"A major event has occurred! Iwa Village was attacked by an unknown enemy, the village was destroyed, Tsuchikage Ōnoki died in battle, and Iwa's Four and Five Tails were taken!"
"The enemy… it's Uchiha Madara!"
"Iwa is gathering troops and plans to demand an explanation from Konoha."
Namikaze Minato relayed the message from the scroll to Nara Shikaku with a grave expression. Upon hearing the news, Nara Shikaku looked shocked and murmured:
"What did you say?!"
"Iwa Village was destroyed? Tsuchikage Ōnoki is dead?!"
Shikaku quickly composed himself after the initial shock. Though his tone remained serious, his mind had already calmed. Minato nodded slowly after rereading the scroll twice.
"Minato, our top priority is to send troops to reinforce the border defenses."
"This incident happened so suddenly. In addition to guarding against Iwa's assembled forces, reinforcements must also be deployed to other borders."
"If Iwa makes such a move, it's likely the other hidden villages will have similar thoughts."
"And summon Lord Raiden back to the village immediately. Since Uchiha Madara attacked Iwa, his next target could either be the Sand or us. At this point, only the Sand Village still has a tailed beast aside from Konoha."
Now composed, Shikaku resumed his role as Konoha's chief strategist and voiced his concerns.
"Shikaku, convene a Jōnin council."
"Invite the Third Hokage and the others as well."
After speaking, Minato left the office. On the way to the conference room, he sent Anbu to verify the authenticity of the news. When he arrived, the room was still empty.
Minato took the main seat and waited for the Jōnin to assemble.
By dusk, the setting sun cast its glow across the land.
In the Land of Earth, on the vast Gobi Desert, gusts of wind kicked up waves of yellow sand. Through the haze, four figures clad in black cloaks patterned with red clouds emerged. The howling wind carried their silhouettes closer.
"Master Madara, where to next? Shall we strike Konoha directly?" the masked man asked in a low voice, following Uchiha Madara closely with flickering eyes.
"Invade Konoha? Not yet. After securing the Four and Five Tails, we'll retrieve the One Tail from the Sand Village first."
"I'll head to Konoha once I've mastered the power of all three tailed beasts."
"Uzumaki Raiden's sealing technique isn't easy to undo. After all this time, I've only unsealed one Rinnegan."
Madara's long hair danced in the wind. The gauze was gone from his face—one eye now bore a pale ring, the other glowed scarlet with a rotating pattern.
With his Rinnegan restored, Uchiha Madara had regained his sight. One eye was his own Rinnegan, the other a Mangekyō Sharingan seized from Uchiha Shisui. His power now was far greater than when he previously fought Uzumaki Raiden.
"Heh… Lord Madara, ever so cautious."
"With your current strength—the Mangekyō Sharingan, Rinnegan, Wood Release from Hashirama, Sage Mode, and a tailed beast—you could take on the entire ninja world."
"I can't imagine anyone capable of standing against you."
The masked man flattered Madara, glancing sideways at the dark-haired boy beside him—Uchiha Sasuke, long absent from Konoha.
Though Sasuke hadn't taken part in the Iwa assault, he had observed from the shadows and witnessed Madara's terrifying might. Since then, a heavy feeling lingered in his heart.
No, he believed only Uzumaki Raiden could stand against Uchiha Madara now. The masked man's praise wasn't directed at Sasuke—but it stung all the same.
"Hmph… The ignorance of the weak."
Madara didn't respond with joy to the praise—only disdain. Few in the ninja world ever caught his eye. The last was Senju Hashirama.
Since then, the only one he acknowledged was Uzumaki Raiden.
As for the masked man? Merely a tool. Even if Raiden was Madara's enemy, a tool like the masked man had no right to insult him.
"If that's truly what you believe, you'll never survive what's coming."
"Abandon your false pride. Take the enemy seriously."
"In front of Uzumaki Raiden, you have no room for carelessness."
Madara turned to him with cold eyes, then moved on. Sasuke followed silently, shooting a contemptuous glance at the masked man.
"Uchiha Madara, that bastard… how dare he look down on me?!"
