The Holy Lord Revives

"Is this a technique similar to the 'Mayfly Technique' of the White Zetsu...?"

Uchiha Madara watched the shadows recede without any intention of giving chase; his battle with the Senju Hashirama statue had depleted a significant amount of his chakra, and it was not wise to continue fighting.

Besides, the power of the Rat Talisman didn't seem to be of much use to him? (Probably?)

After ordering the White Zetsu to clean up the battlefield, Uchiha Madara walked away without looking back. After all, this was the final scene where he and Senju Hashirama had preserved their memories, and having it destroyed like this still left him feeling somewhat displeased.

At the same time, he reached out to straighten the statue of Senju Hashirama, repairing it until it was as good as new. As for his own? "Hmph... what a pathetic Seal of Reconciliation, it truly makes one sick!"

Land of Fire, the capital.

Daimyo Mansion, at the end of the underground passage.

Although it was already late at night, Enshi Shu had no intention of sleeping. His face was full of anxiety as he paced back and forth in the passage, waiting for the Twelve Guardian Ninja or anyone from the Shadowkhan to return with news.

As the saying goes, "A prisoner waiting for their verdict is the most tormented," and Enshi Shu was currently in that exact situation.

Shendu had described the Rat Talisman as extremely important. He feared that if the mission failed and the Rat Talisman was not retrieved, he would disappoint Shendu, and he also worried that this failure would derail the subsequent plan to collect the talismans.

It was not until an abnormal shadow appeared on the wall that his hanging heart finally settled.

Taking the Rat Talisman from the hands of the Shadow Ninja, Enshi Shu ran all the way to the Shendu Statue and pressed the Rat Talisman into the slot.

As for the Twelve Guardian Ninja? They were just the old subordinates of the former Daimyo, not worth mentioning!

A dazzling light erupted from the body of the Shendu Statue, filling the entire room. Immediately after, the cold, rigid body of the Shendu statue began to soften. All the talismans embedded in his body were absorbed into his flesh. Huge claws extended from both sides of his torso, followed by legs and a tail. Finally, his eyes flashed with red light, revealing a ferocious, evil, and cruel expression. His head was shaped like flames, the spikes on both sides of his face were like sharp knives, and his mouth resembled that of a crocodile—this was the true form of Shendu.

"I have been resurrected!"

Shendu looked up and let out a roar accompanied by an electric hum. Enshi Shu immediately rushed forward, speaking with great anticipation:

"Welcome back to life! Lord Shendu! Now, let us begin to display our grand ambitions and take back everything that 'my kingdom' has lost!"

"Your kingdom? No! That is my kingdom!"

Having regained his freedom, Shendu immediately revealed his true demonic nature. He leaned down, staring at Enshi Shu with scarlet pupils, releasing a chilling, hot breath from his mouth.

"B-but... you promised that you would fight alongside me and make the Land of Fire great again!"

Shendu's powerful aura made Enshi Shu's legs go weak, but he still mustered the courage to lift his head and meet Shendu's gaze.

"I am a noble dragon, and also a demon sorcerer! As everyone knows, I do not keep my promises!"

The Fire Demon Chi on Shendu's body erupted as he said to the now-collapsed Enshi Shu: "And you... can only become my slave! Or face death!"

Faced with the threat to his life, Enshi Shu could no longer care about royal dignity or decorum; he immediately knelt down, declaring his "willingness to serve Lord Shendu."

"A wise choice. Now, it is time to summon my Dragon Minions!"

Shendu extended his sharp claws and gestured at the air, and the space was easily torn open to reveal a rift. Then, Shendu used brute force to widen the crack, and a large number of ferocious, fanged Dragon Minions flew out. They celebrated their newfound freedom with roars before scattering into the sky above the capital of the Land of Fire.

"Very good... now it is time to take back my Twelve Talismans!"

Shendu raised his head and unleashed an Eye Beam at the ceiling. With a "boom" that seemed to shatter Enshi Shu's eardrums, the ceiling exploded, and a large amount of rubble fell. But Shendu ignored it; his sturdy body had no need to dodge, and he let the debris strike him.

"First is the dog, which represents the power of immortality..."

The power of immortality was undoubtedly the most useful to Shendu right now. Although he was a demon born of heaven and earth with an eternal soul, that did not mean his physical body could not be destroyed. At the moment, "immortality" was the most important thing.

However... although Shendu, lacking the rabbit, could still use the chicken to float, it was ultimately too slow. Thus, he summoned a massive green Western dragon with a pair of bat wings. It was one of his Dragon Soldier subordinates, which could also serve as a mount. Like Shendu, it could breathe fire, but it could not speak and only roared.

--ROAR!

After Shendu sat firmly, the Dragon Soldier flapped its huge wings and soared into the sky, flying out through the blasted ceiling, leaving Enshi Shu alone in the underground passage that had already become a ruin.

"How could this be... how could it be like this...!"

Only now did he realize that Shendu had merely been using him and deceiving him. But he had no other options left; the Twelve Guardian Ninja were wiped out, and the forces he should have cultivated had been replaced by the Shadow Ninja. He was now isolated and helpless.

--BANG! BANG! BANG!

Loud noises came from above. Through the completely destroyed ceiling, Enshi Shu vaguely saw the sky, which seemed to be completely covered by a rosy glow. No...! That wasn't a rosy glow... it was a firestorm!

"Could it be that...?!"

Forcing his body, which was trembling with fear, to stand, Enshi Shu immediately ran out through the underground passage. However, as soon as he left the Daimyo Mansion, his eyes were met with a scene akin to hell.

The capital of the Land of Fire had turned into a massive ruin. People were fleeing in all directions, and screams and wails echoed through the sky. Dragon Minions were everywhere, spitting flames to scorch the earth. Many hungry Dragon Minions even charged directly into the crowds, devouring people as food.

"What have I... what have I done?!"

Just as Enshi Shu collapsed to the ground in despair, a thought suddenly popped into his mind:

"Right! There's still Konoha! They will help me!"

He habitually called out the names of his servants, but no one answered him. Only then did he suddenly remember that he had replaced everyone in the Daimyo Mansion as soon as he obtained the Shadowkhan. In other words... as noble as he was, he now had to walk to Konoha on his own.

Shendu rode the Dragon Soldier, flying rapidly across the sky of the Ninja World, looking down at the earth to track the aura of his talismans.

"Found it...!"

Shendu finally stopped above Uchiha Madara's lair, the "Graveyard of Mountains."

"Besides the dog, is there also the sheep? This birthday present is exactly to my liking!"

"Lord Madara! Lord Madara! A strange-looking fellow has arrived outside!"

"Hmm?"

Although he could no longer rely on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to supply his life force, Uchiha Madara still enjoyed resting against the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path for a nap after his great battles.

White Zetsu hurriedly woke Madara up. Just as he slowly opened his eyes, intending to ask what had happened, the cave suddenly shook violently, and a massive amount of quicksand and rubble came crashing down.