Sasori was stunned by Obito's words.
"Leaving Deidara in Iwagakure... why?"
Obito sighed and said, "When we took Deidara away, he was just a kid."
"Looking back now, I can't help but feel a little guilty."
"So I want to give him a choice—to decide for himself what kind of life he truly wants."
If all went as planned, he would become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki today.
There would be no need to exploit child labor anymore. Finding a proper place for the kid seemed like a good idea.
Of course, if Deidara still longed for Yoru, then that was his own choice.
Sasori was silent for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Let's go with the leader's decision. I have no objections."
With that, he lowered his head again and continued working on his figurines with a hint of melancholy.
What is love in this world? The joy of reunion, the pain of separation... sigh.
Obito shook his head at the sight and disappeared back into the Kamui dimension.
"Are you ready?" Obito asked.
Madara let out a wild laugh.
"Hahahaha, of course!"
"I can't wait to dance again!"
Obito nodded slightly. "Alright then, let's start our... mission!"
...
Above Iwagakure.
A figure appeared out of thin air.
After executing a flawless 720-degree spin, the figure landed elegantly atop Iwagakure's tallest building.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Unrestrained laughter, amplified by chakra, instantly spread across the village.
"Both Scales brat of Iwagakure, do you still remember me?"
Iwagakure was thrown into an uproar.
Countless shinobi looked up, their gazes locking onto the arrogant figure above.
Someone shouted angrily, "Who dares to cause a scene in Iwagakure?!"
"Damn it, how dare he disrespect the Tsuchikage?!"
Within moments, a group of shinobi charged toward the figure.
"I've never seen anyone so brazen in my life!"
"That bastard! I'm going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"
Yet, among them, some hesitated, their faces filled with uncertainty.
"Wait... how did he even get into Iwagakure?!"
"Something's off about this guy—everyone, be careful—"
Before the warning could be fully spoken, the charging shinobi were effortlessly thrown back, one by one.
The commotion quickly reached Onoki, who immediately flew out of the Tsuchikage's office.
The moment he saw the familiar figure, he froze in place, completely stunned.
"T-This... this is... Uchiha... Madara?!"
A long-buried memory resurfaced in his mind.
A shadow from decades past, reaching across time, loomed over Onoki once more.
Back then, he wasn't the Tsuchikage yet—just an ordinary shinobi of Iwagakure.
(Ordinary, if you consider being the grandson of the First Tsuchikage and the disciple of the Second Tsuchikage as 'ordinary.')
During a diplomatic visit to Konohagakure, he and his master had encountered Uchiha Madara.
In Madara's presence, even his seemingly invincible master had been utterly powerless.
With a casual strike, Madara had grievously wounded them both. Onoki had lost consciousness on the spot.
Over the years, he thought he had moved past that incident.
But now, standing face to face with the legend himself, the suffocating fear returned.
Onoki muttered, "Impossible... Uchiha Madara has been dead for decades... This can't be real!"
The shinobi below him, upon hearing his murmurs, turned pale with shock.
Uchiha Madara—the Demon of the Shinobi World?!
The Tsuchikage must be mistaken—this was absolutely impossible!
Onoki slowly ascended into the air until he was level with Madara.
He scrutinized Madara carefully, his voice heavy.
"You can't be Uchiha Madara. Who are you really? And why have you come to Iwagakure?!"
Madara smirked, deliberately avoiding a direct answer.
"I was quite surprised when I heard that the brat from back then had become the Tsuchikage."
"Seeing you now... you do have some of Ishikawa's presence."
Onoki's expression darkened.
Madara's words were nothing short of blatant disrespect.
With a cold voice, Onoki said, "If you insist on playing tricks, then don't blame me for being rude!"
Madara rubbed his forehead with exaggerated amusement, then let out a chilling laugh.
"Heh... heh... Looks like you still can't accept my return, can you?"
"How about this—I'll help you recognize reality... Susanoo!"
A colossal blue skeletal warrior manifested, its sinister grin locking onto Onoki.
To make sure Onoki relived his childhood trauma properly, Madara had thoughtfully used the first form of Susanoo—the same one Onoki had seen all those years ago.
It was, in a way, fulfilling an old nightmare.
Faced with the towering giant once more, Onoki was forced to remember the overwhelming terror of the past.
He stared at Madara, his voice filled with disbelief. "You... you really are Uchiha Madara! How is this possible?!"
Madara shrugged nonchalantly, his tone both indifferent and arrogant.
"I doubt anyone in the shinobi world would dare impersonate me."
Well, except those I allow... cough, and that mischievous grandson of mine.
Madara smirked inwardly at the thought.
But the reality was undeniable—Susanoo stood before them.
Onoki had no choice but to accept the bitter truth.
Uchiha Madara... had returned!
His expression shifted between shock and complexity as he asked,
"Uchiha Madara, why have you come to Iwagakure?!"
Oh?
So you finally have the courage to face me head-on…
Madara glanced at Onoki, silently approving his resolve.
Crossing his arms, he declared in an irrefutable tone, "One of my subordinates from Yoru was captured by Iwagakure."
"You have two choices—hand him over voluntarily, or I'll level Iwagakure and take him myself."
"Since we've met before, I'm giving you the chance to choose."
Onoki's pupils shrank violently.
Madara had just said, "One of my subordinates from Yoru..."
Could it be?!
Had he been mistaken all along?
Was Yoru's leader actually... Uchiha Madara?!
He quickly recalled the intelligence his disciple had gathered:
"Uchiha lineage."
"Slightly older than my disciple."
"Immense power."
"Eccentric personality."
Three of those points matched perfectly. As for the last one...
If you really wanted to stretch it, it could make sense!
'Wait a minute... you little brat, you call this 'slightly older'?!'
Onoki roared internally.
Madara wasn't just slightly older—he was decades older!
If that logic held, then wasn't he only 'slightly older' than his disciple too?!
Suddenly, Onoki felt deeply concerned about the future of Iwagakure under his successor's intelligence...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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