"Enemy attack—!"
The Iwagakure shinobi reacted instantly, countless kunai and shuriken flying toward Madara in a deadly barrage.
But these attacks were effortlessly dodged. In the blink of an eye, Madara closed the distance and appeared right in front of one Iwagakure ninja.
That ninja, startled, swung his short blade at Uchiha Madara.
Madara shifted slightly to the side, dodging the slash, and grabbed the attacker's wrist with his free hand.
A sharp "crack" rang out as bones shattered. The Iwagakure ninja cried out in pain, his short blade clattering to the ground.
Madara raised his leg and kicked him away, sending him flying several dozen meters before crashing into the courtyard wall.
"Whssht—!"
Another kunai shot toward him. This time, Madara didn't dodge. He casually reached out, caught it midair by the handle, and hurled it back.
The kunai flew even faster than before. Before the Iwagakure ninja who had thrown it could even react, his own weapon pierced through his chest.
"Splurt—!"
The sound of steel slicing flesh echoed. The ninja dropped dead on the spot.
"W-What… what kind of monster is this guy?!"
The remaining Iwagakure shinobi froze, terror flashing in their eyes. None dared to charge forward.
In just the blink of an eye, three of their comrades had been killed right in front of them. Who would dare attack again?
Facing this man meant certain death.
"A bunch of ants," Madara scoffed, his lips curling with disdain.
He hadn't even begun to enjoy himself, yet these fools were already terrified out of their minds.
Not a single one of them dared take another step forward.
At that moment, more Iwagakure shinobi poured out from the mansion, their movements sharp and disciplined.
This was one of Iwagakure's elite units.
At their head stood a middle-aged man, his gaze dark and cold as he fixed his eyes on Uchiha Madara.
They had come here under the direct orders of the Tsuchikage-sama, tasked with confiscating the wealthy merchant's fortune to fund Iwagakure's war efforts.
The war between Iwagakure and Kirigakure had dragged on, draining the village's resources. Their funds were nearly depleted, and they desperately needed money to continue fighting.
Originally, the wealthy merchant had willingly funded Iwagakure's war effort. But after some time, perhaps realizing how enormous the costs were, he suddenly canceled his financial support.
This infuriated Iwagakure's higher-ups.
As a result, they ordered his assets seized and repurposed for military expenses.
The middle-aged man leading this squad had been dispatched personally by Iwagakure's council.
He had barely set foot in the merchant's mansion and hadn't even begun searching for the money before this chaos erupted.
Someone had dared to attack Iwagakure shinobi… here, within the Land of Earth's territory!
It was nothing less than open provocation against Iwagakure.
"I see how it is," Uchiha Madara said coldly, glancing at the incoming shinobi.
Having grown up during the Warring States period, Madara had seen this sort of thing countless times.
In the shinobi world, having wealth without strength only made you wait for the butcher's blade.
Not every shinobi upheld the so-called 'professional code' of sparing civilians.
For many, greed came first, and ordinary people were just prey. This was nothing unusual.
In this world, weakness itself was the original sin.
Madara didn't care about the merchant's situation or the morality of it. He had only one goal—to kill the merchant and return to the Land of Fire as soon as possible.
As for the Iwagakure shinobi standing before him… he'd kill them along the way.
To ensure the smooth execution of the "Eye of the Moon" plan, anyone who saw him tonight would not be allowed to leave alive.
After all, as far as the world was concerned, Uchiha Madara had long since been killed by Senju Hashirama.
"Who are you?!" the middle-aged man barked sharply. "How dare you interfere in Iwagakure's affairs—you're courting death!"
Someone daring to attack Iwagakure shinobi was absolutely unforgivable. He had to kill this man here and now.
Madara's Sharingan spun slowly, his voice as cold as steel.
"The weak… are unworthy of knowing my name."
"Arrogant bastard!"
