join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
The trio walked along the trade road between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, with lush trees lining both sides of the path, and sunlight dappling through the leaves.
Their footsteps on the path, covered in dry leaves and fallen branches, made a faint rustling sound.
At this moment, Shinno felt his luck had hit rock bottom; he merely wanted to find a suitable agent, train him well, and then use his power to destroy Konoha and avenge his clan's destruction. How did he suddenly provoke such a peerless fiend?
He looked forward, gazing at the figure in front of him.
He saw a tall figure, completely covered in a pale shroud, carrying a Uchiha War Fan on his back, moving steadily forward.
Yamato, meanwhile, cautiously followed behind him.
Just that subtle glance caused the tall figure in front to casually glance back at him, making Shinno immediately lower his head again and cautiously quicken his pace to keep up.
In reality, he had no choice but to follow.
After Yamato, a similar curse seal had been planted in his heart, along with a series of corresponding commands.
Furthermore, a clump of that white, cotton-like substance had been stuffed into his ear, occasionally conversing with him.
As for Yamato, he was even less reliable.
Behind Uchiha Madara, Yamato didn't utter a single word, completely losing the high-spirited demeanor he had on the deck earlier. Instead, he was submissive, not even daring to breathe heavily.
In fact, Yamato was helpless.
The moment that tall figure removed his mask, despite decades having passed, he recognized the individual's identity instantly, thanks to Shimura Danzo's memories.
The Shinobi World's Asura, Uchiha Madara.
The extent of Danzo's pursuit of Hashirama cells' power in the past dictated how humble his posture would be when facing a powerhouse of this caliber.
Almost the moment he saw him, Yamato's inner self lost all will to resist—it must be said, Shimura Danzo was fundamentally a very cowardly person.
Yamato thought this, shifting all the blame onto Danzo.
As the trio was about to enter Konoha's defense zone, Shinno finally spoke in a low voice, reminding them:
"Lord Madara, ahead are Konoha's defense forces."
"Shall we go around?"
Being able to risk himself and advocate for the Sky Ninja Village, Shinno was naturally a courageous and resourceful person.
As he spoke, he was already thinking about how to persuade the other party with Konoha's current military strength.
It was already the post-war period; development was the absolute priority.
However, Uchiha Madara seemed to perk up upon hearing his words, his voice hoarse: "Oh? Have we arrived?"
The moment he heard this, an ominous premonition suddenly rose in Shinno's heart.
He instinctively said, "Lord Madara, are you...?"
Uchiha Madara seemed to turn his head and glance at him with some confusion, stating as a matter of course, "Of course, we're fighting our way in."
Shinno and Yamato's hearts tightened instantly.
That was thousands of defending Ninja.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Madara paid no mind to their little worries and strode forward.
His plan was actually very clear.
Since he was going to eliminate Sawara Kiri to clear some obstacles for his future great undertaking, he naturally had to go all out.
To ensure that the two of them had no interference during the battle, he first had to clear out Konoha's high-ranking officials to create an independent battle environment for them.
The place where Konoha's high-ranking officials gathered was naturally only Konoha Village.
Therefore, he had to lure Sawara Kiri away to create an environment for himself to clear out the dust.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone."
Thinking this, he formed hand signs.
Then, a figure identical to him emerged from his body, standing quietly there.
"This much Chakra should be enough to stall for a while."
Uchiha Madara surveyed it, nodding calmly: "Go make a ruckus."
The Wood Clone nodded and immediately charged towards the defense zone ahead.
Yamato and Shinno behind him were both astonished.
However, Uchiha Madara didn't give them time to be stunned, saying, "The rest of the journey, we'll have to speed up."
Before the two could react, he had already taken the lead, charging forward.
"Boom—!"
Before long, a deafening explosion echoed from Konoha's defense zone in the distance.
Shouts, Ninjutsu explosions, and various command sounds from the gathering crowd immediately filled the entire defense zone, with dust and smoke rising everywhere.
"At this time, who would dare to cause trouble in the Land of Fire?"
After receiving a report of a powerful Ninja attacking the border of the Land of Earth, Sawara Kiri quickly received orders to lead a sixty-person squad to the border defense zone.
However, even on the way, he still didn't know the identity of the attacker.
The Second Shinobi World War had just ended, the Akatsuki Organization hadn't appeared yet, and there was no news of movie villains attacking Konoha's borders. As for the other countries' Jinchuriki, they certainly wouldn't dare to leave their homes without permission.
Furthermore, he had already changed history; the Land of Fire had become the absolute victor of this war, and his name had spread throughout the Ninja World.
Which petty villain would still dare to cause trouble here?
Were they tired of living?
