Chapter 370: 314. Chapter 309: Very fierce, but with a hint of being humbled

314. Chapter 309: Very fierce, but with a hint of being humbled

In the mountains behind the Hidden Stone Village, there is a natural cavern. When Shihe first established the village, he built several secret chambers within this spacious cavern, partly to store precious treasures and ninjutsu, and partly to provide a concealed location for the high-level secret meetings of the Hidden Stone Village.

In front of the secret chamber, a man wrapped from head to toe in bandages sat cross-legged. In his hand, he held a card shimmering with silver light, on which a long-bodied white creature was depicted.

Its robust limbs were tightly bound by black chains, five long tails hung behind it, white steam billowed from its body, and a fire named rage burned within its massive beastly pupils.

"Sigh~ Still refusing to talk to me?"

After yet another fruitless attempt to communicate with the Five-Tails inside the Tailed Beast card, Mu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with deep helplessness.

He had defeated the Five-Tails a long time ago and sealed it into the card, but for the past two years, the Five-Tails had refused to communicate and was constantly battering against the seal.

Mu had also tried transforming; he could indeed borrow the power of the Tailed Beast, and the strength he displayed was far superior to his usual self. However, he could not maintain it for very long, only for three minutes; if he exceeded that, he would suffer severe backlash.

"How did that rogue ninja do it?"

Frowning slightly, Mu put away the card in front of him. At the same time, a short figure ran into the cavern—it was none other than Onoki, who hadn't grown much. He looked full of worry, clearly bearing bad news.

"Onoki, what happened?"

For some time now, Mu had been in this forbidden area contemplating the mysteries of the Tailed Beast cards, while Onoki was responsible for his daily needs and the delivery of information.

"Grandfather failed again."

Onoki wore a pained expression, and his tone was not good.

"Sigh~ Master is of such an age; he has long passed his golden years as a ninja. Trying to take on a Tailed Beast alone is still too much of a stretch."

The Hidden Stone Village was truly lacking in successors. Aside from Mu successfully taking on the Five-Tails alone, no one else in the entire village could defeat the irritable Four-Tails.

In this awkward situation, the elderly Shihe had no choice but to step forward, attempting to take down the Four-Tails. But things did not go as planned; no longer at his peak, he had challenged the Four-Tails several times, only to end in failure each time.

Not only that, but Shihe had also strained his lumbar spine from overexertion. Now, he didn't even dare to make large movements for fear of throwing out his back.

"It's all my fault for being too weak to share the burden for the village."

Fifteen-year-old Onoki clenched his fists tightly, his mung-bean-sized eyes filled with unwillingness. His aptitude was somewhat dull, and to this day, he had not learned the signature Dust Release of his grandfather and master. The Four-Tails could crush him with a single finger.

"Onoki, there is no need to belittle yourself."

Mu actually thought quite highly of Onoki as a disciple. Although he was still a weakling now, he had promise for the future and was the type to be a late bloomer.

"Is there any news about the Tailed Beast in the Hidden Mist Village?"

After comforting his disciple, Mu suddenly remembered his old rival and asked.

"There is no news at all."

Onoki shook his head. All information regarding the Hidden Mist Village's Tailed Beast had been intentionally blocked by Bai Bai Lian; not a single bit had leaked out.

Hearing this, Mu lowered his head and remained silent. Even without any news about Hozuki Gengetsu, he had a certain intuition in his heart, a mysterious guidance leading him to fight.

"We and the Hidden Mist Village will eventually have a battle!"

Clutching the transformation device, Mu's confidence swelled rapidly. He slowly raised his head, a sharp glint erupting in his eyes, his tone unwavering.

Onoki was also infected by his master's emotions. He raised both fists high and boasted shamelessly,

"The mere Hidden Mist is no match for Master at all. Even the Hidden Cloud and Konoha will only tremble under Master's might!"

Hidden Sand: Am I not worthy?

"Heh heh~"

Mu was extremely pleased with his disciple's flattery. He immediately raised his hands slightly, signaling Onoki to say more; he loved hearing the truth.

"Oh?"

