Chapter 99: Someone Has Come from Kumogakure
Cold sweat beaded on Asuka's forehead.
The closer he got, the more he realized that although the old man's life force was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, his aura was unbelievably powerful.
"Hey, Cousin, don't suddenly let your aura explode like that."
"Konoha has been extremely sensitive lately."
Ryoichi shook his head and reached for a skewer of dango.
The sudden burst of his cousin's aura had startled him.
"Kid, this old man did have some thoughts about you before, but I've already put those thoughts to rest."
Madara bit into a dango.
Seeing that Asuka was still standing there, he said proudly,
"Don't think this is some kind of lie. This old man really is Uchiha Madara!"
"Shh!"
"Shh!"
Ryoichi was startled.
He hurriedly gestured for Madara to keep quiet before standing up and pulling Asuka over to the table.
"Let's talk while we eat."
Sigh.
Watching the two old men quietly eat, Asuka also reached for a skewer of dango and began chewing.
If he hadn't known the old man's identity, he might have eaten another two skewers of meat.
Now, he could only manage five skewers of meat.
During the Meal
Asuka ate his dango while secretly observing Uchiha Madara.
He was actually quite curious.
At this point, shouldn't Madara already be dead?
Kushina Uzumaki's stomach was getting bigger and bigger, and the Nine-Tails' rampage was approaching.
If he remembered correctly, this should also be around the time Obito had already begun calling himself Madara.
"Speak if you have something to say. There's no need to secretly watch this old man."
"Old man…"
Asuka swallowed a dango, suddenly becoming tongue-tied.
He had always called Madara "old man" naturally enough before.
Now, however, he suddenly found himself unable to say it.
Smack!
Ryoichi patted Asuka on the back and said impatiently,
"He's your great-grandfather."
"Uh… Great-grandfather, what are you doing here?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara didn't even raise his eyelids.
He simply said,
"Didn't this old man already tell you?"
"I had some thoughts about you."
What does this old man want to do to me?
Thinking about Uchiha Madara suddenly appearing at the fried-chicken shop, Asuka continued,
"What about now?"
"Now?"
This time, Madara finally raised his eyelids.
He looked Asuka up and down before sneering.
"I still have some thoughts."
"Uh…"
The corner of Asuka's mouth twitched.
For once, he was completely speechless.
The old man was extremely straightforward.
He didn't hide his intentions in the slightest.
Madara put down his skewer, leaned back in his chair, and spoke softly.
"This old man intends to use the remaining years of his life to teach you youngsters a few things."
"You can think of it as something this old man is doing for your grandfather, Feihe."
"Or you can assume that this old man has another motive."
"Think whatever you want."
Looking at Uchiha Madara's aged face, Asuka suddenly found himself gaining courage.
This old man is surprisingly straightforward.
He says whatever he wants.
Obito has been gone for so long. That means the Eye of the Moon Plan already has a successor.
Can I get some free benefits out of this?
Thinking this, Asuka pinched his thigh, trying to clear his head with the pain.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked,
"My grandfather shouldn't have had that much influence, right?"
Uchiha Madara nodded, then shook his head.
"He did things like that while he was alive."
"But after his death, he stopped."
Asuka froze.
His expression gradually darkened.
So… what exactly do you want from me?
"Mm."
Madara nodded again before refuting him.
"If this old man hadn't needed your help, why would I waste my energy on you?"
"Now that you know this old man wants something from you, will you listen or not?"
"Teach me!"
Asuka agreed without even thinking.
You've got to be kidding me.
You say you want my help, so I'm supposed to help you?
Besides, your next resurrection will be during the Fourth Shinobi World War. After the Fourth Shinobi World War ends, you'll disappear again.
Why wouldn't I take some free benefits while I can?
Uchiha Madara looked at Asuka in surprise and praised him.
"I didn't expect you to be so decisive this time."