Although he was still very young, the current Sawara Kiri had enough confidence to say such words.
The only one who could rival him was probably Uchiha Hikari, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.
But...
Just as Sawara Kiri was still full of doubts, his group had already reached the border.
Looking out, everywhere in the distance was filled with lingering smoke and dust.
Several small countries separated the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, and the defense zone stretched for thousands of miles.
At this moment, smoke signals hung high from every single point.
When Sawara Kiri and his team arrived at the nearest outpost, they found it covered in corpses and drenched in blood.
Even with his Six Eyes activated, looking around, he could only detect a few faint Chakra signatures.
Sawara Kiri immediately found one of them, instructing medical Ninja to provide aid while quickly inquiring about the situation.
"Lord Sawara..."
The dying Ninja struggled to open his eyes: "The enemy... couldn't see their face... very fast... should be... heading east."
"How many?"
"Only... one."
Sawara Kiri's pupils constricted instantly.
At the same time.
Tsunade, on duty today, was also suffering from a headache.
Under the series of development plans outlined by Sawara Kiri, and with the suppression of the Ninja clans to form a Village-run monopoly conglomerate, Konoha was currently in a period of rapid development.
If there was any country in the entire Ninja World that least wanted to fight at this moment, it would definitely be the Land of Fire—who would want to risk their lives on the battlefield every day when they could make money through conventional means?
However, the bad news from the Land of Earth forced her to make war preparations.
From Tsunade's perspective, it was understandable for other countries to cause trouble upon seeing Konoha developing at such a high speed.
But understanding was one thing; being in a bad mood was another.
"They're a bunch of ungrateful bastards."
Tsunade cursed in a low voice, hoping that Sawara Kiri's appearance would make them behave, or perhaps even kill one or two more Jinchuriki.
Although she didn't know who was invading the border, the Land of Earth was definitely the prime suspect.
She had been annoyed with that cunning old bastard Ōnoki for a long time.
Just as she was fuming and handling official duties, a sudden rush of footsteps came from outside the door, pushing open her office door with a bang:
"Lady Tsunade!"
A slender female Ninja hurriedly said: "A massive Chakra signature has been detected outside the barrier, moving rapidly towards the Village!"
Almost the moment she heard this, Tsunade's gaze sharpened.
Luring the tiger away from the mountain?
But the target was the entire Konoha?
Was it people from the Land of Earth?
How did Ōnoki and his people secretly transport so many individuals into the Land of Fire?
She instinctively suspected, and her voice was decisive as she questioned: "How many people? Why didn't the outer patrol discover them?"
The female Ninja also looked terrified, stammering:
"Number... only one!"
"Hmm?"
Tsunade was instantly stunned.
On a distant mountaintop.
Yamato and Shinno were placed in a hidden location, silently watching the figure slowly walking alone towards Konoha Village, both speechless.
"Lord Yamato, should we escape now?"
Shinno was silent for a long time before suddenly asking in a low voice.
"Escape? Where would we escape to?"
Yamato, however, spoke coldly, his gaze calmly fixed on the tall figure in the distance, his tone indifferent: "After that person planted the curse seal on us, do you think we two still have any hope of escape?"
"You simply don't understand what kind of strength that person possesses."
His gaze was deep as he looked into the distance, his voice, however, held a strange despair.
As Senju Tobirama's disciple, Shimura Danzo naturally had many interactions with Lord Hashirama, and their group had even personally witnessed Lord Hashirama's final battle with Uchiha Madara.
Although he didn't know why that person, whom Lord Hashirama had personally slain, was still alive in this world, Yamato was very clear about the vast difference in strength between himself and the other party.
Moreover, that person, out of caution, had also employed a small trick, temporarily drawing away Sawara Kiri, the strongest individual in Konoha Village.
Currently, there was no one in the Village capable of stopping the other party.
However, what would Uchiha Madara do after conquering Konoha Village?
Yamato couldn't help but start worrying about his future under Uchiha Madara's command.
As for whether he could win?
Yamato hadn't even considered that question.
He would win.
At the same time, Konoha's outer barrier defense team had long since detected a massive Chakra source, comparable to a Tailed Beast, approaching. They were now all gathering around Konoha's perimeter wall, simultaneously dispersing merchants and civilians near the gate and evacuating villagers into air-raid shelters.
However, upon seeing that the enemy was only one person, they couldn't help but be stunned.
Nevertheless, perhaps because many had personally witnessed the upper limits of Sawara Kiri's power, most did not let their guard down due to the numbers.
Upon detecting the approaching massive Chakra, Sakumo, who had already been guarding the gate, stepped forward, single-handedly blocking the entrance with his sword, while behind him were dense layers of figures.
