Chapter 58: Demon King Muzan: ???

Madara Uchiha was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a soft call.

"Mr. Madara, dinner is ready, please come eat with us." Kamado Kie stood at the doorway, smiling as she spoke.

Madara looked up at her and nodded slightly. He slowly stood up and followed Kie toward the dining hall.

Children already surrounded the table; seeing Madara approach, they shouted together, "Hello, Grandpa."

"Mr. Madara, please sit here." Kie pulled out a chair and said.

Madara Uchiha then sat down; the items on the table were merely some vegetables, and the staple food was nothing more than some congee.

Although the food was simple, the children around him all looked happy, and the two youngest children quarreled while eating, drawing Kie's scolding; although life seemed hard, they were still very happy.

Looking at this warm scene, Madara couldn't help but recall the past.

"Izuna." He silently recited his brother's name in his heart. A scene of the whole family sitting around the table was something he had not experienced for a long time.

Madara Uchiha once had many brothers and sisters, but because of war only Izuna and Madara himself remained, and eventually Izuna was killed on the battlefield by that damn Senju Tobirama.

Suddenly, Madara realized he had actually started to feel sentimental.

He was slightly stunned, a flash of self-mockery crossing his mind: "Have I really grown old? To be moved by such things."

He thought to himself: "Once I return to the Ninja World and unleash Infinite Tsukuyomi, everything will be restored, the world will know eternal peace, and such things will never happen again."

At this moment, Madara's body suddenly tensed, his expression instantly turning grave. His gaze swept sharply toward the window, as if sensing some danger.

The next second, Madara Uchiha suddenly stood up, and everyone at the table instantly looked at Madara.

Kamado Kie: "What's wrong, Mr. Madara?"

"Stay here and don't move; there is danger." Madara said in a deep voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable command.

Before his voice fell, Madara's figure had already vanished from the spot. His speed was astonishing, not even disturbing the air.

This sudden scene left everyone stunned. The children at the table widened their eyes, staring in shock at the spot where Madara had just sat, then all turned toward their mother.

"Mom! He..." the children exclaimed, their voices full of surprise.

Kie was also startled by this sudden turn of events; she quickly came to her senses, immediately stood up, and instinctively shielded the children behind her.

"Children, don't be afraid." Kie said while forcing herself to stay calm, but her voice still carried a slight tremor, "Everyone be quiet, listen to Grandpa Madara, and don't move." — In the snow, a figure slowly advanced. Each of his steps left clear footprints on the pure white snow.

"A thousand years, and still no demon capable of resisting sunlight has appeared, nor any trace of the Blue Spider Lily." He muttered softly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible impatience. This was a tall, slender man wearing a black long windbreaker, its hem swaying gently in the wind; his handsome face was pale as snow, as if blending with the surrounding snowscape.

Suddenly his footsteps paused.

Not far ahead, the figure of an old man appeared. The old man was frail, hunched over, looking as if he would fall at the slightest breeze.

However, when Muzan's gaze met the old man's eyes, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

They were a pair of blood-red eyes, especially striking in the pale snow; even Muzan felt a trace of an unusual aura.

"You are Demon King Muzan?" Madara Uchiha asked, this not a question but more like a confirmation.

Muzan slightly narrowed his eyes, his expression instantly turning cold. He hadn't expected anyone to call his name directly, let alone a human who looked so old. But the other's eyes at this moment sparked a bit of interest in him; killing him directly would be a pity, and today he was in a good mood, so he could let him live a little longer.

"How strange," Muzan said, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness, "an ordinary human actually knows my identity."

He paused, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes, "Are you a member of the Demon Slayer Corps? Or did someone leak my secret?"

Madara Uchiha remained silent, simply calmly facing Muzan. This composure sparked a trace of displeasure in Muzan's heart.

He was used to humans trembling in fear before him, but this old man before him showed no fear at all.

Muzan carefully sized up the old man, noticing his hunched back and wrinkled face; the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled into a mocking smile.

"However," Muzan continued, his voice carrying a hint of smugness, "no matter what you know or who you once were, it ultimately changes nothing. Look at yourself now."

He pointed at Madara Uchiha, "Wrinkles, white hair, a hunched back — this is the fate of humans."

He shook his head contemptuously, "Humans, what pitiful creatures. No matter how powerful you once were, you ultimately cannot escape the fate of aging and death."

A flash of fanaticism crossed Muzan's eyes, "And I, forever young, forever powerful. This is the difference between demons and humans."

At this moment, Madara slowly spoke: "Who I am is not important. What matters is that your killing ends here today."

Muzan was stunned for a moment, then felt a sense of absurdity. A mocking glint flashed in his eyes as he coldly said, "You think that with just a dying man like you, you can stop me?"

His voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a bone-chilling chill: "It seems you don't know what's good for you!"

Boom! A muffled sound came from the air, and Muzan's figure had already appeared before Madara Uchiha. His speed was astonishing, tearing the surrounding air and emitting a sharp whistle.

Muzan's hand shot out like lightning, fingers spread, aiming straight for Madara's throat. A cruel glint flickered in his eyes.

However, just as Muzan's fingertips were about to touch Madara's skin, the scene before him suddenly changed, and Madara's figure instantly vanished.

"What?!" A trace of panic instantly flashed in Muzan's eyes.

"Too slow."

A low voice suddenly came from above Muzan's head. Muzan abruptly looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting, a chill instantly sweeping over his whole body.

Madara had appeared above him at some point, looking down at him. Before Muzan could react, a thick tree branch had already appeared out of thin air in Madara's right hand.

The next instant, the tree branch pierced the air like a sharp sword, stabbing straight toward the top of Muzan's head.

"Boom!"

A huge roar shook out. The tree branch, carrying inconceivable power, instantly pierced through Muzan's skull.

The immense impact nailed Muzan to the ground, his face heavily smashing into the snow, creating a large pit in the snow with shattered snow flying everywhere.

Muzan's body twitched violently, blood spurting from the wound and staining the surrounding snow red. His eyes were filled with disbelief, obviously unable to understand what had happened.

(Chapter End)