The King's Return

"Heh."

Madara Uchiha could sense that the other party was still going their own way, showing not the slightest intention of changing direction.

Far from coming to find him, the individual had even accelerated their speed in the opposite direction.

One had to realize that he usually relied on the Demonic Statue to supply him with chakra to sustain his life.

At this moment, Madara Uchiha had already disconnected the tubes linking him to the Demonic Statue.

What was supporting his aged shell now was the layer of White Zetsu wrapped around his entire body, which allowed his crumbling physique to remain stable.

It was just that White Zetsu was still too inferior; even when possessing him, it could not bring out even one-third of his original strength, let alone his peak state.

This made Madara Uchiha sigh, "As expected, I must rely on the plan to be resurrected!"

Originally, after arranging things for Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu, Madara Uchiha had prepared to pull out the tubes himself and fall into a long sleep in the true physical sense.

However, the genius within the Uchiha Clan who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan had piqued his curiosity.

After all, even Uchiha Obito had only awakened his Mangekyo under his secret manipulation.

Yet, someone in the village had actually managed to awaken it on their own.

How could this not pique the interest of Madara Uchiha?

As for the candidates in Konoha who might have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, Madara Uchiha had guessed it would be the head of the Uchiha Clan.

He suspected Uchiha Fugaku or his child Uchiha Itachi, as Uchiha Sasuke had not yet been born at this time and was naturally not within the scope of Madara Uchiha's considerations.

But the resonance of the Sharingan just now told him that this person was not from the lineage of the Uchiha Clan head.

This increased his inner curiosity even further.

Feeling that his time was running out after detaching from the Demonic Statue, Madara Uchiha had no choice but to hurry.

"The resonance between Mangekyo—is he not even the slightest bit curious about it?!"

If it were anyone else, they might have already rushed over to investigate.

That this child could be so patient truly left Madara Uchiha feeling slightly surprised.

With no other choice, Madara Uchiha had to take the initiative to find him.

He placed his palm against the massive spherical barrier shrouding the sky above Konoha, patiently searching for its familiar weak points.

Fortunately, before leaving the village, he had left behind quite a few contingencies in Konoha.

For instance, right before him was the access code for this Konoha barrier.

With just this code, Madara Uchiha could sneak into the village without anyone noticing.

The White Zetsu attached to his body cautiously reminded him, "Lord Madara, if the people in the village discover this..."

"Tsk!"

A mere shift in the tone of Madara Uchiha was enough to terrify White Zetsu into silence.

Before long, Madara Uchiha stood atop a utility pole on a street in Konoha.

He surveyed the Uchiha clansman below with an amused gaze.

"Tell me your name."

"Uh..."

Yatsuhashi naturally noticed Madara Uchiha looking down at him from above the moment he arrived.

Looking at the mysterious figure wrapped entirely in White Zetsu, with only a White Spiral Mask visible on his face, Yatsuhashi did not hesitate to shout, "I am Madara Uchiha. You rat hiding your head and showing your tail, do you wish to dance as well?"

"..."

Madara Uchiha looked at Yatsuhashi, who was also wearing an Eagle Mask that obscured his true face.

"Interesting brat."

The resonance between their Mangekyo allowed Yatsuhashi to realize that this person had managed to infiltrate the village just like that.

Despite the short amount of time, Yatsuhashi had made full preparations.

For instance, wearing an Anbu mask to conceal his identity.

He already had a rough guess in his heart regarding the identity of the intruder.

He just hadn't expected the other party to arrive so quickly!

"Forget it."

Madara Uchiha had clearly lost interest in recruiting the Yatsuhashi before him.

"I will take your eyes!"

In the next second, Madara Uchiha, who had been standing on the utility pole, vanished from before Yatsuhashi in an instant.

"So fast!"

Even with his Mangekyo activated, this terrifying speed gave Yatsuhashi a jolt of shock.

Almost the second after Madara Uchiha disappeared, he had already arrived in front of Yatsuhashi. "Still, too slow!"

With that said, Madara Uchiha's left hand lunged violently toward Yatsuhashi's right eye.

