito.

Still grumbling, Ōnoki turned and flew back toward the Rock Shinobi encampment, face ashen and weary.

On a small hill, Shikaku, Tsunade, Choza, and the others kept a watchful eye on the distant battle.

As Madara vanished in a puff of ash, a visible wave of relief swept over them.

"Whew! It's finally over," Shikaku said with a long exhale. "Looks like Kaito-san won."

"He won, yes," Choza replied, scratching his head. "But… why did Madara disappear into a cloud of smoke? Shouldn't he have left a body?"

"It's probably some kind of rejuvenation technique," Tsunade answered with a thoughtful frown.

"If that's the case… then it's terrifying," Shikaku muttered. "Restoring one's youth and regaining full combat power, even for a short time? That could shift the tide of any battle."

Tsunade folded her arms. "Hmph. Doesn't matter. No one else could pull that off. That technique died with Madara."

"True enough," Shikaku agreed. "Well then, Tsunade-sama, we'll leave the rest to you."

He gestured subtly, and the group began to disperse without another word. In a flash, the once-crowded hill was quiet again, leaving only Tsunade behind.

"They're not very subtle, are they?" Kaito's voice sounded from behind her, calm and amused.

Tsunade turned sharply. "You're alright?!"

She stepped forward, scanning him from head to toe. After confirming there were no serious injuries, she exhaled deeply, tension melting from her shoulders.

Then, with a smirk, she thumped her palm against his chest.

"Honestly! I didn't expect you to be this strong. Even Madara—someone from Grandpa's era—you actually beat him!"

Kaito shook his head. "He wasn't at full strength. I just got lucky."

Tsunade raised a brow. "Lucky, huh? Do you really expect me to believe that?"

She smiled, but this time, the pride in her eyes was unmistakable.