Faintly, one could even see a masked child, skipping class, emerging from a distant rooftop, pulling out binoculars to look at the figure opposite.
"That's Kakashi's father, isn't it?"
"I heard he's a strong individual known as Konoha White Fang."
Uchiha Obito's small face pressed against Kakashi's, his wide eyes glued to Kakashi's binoculars as he peered into the distance, chattering incessantly.
"Oh! So amazing!"
"I want to become a strong individual like that too, someday."
Might Guy squeezed in from the other side, flattening Kakashi's round, tender face and making his dead-fish eyes even more pronounced.
"Why are you guys here too?"
"Didn't I tell you to go to the bomb shelter?!"
After struggling for a while, Kakashi finally pulled his face free from between them, then spoke to them with an annoyed, adult-like tone: "This place is too dangerous for you all."
"You're just as old as us."
Asuma had his own binoculars, muttering beside him as he watched.
Hearing this, Kakashi turned his head and saw a group of his companions had somehow caught up behind him, and he couldn't help but be stunned.
Only Rin Nohara looked worriedly into the distance, whispering, "But, that must be a very powerful enemy, right? I saw the entire barrier squad gathering."
"Is it okay for Konoha White Fang to go out alone?"
Hearing this, Kakashi just let out a soft hmph, his tone carrying a hint of careless pride:
"What do you all know?"
"My dad is really amazing!"
"Thud."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a hand chop landed on his white-haired little head.
Kakashi froze.
Who was it? He hadn't even sensed a hint of their presence?
When he turned his head, he saw a young man with short golden hair standing behind them, his expression serious: "How did you all get out? Hurry back to the bomb shelter, it's very dangerous here!"
"Eh—!?"
The children immediately let out a long, dissatisfied sound.
Unfortunately, Minato had no intention of indulging them, quickly herding the children away before heading to the entrance himself, his expression extremely serious.
He was an excellent sensory Ninja, capable of clearly sensing the terrifying, ocean-like Chakra emanating from the opponent.
It seemed endless.
Why were there monsters like this everywhere?
At the entrance.
Sakumo had already drawn his short blade, his expression calm as he looked at the opponent, his voice cold:
"You, who exactly are you?"
It was no wonder he was so on guard.
The extreme malevolent Chakra emanating from the opponent at this moment already clearly indicated that the opponent was an enemy, not a friend.
Even with thousands of Ninja behind him, Sakumo still had a terrifying illusion of all his hairs standing on end, as if a blade had already been placed at his neck.
The figure opposite showed no intention of stopping, leisurely stepping forward, slowly drawing out the fan behind him.
The crimson eyes, concealed beneath the pale shell, swept past Sakumo in front of him, then across the thousands of Ninja behind him.
He was not the only strong individual among them; Tsunade and the other two Sannin were already all present.
This level of Chakra was something no one could underestimate.
"It seems they've all arrived?"
The tall figure's voice was faint, as if he didn't put any of the people blocking his way in his eyes, his voice hoarse and flat:
"That makes things much easier."
Almost the instant his voice fell.
Sakumo's gaze sharpened, and his body suddenly shot forward, clinging to the ground, like a streak of ink across white paper, his White Fang short blade wrapped in pure Wind Release Chakra like silk.
Stepping, striking.
Uchiha Madara held his fan horizontally, perfectly blocking the pure white blade path midway.
"Clang—!"
The blade and the fan met, immediately emitting a clear clang of metal.
The shattered Wind Release Chakra spread out like a storm, radiating in all directions, forming ripples that easily tore through the giant trees lining both sides of the road.
The cross-sections were smooth.
Sakumo's pupils involuntarily constricted.
The newcomer, however, spoke with praise:
"Not bad at all."
The next moment, he saw the fan in his hand suddenly swing up, and an irresistible immense force immediately lifted Sakumo into the air, spinning him before he landed.
However, before he could stand up again, Uchiha Madara had already shot out at a speed that left only afterimages, the fan in his hand descending vertically like a giant axe.
Sakumo's body distorted and rolled half a turn, narrowly avoiding it by sticking close to the fan.
The explosively shattered earth debris immediately flew out like bullets.
A clear blade seized this brief opportunity to thrust, but an arm suddenly extended from within the smoke.
With a smack, it easily grabbed Sakumo's wrist.
Uchiha Madara's hoarse voice came from the smoke, still without the slightest ripple in his tone:
"However…"
"You're not qualified to stand before this old man."
Before Sakumo could react, a sudden kick flew up, striking him squarely in the abdomen, making his eyes seem to bulge out of their sockets, sending him flying dozens of meters away like an arrow released from a bow.
