"Chizan, just now—who exactly did you turn into? And what was that thing you had me simulate with Genjutsu?"
"I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but I just can't remember..."
"If I'm not mistaken, wasn't that someone from the Uchiha clan?"
Ichikishimahime asked with a face full of curiosity.
That person just now seemed so familiar, but she couldn't recall who it was.
Not only her—Chōmei was also puzzled. After all, he had seen the Sharingan and heard that tone of voice.
It felt like he'd encountered such a person decades ago.
Gekko Chizan chuckled.
"You should all know who that person was. After all, this shinobi world has ended up like this largely because of him."
This sentence only made Ichikishimahime and Chōmei more curious.
"Uchiha Madara, the most dazzling genius of the Uchiha clan!"
"If it weren't for his falling out with the First Hokage, which led to the Battle of the Valley of the End..."
"With the First Hokage Senju Hashirama in Konoha, the other villages would have had no choice but to behave themselves."
The words "Uchiha Madara" struck Ichikishimahime and Chōmei like a heavy hammer.
Both were utterly stunned, their faces filled with shock.
The former leader of the Uchiha clan...
In an instant, Ichikishimahime realized what that blue skeletal figure Chizan had him simulate was—
The ultimate ability derived from the pinnacle of the Sharingan: Susanoo!
Chōmei was even more shaken, because he knew Uchiha Madara—just like the First Hokage, he was someone who could crush tailed beasts with sheer personal strength.
Even the Nine-Tails wasn't his match.
"My god, you actually dared to imitate him? Aren't you afraid of being recognized? That was someone from decades ago!"
"Even if he were still alive, he'd be an old man by now, right?"
"This is far too risky."
Ichikishimahime really thought Chizan was something else—daring to impersonate someone from who-knows-how-many years ago.
Sure, that man had once been legendary.
But if people found out his name was being used by some brat for deception, wouldn't he jump out of his coffin in rage?
Unbeknownst to them, in a hidden mountain cave, the white-haired old man Madara suddenly sneezed.
He muttered to himself: "Must be Hashirama thinking about me. Don't worry, Hashirama... before long, I'll come down and join you. Though I won't be staying with you for too long—I still have plans to finish!"
"Tch, what does it matter? Maybe with one good scare, Iwagakure's shinobi will stay quiet for a long time."
After all, Ōnoki and Uchiha Madara shared a tangled fate.
[Ding! Detected that the host used Ryūchi Cave Genjutsu combined with Crystal Release to impersonate Uchiha Madara, delivering a devastating blow to Iwagakure shinobi. Killed 22, 3 escaped, while survivors were left with lasting terror. Special reward: Genjutsu +3.]
The reward came slowly, but Gekko Chizan didn't care. What he wanted wasn't this.
What he wanted was for Kitsuchi and his companions to return to Iwagakure and report what had happened to Ōnoki, so that Ōnoki would issue him a reward.
He was certain he could get something out of Ōnoki's hands. After all—this was Uchiha Madara! Hahahaha!
"Ichikishimahime, let's go. I'll deliver those snakeberries I promised you in a few days. For now, I've got to get out of here."
"I can't stay in the Land of Earth. I need to leave quickly."
Chizan dispelled his Transformation Technique, unfurled his wings, and flew toward the Land of Grass.
He was afraid that if he lingered, that old man Ōnoki might swoop down on him, which would be troublesome.
But he was worrying too much.
At that moment, Kitsuchi and the two surviving jōnin were several kilometers away, gasping for breath.
"Kitsuchi, it's all thanks to you—otherwise we'd be dead for sure."
One of the jōnin still felt lingering dread. His mind was full of that sea of flames and the blue skeletal figure.
Kitsuchi's expression was equally shaken. That sky-darkening terror still clung to his heart.
And he felt he recognized that identity. Someone considered a taboo in Iwagakure.
He just didn't understand why that person would appear in the Land of Earth. By all rights, he should be dead.
That was a shinobi even older than his father. By time alone, he shouldn't still be alive.
"Back to the village—now! We have to report this to the Tsuchikage immediately!"
"The enemy came with overwhelming power. This is a grave threat to Iwagakure."
"Move! Calm yourselves on the way!"
With one powerful arm, Kitsuchi grabbed each of the two remaining shinobi, hauling them off the ground, and started running toward Iwagakure.
But suddenly, a voice shouted from the other side, making him stop.
"Kitsuchi-sama! It really is you!"
"The mission... failed..."
The words "mission failed" made Kitsuchi's brow twitch.
The enemy had been so overwhelming that he had even forgotten—they still had another squad. But when the battered survivors came into view, he froze.
From an original 25-man team, only 14 remained, all wounded, looking utterly miserable.
"What happened to you all? Weren't you just facing a bunch of snakes?"
"And you even had cinnabar... how did it end up like this?"
Faced with Kitsuchi's questioning, the group's faces filled with fear.
"Snakes... giant snakes... dozens of them..."
"Kitsuchi-sama, those snakes weren't afraid of cinnabar at all. There were so many, far beyond what we could handle."
One of the chūnin trembled violently just recalling it. That was pure, soul-deep fear.
Snakes? Giant snakes? What the hell was going on?
"What nonsense are you spouting? Giant snakes?"
"You—tell me! What really happened?"
Seeing the chūnin so terrified only made Kitsuchi angrier. He turned to the jōnin beside him, waiting for a proper explanation.
"He's not lying. They really were giant snakes—dozens of massive anacondas."
"I've fought on the front lines before. Konoha's Orochimaru summons the same kind of snake. I wouldn't mistake them."
"And these snakes truly weren't afraid of cinnabar. It was useless. Worse, it seemed like they could use Genjutsu. Every time I tried to attack, my mind was filled with endless snake pupils—I couldn't fight at full strength."
"If we hadn't retreated when we did, none of us would've made it out alive."
The jōnin's face was grim. Facing that many snakes—it was terrifying.
If the chūnin had simply been frightened into rambling nonsense, the jōnin's words could not be dismissed so easily.
Kitsuchi had no choice but to believe it.
But what stood out to him wasn't the snakes—it was the mention of Genjutsu.
"Genjutsu, huh..."
"It seems all the disasters in the Land of Earth are the work of a single man... Genjutsu... could it be Uchiha..."
"Enough—let's go. Bring the wounded. We're returning to the village immediately!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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