Chapter 6

Less than two hours of relaxation passed before Madara sensed someone rushing toward his location.

"Clan Head!"

The young man with upturned hair arrived covered in dust. He knelt on one knee and looked up, saying, "My lord, it is a relief to see you are safe!"

"Rise and speak." Madara stood up, his smile fading as he said coldly, "What has happened?"

"You have been missing for seven months. The Senju Clan has been spreading rumors that you—" "That I am dead?" Madara stroked the restless little squirrel in his arms with a rhythmic motion.

Uchiha Yan bit his lip in silent confirmation. "If it were only the Senju, it would be one thing, but they... there is trouble within the clan as well..." He said with resentment, "The Great Elder wants to appoint a new Clan Head, but Uchiha Izuna refuses. Others are trying to seize power in the chaos. I have secured the internal guards, and the Fourth and Sixth Elders are helping to maintain order, but the clan is in a state of panic..."

"What else?"

"The Third Elder says the four major families within the Merchant Alliance have rebelled! Please return to the main estate immediately to salvage the situation! Otherwise, the Uchiha Clan will surely fall apart!"

Madara was silent for a moment before saying, "Let us return to the main estate first."

With Uchiha Madara's confidence and pride, he had never imagined that the Uchiha Clan under his rule would fall into such a state.

The former prosperity and elegance had been reduced to ashes, replaced by raging fires, slaughter, weeping, and screams.

"How... how could this be..." Uchiha Yan was shocked.

Madara's body swayed as a strange, piercing pain struck his mind. He bit his lip hard to suppress it.

Izuna... where is Izuna!

With cold eyes sweeping over the corpses on the ground, Madara grabbed a half-dead clansman and demanded coldly, "What is going on!"

"Clan, Clan Head... cough, cough, cough..."

"Where is Izuna!"

"At, at the sacrificial altar!"

The so-called sacrificial altar was actually a spatial teleportation array used only when the clan faced an existential crisis. Just how dire was the situation that Izuna had been forced to leave...

He bypassed the outer training grounds, cut through the patrol station, crossed the mid-level medical department, leaped over the rooftops, and traversed the vast gardens. Along the way, he killed several attackers without breaking stride. Finally, he stopped at the ruined sacrificial altar in the inner circle.

"Izuna?"

"Brother!"

Madara embraced his blood-soaked brother and channeled chakra to heal him.

Uchiha Yan said, "Lord Izuna's injuries are too severe; this is no place for healing."

Madara did not look up. "The clan's medical department is unusable. I will treat him here for now."

"Brother... I am, I am sorry..." Izuna's expression was a mix of tears and a smile. "I couldn't help you stabilize the clan, I..."

"Say nothing. Just focus on healing!"

Uchiha Etsu stumbled over, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Watch out! He is—"

"He is a traitor!"

—BOOM!

Uchiha Yan's body shattered into a dozen pieces, a twisted smile lingering on his blood-stained face.

A poisoned dagger was buried in Uchiha Izuna's back. They were too close to dodge—in that split second, Izuna had turned to shield Madara, taking the blade, while Madara had struck back to kill Uchiha Yan.

"Uchiha Yan was... a traitor..." Uchiha Etsu knelt on the ground, dazed and muttering.

Madara held his brother's corpse as dark mist slowly gathered, swirling around him.

Matatabi's golden eyes glowed in the shadows: The person you trusted most has betrayed you, the person you value most is dead, and the clan you pinned your hopes on is destroyed... Feel the hatred! Kill! Fall into darkness, human!

The dangerous mist suddenly dissipated. Madara looked up at the smoke-filled night sky, his tone calmer than ever: "Is that all?"

"Is this enough to break me?" He turned his head, his dark pupils erupting into an ominous blood-red, his killing intent as sharp as a blade. Uchiha Etsu looked away in fear.

"Has the clan's secret vault been compromised?"

Uchiha Etsu was stunned. "No, it has not."

"Has New Moon Island been exposed?"

"...No."