Just as the master and disciple were interacting enthusiastically, a cold snort filled with chill suddenly echoed in the cavern, causing Mu, who was immersed in the illusory dream woven by his disciple, to tighten his heart.

"Who is it?"

Mu looked around vigilantly and slowly released his perception, trying to find the uninvited guest.

"Master! Behind you!"

Just as Mu released his perception, Onoki reached out with a look of horror.

"Whoosh!"

With alarm bells ringing in his heart, Mu realized there seemed to be someone behind him. He immediately flashed to Onoki's side, his eyes staring fixedly at the figure who had just been standing behind him.

"Kid, who did you just say was trembling?"

Under the eaves of the secret chamber's door hung two lanterns. In the dim light, Uchiha Madara, dressed in a high-collared robe, slowly walked out of the shadows. His scarlet eyes carried a faint pressure, making the master and disciple feel somewhat breathless.

"You are... Uchiha Madara!"

Looking at the man full of oppressive force before him, Mu was surprised to find that the Tailed Beast card, which had been unmoved until now, was actually trembling slightly. He suppressed this for the moment, shielded Onoki behind him, and questioned in a deep voice,

"Our Hidden Stone Village is an ally that has signed a peace agreement with Konoha. As a ninja of Konoha, what is your intention in openly trespassing into our village's forbidden area?"

Uchiha Madara, who had specifically put on a Konoha forehead protector before appearing, felt complex emotions in his heart when he heard the other party call him a Konoha ninja. A fleeting smile crossed the corner of his mouth, hidden by his high collar.

"Peace agreement? Your attitude just now doesn't look like you want to abide by the rules that guy worked so hard to establish."

This kid Uchiha Madara had also become clever; he was all about having a justified reason. After hearing Onoki's boasting, he immediately took out the Konoha forehead protector from his bag, deciding to use his identity as a Konoha ninja to properly discipline these arrogant fellows.

Special notice: The following actions are strictly official business, without any personal feelings mixed in, and have nothing to do with Uchiha Gin's instructions.

"I... I was just running my mouth. The alliance between our Hidden Stone Village and Hashirama Senju is absolutely unbreakable!"

Feeling that something was wrong, Onoki hurriedly explained. The image of Uchiha Madara suppressing and beating up his grandfather, the Four-Tails, with a single glance back then still lingered in his mind. Even while in the Hidden Stone Village, he was still full of fear for the terrifying man before him.

"Alliance? Since it's an alliance, show some respect to Konoha..."

Squinting his eyes, the tomoe in Uchiha Madara's eyes slowly rotated. The cold pupil power that leaked out made Mu, a Tailed Beast Knight, swallow his saliva subconsciously.

After becoming a Tailed Beast Knight, Mu had once thought he was invincible. Even against the Silver and Gold brothers who had previously rubbed him into the ground, he had the confidence to successfully take revenge.

But now, Mu had no confidence in his heart. The aura radiating from Uchiha Madara was something the Silver and Gold brothers couldn't catch up to even on horseback. Could he really defeat the monster in front of him?

"Besides... you brat, you actually dare to call Hashirama by his name!"

Originally, Uchiha Madara just wanted to give a verbal warning. He didn't expect this little brat Onoki to dare call Hashirama's real name to his face. It was simply not taking the supreme leader of Konoha seriously.

You should call him the respected Hokage!

"Huh?"

Onoki was also stunned. Was there a problem with how he addressed him?

If he didn't call him Hashirama Senju, should he call him Daddy?

"Susanoo!"

With a hint of anger in his heart, Uchiha Madara directly activated his Eternal Mangekyo. With a clap of his small hands, a deep blue half-body giant rose from the ground. With a violent crash, the secret chamber of the cavern was reduced to ruins by the second-stage Susanoo. The powerful shockwave, carrying gravel and dust, blew the unprepared Mu and Onoki out more than ten meters, after which they landed heavily on the ground.

"Ugh..."

Lying on the ground, Onoki felt sore all over. He raised his head in a sorry state and saw Uchiha Madara, who was inside the half-body giant with a cold glint in his eyes. His heart was filled with despair; the Will of Stone he had realized not long ago now had signs of collapsing.

