What?
Naruto and the others were startled by Uchiha Madara's words.
He actually said that the faint earlier was just him releasing a bit of his aura? That was terrifying!
To avoid further questions about his overwhelming presence, Uchiha Madara continued loudly, addressing Ōnoki in the crowd: "You're the little brat from the Two Scales clan, right? Seems you've grown a bit over the years!"
Little brat from the Two Scales clan?
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, darkened his face.
He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him that!
But considering Uchiha Madara's status, he had no choice but to accept it—Madara did have the right to call him that.
Uchiha Madara then declared, "But just you alone isn't enough. Call the current Kage of the Five Great Villages here. I'll give you all a chance to witness what true power really is!"
The moment these words left his mouth, Naruto and the others were stunned.
What had they just heard?
This Uchiha Madara was actually challenging the current Five Kage!
"Good, he managed to steer the conversation away!"
Seeing this, Hashirama finally sighed in relief, then grinned. "Madara's got some bold ideas, huh? Challenging the Five Kage to shift the focus back!"
Lin Xuan, however, scoffed and said to Hashirama, "Hashirama, can't you see? He's just venting! He got so mad at us that now he's taking it out on your granddaughter and the other younger generation!"
Hashirama froze, then sighed in disappointment. "I never thought he'd be such a person."
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
Uchiha Madara: "If you two keep yapping, I'll really come over and beat you up right now!"
Alright, that threat worked.
Lin Xuan and the other two immediately shut up, finally giving Madara some peace.
Madara's eyes flickered around, making sure no one noticed his earlier emotional turmoil.
Phew, thank goodness I kept a straight face, or my dignity would've been ruined!
While Uchiha Madara had been communicating with Lin Xuan and the others via the transdimensional chat, Kabuto—who was controlling the Second Tsuchikage—was shocked by Madara's arrogance.
Then, he smirked with interest.
"Oh? Uchiha Madara actually wants to challenge the Five Kage? This is getting exciting!"
As for Naruto and the others, they were practically fuming at Madara's audacity.
Even Ōnoki, who had always respected Uchiha Madara, was now scowling.
That tone of his was way too condescending!
But he also knew Madara did have the strength to back it up. So when Naruto and the others angrily tried to charge at Madara, Ōnoki stopped them.
"Report to headquarters—urgent request for reinforcements!"
Naruto and the others were stunned, but before they could protest, Ōnoki said gravely, "Only the Five Kage stand a chance against him. The rest of you should wake up the unconscious and retreat immediately. If we stay, we'll be wiped out!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara chuckled.
"Oh? A wise choice, Ōnoki. I thought you'd stubbornly resist. Seems you still remember the lesson I taught you back then."
"In that case, hurry up and summon the so-called Five Kage. I'd like to test some other jutsu while I'm at it."
Meanwhile, at the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters, Tsunade and the Raikage were furious.
"This is outrageous! Uchiha Madara is way too arrogant, looking down on us like this!"
"I can't take this—I'm going to teach him a lesson!"
After a heated discussion, Tsunade (as Hokage) and the Raikage decided to use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to rush to Madara's battlefield.
They also summoned the Mizukage, Mei Terumī, from another battlefield using the Flying Thunder God Formation.
Of course, Lin Xuan and the others couldn't see this.
All they saw was Uchiha Madara continuing to act domineering on the battlefield, taunting Naruto and the others, calling them the weakest generation—pissing them off to no end.
In truth, both Lin Xuan and Hashirama knew Madara's words were harsh, but they didn't stop him.
Looking at the shinobi of each era, aside from Naruto and Sasuke, the rest of this generation were truly underwhelming.
Madara was genuinely disappointed and worried about the future.
After all, in his eyes, unless they completely eradicated Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, this threat could return—and with such weak successors, he feared the shinobi world might be doomed.
Soon, the Five Kage gathered, brimming with fighting spirit as they faced Uchiha Madara.
The Sage of Six Paths, watching the live broadcast, suddenly asked curiously:
"By the way, what exactly is a 'Kage'?"
Lin Xuan thought for a moment, then replied, "You can think of them as village heads."
The Sage blinked. "Village heads? Then why not just call them that? Why 'Kage'?"
Lin Xuan chuckled. "Simple—'Five Kage Battle' sounds way cooler than 'Five Village Heads Fighting,' doesn't it?"
The Sage suddenly understood, nodding. "Ah, so it's just for prestige. People in that world really care about appearances, huh?"
Hashirama: "..."
Hey, hey, don't say that! I came up with the title 'Kage' with deep meaning! How did it turn into just vanity in your mouths?!
Uchiha Madara: "..."
Just a second ago, I thought beating the Five Kage would be epic. Now, thanks to you, it sounds like I'm bullying five village heads—how lame!
But based on Lin Xuan's explanation, they couldn't even argue.
The Five Kage were just the leaders of their villages.
At that moment, the current Five Kage—Tsunade, the Raikage, and the others—stood ready to face the challenge from Uchiha Madara, one of the founders of the first shinobi village.
But then, they noticed Madara looking... amused.
"Uchiha Madara, what's the meaning of this? Are you looking down on us?!" Tsunade demanded angrily.
The others glared at him, equally furious.
Little did they know, Madara was just internally laughing at the fact that Lin Xuan had reduced the Five Kage to "five village heads," making the whole battle seem ridiculous.
Right now, they just thought he was mocking them!
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T/N:
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