Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

shame!

This was the greatest humiliation of his life!

Unexpectedly, Madara Uchiha, who was invincible in the ninja world, was defeated by a brat in his later years. What's worse, this brat kept calling himself his fan, which made Madara very uncomfortable.

"not good....!"

"Lord Madara, spare his life now, it's not too late to kill him later, our plan isn't finished yet. Let's go...!"

Black Zetsu sensed that Madara was in very poor condition. Summoning the full version of the Blue Giant had drained too much of his life force; if this dragged on any longer, he would truly be finished. If Madara were to die, all his efforts over the past thousand years would have been for nothing, and who knew when his two nephews would be reincarnated again…

"Hoo hoo... Let's go! That damned brat, one day I'll kill him with my own hands! (▼he▼メ)"

Upon hearing Black Zetsu's words, Madara quickly calmed down after catching his breath, nodded, glanced in Shinto's direction, and said through gritted teeth.

This was the first time he had been defeated since his best friend was killed. Although he didn't like making excuses for himself, he was indeed no match for that foul-mouthed brat in his current state. That sword strike was beyond his comprehension. Although he wasn't at his peak, the absolute defense of the complete Susanoo wasn't just for show. Even his best friend couldn't break through Susanoo's defense, yet this brat had managed to cut him down with a single sword strike. The key was that the brat's defense was incredibly tough, withstanding his Fire Release and Blue Light Greatsword. He hadn't been wrong before; even in his and Hashirama's era, this brat could still make a name for himself.

Since we can't beat this kid right now, staying here and letting him talk trash will only make him angrier and shorten his lifespan. It's better to wait until we're back in peak condition to settle the score with this kid.

Madara was too weak to run away, but his two henchmen, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, were fine. They possessed Madara's body and disappeared into the ground under the cover of firelight.

"(⊙_⊙)...No way! Why did our idol leave already? I haven't had enough fun yet! Come on, let's have another three hundred rounds!!!"

Masato, instead of stopping Madara from leaving, continued his trash talk, infused with Observation Haki. Now that Madara is dead, the plot is a complete mess. The side story was already somewhat chaotic because of this little butterfly; if the main story gets messed up too, it'll be difficult to complete the game...

"Pfft... Black Zetsu, next time I'm resurrected, you absolutely must remind me to kill this brat! (▼皿▼#)"

After being led underground for a short distance, Old Man Ban spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with rage. He had never been so angry in his life!

Even if a young Chiyo were to come and use biological methods to cool him down, it wouldn't be enough... (▼he▼メ)

........

The massive battle between Shinto and Madara in the Land of Water couldn't be kept secret. The incredibly strong chakra fluctuations, the scorched earth battlefield, the unfathomable sword marks, and the enormous crater all told everyone that two incredibly powerful figures had fought there. One of them was obviously the Golden Lion of Sunagakure. Only the Golden Lion could have created that bottomless sword mark in the entire ninja world.

When people saw the battlefield, they were so shocked that they couldn't speak for a long time. This wasn't a direct battle between ninjas, it was a natural disaster!

The thought of a fire blast capable of scorching the earth for miles is terrifying, and the sight of that enormous crater, as if struck by a meteorite, is simply outrageous!

Then the problem comes again.

It's quite normal for Sunagakure to send Shiki to gather intelligence since Kirigakure inexplicably closed itself off from the country. As everyone knows, Shiki is a high-level fighter in Sunagakure, and he's only suited for this kind of thing. But the key question is who the mysterious powerhouse who fought him is, which is what the ninja world is most concerned about.

Such an incredibly powerful fire jutsu must be at least a forbidden technique, and no one in the entire ninja world has ever been found to possess such a powerful fire jutsu. Moreover, apart from the mess at the scene, no bodies were found. Therefore, we can conclude that although the two fought fiercely, almost exchanging blows at full power, no one was injured. This is astonishing. Golden Lion is known for his recklessness, especially when he has his greatsword. Even the Raikage, the strongest shield, dared not confront him head-on. Now, a mysterious person has fought Golden Lion head-on and is still alive. This makes people marvel at the strength of this mysterious person.

