"What's wrong? Why so quiet?"
Lin Xiaoran teased Madara as she ate piping-hot crab meat and drank ice-cold cola.
She knew what Madara was thinking, but had no intention of telling him ahead of time. After all, there were still four days left. It was far too early.
"Do you... really know my future?" Madara asked pensively.
"Yes."
"Your goal is merely to win this game, isn't it? I can help you."
"I know. You have no reason to refuse anyway, do you? Unless you aren't the least bit curious about how things turn out."
"..." How could he not be curious!
This was a plan he had spent decades meticulously crafting after uncovering the secrets on the stone tablet!
If he hadn't awakened the Rinnegan so late, when his body was already old and failing, he would have wanted to do it himself. Why else would he have gone to such lengths behind the scenes to redesign his plans and devise a substitute?
That was why Madara simply couldn't understand where the flaw in his plan lay.
Obito?
Even if he wanted to betray him, he couldn't. Madara had long since left a safeguard in place, holding Obito's life in his hands.
Nagato?
That was even more impossible. Nagato probably didn't even know where his own Rinnegan had come from.
More importantly, both of them were under Black Zetsu's supervision.
Unless Black Zetsu had betrayed him!
But if it was Black Zetsu, how was that any different from betraying himself?
"Don't rush. Five days will pass in no time anyway. Before the game ends, I'll tell you exactly what happened.
"Besides, you'll get a reward for helping me win the National Fortune Game, too. If the reward turns out to be coming straight back to life, you won't even need to wait for Obito to cast Rinne Rebirth."
Lin Xiaoran said.
"That's the reward?" Madara carefully recalled the National Fortune information he had received during the day.
The information had only told him there would be rewards, not what they would be.
But if it really was resurrection, then, combined with the future Lin Xiaoran told him about, he could make his moves anew and turn the situation around.
Clap, clap.
After eating for a while, Lin Xiaoran finished dinner, clapped her hands, and put the roasted crab, with more than half of it still remaining, back into her spatial backpack.
There was nothing she could do. Although her appetite had grown, she still couldn't compare to Issho. If Issho were here, he would definitely have eaten this crab clean.
"All right, let's trade something new." Lin Xiaoran looked at Madara and spoke seriously.
"Trade what? There's no opportunity for me to act right now." Madara hadn't sensed any danger nearby.
"Your ninjutsu! Your genjutsu!"
"Oh? You want to learn our Uchiha techniques?" Madara raised an eyebrow. "You don't have our Uchiha Kekkei Genkai. You won't be able to bring out the full power of the ninjutsu."
"Who says I don't? I have an ability that lets me share a Heroic Spirit's abilities! Like this..."
Lin Xiaoran smiled faintly and activated her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Under Madara's astonished gaze, Lin Xiaoran's black pupils turned scarlet in the light of the nearby fire. At the same time, a pattern that was utterly familiar to Madara appeared!
"The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!? How did you!?"
Madara shot to his feet, disbelief written all over his face!
He had actually seen his own Sharingan in Lin Xiaoran's eyes!?
"Calm down. I'm just sharing your power."
Perhaps Madara was so surprised because the Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai, something only members of the same clan had ever been able to inherit and awaken.
Of course, in the Shinobi World, if anyone outside the Uchiha Clan awakened the Sharingan, others wouldn't merely be shocked. They would be even more eager to kill you, or capture you and force you to reveal how you had awakened it.
Madara calmed down and thought of the superpower Lin Xiaoran had mentioned. Besides, this wasn't the Shinobi World, so perhaps this sort of situation counted as normal?
"So the abilities you used during the day actually came from the previous Heroic Spirit you summoned?" Madara knew this was Lin Xiaoran's second time participating in the game.
"Exactly. You should count yourself lucky I didn't get to share your Rinnegan." Lin Xiaoran sighed with a hint of regret.
"..." Madara didn't want to speak.
This sharing ability was far too broken.
He had worked so hard to obtain his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, yet she had acquired it effortlessly.
"Come on, teach me the genjutsu your Uchiha Clan excels at, and your Fire Release Ninjutsu. I'll tell you what happened in the Shinobi World after your death."
Lin Xiaoran beckoned for Madara to sit down.
"Do you have chakra?" Madara sat cross-legged with resignation.
Forget it. It was only some ninjutsu. Trading it for information about the Shinobi World was a bargain for him.
"Yes, just as much as you." Lin Xiaoran's eyes curved as she answered casually.
"..." Chakra, too?!
Fine. Very powerful!
This was even more impressive than their Sharingan's copying ability!
"All right, I'll teach you. Since you already have the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, I'll start with genjutsu."
