Oppressively, like surging waves, the tension crept into the hearts of Toby and White Zetsu. Standing silently beside each other, their taut nerves revealed their anxiety and panic.
After all, everything unfolding before them happened too swiftly, and the turn of events surpassed their expectations; they honestly didn't know what to do.
"I see, was the previous battle intentional?"
Toby seemed to realize something.
He wasn't someone with a slow mind; although he often acted unpredictably, he possessed strong reasoning abilities.
Perhaps he hadn't reacted at first, but with the situation evolving into this, Toby understood that the previous battle was just a trap set by Ruri.
It wasn't solely relying on brute strength or following a principle of power; there still existed excellent tactical prowess in battle and extermination.
"Realizing now is already too late. What's in there?"
Ruri focused her gaze ahead into the darkness, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Upon arriving, she sensed a very eerie atmosphere enveloping the darkness ahead.
Faintly, a weak breathing sound could be heard.
"Wait!"
Toby intended to move forward to intervene, but Ruri was faster, using Instantaneous Body Jutsu to leave her spot.
Toby swiftly turned to look; Ruri was already standing in the darkness, scrutinizing the objects inside with her Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
A massive shadow of a creature, the material seemingly made of wood, yet the Chakra felt very cold to Ruri, with a suffocating sensation like being stuck in a quagmire.
In front of the creature, a figure lightly breathed.
Judging by the breathing frequency and sound, this person's condition was very poor; likely too weak to even walk properly.
Ruri continued walking forward, toward the source of the sound.
Each footstep was exceedingly clear.
Finally, she stopped at the location of the sound.
An extremely old man, face wrinkled, sat hunched at the enormous shadow's front, head bowed, gasping heavily, exhibiting abnormal weakness.
A full head of white hair draped down, and his hands were shriveled like dry wood.
Wearing a tattered gray-blue robe, the edges bore signs of damage.
On his clothing, Ruri saw the Uchiha fan emblem.
"An Uchiha clansman? But I never thought you'd be in such a pathetic state. Who exactly are you?"
Ruri didn't know the identity of this elderly man, but being this aged, walking itself would likely be quite a challenge.
After listening to Ruri's narration, the old man slowly raised his head, revealing eyes identical to Ruri's, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Lips parched, face etched with wrinkles, coarse like the old bark of a tree.
"I didn't expect, after leaving my family for so many years, the Uchiha could still produce such an exceptional ninja like you..."
He spoke with a tone of sentiment, as if reminiscing about something.
Ruri stared at the old man's face, feeling she'd seen it somewhere before.
Though aged beyond recognition, she somewhat sensed that this face belonged to an Uchiha clansman she'd seen in the past.
However, in her memory, among the retired Uchiha elders, this old man wasn't supposed to be included.
Following this, Ruri glanced to the side, spotting an odd long-handled weapon.
Calling it a weapon wasn't accurate; to most people, it didn't appear as one, but to Ruri, it certainly was recorded within the Uchiha as a weapon.
Moreover, it was a long-lost weapon.
Bending down, Ruri ignored the old man's self-talk, picked up the weapon in her hand, carefully examining it.
Its weight was considerable; a fan weapon, with Magatama engraved on it.
The other end of the long handle was connected to an iron chain, and that end bore a sharp long-handled scythe.
"This is the long-lost Flame Circle Fan of the Uchiha; how did it end up in your possession?"
Since Uchiha Madara's defeat in the Valley of the End against Senju Hashirama years ago, this iconic Uchiha weapon had disappeared.
Ruri always believed that after Uchiha Madara's defeat, this weapon had been hidden by the Senju clan, with no intention of returning it to the Uchiha Race. But Ruri didn't expect to encounter this legendary Uchiha Divine Artifact here.
"My name is Uchiha Madara."
The old man glanced deeply at Ruri, his expression should be considered composed, as he courageously revealed his identity.
Ruri paused silently with the Flame Circle Fan in hand.
"Lord Madara!"
Toby called out anxiously from where he stood.
"Enough, Toby. At this point, there's no need for secrecy anymore."
Madara spoke thusly.
Ruri gazed at the old man who claimed to be 'Madara,' then slightly raised her hand holding the Flame Circle Fan and spoke:
"This weapon is quite nice; from now on, it'll be mine. Judging by your appearance, you probably can't wield it anymore, can you?"
"..."
Madara remained silent.
Indeed, as Ruri said, he was already in a state where wielding weapons for battle was impossible.
Suddenly, the ground emitted a cracking sound as several White Zetsu emerged from different directions, attacking Ruri.
Without thinking, Ruri rotated her arm, the scythe connected to the Flame Circle Fan swiftly swung out, slicing through the air.
The heads of the White Zetsu rolled away, falling before Madara.
Madara neither blinked nor changed his expression, calmly watching these White Zetsu face their deaths.
Ruri flicked the scythe's blade edge with her finger, producing a slight ringing sound, appearing incredibly sharp.