Madara Uchiha, Not Worth Mentioning

Hashirama looked at his disciple with gratification. At such a young age, he could already unleash a ninjutsu over such a large area. He truly was a Genius!

"Because I spent a long time preparing in advance, today's consumption wasn't particularly severe."

Hashirama nodded at that. Torikaze had always been a child who gave him little to worry about, though that often made Hashirama feel as if he were rather unqualified as a master.

"Why did you think of setting up a Cloud Mist Formation outside the village?" Hashirama asked.

"Because I felt that the forest outside Konoha already counted as a natural barrier, so I had the idea of seeing whether I could strengthen that barrier even further."

Hashirama smiled. He was very satisfied with what Torikaze had done today. This way, the village would not need to assign so many ninja to stand guard and patrol.

More manpower could be freed up for other work. Everything in Konoha was flourishing at the moment, and many jobs were short on people.

Now that Torikaze had done this, it would at least somewhat ease the current manpower shortage.

"Not bad, not bad. I'll credit you with a merit."

"Thank you, Shishou!"

He had only come to report what he had done, afraid that it might be mistaken for an enemy attack.

Unexpectedly, not only had the two lords praised him, he had also earned a merit.

This was an honor countless ninja dreamed of! Yet Torikaze truly deserved it. This single Cloud Mist Formation might save many lives in Konoha.

Afterward, Torikaze discussed some cultivation matters with the two lords. During that time, he subtly reminded them that tonight might not be peaceful.

However, Hashirama did not seem to catch the meaning behind Torikaze's words, while a thoughtful look flashed through Tobirama's eyes.

In any case, Torikaze had done everything he could. He had set up a large-scale Cloud Mist Sensing Technique and told the guards at the gate that tonight might be dangerous, so they needed to watch the entrance carefully.

The only thing left was to shout in the streets, "Madara Uchiha is coming tonight, everyone be careful!"

But if he really did that, he would probably be arrested and thrown into a dark cell.

Torikaze was still somewhat worried. Mainly, he feared that Madara Uchiha's first stop would be the Uchiha Clan, where he might rally his former clansmen.

Kagami had once said that nearly every member of the Uchiha hawks had something wrong with their heads. They had peaceful lives but insisted on going out to wage war.

If Madara Uchiha came back, wouldn't they eagerly run off to follow him?

But after giving it further thought, Torikaze remembered that when Madara Uchiha had wanted to lead his clansmen away from Konoha, not a single person had followed him. Now that he had returned, it was unlikely he still held any attachment to that clan.

He probably looked down on those "foolish" clansmen as well. After all, he had seen true "peace" with his own eyes.

Torikaze still had to fight Madara Uchiha tonight and had no way to keep watch over Chisato's side. But with Kagami beside Chisato, nothing should happen.

Konoha definitely would not be peaceful today. Once the Uchiha hawks heard that Madara Uchiha had returned, there was a very high chance they would start causing unrest.

Hopefully, it would not affect too many people. With Lord Tobirama around, there should not be any problems.

As Torikaze repeatedly considered whether he had overlooked anything, time quietly slipped away.

Night soon fell, and everyone returned home to sleep. Since it was the first day the formation had been activated, the number of ninja patrolling the village had not been reduced.

After all, the formation's practicality still needed to be tested.

Torikaze sat cross-legged on his bed at home, his eyes tightly shut as he concentrated on sensing everything within the clouds and mist.

A cat or two would occasionally run past, and several wild boars would wander about from time to time. In short, after checking for quite a while, he found no living being with Chakra.

Just as Torikaze was about to relax for a moment, a living being possessing incomparably vast Chakra slowly stepped into the clouds and mist.

The man strolled forward, examining the surrounding mist as though taking a leisurely walk.

Torikaze had no doubt or hesitation whatsoever. He immediately blurted out, "Madara Uchiha is here!"

The man he had waited an entire year for had finally arrived!

Torikaze could not describe how he felt—excitement, hesitation, anger, relief, and much more.

Yet fear was the one thing he did not feel. Perhaps it was because he held a trump card in his hand, or perhaps because over the past year, Torikaze had rehearsed in his mind countless times the day Madara Uchiha attacked Konoha.

Maybe he had already grown used to it. But no matter what, this man, whom only Hashirama Senju could contend with, still made Torikaze nervous.

"Cloud Release—Flowing Cloud Flying Bird Technique."

A cloud-mist bird slowly took shape. Torikaze whispered a message into its ear, then released it toward the Hokage Rock Faces.

The day has finally come. System, open the Shop!

A pale-blue Shop panel unfolded before Torikaze's eyes. With no interest in browsing the other items, he quickly searched for the Ancestor Trial Card.

Found it! System, exchange it!

Ding—Congratulations, Host, on successfully exchanging for: Cloud Incarnate Dust One-Day Trial Card.

Watching 60,000 Tranquility Points vanish in an instant, Torikaze could not help but feel a sharp ache in his heart.

He had saved money for a year, only to spend it in a single moment.

Torikaze felt that Heaven's way of punishing him for being too wealthy was to give him a system. He possessed immense wealth in reality, but Tranquility Points taught him how to be humble.

Yet only a moment later, Torikaze suddenly felt an enormous energy surge into his body!

Then he discovered that he could no longer skillfully control his body. His skin, voice, and appearance were all changing!

Torikaze was somewhat panicked at first, but remembering the system's description of the item, he calmed down again.

"This Trial Card really is quite a marvelous feeling." Torikaze spoke, but the voice that came out felt unfamiliar to him.

It was the voice of something like a young man, yet its tone carried the air of someone who had seen through all the vicissitudes of the world.

Could Ancestor really be a young man? This absurd thought instantly filled Torikaze's mind.

Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain that voice!

After a while, Torikaze gradually regained control of his body. He walked over to the mirror, only to see someone else reflected there.

The man stood eight feet tall and wore a Jade Crown. He was handsome and refined, with white hair like Torikaze's falling behind his back. He wore a White Robe, patterned with Hidden Cloud Crane Crests.

If, as Torikaze had said, Ancestor Cloud Incarnate Dust was a swordsman from another world, then he was surely a peerless beauty capable of captivating countless female cultivators!

Just as Torikaze was still comparing himself to the reflection in the mirror, a segment of memories that did not belong to him flooded into his mind.

What surprised Torikaze was that these memories were all Ancestor's cultivation methods and techniques. They were completely different from the ninjutsu he had learned!

The impact made Torikaze dizzy for a moment. It took him a full minute to sort out his thoughts again before he began examining Ancestor's cultivation methods!

Torikaze did not know what level of strength he possessed now, but he felt incomparably relaxed.

Because after examining those memories, Torikaze discovered that Madara Uchiha was simply not worth mentioning.