The moment he finished speaking, he saw Uzumaki Zetsu standing at the doorway, looking as though he had something to say.
Madara waved Asuka away.
"Come find this old man this afternoon."
After Asuka left, Madara waved toward Zetsu as well.
Looking at the middle-aged man Zetsu had transformed into, Madara asked,
"What is it?"
"Uh…"
Zetsu awkwardly scratched his head and said sheepishly,
"Lord Madara, it seems the report failed."
"Hmm?"
Madara frowned.
Before he could speak, Zetsu suddenly leaned close to Madara's ear and whispered.
One minute later.
"Hoo…"
Uchiha Madara let out a long sigh.
He turned his head toward the Hokage Rock.
From this angle, the face of Senju Hashirama could be seen clearly.
His dignified features looked down upon Konoha with lowered eyes, while the mysterious smile at the corner of his lips seemed to express genuine joy at the village's prosperity.
"Hashirama, shinobi are the root of all this chaos."
"This place is even darker than this old man imagined."
Konoha — Main Road Outside the Village
The scorching sun beat down upon the earth.
The temperature of the ground was so high that merely looking at it made people uncomfortable. The molecules in the air moved violently under the heat, creating a strange, wavering illusion in the distance.
Asuka watched the air ripple like waves.
Suddenly, an indignant roar came from the end of the road.
"Why is Konoha so hot?!"
"It's much hotter here than the Land of Lightning!"
At the end of the road, a group of several dozen people suddenly appeared.
It wasn't until they drew closer that the pedestrians along the road noticed the shinobi symbols on their foreheads.
Kumogakure.
The pedestrians' eyelids twitched.
They quickly moved toward the middle of the road, making way for the Kumogakure shinobi to pass.
"Damn it!"
"I want to walk along the side of the road! The middle of the road is under direct sunlight. It's too hot!"
Hearing the man who had been complaining nonstop, a teasing voice suddenly came from the Kumogakure group.
"Is your skin too dark because you've absorbed too much heat?"
"I told you a long time ago to learn from those Sunagakure shinobi and wrap yourself up completely."
"Do you want me to die of heatstroke?"
"Enough!"
Seeing the noisy group, the squad leader growled quietly.
Then he frowned and said,
"Konoha is just ahead."
"Watch your behavior."
"You no longer represent yourselves individually."
"You represent the entire village."
"Yes! Yes!"
Seeing how perfunctorily his companions responded, the squad leader frowned.
Then he turned toward the young girl standing beside him and ordered,
"Tell them the rules they need to remember when entering Konoha again."
"Yes!"
The dark-skinned girl opened the notebook in her hands.
Looking at the notes she had copied down, she began reading aloud in a lively voice.
"Konoha's most renowned clan, the Uchiha clan, monopolizes the Konoha Police Force and is responsible for maintaining public order within the village."
"Their authority includes judgment, supervision, and enforcement."
"Due to the Uchiha clan's temperament, only a small number of Uchiha are reasonable. Most of them won't take our identities into consideration."
The little girl suddenly raised her head and looked at the squad leader in confusion.
"Sir, would a clan like that really sell fried chicken?"
The middle-aged man nodded, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief.
"That is what the intelligence says."
"They also supposedly have another food that smells extremely unpleasant, but it's made exclusively for the Uchiha clan and isn't sold to outsiders."
After saying this, he noticed a trace of sadness flash through the girl's eyes.
He forced a smile and comforted her.
"The reason we brought you to Konoha this time is so you can relax."
"Don't think about those chickens, all right?"
"Mm!"
Thinking about the chickens she had inexplicably lost, the little girl tightly pursed her lips and gazed at Konoha with an aggrieved expression.
The chickens she had raised since childhood had all died within half a year.
If the chickens belonging to her neighbors hadn't recently begun dying as well, she really would have thought some malicious person had been targeting her.
Now that she thought about it…
She might simply have been the first unlucky victim.