Chapter 21

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

A fan-shaped blaze spewed from Madara's mouth and shot into the sky. The invisible force of Dragon Roar collided with the surging flames in midair. The flames gained the upper hand, and the shock wave scorched Mingye's skin red. Unable to push off against anything in midair, Mingye once again turned into something like a sheet of paper and vanished within the shock wave.

Madara leaped onto a rooftop and surveyed the surroundings. A sudden chill brushed his waist. He quickly raised one hand to block the blow, and Mingye appeared at his side. Mingye's hands were already forming the same ninjutsu signs that Madara had been unable to copy.

"Dragon Roar!"

A powerful sound wave and blast of air struck Madara again. He instantly turned into a wooden post, which the wave shattered into splinters. Mingye didn't stop to stare. He pushed off and sprang away, racing beyond the cluster of buildings. After all, this was only a sparring match, and he couldn't destroy too many buildings or risk upsetting some of the clan members.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"

A stream of dragon heads poured from Madara's mouth. Mingye was like a small boat tossed about on a stormy sea, with the fireballs behind him threatening to smash him to pieces at any moment. But guided by the breath of nature, the wind in the air helped him dodge every last one.

"Fire Style is different from the other four nature transformations. Its ninjutsu don't have fixed levels of power, whether they're B-rank or A-rank. What matters is how strongly you release the chakra and how precisely you control it. In the hands of a powerful shinobi, even a C-rank Fire Style jutsu can surpass an S-rank one. That's the nature of Fire Style. Earth is solid, wind is keen, water is formless, and lightning is forceful. Fire is power. It releases chakra with the greatest possible force and overwhelms the enemy with sheer strength. Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it gives its all!"

Feeling the scorching waves of fire all around him, Mingye knew he had to give this everything he had. Madara must have some special task in mind for him; otherwise, he wouldn't have put him through such a rigorous test. As Mingye thought this, the energy around him grew denser, and his body began to change. Scales rose from his skin, overlapping like armor. Then he brought his hands together in front of his chest, fingertips touching.

"Sage Art: Dragon Prohibition Martial!"

White light burst through the gaps between his hands and shot toward Madara. But it had no apparent offensive power. Madara ducked beneath it, only to miss the faint sound that followed. He then realized that the chakra inside his body had begun to run wild, beyond his control. He stopped attacking Mingye.

"What on earth did you use?"

Mingye wasn't stupid. He adopted a defensive stance and smiled as he explained.

"It's a secret art passed down by Ryūchi Cave, of course. How's that? You can't use ninjutsu now, can you?"

"It's a clever trick. You managed to disrupt the chakra inside my body for a moment. But Mingye, you should know that, for me, this is nothing more than a brief pause to catch my breath. Now the real fight begins!"

Madara smiled faintly and vanished once more. They had reached the training grounds, so he no longer had to worry about the surroundings. A fan appeared in his hand, seemingly out of nowhere. He swung it at Mingye while spewing a fireball from his mouth. The wind fed the flames, and as they flew, they took the form of a ferocious tiger.

"Fire Style: Fierce Tiger Emerging from the Mountain!"

White energy swirled around Mingye. As the scales on his skin grew more pronounced, the energy around him—which should have been invisible to the naked eye—became denser. It condensed into countless droplets of liquid in front of him.

"Sage Art: Wild Dragon Manifestation!"

A roar.

A growl.

The white dragon and red tiger collided between Madara and Mingye. Their roars were followed by a massive explosion. Mingye was the first to lose his footing and was hurled away by the impact. Izuna appeared behind him and caught him. When the shock wave cleared, Madara stood proudly with the fan in his hand, looking at Mingye. His eyes had changed once again. A giant skeletal warrior made of chakra appeared in Mingye's sightless eyes, then manifested in his mind.

"I haven't even tried yet, brat!"

To Madara, fighting and killing were two entirely different things. He loved savoring a fight, so ever since he had awakened his Sharingan, he had never used that legendary ocular technique—not even once, except when facing Izuna and Shimizu.

Beneath the deep blue light, the white skeleton looked utterly terrifying. Its power was simply unparalleled. Madara watched Mingye, who was staring in shock, sure that he had sensed the new technique Madara had just discovered. Then he withdrew Susanoo.

"About a year ago, during a battle, I used a jutsu that exceeded my limits. My chakra was completely spent, and I was on the verge of losing my life, when I broke through once again. I call it the Mangekyō Sharingan. The three swirling tomoe transformed completely into a beautiful, spinning pinwheel. So, do you still think your abilities can affect me?"