"If it weren't for me, he'd have been dead by Raiden's hands. And that brat Sasuke dares look at me like that?! Just wait—you'll all pay for this!"
The masked man's rage boiled behind the mask, his face contorted in fury. Fortunately, the mask hid everything from Madara, Sasuke, and even White Zetsu.
But even if Madara had known, he wouldn't have cared—just another ant to be crushed.
Days passed as the group traversed the Gobi. Eventually, a patch of green appeared on the horizon. They had reached the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Birds.
As they prepared to cross, Madara suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing at the forest ahead. His expression shifted ever so slightly.
"Iwa-nin not only didn't retreat… they had the guts to set an ambush for me?"
Just as he finished, countless shuriken burst from the trees. In an instant, White Zetsu vanished into the ground, and the masked man's space distorted—swallowing the incoming projectiles.
Sasuke drew his blade and deflected the hail of shuriken.
Madara shifted slightly and avoided the attack, hands forming seals mid-movement. As he landed, he unleashed a jutsu:
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The dim sky blazed as a torrent of fire surged nearly a kilometer toward the forest. Madara didn't care who the attackers were—the inferno would incinerate everything, even the forest.
But just before the flames struck, Sasuke heard a faint noise beneath his feet. He looked down to find the earth had turned into gleaming golden sand.
Boom!
The sand beneath Madara's feet surged upward, forming a massive wave tens of meters high. The fire collided with the golden sand and was completely blocked—no flames reached the woods.
Madara raised an eyebrow, mildly amused. The chakra flow in his hands ceased, and his Susanoo erupted with a punch, smashing into the sand wave. Though a hole was blown through it, the golden tide soon engulfed Madara.
Boom! The sand buried his lower half, but under Susanoo's protection, he remained unscathed. He even shielded Sasuke, pulling him into the armor.
Once the sand subsided, Madara leapt up with Sasuke in tow.
"A Kekkei Genkai?"
"Iwa still has someone like this?"
He smiled faintly, more curious than concerned.
"Uchiha Madara, it's over!"
"You murdered Lord Ōnoki of Iwa—a crime that cannot be forgiven!"
Ninjas emerged from the forest, surrounding Madara's group. There were many.
"Wait… these aren't Iwa-nin. Sand-nin?!"
Madara noticed the difference—these shinobi wore gray half-armor and bore Sand Village forehead protectors.
Leading them was a man in a white robe and a light-blue hat inscribed with the kanji for "Wind"—the Kazekage of the Sand.
"Kazekage? What's your name?"
Madara crossed his arms, expression aloof. Facing a thousand shinobi, he remained indifferent—as though they were mere livestock awaiting slaughter.
"I am Rasa, Kazekage of the Sand."
"I'm here to kill you, Uchiha Madara."
As Rasa spoke, he removed his hat and cast it aside. Then he stripped off the royal robe, revealing a solid black combat suit, fully equipped for war.
They had succeeded in intercepting him.
"Kill me?"
"Ridiculous."
Madara scoffed and raised his hands. Just then, Sasuke interjected:
"The Sand showing up here means our movements have been exposed."
"We shouldn't waste time fighting here. If the Sand found us, Konoha and Iwa likely will too."
"Getting bogged down now could be disastrous."
Though Sasuke didn't speak deferentially, Madara paused in thought—briefly.
"You think I'd be hindered by them?"
"Shut up and watch."
Madara's Susanoo raised its arms. Twin chakra blades formed, then slashed outward—ripping through the earth toward the Sand forces.
Rasa raised his arms and signaled silently. A black-robed shinobi disappeared instantly. Moments later, gold sand surged from the earth to intercept the incoming energy.
Just before the chakra blades landed, two massive stone walls rose—intercepting the blasts. The blades shattered the walls, but the gold sand behind absorbed the falling debris.
Madara's eyes narrowed. He turned silently toward the rear.
There, a hundred meters away, stood a unit of Iwa-nin. Leading them was a tall, middle-aged man crouched low, one hand on the ground.
When he looked up, bloodshot eyes locked onto Madara—filled with seething hatred.
"Uchiha Madara…"
"I've finally caught up to you!"
(End Of Chapter)
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