Madara declared it openly.
He was just as proud, just as domineering as ever.
Sure, a surprise attack would make it easier to crush Iwagakure, but as Madara Uchiha, he wouldn't stoop to that.
Besides, what difference would it make if Iwagakure had time to prepare?
Under an overwhelming difference in strength, every defense and trick would be swept away like dead leaves.
He would crush Iwagakure's will to resist with a grand, open display of power, making them break down in utter despair.
That would be much less trouble than wiping out the village by surprise.
Then there'd be no survivors claiming to inherit the Stone Will and spending every day dreaming of rebuilding the village.
One battle, and it would be done.
Wiping out Iwagakure in a single battle was what Madara wanted!
At this,
Mu, representing Iwagakure, was completely stunned.
He regretted provoking the inscrutable lunatic that was Madara Uchiha.
But there was no turning back now, so he had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept it.
"Are Konoha and Lord Madara declaring war on Iwagakure?"
Mu gritted out the question, trying to make one last stand.
"I speak for myself. This has nothing to do with Konoha."
"But you're part of Konoha!"
"What you think is your business. You don't get to tell me what to do. The strong prey on the weak—that's the law of the Ninja World!"
At this,
Mu gave up his last shred of hope.
He was certain Madara Uchiha wasn't joking. He truly intended to wipe out Iwagakure!
When it came to someone this powerful,
once he'd made up his mind, no amount of persuasion would change it.
"Then let me confirm one thing. In three days, will it just be you, Lord Madara? Will Konoha send any other shinobi?"
"I'll go alone!"
Madara answered without hesitation, his voice full of confidence.
"Fine!"
"Then Iwagakure will be waiting to face you in three days, Lord Madara!"
Mu stopped wasting time. He picked up Ōnoki and quickly turned to leave.
He wanted to get back to Iwagakure as soon as possible and report the news.
That would give the Tsuchikage and the village time to prepare.
For Iwagakure, this was both an unprecedented crisis and a major opportunity.
If they couldn't withstand Madara's attack, then it was all over.
But if they could hold out against him—or even defeat him head-on—Iwagakure would make a name for itself in a single battle!
That would bring them immense political prestige and establish their position in the Ninja World once and for all.
Risk and opportunity often went hand in hand.
Whether they could seize the opportunity would depend on their own strength.
Madara Uchiha, a man renowned as the equal of Hashirama Senju, was certainly powerful. But defeating an entire village on his own would be no easy feat!
As long as Konoha didn't send other shinobi, Iwagakure might still have a chance to win!
As soon as Mu and Ōnoki had left,
Natsu Yuu appeared beside Madara in a flash.
Madara had grown used to Natsu Yuu's uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere. In the back of his mind, he'd come to regard Natsu Yuu as half a Sage.
"You're planning to take on all of Iwagakure by yourself?"
"I'm enough."
"Never considered the possibility of losing?"
"I can't lose."
"Worried Hashirama might stop you?"
"He won't find out. By the time he does, Iwagakure will be gone for good..." Madara said confidently.
"Oh? Did you put Mu under a Genjutsu?"
"Hmph. He's a fool who underestimates the Uchiha."
Madara didn't deny it.
Mu had seemed perfectly normal, but from the moment he first met Madara's gaze,
he'd already been caught in Madara's Genjutsu!
It wasn't a powerful attack Genjutsu, of course. Just a little suggestion: after retreating, Mu wouldn't tell Konoha what had happened. He'd be in such a hurry to leave Konoha that he'd flee in the middle of the night.
Madara might have been proud, battle-hungry, obsessive, domineering, ruthless, and more...
But he was also a skilled schemer and planner, and extremely cautious.
Once he made a move,
he left himself no openings.
Aside from Hashirama, he'd never lost to anyone...
"After you wipe out Iwagakure, every shinobi clan in the world will see you as an enemy."
"I don't care."
Madara was unconcerned and unafraid.
To him, this was just a transaction.
He would trade the destruction of Iwagakure—a feat he could accomplish and whose consequences he could bear—for the chance to travel to the future and verify whether the Moon Eye Plan was real.
As for whether Natsu Yuu might be lying to him?
He'd worry about that after destroying Iwagakure. If necessary, he could always have another dance with this Sage!
And what if the other shinobi clans and great nations turned against him afterward?
Sorry.
Madara didn't care in the slightest.
If they were capable, they could come and kill him!
"Aren't you worried Konoha will be dragged into this?" Natsu Yuu continued.
"With Hashirama around, it won't make much difference," Madara replied candidly.
As long as Hashirama was alive, Konoha wouldn't fall.
"What about your Uchiha Clan?"
"..."
Madara paused, then fell silent.
He himself might not fear the entire Ninja World turning against him, but the other Uchiha wouldn't necessarily be able to withstand it.
If that happened, any Uchiha sent on a mission would be hunted down by shinobi from enemy nations.
It wasn't as if every Uchiha could hide inside Konoha forever.
They wouldn't earn money, develop, or gain combat experience...
In less than two generations, the entire Uchiha Clan might become useless...
Unless
Madara could kill every enemy shinobi in the world!
Or unify the entire Ninja World and bring every shinobi clan under Konoha's rule!
Looking at it that way,
if Madara chose to destroy Iwagakure, he might have no way back. Would he have no choice but to become an enemy of the entire Ninja World?
"Is that what you were really after?"
Madara turned to Natsu Yuu and demanded coldly.
He'd tried using Genjutsu on Natsu Yuu before, but it hadn't worked at all, so he'd given up.
Natsu Yuu didn't answer right away.
Instead, he casually pulled out two cans of iced cola and tossed one to Madara.
"Pop—!"
Natsu Yuu cracked open the tab and took a sip.
The cool, refreshing fizz filled his mouth, easing some of the night's summer heat.
Madara looked at the can.
Realizing it was probably some kind of drink, he did the same and took a big gulp.
Madara wasn't worried it might be poisoned.
If Natsu Yuu wanted to kill him, there was no need to make things so complicated.
Wouldn't it be easier to wait until he was asleep, teleport over, and stab him in the heart?
"Cough, cough—!"
The bubbles caught Madara off guard, making him choke.
But the sweet taste and sharp fizz of the sugary cola made his eyes light up.
Sugar was essential for the body.
Shinobi were human, too. They needed food for energy, so they naturally craved the sweetness and stimulation their taste buds responded to.
And it seemed to leave him feeling a little more energized and relaxed?
This was good stuff!
If shinobi in the Warring States Period had all been given drinks like this, they could have replenished their energy and stimulated their minds.
Maybe then so many clansmen wouldn't have been driven to mental collapse and suicide.
But what was Natsu Yuu getting at?
Did he think he could buy Madara Uchiha with a single can of soda?
Was this Sage really that naive?
Just then,
Natsu Yuu suddenly changed the subject:
"The Rinnegan can be used to perform a Forbidden Jutsu beyond the Six Paths, called the Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
"?"
"This technique can revive the dead."
"!!!"
Madara was startled. His expression turned intensely excited, as if he'd thought of something.
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