"I'll start by taking one of your eyes."

Just as his fingertips were about to touch Yatsuhashi's eye, Yatsuhashi immediately launched a counterattack.

He used his right arm to parry, knocking Madara Uchiha's left hand aside, causing his fingertips to graze Yatsuhashi's forehead.

Although he narrowly avoided his eye socket, his forehead was still slashed open, sending a spray of blood droplets into the air.

Yatsuhashi then followed through by wrapping his right hand around Madara Uchiha's left arm, pressing down heavily to pin the entire limb under his armpit.

Finally, he prepared to strike Madara Uchiha's exposed abdomen with a punch from his left hand.

However, at this critical moment, Madara Uchiha suddenly delivered a knee strike to his chest.

"Bang!"

This knee strike slammed heavily into Yatsuhashi's chest.

The immense force sent him flying backward, only coming to a halt after crashing through two courtyard walls.

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye, so fast that the White Zetsu attached to Madara Uchiha hadn't even seen what had just happened.

"Ha?!"

Madara Uchiha watched Yatsuhashi, who had been sent flying until he smashed through the perimeter wall.

"Interesting. To think you could keep up with my speed—is this your ocular jutsu?"

Yatsuhashi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with gravity.

He had to keep in mind that he had long since awakened his Mangekyo.

Yet, his opponent was currently using nothing more than a standard Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

To be physically overwhelmed by someone using only a Three-Tomoe was something he couldn't afford to ignore.

Was this the true strength of Uchiha Obito?

No, that was impossible!

Then who exactly was this person?

Cold sweat beaded on Yatsuhashi's forehead.

At the same time, he felt a secret sense of relief that he hadn't been foolish enough to run out of the village.

"Damn it, why hasn't the Anbu backup arrived yet?!"

Back when Yatsuhashi first sensed the intruder entering the village, he had already sent word for the nearby patrolling Anbu member, Hayate Gekko, to call for reinforcements.

This was the source of his confidence in staying put to face his opponent.

However, Yatsuhashi had already engaged the man in combat.

Why hadn't Hayate Gekko brought the Anbu reinforcements yet?!

"Heh!"

Madara Uchiha walked toward him step by step. "What's the matter? Are you naturally averse to speaking?"

Yatsuhashi's gaze turned icy as he slowly rose from the ground.

He knew that against an enemy like this, he would only have one chance.

He had to seize this sole opportunity.

"Eight Inner Gates: Gate of Pain, Open!!!"

A visible surge of chakra erupted from Yatsuhashi's body, boosting his strength by another significant margin.

At the same time, that vial of lethal First Hokage Cell Serum quietly appeared in his hand.

This small trick was naturally caught by Madara Uchiha's eyes.

"It seems you still intend to..."

However, before Madara Uchiha could finish his sentence, Yatsuhashi moved.

This time, his speed was so great that he left a long trail of afterimages in the air.

White Zetsu shrieked in terror, "My lord, watch out!"

"Shut up!"

Madara Uchiha remained completely unfazed, throwing his own fist forward to meet the attack.

"Boom--!!!"

The collision of their fists unleashed a shockwave that instantly tore the surrounding rooftops apart.

Yatsuhashi poured every ounce of his chakra into that single strike.

As the punch landed, there were no flashy effects to be seen.

Only the purest, most primal, and terrifying power capable of destroying everything!

The very earth seemed to tremble at that moment, and a massive fissure snaked down the street for hundreds of meters.

Yet, Madara Uchiha, who had been standing opposite him, was nowhere to be found.

The moment they made contact, he had been sent flying by Yatsuhashi's punch.

As the dust settled, Yatsuhashi knelt on one knee, staring at the massive crack ahead.

"It's over..."

Yatsuhashi gasped for air, his chakra reserves nearly depleted.

The chakra consumed by this punch far exceeded that of an ordinary jonin, which was why it had produced such a terrifying result.

"You shouldn't let your guard down in the middle of a fight!"