The man roared, preparing to command his subordinates to attack—but Madara moved first, weaving hand seals at lightning speed.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A monstrous tide of roaring flames burst forth, sweeping across the courtyard like an unstoppable tsunami, carrying with it the power to scorch heaven and earth.
"Form up! Now!" the middle-aged man shouted, his face paling. This enemy was far stronger than he had anticipated.
The scale and sheer force of this Fire Release jutsu… there was no way he could block it alone.
Only their combined strength could withstand it.
Following his command, the Iwagakure shinobi rapidly formed hand seals. Earth Release erupted beneath their feet, raising massive walls of hardened soil to block the incoming inferno.
But the raging firestorm swallowed the earthen walls instantly. Those too slow to form their defenses were engulfed in flames on the spot.
Their screams tore through the night as they collapsed, writhing on the ground, desperately trying to smother the fire consuming them.
It was futile.
One by one, their agonized cries weakened… until all that remained were blackened corpses, charred beyond recognition.
The heat distorted the air itself. The surviving Iwagakure shinobi stood drenched in sweat, their faces pale, eyes wide with horror.
One Fire Release jutsu.
Just one.
And they had suffered devastating losses.
This man wasn't human. He was a monster.
The pressure emanating from Uchiha Madara's very presence was more terrifying than even that of the Second Tsuchikage himself.
"A monster… he's a monster!"
Some of the weaker-willed shinobi broke entirely, trembling uncontrollably, their fear spiraling into panic.
Madara's silhouette loomed within the raging flames, his figure appearing and disappearing like a demon risen from the depths of hell.
Each step he took forward felt like it landed directly upon their hearts.
The middle-aged man's face turned ghostly pale. He realized now… defeating this opponent was impossible.
Who was this man? How could anyone possess such overwhelming power?
For a fleeting moment, he even had the illusion that—
Even if the Second Tsuchikage himself were here, he wouldn't stand a chance against this black-robed stranger.
When had the shinobi world birthed such a monster?
There was only one choice left: retreat. Someone had to carry this information back to Iwagakure so the elders could prepare.
"Retreat… everyone, retreat!"
The moment the words left his lips, the surviving Iwagakure shinobi scattered in all directions, fleeing desperately.
But Madara had already predicted this.
"Trying to run now? Far too late."
He shot forward like a phantom, plunging straight into their midst.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter.
Madara moved like a wraith, vanishing and reappearing with lethal precision. Kunai slit throats, his fists shattered bones, and under the cold moonlight, crimson blood bloomed like wild roses.
The Iwagakure shinobi's screams overlapped, echoing endlessly into the night.
From a distance, Renya watched everything unfold, awe and admiration shining in his eyes. Madara's attacks were swift, decisive, and utterly ruthless. There was no hesitation, no wasted motion.
Before long, only the middle-aged man remained.
Gone was his arrogance from moments ago. He now stood trembling, pale-faced, his eyes filled with pure terror.
"You… you can't kill me!" he stammered, backing away in panic. "I'm under the protection of Tsuchikage-sama—"
"Splurt—!"
Blood sprayed into the air.
The man froze, eyes wide in disbelief, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
"Even if the Tsuchikage himself stood before me," Madara said coldly, "I'd kill him just the same."
The Second Tsuchikage was nothing to him.
The wind carried away the lingering flames, leaving silence in its wake. The battlefield now held only one standing figure—Uchiha Madara.
He stood amidst the carnage, his entire body drenched in blood, his Sharingan glowing brilliantly in the darkness as his cold gaze swept across the sea of corpses.
Renya approached cautiously, unable to hold back his admiration.
"As expected of Madara-sama."
Madara shook the blood from his hand and said flatly,
"Go inside. Find the merchant."
Renya nodded, entering the mansion. Moments later, he emerged, holding the merchant's severed head.
"Mission complete. Let's move."
Madara turned and walked into the night without another word. Renya hurried to follow, their figures gradually swallowed by the darkness.
Behind them, only a field of corpses remained, staining the Land of Earth's nightscape in crimson.