"Hmph~"

Seeing Onoki looking ashen, Uchiha Madara was very satisfied with his performance.

"In consideration of your youth and ignorance, I will spare you for now. Remember to be careful with your words in the future."

Fifteen-year-old Onoki perfectly inherited his family's "excellent" genes; his short and stocky stature, far smaller than his peers, successfully helped him escape Uchiha Madara's punishment.

What adult would get angry at a child?

"As for you, do you want to dance?"

Without looking at Onoki again, Uchiha Madara fixed his gaze on Mu, who had already stood up. Seeing that this bandage-man still dared to look him in the eye, he narrowed his eyes and said coldly.

"The will of the Hidden Stone will not be shattered by your few words."

The gradually heating Tailed Beast card in his arms gave Mu immense courage. Facing an overpowered opponent like Uchiha Madara, he showed surprising toughness. Onoki, who was trembling on the side, saw the gray defeat in his eyes fade after hearing his master's words. He also tried to stand up, his face gaining a bit of rock-like resilience.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Madara liked tough people. Only with such opponents could he gain a sense of accomplishment after defeating them. So, with a wave of his hand, the second-stage Susanoo swung its fist, smashing straight toward Mu.

"Master, look out!"

Onoki pounded his trembling legs in despair.

Move!

"BOOM!!!"

However, Onoki, frozen in place, could only watch helplessly as the ruthless hand smashed down. The huge impact nearly made him fall again. Looking at the sky full of smoke and dust, he reached out a hand in despair, wanting to shout, but found he had lost his voice.

"Hmph~ With this level of skill, you dare to talk big?"

He had thought this bandage-man had some tricks up his sleeve, but it turned out to be a guy who was all bark and no bite. Feeling bored, Uchiha Madara shook his head, preparing to dispel Susanoo and leave.

"Mu-Wang! Five-Tails Mu-Wang! The sonic steed!"

Suddenly, Uchiha Madara heard a strange electronic sound, causing him to stop as he was about to turn around.

"Signal Bike! Rider! Mu-Wang!"

"This is... a Tailed Beast Knight?"

Uchiha Madara, who had only heard of Tailed Beast Knights but never seen one, tilted his head in confusion. His eyes stared straight at the figure slowly walking out of the smoke and dust, and a bit of anticipation grew in his heart again.

On a body of black and white, scorching steam drifted. Two blue compound eyes carried sharp determination. Having transformed into a Tailed Beast Knight, Mu spoke an unintelligible chant with every step he took,

"Tracking!"

Click~

"Eliminate!"

Click~

"All of them!"

Click~

"Fast as the speed of sound~"

"Master!"

Seeing his master come back to life, Onoki, who had just been immersed in despair, jumped up on the spot. Watching Mu, who had successfully transformed at the critical moment, he shouted excitedly.

"Is this the legendary Tailed Beast Knight?"

Observing the untransformed Tailed Beast Knight, Uchiha Madara could not hide the curiosity in his eyes; this was the first time he had encountered a Tailed Beast Knight during his two years away.

"Uchiha Madara, it is not too late to apologize now."

The surging power of the Tailed Beast gave Mu immense confidence, and feeling invincible, he directly provoked Uchiha Madara.

"Very well, let me test exactly what level a Tailed Beast Knight is at~"

Paying no mind to Mu's provocation, Uchiha Madara was filled with fighting spirit; he loosened his stiff muscles and slowly raised one hand, and the Susanoo wrapped around his body seemed to receive an order, its massive hands reaching out toward Mu in unison.

Facing the Susanoo, which resembled a demon god, Mu appeared very calm; he struck a running pose, and the next moment, his entire body turned into a streak of light, disappearing from Uchiha Madara's field of vision.

"Oh? Not slow at all~"

Uchiha Madara exclaimed, his eyes darting rapidly in all directions, tracking the figure that Mu had vanished into.

"Where are you looking?"

At the sudden voice, a surprised Uchiha Madara turned his head, looking at Mu who had appeared behind him, his expression turning sour.

Even though his back was his sensitive zone, this guy actually dared to stand behind him.

"Die!"