The sudden appearance of a mysterious figure who could go toe-to-toe with Shiki and still survived has caused some unease among the higher-ups of the various ninja villages. The unknown is the most terrifying thing. For example, everyone knows that Shiki is strong and has sharp swordsmanship, but even if they can't beat him, they don't feel any fear after knowing his background. But they have no information whatsoever about this mysterious person who can go toe-to-toe with Shiki. They don't know his name, what he looks like, or anything else. It's as if he suddenly popped out of the Land of Water, which is why they feel a chill down their spines.

It's estimated that only Shiki, who had fought against this mysterious person from the Land of Water, would know something about it. Among them, Onoki reacted the fastest, immediately putting aside his "prejudice" and taking the initiative to contact Sunagakure, handing over a thick list and requesting information sharing. After all, Kirigakure and Iwagakure were sworn enemies. Kirigakure suddenly had a powerful person who could fight Shiki head-on, at least a top-tier double-flower red-clad. Thinking about this, he couldn't sleep even more.

Does the Land of Water have such a powerful figure? It's hard to say. The Land of Water is overseas, and they know nothing about it...

"What do we think of Onoki's request? Should we share information with him?"

Sunakawa was really tempted by the list brought by the Iwagakure ANBU, but Shinto hadn't returned yet, and they didn't know who this mysterious person was. However, looking at the thick list, Sunakawa couldn't help but wonder, "Has Onoki won the lottery again?"

373. Fire Release is also a family heirloom skill.

"...Let's wait for Masato to come back and ask him about the situation first..."

Ebizo stared at the list in front of him for a moment before saying that it wasn't really a secret. Kirigakure was hiding such a powerful figure. If they were going to play any tricks or schemes, they would be targeting Iwagakure or Konoha, who had a long-standing feud with them. It had nothing to do with their poor Sunagakure. They weren't enemies with Kirigakure and had no obligation to maintain peace in the ninja world. Their interest in this powerful figure was just out of curiosity.

He genuinely hadn't expected that there would be anyone in the ninja world who could go toe-to-toe with that guy, Shinto. He had already seen the pictures of the scene, the scorched earth stretching for miles. To be honest, he really couldn't imagine anyone whose fire release was so powerful. Was there really someone in the Land of Water who could use fire release so skillfully? He really didn't believe it. He hadn't even mastered his family's water release technique yet, and the title of Water God had been taken by Tobirama Senju. How could there possibly be someone who could use fire release so skillfully? Even the Uchiha clan didn't have that.

Ever since Madara Uchiha's demise, he had never seen anyone with such formidable Fire Release techniques. As for Madara himself, that was even more impossible. Although news of Madara's death came from Konoha, and no one had seen his body, it was a fact that Madara couldn't defeat Hashirama Senju. Hashirama's Root was damaged in the Valley of the End battle, and he died shortly after. Even if Madara hadn't died then, he couldn't possibly be alive now. Moreover, Konoha should have been more concerned about Madara's fate; the fact that Konoha made no search for him in those years suggests that Madara was indeed dead.

It was precisely because they couldn't guess who this incredibly powerful Fire Release user was that their curiosity was piqued, making them feel restless and itchy. But that bastard Masato hadn't returned yet, so they couldn't find the answer.

........

"The Hidden Mist Village really wanted to trick us. That brat Shiki is truly skilled and daring. He knew it was a trap but still dared to go to the Land of Water. But this guy with such strong Fire Release... just who is he?"

Meanwhile, inside the Raikage Tower in Kumogakure, the Third Raikage was talking to Azaburo, but the intense fighting spirit emanating from him made it seem to anyone unfamiliar with the situation that the Raikage wanted to challenge Azaburo to a duel.

Although he hadn't witnessed this massive battle firsthand, the Raikage could sense its intensity just from the photos. There weren't many in the entire ninja world capable of going toe-to-toe with Shiki. He hadn't actually faced Shiki in person, so he couldn't make a definitive judgment, but theoretically, he was confident. Currently, the only one in the ninja world who could realistically match Shiki was White Fang. However, White Fang's fighting style differed from this Fire Release master. White Fang relied on his incredibly skillful movement to contend with Shiki, never truly engaging in a direct confrontation. This Fire Release master, on the other hand, was a genuine, head-to-head fighter. He hadn't expected such a formidable opponent to be hidden in the ninja world. Thinking of this, the Raikage felt a surge of... well, let's just say it was a brutal, bloodthirsty rage. His blood was boiling. He'd always wanted a romantic encounter with Golden Lion, but for years, the sensitive nature of their identities, the difference in their seniority, and the generation gap had prevented him from having the chance. He wanted to see who was tougher between the two most formidable ninjas. Now, this incredible figure had suddenly appeared. Finding this master of fire-style techniques and having a romantic encounter with him seemed like a good idea, and it would also indirectly reveal who was tougher between him and Golden Lion...

When they received the news of Kirigakure's isolationist policy, Azaburo and Big Head guessed that this might be Kirigakure's strategy, so they chose to wait and see without taking any action. They originally thought that Konoha would definitely send someone to deal with this, and they were even thinking of seeing how Konoha would be ambushed by Kirigakure. However, the news they received was not that Konoha's people were ambushed, but that Shiki had gone to the Land of Water and dragged out a super powerful person. This was beyond their expectations. As for whether anyone in Konoha was ambushed, they had already put it out of their minds. Their focus was entirely on this powerful person who had suddenly appeared.

"...There are many people in the ninja world who know Fire Release, but there really isn't anyone who can master it to this extent. Unless Madara Uchiha is resurrected, I really can't think of anyone who could train Fire Release to such a catastrophic level...Could it be...a member of the Uchiha clan?"

The big-headed man in burlap felt his scalp tingle as the battle-ready Raikage stared at him. He was really afraid that this old guy would have a brain fart and challenge him to a duel. However, after thinking about this problem, he shook his head helplessly and then asked in confusion.

He'd only heard about this kind of cataclysmic fire release technique from the elders of his clan when he was a child. They'd mentioned that the "Ninja World Asura," Madara Uchiha, possessed fire release techniques capable of reaching such a level. But that was clearly impossible; Madara Uchiha had been dead for decades, and the younger generation didn't even know he existed. However, he then began to doubt. If the Uchiha clan could produce one Madara, it was hard to say that another wouldn't emerge. After all, red-eye disease was their hereditary disease, but fire release was their ancestral skill! If anyone in the ninja world possessed such formidable fire release, the first clan that came to mind was the Uchiha. Hiruzen Sarutobi was powerful because of his composite ninjutsu; the power of single-attribute ninjutsu didn't reach this cataclysmic level. Besides, as Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be so idle as to go to the Land of Water to fight Shiki the Golden Lion...

"...You overestimate the Uchiha clan. Even Uchiha Kagami, who had the best chance of getting close to Uchiha Madara back then, couldn't reach this level. Let alone the current Uchiha clan, those worthless bastards are just clinging to their ancestors' glory and barely surviving. If they really had someone like that, Konoha's search would be in complete chaos!"

Raikage shook his head and said disdainfully, "I've never seen Madara Uchiha, but I have seen Kagami Uchiha. I've witnessed the peak of the Uchiha clan. Even Kagami Uchiha couldn't reach that level. How can the current Uchiha clan, who are just the tallest among the short ones, possibly be considered?"

........

"Sakumo, you have a good relationship with Shiki. Go to Sunagakure and ask him about the situation in the Land of Water. Who exactly is that guy? Konoha must give our heroes an explanation!!"

In contrast to Kumogakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi in Konoha's Hokage Tower began to win over people again. In front of all the high-ranking officials of Konoha, with tears in his eyes and his body trembling slightly, he spoke to Sakumo Hatake in a very excited tone.

Zi Xiao and his underlings who went to the Water Kingdom have been nowhere to be found, so it's safe to assume they encountered that super-powerful figure and were wiped out. While Jin Shi Zi is despicable and shameless, he's not that bloodthirsty, so it's certain their men were killed by this mysterious figure. And since he was the one who sent them, he couldn't remain silent in front of so many people; otherwise, who would still consider him their leader...?

374. Mitokado: Could it be that Madara has made a comeback?

The Konoha high-ranking officials present were deeply moved as they watched Hiruzen Sarutobi, tears welling in his eyes and his body trembling slightly. This was their Hokage, who loved his people so much!

That guy from the Land of Water who suddenly appeared and could go toe-to-toe with Golden Shiki is clearly a formidable figure. For the Hokage to be willing to fight such a powerful person for the sake of Zixiao and the others—to have such a leader in one's life is enough to die without regrets!

"...Yes, Lord Hokage."

Hatake Sakumo, familiar with Hiruzen Sarutobi, knew his boss was in the mood for acting again. The straightforward Sakumo didn't want to play along, but he had to cooperate. After all, Zixiao and the others were his subordinates, and their mysterious disappearance... well, the possibility of them being wiped out was high. He also wanted to know what had happened in the Land of Water, and whether that mysterious person was really that powerful—not only did he kill Zixiao and the others, but he could also go toe-to-toe with Shiki. Those who hadn't truly faced Shiki would never know how overpowered he was. He possessed a top-tier offensive and defensive system, and his stamina was monstrous. He estimated that the only person in the ninja world who could directly confront him was the Raikage, known as the strongest spear and the strongest shield. He hadn't faced the Raikage, but the Third Raikage was also a master of offense and defense; the previous Hyuga clan leader had to risk his life to break through his defenses, demonstrating just how strong his defenses were.

If possible, he also wanted to find that mysterious person to avenge his subordinates. On the day he learned of Zixiao and the others' accident, he wanted to go to the Land of Water to investigate or ask Jinshizi about the situation. However, because the Anbu was busy and Zixiao was not there, there was no one to assist him. He was overwhelmed by the many things that were suddenly on his shoulders, so he had not had time to go to Jinshizi. Now he could take this opportunity to ask that mysterious and powerful person what his background was.

"Hiruzen, doesn't this scene seem familiar...?"

When the high-ranking officials of Konoha were being thoroughly thrashed, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the desired effect had been achieved and there was no need to continue the performance. Sometimes, knowing when to stop is more effective than forcing things to go. So, after achieving the desired effect, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand and announced the end of the meeting. After everyone left, only the three giants of Konoha remained in the Hokage Building. The other giant, Danzo, was currently engrossed in scientific research and didn't have time to come and brag to them.

After seeing that there were no outsiders, Mitokado Yan pointed at the photo on the table showing the scene that had been burned to ashes and said with a stern face.

To be honest, the moment he saw the photo of the scene, his hair stood on end, cold sweat soaked his back, and the terrible memory resurfaced in his mind. The image of that red-eyed devil appeared in his mind again and lingered for a long time. In the past few days, whenever he closed his eyes, the image of the red-eyed devil seemed to appear in front of him. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

Madara, a name completely forgotten by the times, resurfaced in his mind once again. In his decades of experience, he had only witnessed such powerful Fire Release techniques, which transcended the concept of ninjutsu, once when he accompanied the Second Hokage to watch a battle from afar. The way a C-rank Fireball could deal S-rank damage was something he would never forget. Even though he knew Madara was dead, he couldn't forget him. So, at the village's high-level meeting, he, who always spoke up to show off his achievements, didn't try to steal the spotlight from his friends this time. Instead, he silently suppressed his feelings, his ugly old face revealing his thoughts. To avoid causing panic, he waited until everyone had left and only his two friends remained before speaking, and then Mitokado Homura spoke.

"...I know what you're trying to say, but that's impossible. The First Lord has already said that person is dead. Don't you believe the First Lord?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrows twitched. He knew what his friend meant. After taking a couple of puffs of his pipe, he shook his head and said...

He initially considered the possibility that Madara had returned to punish Shiki for his past misdeeds, but quickly dismissed the idea. They had personally witnessed the battle at the Valley of the End. Although Madara's body disappeared in the end, the First Hokage was severely injured. Even if Madara wasn't dead, he wouldn't live much longer. Now it was Konoha's 30th year and 8th year—more than 30 years had passed. How could Madara still be alive? Besides, even if Shiki had committed grave sins and needed to be punished, shouldn't it be the First Hokage who should be doing it...?

“Hiruzen is right, but Homura’s guess is not without reason. Do you think it could have been done by someone from the Uchiha clan? You know, the Uchiha clan doesn’t just have the Sharingan!”

Women are often more perceptive, and Koharu Utatane is a perfect example. While Madara's return is absolutely impossible, the sheer power of Fire Release techniques is unmatched in the entire ninja world except by the Uchiha clan. The quantity and quality of Fire Release techniques used outside the Uchiha clan are significantly inferior to their own. Even the most basic C-rank ninjutsu, like the Flame Bullet, is clearly inferior to the Uchiha's Great Fireball Technique. Therefore, Koharu believes Madara's return is nonsense. However, the possibility of other Uchiha members who have been living outside the clan is not entirely out of the question.

"...While Koharu's idea is novel, it's not impossible. During World War I, the Uchiha and Iwagakure fought so fiercely, who knows if any Uchiha members took advantage of the war to stay away from the battlefield... If that's the case, it would be troublesome."

Mitokado Homura nodded. The Uchiha bloodline was indeed peculiar. Those well-behaved Uchiha, though talented, were not outstanding, while those with extreme thoughts and rebellious moods seemed to have awakened hidden attributes, each winning the Most Improved Award. If this was an Uchiha who had feigned death and defected from the village during the war, who knows, he might have awakened some hidden attributes as well.

"Alright, let's wait until Sakumo returns from Sunagakure before discussing this further."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw his two friends about to bring up the Uchiha clan again, he wondered if they were following Danzo's example. He immediately interrupted their unrealistic ideas. Their achievements in martial arts were not high, or rather, they had none. Since becoming advisors, they had probably forgotten everything they learned in their early years. That's why they had such unrealistic ideas. Was that kind of catastrophic fire jutsu something that could be mastered just by having talent?

I'm born with five chakra natures, which is pretty awesome, right? My good buddy Kagami's talent was already pretty good, right? But he couldn't pull off such a powerful fire jutsu. It's practically impossible for those Uchiha to pull off such a powerful fire jutsu.

However, he couldn't say it outright, and even if he told his two friends, they wouldn't understand, since it wasn't their field of expertise.

375. Let Brother Obito take the blame in advance.

"You're finally back. What exactly happened in the Land of Water?"

"Who is the person you are fighting?"

"What's going on in Kirigakure?"

"And there's more..."

In Sunagakure, in the Miyamoto clan, Masato had just arrived home in the early hours of the previous day. The next morning, before dawn, Ebizo and Kachiyo Sunagawa rushed into his room, dragged him out of bed, and started bombarding him with questions like a million whys.

"Click! Click! Can't you guys let me get some sleep first? I just finished fighting with someone and then traveled for two weeks. I'm exhausted. Don't you care about the mental state of your employees?"

Wearing pajamas and with sleepy eyes, Masato interrupted the three who kept asking questions, saying irritably, "I got home at 3:30 this morning, took a shower, and didn't go to bed until 4:00. I counted sheep for half an hour and fell asleep at 4:30. But I was dragged out of bed at 5:20. Is this even human?"

"We're just worried about you. The whole ninja world knows you were fighting a mysterious person in the Land of Water. There are even photos of the battle. It's caused such a big commotion, we're just afraid you'll get hurt..."

Ebizo, increasingly oblivious to his own shame, spoke without a trace of embarrassment.

"...Thank you all so much! ヽ(ー_ー)ノ"

Masato rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You guys have been talking non-stop for twenty minutes, and the last thing you said was out of concern for me?" ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

"Alright, enough with the nonsense. Let's start from the beginning. Who is this guy you fought with? Is he related to the Hidden Mist Village's isolationist policy?"

Chiyo interrupted their nonsense and asked with a serious expression.

"That guy? I don't know. He wore a mask the whole time, so I couldn't see his face at all. I don't know if the Hidden Mist Village's isolationist policy was related to him. I just arrived in the Land of Water and saw a battle. When I went over, I saw that guy had just killed a group of Konoha's ANBU. Then he spotted me. That guy is ruthless and doesn't talk much. He didn't even greet me and just started fighting. I didn't even have time to investigate. But one thing is certain: that guy is incredibly strong. His combat power is already at the ceiling of the ninja world. It would be very difficult for me to kill him. You've all seen how awesome his Fire Release is. And that guy isn't just good at Fire Release; he also has some other weird abilities. His eyes are similar to the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, but the patterns are different. They're a bit like the eyes of my idol that you mentioned, Aunt Chiyo... In the end, that guy ran away because he was too exhausted. But his abilities are too strange. They're a bit like Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God Technique. He disappeared in an instant."

Masato, sprawled on the sofa, lazily said that in order to keep the main storyline from going wrong, the news that Madara had survived to this day could not be spread. Besides, if it were to be said, people would probably think he was crazy. So, he thought that he should just pass the blame to Obito Uchiha, who was still a kid. Anyway, his future life trajectory was that of a major villain, so it didn't matter if he took the blame in advance.

"Uchiha Madara?! (⊙▽⊙)!"

"Impossible, right? That guy's long dead..."

When Chiyo and the others heard about those eyes, their first thought was Madara, and they stared at Masato with wide eyes in disbelief.

Are you kidding me? Madara Uchiha is older than that old man, Hakuchi Uchiha, who just celebrated his 80th birthday a few years ago. If Madara Uchiha were still alive today, he was indeed incredibly powerful in the past, unmatched by anyone except Hashirama. But he couldn't possibly be this strong now, could he? An 80-something-year-old going head-to-head with a super tough guy like Shinto? This is something even fairy tales wouldn't dare to write!

"...I didn't say he was my idol. Although he was wearing a mask and I couldn't see his face, I could sense that he was a very energetic young man. He only showed one eye, but now that I think about it, it should be the same eye as my idol's. That's all I know. His physical skills are so-so, but his fire jutsu and other strange abilities are incredibly powerful. He can also summon a giant like Ultraman, making him difficult to deal with in both offense and defense."

Masato shrugged and said.

"...According to what you're saying, it should be the Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan. I didn't expect someone else to awaken this kind of eye now..."

Chiyo said with a frown and a somber expression.

"The Mangekyou Sharingan? I know about attacking the Mangekyou Sharingan, but what's the origin of this Mangekyou Sharingan? (⊙_⊙)?"

Masato looked at Chiyo with feigned confusion, as did Sunagawa and Ebizo. They seemed to be hearing about the Mangekyou Sharingan for the first time, and... attacking the Mangekyou Sharingan was something they'd never heard of either...

"Speaking of which, this was told to me by Retsuto back then. When he fought Madara Uchiha, Madara told him that the so-called Mangekyou Sharingan is actually an evolution of the Uchiha clan's three-tomoe Sharingan. Everyone thinks the three-tomoe Sharingan is the pinnacle of the Uchiha clan, but the three-tomoe Sharingan can actually evolve further. However, evolving into the Mangekyou Sharingan is extremely difficult, and since Madara Uchiha is already dead, I think not many people know about the Mangekyou Sharingan now. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but now I think the mysterious person you met must have been an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan." "This person has awakened! These eyes are vastly different from ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan. After awakening, they not only grant immense power but also incredible abilities. The ability similar to Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God Technique is likely one of these eyes' powers. As for summoning giants, Madara Uchiha did indeed summon a blue giant to fight... It's truly unexpected that another Uchiha clan member would awaken these eyes after Madara. Judging from the mask you mentioned, perhaps he didn't want anyone to know his existence or background. He's been hiding for so long... Sigh! The ninja world is about to be in turmoil again...!"