A battle-hardened heart

"So the people from Sunagakure are here too."

Deep in the woods, Shinhiko Kōzuki calmly brushed the sand and dirt off himself after weathering the gale. According to his intelligence, only a group of Sunagakure ninja could unleash Wind Release that powerful.

Although Shinhiko Kōzuki had been separated from his most trusted samurai retainers, leaving only an eight-year-old child to protect him, the old man showed not the slightest panic or confusion. He still stood as straight as a pine, and a faint smile even touched his lips.

Madara Uchiha, who had fallen to the ground while protecting Shinhiko Kōzuki, climbed to his feet. His eight-year-old body was far too small against the raging wind. The gale had slammed him hard into a tree, while flying grit had cut his face.

Pain radiated from Madara Uchiha's face and back. This was the first time he had been injured in the eight years since his rebirth as Uchiha Itachi.

Slowly rising, Madara Uchiha lightly brushed the sand and dirt from his clothes. The pain stirred neither fear nor anger in him. Instead, his heart began to beat faster.

Since his rebirth, Madara Uchiha had gone eight years without a truly satisfying fight. This unknown enemy's surprise attack set the blood in his new body boiling with his soul's excitement.

Damn it.

Madara Uchiha looked at Shinhiko Kōzuki standing before him. Though he wanted nothing more than to charge out and slaughter his enemies, protecting Shinhiko Kōzuki remained his most urgent priority. The man was a crucial piece of his plans in this life, and he could not let him die here. The safest course was still to take Shinhiko Kōzuki into hiding. If Kazuhiko Sarutobi and the others won, they could regroup and leave together. If they died, he would take