Without hesitation, Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes, and two more large hands grew from the back of his second-stage Susanoo, smashing toward the posturing Mu.

"Whoosh~"

However, this move also missed; Mu's movement speed was extremely fast, and he instantly vanished from Uchiha Madara's field of vision again.

"Only capable of hiding?"

With an unhappy expression, Uchiha Madara's tone became impatient; he detested this overly agile opponent—could they not just have a straightforward, manly brawl?

"Then as you wish."

Mu's ghostly figure appeared once more, his streamlined body becoming scorching hot and slightly red from the rapid movement; feeling the Tailed Beast's power beginning to erode his brain, he decided to settle the fight in one move, hoping to defeat Uchiha Madara before the transformation wore off.

"Heh, interesting."

Mu's repeated provocations successfully stirred Uchiha Madara's anger; glaring with scarlet eyes, he poured pupil power into his Susanoo as if it were free, upgrading the second-stage Susanoo directly to the fourth stage, and after donning a magnificent tengu armor, the power of the Susanoo climbed to another level.

Calculating the little time he had left, Mu gritted his teeth, leaped up, and relied on the Light-Weight Rock Jutsu to hover in mid-air; after locking onto Uchiha Madara within the towering Susanoo, he plummeted at extreme speed, and during the descent, he kicked out, the friction between his sole and the air causing scorching steam to dissipate.

"Horn Break!"

From Uchiha Madara's perspective, the falling Mu had transformed into a galloping, pure white divine steed, charging toward him with the force of ten thousand tons, its sharp horn clearly visible.

"Well done!"

It had been a long time since Uchiha Madara had encountered an opponent who could excite him; facing this terrifying strike, he did not choose to dodge, but instead manipulated his Susanoo, swinging its fists excitedly to meet the attack.

After all, he was the man who had even withstood the Night Guy.

"Master!"

Watching from the side, Onoki had palms slick with sticky sweat, his gaze following the falling Mu, his heart hoping for his master's victory.

"Boom!"

"Hum~"

With a loud bang, Mu's kick landed directly on the fist of Uchiha Madara's Susanoo, followed by a sonic boom.

"Crack~"

After the sonic boom, the scene fell into an eerie silence; Mu and the Susanoo's fist remained in a stalemate, and Uchiha Madara was full of confidence, yet a crisp cracking sound caused his expression to change in a rare display of shock.

"Crack~ Crack~"

In the astonished eyes of everyone, Uchiha Madara's Susanoo, known for its ultimate defense, began to shatter inch by inch starting from the fist.

However, the lingering power of Mu's kick had not yet ended; a burst of scorching steam suddenly erupted from his body, his black-and-white frame turning bright red.

Uchiha Madara sensed something was wrong and was preparing to repair the shattered Susanoo, but he saw a large, steam-emitting foot forcefully break through the Susanoo's prideful defense, kicking toward his face.

"Won!"

Onoki shouted excitedly; his master had truly lived up to expectations, shattering Uchiha Madara's demon-god-like Susanoo.

"Kotoamatsukami..."

Seeing that foot less than a meter away, the patterns in Uchiha Madara's eyes spun rapidly, and several golden rays of light were about to emerge.

"Eh?"

However, just as Uchiha Madara was about to use his ocular jutsu, he discovered that the Mu before him had stopped.

"Ah! Ah~"

With a series of screams, the steam on Mu's body began to overflow, and to Uchiha Madara's stunned gaze, he fell straight to the ground.

"Master!"

Onoki was also dumbfounded; his master was clearly about to win, but suddenly remembering the limitations of Mu's transformation, he didn't care if Uchiha Madara would attack, and immediately rushed over using both hands and feet.

"Ugh~"

Ignoring the blisters on his palms from the steam, Onoki yanked the belt off Mu's waist, and with a flash of light, the smoke-covered, bandaged man appeared before Uchiha Madara once again.

"Hoo~ hoo~ hoo~"

Mu closed his eyes in pain, opening his mouth to exhale bursts of scorching steam; even though he had used the Vapor Danger Tyrant once, the burning sensation caused by this steam still left him unable to cope.

"As expected, only the weak rely on power they cannot control."

