Chap-30 The Dragon Has Claws

Mikoto as well as the rest of the Kinsguard stared at their leader who was seated in a corner sharpening his twin swords. There was not an ounce of emotion present on Naruto's face and his gaze was solely fixed on the weapons he would be carrying into battle.

A battle against his own brother.

Everyone knew how much Naruto loved his brother, but to think those same brothers would be at each other's throats in a matter of minutes...

"Naruto, it's still not too late" advised Kagami,

"It's a deathmatch" warned Takeshi worriedly,

"You're strong, but Madara is more powerful than you. Lord Commander, your brother will use more than swords against you..." cautioned Itachi,

At that, Naruto finally looked up and saw the fear ever present in their eyes.

"I am not killing my brother no matter what the law says" he promised,

"So you want to die instead?" asked Mikoto furiously, making him smile.

"I never said that" he pointed,

"Are you not afraid?" asked Mikoto worriedly, and was relieved when it made him pause. She watched him stare at his twin swords and even if he was the finest swordsman she had ever seen, her heart feared for his life.

He finally got up on his feet and walked towards them. Dressed in his golden armor with twin fine swords at his sides, he was a formidable opponent to glance at. But the one he was going up against was just as good, if not better.

Stopping before his friends, he stared at them seriously.

"Every man is afraid before going into battle. I am no different" confessed Naruto,

"If it looks like you're in trouble, call for us. We will answer..." promised Shisui, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder making Naruto smile.

They all were still amazed that in a matter of two hours all the preparations had been made. The Yamanakas had an old training ground in the forest that would serve as the battlefield for the upcoming combat.

Almost every person was going to be there, a conflict which could possibly be remembered for a thousand years.

Just like Indra and Ashura's was till this day.

Not only were the two fighters the strongest Uchiha of their generation but also the finest warriors of the world. They were also the only sharingan wielders the Uchiha had ever produced in hundreds of years.

Ever since the sharingan was awakened and the two brothers continued their exploits over the years, it was always a point of contention as to who was stronger among them.

Madara had many victories to his name, the most notable being defeating the entire Aburame clan in single combat on his own.

While Naruto was proclaimed to be the finest swordsman of this generation of ninja warriors. He defeated the Fuma Clan in single combat with his fox, and was also responsible for victories against the Senju and Yamanaka clans.

"If I fall, then you all shall pledge your loyalty to my brother. Promise me" he insisted,

"And if you win?" asked Itachi calmly, much to the relief of the others because they could not have given Naruto that promise. Certainly not if Madara killed him today.

"Then seize the elders and all who try to stop you" he instructed, earning nods from his friends.

He saw Mikoto was resisting the urge to grab him and not let go, but he discreetly pointed her towards her brother's presence which made her reluctantly back down. With one final parting, he departed from the room and saw Kurama waiting for him outside.

"You ready?" asked the fox nonchalantly,

"As ready as I can ever be for something like this" replied Naruto calmly,

Kurama despite the situation gave him an amused grin.

"Then go out there and kick his ass" ordered the fox,

"So sure I can win?" asked Naruto amusedly, a smile arriving at his lips.

"Yes"

Naruto gave a respectful nod at the faith his friend was placing him in. Kurama had even offered to fight alongside him, but he had refused. Not only was it against the rules, but Naruto wanted to fight his brother himself.

All his life he had followed in Madara's shadow, now was the time to step out of it and become the man Shizuka had suggested him to be.

With that determination, he walked away ready to face the most important battle of his life.

(Stands)

Tajima and Naori were seated in an elevated stand specifically built for the clan heads and important nobles. The rest of their clansmen and civilians had taken position across the field, while a few Yamanaka guards had erected a barrier dome that would prevent any attacks from hitting the audience and bar anyone from disrupting the match.

Around Tajima sat all the clan heads of every allied clan including the likes of Sakumo Hatake, Shin Aburame, Saeko Kurama, Rei Namikaze and many more. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Madara's form standing inside the barrier.

Tajima glanced at his eldest son dressed in bronze armor carrying his traditional gunbai on his back and a sword on his hip. He looked fierce and dangerous.

And then the other side of the barrier opened as a figure walked in.

Naori didn't miss the various clan heads staring in surprise and even awe as they saw The Young Dragon in all his glory. Dressed in his familiar golden armor bearing the mark of a roaring dragon on his chest and the Uchiha symbol on his back. Twin swords rested on his hips and a dark black cloak fluttered behind him as he walked. His usual masked face was today open for everyone to see.

She didn't miss Tajima staring at his youngest son quite intently as if he saw something he had never seen before.

Naori couldn't blame him...

While Madara looked dangerous and fierce, Naruto looked calm and there was something regal about him. Maybe it was his shining armor or his composed face, it made him glow.

Most of all it was the way he walked that made it clear that he was not afraid of facing his opponent.

There was a loud cheer from the civilian and many Uchihas even, much to Tajima and the elders surprise. Apparently, those people had not forgotten what Naruto had risked and sacrificed to save their lives. Even a few Yamanaka rooted for him albeit in a reserved manner, while the Hatake were quite open in their support.

Their clan and most ninjas might hate the boy, however Naori knew for a fact that across the civilian population of the Land of Fire her nephew was quite popular. It might be because of the fact that whenever he was free over the past decade, he would defend every civilian who asked for his aide against bandits, rogue ninjas or thieves. Most of all, he never took a single charge for his services.

Among those poor and impoverished families who had no say in the politics of great clans but suffered all the same, Naruto Uchiha was a breath of fresh air. For them he was like the Samurai from the old days who fought with honor and defended the weak.

Despite all that had happened in his life, Naruto still tried to live his life by performing his duty not just to his clan but innocents alike with honor and dedication.

"My,my, he's quite handsome" commented Rei Namikaze cheerfully, the young clan heiress staring at Naruto with quite a lustful look in her eye.

"Maybe. But his brother can pummel him and his shining armor easily" said Saeko Kurama skeptically,

Naori smirked but kept her silence at that last statement. She didn't know the outcome of this fight, but she did know two things.

The first being the fact that neither of these two boys were going to kill each other despite popular expectation.

Second, they were all in for quite a surprise.

(Arena)

Naruto stepped before his elder brother who nodded at him respectfully, even so Madara's reluctance for the upcoming battle was clear to see. Naruto on the other hand was determined to prove himself.

"Brother" greeted Madara,

"You ready?" asked Naruto calmly, making Madara sigh.

"It's still not too late, brother. Bend the knee and let the trial happen, we'll squash it easily just like before" promised Madara sincerely,

For a moment he was so sure Naruto would do so, instead his brother smiled at him.

"My knees do not bend easily, Madara"

Those words had said all Madara needed to learn, if that was not enough the iron clad determination in Naruto's eyes was enough to make him see the boy was not going to back down.

"Very well" relented Madara, earning a smile from Naruto.

"I wish you good luck, Madara"

It earned a sly grin from the elder Uchiha as his right hand gripped the hilt of his sword, while the left grasped the gunbai on his back. Before Madara could even unleash his weapons, in the blink of an eye Naruto's hands grasped the hilts of his swords and a second later the shining weapons were unleashed for all to see.

And so was Naruto's sharingan as all playfulness disappeared from his eyes.

"Now it begins..." proposed Naruto calmly,

Madara closed his eyes releasing a final sigh before he unleashed his own weapons and when he opened his eyes again they stared back at his brother with a fully evolved sharingan that displayed nothing but determination and confidence.

"Now it ends, little brother" promised Madara,

The next second two killing auras engulfed the entire forest.