Madara grinned wickedly, rolled up his sleeves, and walked toward Mingye. Mingye said nothing. He crouched and placed one hand on the ground, then warned him with a cold smile.

"Take one more step and I'll reverse summon myself back to Ryūchi Cave! I refuse to believe your Sharingan can break through its barrier!"

Madara was stunned. Reverse summoning really was a way to escape completely, without any side effects. The worst part was that it worked anywhere. Once the other person vanished, finding them again was impossible unless they came looking for you. Flustered, Madara flushed red and pointed at Mingye, unable to answer.

While the two of them remained at a standoff, Shimizu had already sent away the clan members who had gathered to watch. Izuna stepped between them and awkwardly said to Madara, "That's enough, big brother. At least Mingye's strong enough to be considered a jōnin now, isn't he?"

"Hmph!"

Hearing Izuna's words, Madara knew he was giving him a way to save face. He gave an irritated snort and said no more. When Mingye had been little, Madara couldn't hit him because he was a child. Then, as he grew older, he went blind. Now, at last, Mingye was strong enough to fight—and he had no dignity as a shinobi at all, immediately thinking of running away. Seeing that Madara had fallen silent, Izuna turned to Mingye and explained, "The clan needs someone to represent us in Okayama. Our brother doesn't trust anyone else with the position. Father entrusted it to Uncle Shimizu before he died, but as you've seen, Uncle Shimizu has lost an arm. Someone else has to take over the responsibility."

"It was a minor matter, but another shinobi clan got involved: the Fuma Clan."

Madara cut in to explain, and Shimizu continued with the details.

"The Fuma Clan doesn't have many powerful shinobi, but they're extremely skilled assassins. Even the Uchiha Clan can't completely avoid their attacks. If I still had both arms, I might have been able to fight them for a while. But now, all I can do is admit that I'm outmatched."

"The Fuma Clan?"

"They're another lord's dogs. There's no need to say more. Once I've finished reorganizing the clan's forces, I'll wipe them out and avenge you, Uncle Shimizu!"

Since gaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, Madara's combat strength had increased many times over. He was practically fearless, and when he met the so-called powerful shinobi, he no longer set out simply to kill them. Instead, he had begun to enjoy the fight. As a result, over the past year, the Uchiha Clan's reputation had grown increasingly infamous. The main reason was that Madara toyed with those so-called powerful shinobi until they were exhausted, then killed them.

Mingye didn't threaten Madara with reverse summoning again. He stood up and asked, "You want me to go to Okayama?"

Mingye was puzzled. He couldn't understand why they would send someone like him, who knew nothing about politics, to the center of such a political maelstrom. Izuna sighed and shook his head helplessly. The Uchiha Clan had now tasted wealth, something it had never enjoyed in the days of their father, Tajima. People who had enough to eat started craving more. That didn't just apply to ordinary people; it applied even more to those with power. The Uchiha Clan was no different. Whether or not Madara kept them in check, their ambitions had expanded once again. The root cause was that Madara had gained eyes more powerful than the Three Tomoe. Thinking of this, Izuna continued.

"We're shinobi. No matter how powerful we become, we can't truly hold power. And in this age of chaos, many clans want to attach themselves to the so-called nobility. They want an excuse, something that will let them operate openly. So, two years ago, after our big brother argued his case, Father began making contact with a general who had some ambition, hoping to help him become the true power behind the Land of Fire. That arrangement brought great benefits to our clan. At the very least, we no longer have to worry about food and other necessities."

Mingye considered the situation for a few minutes and formed a rough understanding. Among all the Uchiha clan heads, Madara might not have been the strongest yet, but he would be before long. He was the reincarnated son, and the first legacy of the founder of Ninshu lived within him, bound to his soul. Mingye nodded and said to Izuna and Madara, "If that's the case, I'll go. But am I really going alone?"

Shimizu smiled at Mingye's question and answered, "Besides the two shinobi assigned to protect the daimyo in Okayama, there are three more for you to command. You know the clan only has a little over sixty shinobi available right now. Under the circumstances, that's all we can spare for you."

Mingye was taken aback. He hadn't expected Shimizu to accompany him to Okayama as well.

"Uncle Shimizu, you're coming with me too?"

Shimizu shrugged and teased him jokingly.

"That's right! I'll have to stick with you for a while. I can't let you keep stumbling around blindly, can I?"

After Shimizu left to make preparations, Madara, Mingye, and Izuna sat on the floor in the open-air study. Madara spoke gravely. "Something's wrong with the clan. Ever since my eyes evolved again last year, Father's announcement has filled the entire clan with far too much blind faith in me. I don't think that's entirely a bad thing, but we still need to make plenty of preparations for what may come."

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