At the same time, Tsunade on the side wall immediately frowned and gave the order:
"Attack!"
In an instant, the dense figures on the side wall suddenly charged towards the figure.
However, facing the thousands of Konoha Ninja before him, Uchiha Madara regarded them as mere insects, stomping forward without hesitation.
His pace went from a slow walk, to a fast walk, then to a run.
His speed became faster and faster.
Until finally, he crashed into the crowd.
The Konoha Ninja blocking his path seemed like countless fragile building blocks in his eyes; with just a push, an unknown number of them were sent directly flying into the air.
His aged body, relying on the external White Zetsu armor to continuously supply Yang Release Chakra, and his nearly decaying heart seemed to turn crimson again under the beating blood, providing his body with seemingly endless power.
Using the initial momentum, he plunged into the crowd, the fan in his hand splitting open a path like a giant axe.
A Konoha Ninja blocking his way tried to swing a blade, but his wrist was caught in mid-air before it could even descend, then distorted and broken with a crisp snap, before being spun like a wheel, sweeping away the figures that surrounded him from behind, sending them crashing together, then he suddenly lifted a foot and kicked them away.
A shuriken launched from mid-air had not yet touched his body when he dodged it by sound, his body, however, shot towards another spot, suddenly plunging the opponent's Kunai into his own abdomen.
The fan in his hand was simultaneously held vertically behind his back, blocking another person's Ninja blade interception, and then immediately swung up, powerfully sending several figures flying.
Uchiha Madara's body also surged forward with the violent storm, piercing directly into the center of the enemy ranks like a sharp blade, unleashing a wave of miserable wails with an unstoppable momentum.
"Whoosh—"
Almost the instant his body floated in the air.
A specially designed three-pronged Kunai suddenly shot out from his blind spot.
Before the opponent could even turn around, a golden figure abruptly appeared.
At the same time, a rapidly rotating ball of Chakra condensed in his hand.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Rasengan!
"Boom!"
The extremely impactful strike swept down, but Uchiha Madara, in that instant, suddenly distorted his body using his waist, narrowly avoiding the attack in mid-air.
Immediately after, the giant fan in his hand swept half a circle horizontally, powerfully striking Namikaze Minato in the waist and abdomen.
The golden-haired young man flew over the crowd like a shooting star, his uncontrolled Rasengan also falling to the ground, exploding into a huge crater.
Utilizing this instantaneous change in situation, Uchiha Madara immediately leaped out of the crowd and formed hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Blazing flames poured endlessly from his mouth like a tide; the super-high temperature, even as mere aftershocks, ignited the surrounding trees, and the rushing hot wind made the Ninja in front feel as if their skin was about to be scorched.
The combined Ninjutsu squad in the rear immediately stepped forward.
"Combined Earth Release: Great Earth Wall!"
At that moment, fire and earth collided with a violent roar that seemed to split the clouds and rocks, tearing open a fire line several kilometers long on the main road in front of the Konoha Village gate.
All the Ninja present stared blankly at the scene before them, which resembled a natural disaster.
There was clearly only one person on the opposite side, yet he single-handedly displayed the might of an entire army.
Even the several-meter-thick Great Earth Wall blocking their way seemed about to crack and scorch from the flames, and the spreading storm forced them to continuously retreat.
Even a Tailed Beast wouldn't be much more than this, would it?
Just as the wall in front of them was about to shatter, and everyone quietly watched the scene unfold.
Behind them, a figure suddenly stepped out from the crowd.
The hand signs were completed.
"Sage Art: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Almost the instant this voice fell, a mudflow that appeared out of nowhere suddenly swallowed the crumbling earth wall in front of it, directly covering the sea of flames, engulfing all the flames with countless mud swamps.
Everyone simultaneously looked towards the figure.
Then, they saw Jiraiya standing quietly there.
On his shoulders, a male and a female toad stood respectively.
Even Jiraiya's own face had taken on a toad-like horizontal growth, subtly dotted with spots.
Beside Jiraiya were Tsunade and Orochimaru.
"Sorry, preparing Sage Art Chakra took a bit of time," Jiraiya's voice was steady, "Who is this guy?"
Tsunade and Orochimaru, however, did not react, their expressions solemn as they looked at the person in front of them.
Although the battle had not lasted long, the figure just now inexplicably reminded them of an old acquaintance who should have only existed in legends.
"Boom—"
The mudflow stopped in front of the figure, completely scorched into black carbonized material.
Uchiha Madara stepped onto it, his feet making faint crunching sounds, and looked at the Sannin with a pair of crimson eyes, his tone flat:
"Oh, Sage Art, is it?"
"How nostalgic…"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr