Madara floated in the air. By using Wind Release continuously, it was indeed possible to keep oneself suspended in the sky.
His Edo Tensei body was actually heavier than it had been in life. Yet, since his body was now just dust, it was also more fragile than before. But the weight of the body was as insignificant as dust itself, the true burden was the weight in one's heart, which could strip a person of everything, leaving them like a walking corpse.
In that sense, he felt that the Edo Tensei body suited him quite well.
However…
"Protecting the clan, huh..."
Looking down at Masashi, who had landed below, he thought that if this young man had been born in his and Hashirama's era, he would have surely helped them lead the Uchiha to greater glory.
Like his younger brother, he had a strong sense of collective identity. Making the Uchiha an unparalleled and great clan, that was Izuna's dream. That was why he could never bow to the Senju of the Forest.
Yet, he also wished that idiot Hashirama could realize the dream they had once talked about as children.
It was an impossible dilemma, and Madara made his choice.
He went alone to the Senju territory, was defeated, and declared that no Uchiha would ever rebel again. He said they could kill him and end everything.
Izuna was dead. He had to take revenge. But this had nothing to do with the rest of the Uchiha. He would bear it all alone.
He knew Hashirama was a compassionate man. He believed in their friendship. If Madara died, Hashirama's nature and his own death would ensure that the Uchiha wouldn't suffer too much.
In this way, as an older brother, he would not have betrayed Izuna.
But he never expected… Hashirama actually wanted to commit suicide?
Understanding this, the second time, he made his stance clear.
When he returned with the intent to destroy Konoha, Hashirama took him seriously once again.
And he still didn't stop to think, if Madara was truly willing to act, why did he refuse the Uchiha who wanted to follow him?
Talking with that guy was impossible. They were just incompatible.
Madara looked down. The remaining Kiri ninjas had already been stopped by Masashi. If it were Izuna, he would have rushed in at the first opportunity as well.
"Oh well, if the rats aren't cleaned up, things won't settle down."
With that, he descended. As he landed, the deep crimson armor clanked, revealing his less-than-pleased mood.
"What are you doing?" Madara asked.
Come and keep me entertained. Masashi figured that was what he meant.
"As you can see, I'm repelling foreign invaders," he responded.
From what he remembered, as Madara aged, he became increasingly unpredictable. The only time he ever seemed truly at ease was when taking strolls with Hashirama. That was the only time, in his adulthood, that he ever revisited the dreams of his youth. But such dreams were like trees without roots, they could not last, and they crumbled under external pressure.
Even in their youth, Madara and Hashirama had fundamentally different natures. Though they shared the same ideal, their methods of achieving it were worlds apart.
Hashirama believed peace required great unity, while Madara leaned towards peace through the law of the jungle. Strength and power were his fundamental beliefs.
Yet, when it came to choosing between realism and idealism, the power-worshiping Madara was, ironically, an idealist. For someone like him, who had lived through an era of endless war and had been forced to fight for his clan's survival since childhood, part of his hatred was not aimed at his enemies but at war itself.
So, despite having killed more than anyone else, he was, in a way, a steadfast anti-war advocate... Now, this anti-war leader who followed the law of the jungle gave his verdict on Masashi's statement about "repelling foreign invaders."
"You are indeed one of the better Uchiha, but you have inevitably been tainted by the weakness of this village. You think too much, such hesitation will get you nowhere."
Even though he was the first to suggest that war could be avoided if people truly understood one another, in a time of chaos, his interpretation of "mutual understanding" was completely different.
Madara would beat someone half to death before having a conversation. If your fists weren't strong, then your desire for peace would never be conveyed.
Of course, that was his old way of thinking, not his current one. He was no longer who he once was.
"These people intend to take our clansmen to Kiri," Masashi stated bluntly.
He knew that when it came to bloodline matters, Madara was actually quite conservative.
"That's irrelevant." Madara's expression didn't change. "There will always be people coveting the Uchiha's power. You talk too much."
Even in his Edo Tensei form, his Sharingan was terrifying, none dared meet his gaze.
As a descendant of the Ōtsutsuki, he was the only one to have completed the full evolution of the Sage's Eyes. His understanding of dōjutsu was unmatched. With a single glance, his Sharingan swept over the four ninja ahead.
Without exception, the Four Swordsmen of the Mist were frozen in place instantly. Aside from Samehada, which was still whimpering, there was no more sound.
"Mighty as ever!"
"You are cool, Great Clan Leader!"
Behind him, a group of young Uchiha, officially known as the "Clan Guard" but in reality a bunch of slackers, quickly switched their attitude and began chanting 666 with practiced enthusiasm.
"..."
"Shut up." Madara turned around and coldly stated, "I am no longer your clan leader."
The Uchiha group froze at his words.
He saw their expressions and immediately became irritated. So he turned back, and the patterns in his eyes began to shift. The Rinnegan, which he had only obtained in his later years, emerged.
His chakra also began to surge.
Even for him, once he activated the Rinnegan, he could no longer revert to the Sharingan.
Unlike Masashi, Madara's Rinnegan had already solidified, even if this was merely an Edo Tensei body.
The Rinnegan was a sign of having entered a new stage of chakra evolution. Unless there was a fundamental change in chakra, it would never regress.
However, as long as no dōjutsu abilities were used, the Rinnegan wasn't much of a burden for its true wielder. It had already become part of his body, unless the person wasn't its actual owner.
A monstrous face rose from behind the Four Swordsmen and devoured them all in one bite. To everyone else's eyes, the Four Swordsmen simply collapsed on the spot, all signs of life extinguished in an instant.
Samehada detached itself from Kisame, curled up on the ground, and trembled violently. To others, it was a treasured weapon. But in Madara's eyes, it was nothing.
"There are no more nuisances left." he crossed his arms over his chest. Yes, this is more comfortable. "Keep entertaining me!"
Masashi looked at the Rinnegan in his eye sockets, combined with the eerie face of his Edo Tensei body. Yeah, he was definitely terrifying.
"Uh… why don't you come to my place first?" Masashi cautiously suggested. "It's really chaotic outside right now."
This Edo Tensei Madara was somewhat different from what he had expected. He seemed less ruthless and more laid-back. Was it because the plan hadn't started yet? Or was there some other reason?
"Yeah, yeah! Masashi's been working really hard, running around everywhere!"
"Madara-sama, you have no idea how hard things were after you left! It's only just gotten better in the last few years!"
"..."
Did they just completely ignore what I said earlier? Has the Uchiha clan… turned into a bunch of Hashiramas?
The air fell silent.
A group of Uchiha stared at Madara with eager anticipation.
Masashi knew this was the ultimate boss, but he also knew that while he was ruthless, he was still relatively reasonable, as long as people didn't bare their fangs at him.
The only question was, was he still like that now?
Fortunately, the Uchiha clan had become a lot less twisted over the years. Most of the young ones idolized their former leader rather than resented him. Otherwise, Madara probably would have already fought his way through the entire clan.
If things really escalated, no one could stop him.
Masashi was confident in his own survival, but Edo Tensei Madara was basically unbeatable. There was no way to seal him.
Edo Tensei allowed its resurrected individuals near-limitless mistakes in battle. All he could hope for was that Madara still held some sentiment for the Uchiha clan.
Suddenly, Madara snorted heavily. Then, with his hands behind his back, he continued walking forward.
Masashi decided to take that as agreement. He quickly waved to the others behind him.
"Masashi-nii!"
"Madara-sama hasn't been home in a long time. Make sure he's properly taken care of. And remember that old house? The one we moved back when we relocated? Today's chaos probably kicked up a lot of dust again. Clean it up. I'll go report to Fugaku-sama first. Once we drive off the Kiri ninjas, I'll come find you."
Dealing with Madara required a soft approach. And honestly, the Uchiha clan might be the only ones left who could actually pull that off.
"Got it, Masashi-nii! Don't worry!"
Ahead, Black Zetsu had already caught up to Madara, having heard everything that was said behind them.
He cursed internally. Damn these Uchiha!
He discreetly observed Madara's reaction.
Nothing.
"What are you looking at?"
"Apologies! I'll go drive them away immediately!" Black Zetsu quickly responded.
Madara glanced at him sharply. The gaze so piercing that it made Black Zetsu stiffen.
"Stay away from those idiots." Madara declared coldly. "I don't want their stupidity rubbing off on me."
---
The southern wall of Konoha was already in ruins.
The wall was riddled with pits and craters, and in some places, it had been blasted open. At this moment, the southern wall was under the control of the Kiri forces.
After hours of fierce battles, with the support of the jinchūriki and Akatsuki, the Kiri forces had managed to hold their ground against the two massive Susanoo of the Uchiha clan, preventing them from reclaiming the southern wall.
Both sides had their reasons for conserving their strength.
For Konoha, the four great ninja clans understood that their main objective was to hold off the enemy. As long as they could hold the line, reinforcements from Konoha's external forces would eventually return to support them.
From Kiri's perspective, the Fourth Great Ninja War had already unofficially begun. The main forces that had been stationed at the borders to draw attention away were now marching toward the Land of Fire, and reinforcements were also on their way.
The Kiri ninja army was the best at large-scale tactical maneuvering across vast territories in the entire shinobi world.
Moreover, there was no third-party faction between Kiri and Konoha that could serve as a buffer.
Ever since Uzushio was destroyed, there was no neutral ground left between them. Although Konoha was geographically the furthest from Kiri, it had the shortest response time to an invasion. As a result, when the organizational system established by Masashi began to expand outward, Kiri was the first to integrate into it, gaining the most benefits and contributing the most wealth back to Konoha.
In contrast, Iwa had a very different situation. There was plenty of buffer territory between Konoha and Iwa. Taki, remaining neutral, essentially acted as a defensive barrier. The presence of Kusa and Ame's ninja forces further restricted Iwa's ability to launch a sudden assault on Konoha.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Iwa had put immense pressure on Konoha simply because Konoha had no troops left to spare. If it weren't for the fact that the Third Raikage had crippled Iwa's main forces at the time, limiting them to sending only a thousand or so ninjas, Konoha would have been forced to fight a full-scale war against Iwa on their own land.
In comparison, Kumo was in a better position than Iwa. The ninja forces of Shimo and Taki were virtually useless, with Taki only capable of passing on intelligence.
However, in terms of stealth operations, Kumo was no match for Kiri.
Thus, in this timeline, when Iwa, Kiri, and Kumo launched a coordinated attack on Konoha under the guise of the chunin Exams, Kiri was able to infiltrate the Land of Fire with the largest number of troops.
Yagura's temporary command center was set up at the southern wall of Konoha.
Although called a wall, it was actually a fortified structure, thick enough to function similarly to Kiri's fortress towers.
At this moment, Yagura was listening to his subordinates' reports.
Their allies had all launched attacks from their respective fronts.
While Kumo attacked from the north, they also had to provide reinforcements to Iwa, as Suna had defected to Konoha's side, leaving the western front undermanned.
Even for Kiri, the total number of troops they had managed to infiltrate was only around 4,000.
Although this was only a temporary verbal alliance, the major villages had still made some coordinated moves.
For example, Iwa had mobilized a large force under the pretense of military exercises along the borders. Kumo and Suna had also engaged in similar actions, Kumo claimed to be conducting anti-piracy operations, while Suna used the excuse of clearing missing-nin infiltrating from the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain.
This forced Konoha to deploy forces to guard the borders, a standard defensive protocol that couldn't be ignored. However, with the uncertain stance of Kusa and Ame, Iwa, despite its border distractions, could not infiltrate more than 2,000 ninjas into Konoha.
Suna, being the smallest force among the four villages, had fewer than 500 troops in total. However, even these few hundred Suna ninjas would serve as valuable reinforcements for Konoha.
According to the original plan, Kiri was supposed to break through first, creating an opening for Kumo in the north. The goal of this invasion was never to destroy Konoha outright. Instead, the attack was meant to disrupt Konoha's border defenses, creating a better opportunity for the allied villages to launch their combined assault.
At the same time, it was also meant to weaken Konoha's elite forces.
Everyone was prepared for casualties.
Ōnoki and Yagura had already designated their successors before setting out, ensuring that even if they died in battle, their villages' strategies would remain unchanged.
For Kumo, this war was treated as the ultimate test for selecting the next Raikage, the one who contributed the most in the war would become the Fifth Raikage.
Suna's betrayal didn't change the plan. At most, Kiri and Iwa would divert some troops to attack Suna itself. But the Konoha forces… no, the police force led by the Uchiha and Hyūga clans had exceeded Yagura's expectations.
"The ninja clans of Konoha… they're formidable."
Kiri had preserved the political power of ninja clans more than any other village, so he understood this well. Ninja clans had many internal problems, but when it came to defending against external threats, they fought fiercely and were willing to die for their cause.
After all, if a village fell, ordinary ninja could easily join another village without much resistance, but a ninja clan was tied to it completely. Even if a clan switched allegiance, it had little to do with the current generation of its members.
Under the flickering glow of the oil lamp, Yagura's expression turned grim.
Although Kiri had been viewed as a den of demons since the era of the Third Mizukage, its traditional policy had always leaned toward conservatism and neutrality. It aimed to expand its influence through non-war means whenever possible, and when it came to wars on the continent, its stance was opportunistic, profiting where it could and shutting its doors to wait things out when it couldn't.
Maintaining good relations with neighboring nations and acting strategically to seize resources was the core philosophy of this faction.
Because of this, Kiri's greatest adversary had always been Suna.
Due to the geological characteristics of the Land of Water, it suffered from a severe lack of mineral resources and had to spend massive amounts annually to import them.
From his perspective, this expenditure had always been a financial black hole for Kiri.
But that wasn't even the worst part.
The 4,000 Kiri ninjas who had infiltrated the Land of Fire weren't just elite warriors; they also represented the most radical faction within Kiri. As Kiri had gradually recovered its strength over the past few years, its growing power had also led to rising instability.
The number of Kiri ninjas had swelled to match that of Kumo's military force.
However, the increase in ninjas far outpaced the growth in available resources.
After all, the Land of Water was not only being bled by the Land of Fire but was also a primary source of resources for the Land of Wind. Yet, when the number of Kiri ninjas reached a certain threshold, cutting costs became a necessity.
It had to either extract more from the Land of Fire or squeeze more from the Land of Wind. And as for the excess ninjas, how could they be kept from becoming a burden to the village and instead be used to maximize their value, making the village's investment in their training worthwhile?
There weren't many options available.
After inquiring further about Iwa and Kumo's movements, Yagura gained a clearer understanding of the current situation.
The most formidable combat clan in Konoha was the Uchiha, while the clan with the most jonin was the Hyūga.
The Four Great Clans of the Police Force represented the core of Konoha's offensive power. And right now, they were all here, along with a tailed beast.
However, the Two-Tails belonged to Masashi, and no one dared to entertain the idea of taking it from him.
Their true target was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
It was only during this battle that everyone learned the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was the wife of the Fourth Hokage and the head of the Uzumaki clan. At this moment, both she and Minato were being held up by Hizō.
Among the remaining Konoha clans, the Ino-Shika-Chō and the Sarutobi were weaker compared to the Police Force's Four Clans, but they had the advantage of numbers and greater resources. However, their leaders were currently being blocked by Orochimaru.
On the front lines, Jiraiya was holding the defense, while in the rear, Tsunade was managing logistics.
Overall, Konoha's response had been fairly well-prepared. It was clear they had anticipated an attack, though they still underestimated the severity of the situation. The three great villages still had an opening to exploit.
"The greatest pressure is on our side..." Yagura waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to remain silent while he thought things through.
Outside, night had fallen.
The battle had raged for nearly ten hours, and both the Susanoo warriors and the jinchūriki had withdrawn from the battlefield.
Without their towering avatars, the fighting had returned to a more conventional scale.
Although the power of a tailed beast was theoretically limitless compared to humans, a jinchūriki's stamina was not.
"Masashi hasn't shown up yet?"
"No, Mizukage-sama."
"What about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Any news from them?"
"None..."
Yagura tapped his makeshift desk. If the Seven Ninja Swordsmen hadn't returned, then he had no choice but to continue the fight. Fortunately, he had enough troops to rotate shifts.
Kisame was among Kiri's top-tier warriors, capable of fighting at a Kage-level.
Paired with Zabuza, the two of them were formidable opponents that most couldn't engage for long.
The reassembled Seven Ninja Swordsmen were his personal force. If not for that, he wouldn't have been able to round up all these unstable elements from within Kiri and send them to battle.
Losing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was unacceptable, at the very least, Kisame and Zabuza could not be lost.
"Ao."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
"I will infiltrate the Uchiha Clan District. You will take command of the forces here."
"Shouldn't we reconsider?" Ao asked.
He understood the importance of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
But ultimately, neither they nor the swords themselves were as vital as Yagura and the Three-Tails.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were originally created as a product of the Second Mizukage's fondness for deep infiltration and long-range strike tactics. While their swords were powerful, their over-reliance on weapons made them incomparable to the likes of Sannin or A-B Combo.
In fact, geniuses like Kisame and Zabuza might even surpass their current strength without the ninja swords.
"No need. In this era, no one can defeat Masashi in a one-on-one battle. I suspect that's who they encountered. If that's the case, then they might already be dead. But if they were dead, Masashi should have appeared here by now. I'll go check things out. After all, this is the Uchiha's home turf, he will be more anxious than I am."