"Then what? You ask questions recklessly without knowing anything." Uchiha Madara's icy gaze fixed on him. "You think you've won because you found things I care about?"

Uchiha Etsu's expression blurred, and he vanished like mist. The carnage and smoke faded away, replaced by a dense forest and a high cliff. Withered yellow leaves covered the muddy ground, and the drizzling autumn rain chilled the soul.

"You... when?" Matatabi turned in shock. Uchiha Madara was standing behind it, holding the squirrel.

True to its name, Matatabi was a petite, dark-blue cat with golden eyes and two long tails.

Madara smiled faintly, though the warmth did not reach his eyes. "Creating illusions, eroding the five senses, peering into the heart, altering memories—are these all your abilities?"

"Oh~ you know quite a lot, don't you." Matatabi immediately recovered from its frustration, proudly curling its tails. "Others only know about mind-reading."

"Is this little thing real?" Madara stroked the squirrel in his arms; the little creature stubbornly scratched his sleeve.

"Ah, creatures with extremely pure hearts are immune to illusions." Matatabi scratched its feline face. "You still haven't answered me, human. But don't try to feed me that nonsense about you having a pure heart."

Uchiha Madara closed his eyes, then opened them—revealing the spinning Mangekyo!

"Huh? Mangekyou? No wonder." Matatabi flicked its two tails. "I didn't lose unfairly... Hey! Is that look on your face contempt? Having a Mangekyou isn't all that!"

Madara shook his head and sighed, "I am despising your lack of common sense."

Matatabi widened its cat eyes, looking completely bewildered.

"Uchiha Yan said I've been missing for seven months... Even if one cannot keep track of time in the darkness, can a normal human go seven months without eating?"

That one sentence instantly crushed Matatabi! "Meow~ We Tailed Beasts never need to eat, alright! You humans are such a hassle, meow!"

Uchiha Madara smiled without a word; he wouldn't bicker with a bristling cat.

"Humans are so cunning! You clearly saw through the illusion early on, yet you dawdled for so long."

Madara curled his lips. "They say Matatabi can see through the human heart, so I had to confirm just how deep you could see."

Matatabi tilted its head. "How deep? Can you seal your heart?"

"What is sealing the heart?" Madara asked.

Matatabi licked its paw. "A method some guy came up with a long time ago. To resist enemy interrogation, he layered and sealed his own memories. Unless he voluntarily spoke while remaining conscious, no one could obtain important intelligence. I followed that guy for a while, and I truly couldn't see all of his memories."

"Something like that." The difference was merely in the process. That person likely used deep self-hypnosis, whereas he simply possessed mental energy too powerful for Matatabi to break through all his defenses.

"Enough nonsense. If you want to sign a contract, hurry up."

"You aren't nervous at all, are you?"

Matatabi rolled its eyes. "I'm not one of those hot-headed idiots. Your chakra is strong... hmm, not weak! You have a Mangekyou and more schemes than anyone, so why would I go out of my way to look for trouble? Besides, you humans only live for a hundred years; I can afford to play along for that long." The arrogant Matatabi couldn't win the fight, but it wouldn't lose its dignity.

"You're certainly not polite."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, hurry up, I still need to sleep."

Uchiha Madara unceremoniously scooped up Matatabi and pressed it into his arms. "A contract? No need, I'm saving that for the Nine-Tails. You can play with this squirrel instead."

"What! How dare you look down on Lord Matatabi!" The golden cat eyes went round in an instant. Chakra mixed with rage poured out violently, and the power whipped up a storm, spreading outward like a sonic wave from the center. The surrounding trees were instantly pulverized into dust! Madara narrowed his red eyes, and his immense mental energy pressed down like a landslide, causing Matatabi to freeze instantly.

Given the earlier illusion, Uchiha Madara felt there was no need to be too polite to Matatabi.

"Since we will be spending time together from now on, it would be better if we got along." The young man's voice was as gentle as if he were coaxing a child. "Don't you agree, Matatabi?"

The golden-eyed kitten glanced at the oblivious, foolish squirrel beside it and turned its head away. "Hmph!"