However, to Yatsuhashi's shock, Madara Uchiha, who had clearly been struck by his punch, suddenly emerged from the ground the very next second.

"Your strike was indeed impressive, but it's a pity."

One of Madara Uchiha's Three-Tomoe Sharingan eyes

had quietly turned a completely blind, grayish-white.

This was the divine technique of the Uchiha Clan, which required the sacrifice of a Sharingan to turn an unfavorable reality into a dream—Izanagi.

Madara Uchiha looked at the massive amount of chakra Yatsuhashi had just expended.

"Is this your dojutsu? Trading chakra for power."

"How truly boring."

Madara Uchiha had no intention of wasting any more time, as the commotion he had just caused would surely attract the village's attention.

His figure flickered, closing the distance to Yatsuhashi once more, his fingers reaching straight for his eyes.

At this critical moment, Yatsuhashi lunged to his feet.

How could he possibly fall here?

He still had people he needed to protect.

Clinging to this conviction, Yatsuhashi forced himself to draw upon his remaining strength, clashing with Madara Uchiha once again.

The two traded blows with blinding speed.

So fast that the shockwaves from their exchange

erupted in sharp, piercing roars across the scene.

Just then, Yatsuhashi took a heavy blow from Madara Uchiha head-on, trading the hit for a chance to inject the lethal serum in his hand into Madara Uchiha's body.

Madara Uchiha let out a cold snort.

His eyes had long since caught this small movement from Yatsuhashi.

After all, the body of Madara Uchiha had been bolstered by Hashirama Cells.

The terrifying life force of Hashirama allowed him to fear no schemes or tricks in this world.

Madara Uchiha curled his lips in a contemptuous sneer.

"Petty tricks."

There was not a shred of fear on his face.

He simply struck Yatsuhashi with a heavy palm, sending him flying.

He chose to tank Yatsuhashi's desperate, suicidal strike head-on.

As for the sent-flying Yatsuhashi, he smashed through an entire building before finally coming to a stop.

Madara Uchiha walked slowly toward Yatsuhashi, who lay amidst the ruins.

"This is the true end."

However, his body suddenly shuddered, and the White Zetsu attached to him discovered in terror that Madara Uchiha's body was showing faint signs of collapse.

"Hah!"

Madara Uchiha formed hand seals violently, attempting to stabilize the suddenly volatile Hashirama Cells within his body.

Yet, after holding them steady for only a second, the Hashirama Cells inside him began to run wild.

"Urgh!"

Madara Uchiha let out a painful roar.

"My lord!"

White Zetsu shrieked in panic, "Your body..."

Countless tender green branches began to sprout frantically from Madara Uchiha's body; it was the precursor to the Hashirama Cells losing control and turning him into a tree.

"Damn it!"

"You... what did you do?"

Madara Uchiha stared fixedly at Yatsuhashi in the ruins.

He never imagined that this person could actually cause the previously stable Hashirama Cells in his body to go berserk.

It was a method Madara Uchiha had never seen before.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

At this moment, a large group of Anbu from Konoha finally arrived, the cold light of ninja tools flashing all around.

White Zetsu shouted urgently, "My lord! Without your assistance, I cannot escape!"

Hearing White Zetsu's words, Madara Uchiha took one last deep look at Yatsuhashi.

Then, he slowly sank into the ground beneath his feet.

The arriving Anbu members immediately attempted to track the trail of Madara Uchiha as he submerged into the earth.

"Pursue!"

The Anbu captain leading the group gave the order.

Dozens of elite Anbu experts immediately chased in the direction Madara Uchiha had departed.

Kakashi also arrived at Yatsuhashi's side just in time.

Looking at him covered in dust, Kakashi asked with concern, "How is it? Are you alright?"

Yatsuhashi looked at the blurry figure of Kakashi before him, "Not dead yet."

"Hayate Gekko was severely wounded, but in his unconscious state, he still managed to relay the message for Anbu reinforcements."

Hearing this, Yatsuhashi nodded wearily.

He looked up at the moon in the sky and said nothing more.

Because Yatsuhashi had already guessed the exact identity of that person in his heart.