The Raikage had admitted defeat.
The news spread from Kumogakure across the entire Shinobi World as if it had sprouted wings. There was no need for secret channels; the merchants watching the battle had seen the whole thing clearly.
With nearly ten thousand people watching, the Raikage had given it everything he had just to barely break Susanoo's long sword and pierce its shield with his spear. But none of that had made Uchiha Madara take a single step back.
Yet Uchiha Madara never answered the question he had raised at the start of the battle. Did the Raikage live up to the title of "Shadow" as Madara understood it? That question spread throughout the Shinobi World along with the merchants' reports.
"That's how the battle went." Watching boxes of ore being carried one by one onto wagons, the merchant, who had been sitting on a rock chatting with two shinobi, stood up and ended the topic.
"I think Madara must have acknowledged the Raikage in the end. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left without saying a word."
The man with the black scar on his face watched the wagon disappear into the endless mountain range. After seeing the merchant off, he spoke with lingering curiosity.
"Hey, Kuroiwa, if you really want to know the answer, why not just ask Uchiha Madara himself in a few days?" The lazy-looking man covered his mouth with a hand as he stifled a yawn, teasing him without much interest.
The black, cloud-like scar twisted with his facial muscles, making him look rather fierce. Seeing no one nearby, Kuroiwa lowered his voice. "At Madara's speed, the Land of Lightning isn't all that far from the Land of Earth. Should we notify Lord Tsuchikage and have him prepare in advance?"
The lazy-looking man couldn't help laughing.