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Merely being glanced at by Uchiha Madara's Susanoo caused the shinobi of Konoha to tremble involuntarily.
It was no wonder they were afraid. They had just witnessed Madara's battle against the Nine-Tails, and his fully manifested Susanoo was practically invincible—impervious to all attacks, whether physical or elemental. Its overwhelming power and terrifying abilities left them feeling utterly helpless. If Madara were to unleash his Susanoo against them, they wouldn't stand a chance.
From the forehead of the towering Susanoo, Madara surveyed the crowd below. Among the Konoha shinobi, only a few retained their composure: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hatake Sakumo, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and some of the upper-ranked jonin. The rest showed little to no fighting spirit.
A faint, disdainful smile curled at the corner of Madara's lips. With a single leap, he exited his Susanoo, landing gracefully before the Konoha shinobi like a great bird taking flight. Behind him, the colossal Susanoo stood immovable, its presence alone enough to weigh heavily on everyone's minds.
The shinobi of Konoha immediately braced themselves for battle. The sheer pressure emanating from Madara's Susanoo was suffocating.
Standing atop a ruined rooftop, Uchiha Madara gazed down at the gathered shinobi of Konoha and finally began his first words to the village:
"Konoha...... I, Uchiha Madara, have...... returned!"
The shinobi swallowed hard, their eyes filled with extreme vigilance. Madara's crimson Mangekyō Sharingan glared down at them as he continued:
"It has been far too long since I last saw Mito Uzumaki. She is one of the few remaining individuals alive from my era. When old acquaintances meet, it's only natural to exchange proper greetings. What I did earlier was merely that—a greeting!"
The shinobi of Konoha were speechless, their thoughts filled with silent resentment:
A greeting?! Does a simple greeting involve destroying our village like this? I don't believe you for a second!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, steadied himself and stepped forward. With a stern expression, he addressed Madara:
"Uchiha Madara, you came to Konoha, harmed Lady Mito, unleashed the Nine-Tails to devastate our village, and now you dare to stand here and claim that all of this was just a 'greeting'! You clearly hold no respect for our village whatsoever!"
"Respect?"
Madara sneered coldly:
"In this entire shinobi world, who is truly worthy of earning my respect? Perhaps someone like Kenji might qualify. As for your Hidden Leaf Village—it is nothing more than an accidental creation born out of my alliance with Hashirama Senju. Something I, Uchiha Madara, could destroy in mere moments. Why should I show it any respect?"
The blatant arrogance in Madara's words infuriated Hiruzen, causing his blood to boil. For a moment, he nearly lost control and lashed out. However, considering that this was Uchiha Madara standing before him, Hiruzen managed to suppress his anger and decided not to provoke him further.
"Enough, Uchiha Madara. Enough of this nonsense. Tell us why you've come to Konoha. If you intend to harm our village, know this—I will stop you, even if it costs me my life!"
"Harm your village?"
Madara burst into mocking laughter, gesturing toward the chaos and destruction surrounding them:
"Isn't it obvious that I've already done so? Did you not witness me reduce parts of your precious village to rubble right before your eyes? When I fought the Nine-Tails moments ago, where was your so-called bravery then? Why didn't you rush forward to stop me, oh great monkey leader?"
Hiruzen froze, unable to respond. Madara's cutting words struck deep, leaving him momentarily stunned.
In the blink of an eye, Madara used his Lightning Flash Movement to appear directly in front of Hiruzen. Towering over him with overwhelming intimidation, he stared into Hiruzen's eyes and growled:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, here I am, standing right before you. Come on, show me how far you're willing to go! Let's see if you truly have the guts to fight back!"
Madara's words pierced through Hiruzen's heart like daggers. His eyes widened in shock, pupils shrinking to pinpoints as he stared at Madara's cold, unyielding face and the crimson glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
---
Continuing his verbal assault, Madara added:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are nothing but a hypocritical coward who spouts empty words. If I were in your position, I wouldn't waste time overthinking things. I'd simply charge straight at me without hesitation! But you… you're nothing but a spineless coward!"
Madara straightened up, no longer focusing solely on Hiruzen. He turned to survey the rest of the Konoha shinobi. Among them, only Hatake Sakumo had placed his hand on the hilt of his White Fang blade; the others remained motionless.
Snorting in contempt, Madara walked past them, his voice dripping with mockery:
"What's wrong with all of you? Have I scared you so badly that you've lost your nerve? This is the flawed creation Hashirama and I brought into existence—this is Konoha! Look at yourselves, so-called elite shinobi trembling in fear instead of taking action. Is this what the legendary Will of Fire amounts to?"
An eerie silence fell over the shinobi of Konoha, thick and oppressive. Madara's words were designed to crush their morale completely. And truthfully, it wasn't just them—even anyone else who had witnessed Madara's earlier battle against the Nine-Tails would find it hard to muster courage.
Hiruzen, still reeling from Madara's earlier psychological blows, hadn't fully recovered yet. Meanwhile, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya—though prodigies in their own right—had yet to reach Kage-level strength. Faced with Madara's overwhelming dominance, they too felt powerless.
Amidst the deathly silence, the sound of a sword being slowly drawn broke the tension. All eyes turned to the source—it was none other than Hatake Sakumo. With icy resolve, he unsheathed his White Fang blade, raising it steadily despite the immense pressure bearing down upon him, pointing it squarely at Madara.
The shinobi of Konoha collectively exhaled in relief. Finally, someone had stepped forward to take a stand. At this moment, every single one of them felt immense gratitude toward Sakumo.
"It's...... Lord White Fang!"
"No wonder he's called Lord White Fang!"
"Yes, this is exactly what we expect from the White Fang of Konoha!"
Voices of admiration rippled through the ranks of Konoha's shinobi.
Seeing this, Hiruzen, who had somewhat regained his composure, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Yet, as he watched the shinobi rally around Sakumo with newfound hope, a flicker of resentment stirred within him.
That guy… choosing this moment to seize authority and popularity… Where does that leave me, the Hokage?