"Wait, you won't take the opportunity to use genjutsu to make me spill all my information, will you?" Lin Xiaoran suddenly grew wary.
She didn't know whether Madara using genjutsu against her would count as violating the National Fortune Game's principle that Heroic Spirits must not harm their Masters.
If it didn't, that wouldn't be good.
Lin Xiaoran suddenly felt that her choice might have been a mistake.
"Your eyes are the same as mine and possess equal ocular power. If I use genjutsu, you'll not only be able to detect it, but also break free yourself, unless I use the Rinnegan to suppress your ocular power."
Madara explained.
"I see. Then tell me the basic structure of genjutsu first. Let's take it one step at a time."
Lin Xiaoran nodded, feeling a little more reassured.
In truth, how could Madara not have considered controlling Lin Xiaoran with genjutsu? He had tried during the day, only to be restricted by the National Fortune Game's rules. He couldn't act against his own Master by any means whatsoever.
Not telling Lin Xiaoran this outright now was his desperate attempt to save face. Surely he couldn't just admit he couldn't do it?!
Meanwhile, somewhere on the map.
Yasaka Shidō from Country R and Kim Jun from Country H had, surprisingly, encountered each other.
This round, Yasaka Shidō's Heroic Spirit was once again a monster from an urban legend: the Hyakume Demoness. The arms beneath her wide sleeves were covered in eyes, a sight that would make anyone physically uncomfortable.
As for Kim Jun from Country H, his Heroic Spirit this time was merely an ordinary warrior with no remarkable abilities.
In theory, whenever challengers encountered one another, they should try to eliminate the other party. But because of Lin Xiaoran's presence, everyone who entered had tacitly agreed to join forces and kick the great demon king out first.
There had already been an example of this in the previous round. Unfortunately, they had failed and perished beneath a meteor.
This round, however, they had to keep up their efforts no matter what, or no one else would have a chance to rise!
"It's only been one day, and ten people have already been eliminated. What trash."
Yasaka Shidō glanced at the leaderboard and cursed disdainfully.
Beside him, Kim Jun opened his mouth, then thought better of it.
After all, if he hadn't encountered Yasaka Shidō, he might not have been able to cross the desert safely and survive the ferocious beasts' jaws either.
Looked at that way, he belonged in the trash category too.
"Still, there are quite a few strong challengers this time."
Among the top three, excluding Lin Xiaoran, both already had 200 points, not far behind first place. Comparing this with Lin Xiaoran's performance on the first day of the previous round, one could infer that these two Heroic Spirits might be no weaker than Issho.
Even fourth and fifth place had over a hundred points.
So, if all the challengers joined forces, they might well be able to drag Lin Xiaoran off her pedestal and stop her winning streak!
This was now the shared goal of every country!
Boom!
Suddenly, the ground shook violently.
"What's happening?! Is a ferocious beast coming!?" Kim Jun sprang to his feet and looked around in panic.
Boom!
Another blast rang out, and the tremors grew stronger.
Yasaka Shidō also rose nervously. The commotion was simply too great, and it was drawing closer and closer! It was very likely coming straight for them!
"Hyakume! See what's coming!" Yasaka Shidō shouted.
The Hyakume Demoness, who wore a red headscarf, removed it to reveal a fair, bewitching face. Even Kim Jun beside her stared in a daze.
There was no other reason. The Hyakume Demoness was simply too beautiful.
Hyakume's eyes glowed faintly as she looked into the depths of the darkness.
"It's a... giant?" the Hyakume Demoness said hesitantly.
"Is it coming toward us?"
"Distance... two..."
Boom!
Another tremendous crash rang out. A vague silhouette could be faintly seen in the darkness, but it was still indistinct.
"Two hundred meters away!? Let's run!" Yasaka Shidō shouted, hurriedly turning around.
At that moment, the Hyakume Demoness spoke again. "One..."
As her words fell, the tremors that had been approaching from afar arrived directly in front of Yasaka Shidō and Kim Jun.
Boom!
The sand across the ground overturned, surging in one direction.
Yasaka Shidō and Kim Jun fell to the ground and tumbled with the sand into a pit that had suddenly appeared.
The Hyakume Demoness beside them leaped high into the air, away from the area.
The warrior did the same. Although he wasn't as fast as the Hyakume Demoness and didn't jump as far, his reactions were quick enough to keep him clear of the yellow sand.
"Not bad. Found two."
A clear, sweet voice came from above. Yasaka Shidō and Kim Jun, their bodies sunk in the sand, wiped their faces and looked up.
As they looked, they discovered to their horror that a giant had appeared above their heads!!