Watching Mu, who was opening his mouth and closing his eyes in defeat, Uchiha Madara instantly guessed the situation; this bandaged man before him must have forcibly borrowed the Tailed Beast's power to transform and was being backlashed by the Tailed Beast's energy.

"Cough, cough, cough."

With his throat covered in blisters, Mu was unable to converse with Uchiha Madara; every breath he took was agonizing, and his half-opened eyes were filled with despair.

"Don't come over here!"

Seeing Uchiha Madara walking toward him, Onoki stretched out his hands, blocking the path in front of his paralyzed master, his gaze firm as he faced the man who had been his inner demon just moments ago.

"Kid, your eyes are not bad."

Because Uchiha Madara was out on a mission, he had no killing intent; he just wanted to come over and mock them a bit, looking with interest at Onoki, who had grown bolder—he had been scared to the point of wetting himself earlier, yet now he dared to look him in the eye; his courage was truly commendable.

"As long as you spare my master, you can take any treasure here!"

Although his legs were trembling uncontrollably, Onoki mustered his courage to strike a deal with Uchiha Madara.

"Oh? If I kill you both, everything here will be mine anyway."

Raising an eyebrow, Uchiha Madara, whose eyes had returned to pitch black, said coldly.

"Eh."

Onoki felt his sphincter tighten, immediately terrified to the point of breaking into a cold sweat, with beads of sweat the size of beans sliding down his forehead.

"But you've been spared; I don't kill children."

Looking at the stiff-faced Onoki, Uchiha Madara withdrew his killing intent and took one last deep look at Mu, who was lying on the ground gasping for air; he turned around without hesitation and vanished into the shadows of the culvert, leaving behind only a sentence that echoed in the ears of the master and disciple, lingering for a long time.

"As the price for sparing the bandaged man, no one must know that I was here; remember to use your brain before you speak next time."

"Hoo~"

Following Uchiha Madara's departure, Onoki, feeling a sense of relief, collapsed onto the ground, stroking his heart which felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, unable to calm down for a long time.

After this battle, Uchiha Madara left an indelible shadow in his heart, and this shadow would perhaps accompany him for the rest of his life.

Uchiha Madara, who left the Hidden Stone Village in a few flashes, recalled the battle with Mu just now, and his heart suddenly felt a bit more passionate about Tailed Beast Knights.

"Not only could he shatter the Susanoo, but he almost forced out my ocular jutsu; Tailed Beast Knights are indeed something."

Never expecting that even just the Five-Tails would have such astonishing power, Uchiha Madara now wished he could find the Nine-Tails immediately and switch professions to become a Tailed Beast Knight.

"Where exactly did that big fox run off to?"

Whenever he thought of the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara felt a surge of anger; he had been conducting a carpet search in the Land of Fire for the past two years, and apart from discovering a canyon with the Nine-Tails' scent, he hadn't seen a single fox hair; sometimes he even wondered if the Nine-Tails had already been captured by someone.

And so, he began wandering in other countries; his first stop was the Land of Earth, and because he happened to remember his cousin's instructions, he specifically made a trip to the Hidden Stone Village to give them a small lesson.

"Since it's not in the Land of Earth either, then on to the next stop."

Saying this, a massive demon god rose behind Uchiha Madara; standing in the crystal on its forehead, the complete-body Susanoo flapped its wings and flew toward the sky where lightning rolled.

Target: the Land of Lightning!

"Burp~ Charcoal-grilled 'Lao Da', I love eating it~"

In a canyon in the Land of Lightning, the Nine-Tails contentedly swallowed the last charred Cloud ninja, and while letting out a satisfied burp, it couldn't help but hum a strange little tune.

The Nine-Tails, feeling eighty percent full, expressed that it was more comfortable staying in the Land of Lightning; sleeping in the Land of Fire had been nerve-wracking, always fearing that upon opening its eyes, that smiling wooden man would be there shouting 'hello' at it again.

"My lord, the Nine-Tails is here!"

Just as the Nine-Tails was blissfully savoring the charred aroma of the charcoal-grilled 'Lao Da', a burst of noisy footsteps came from afar, and upon hearing the commotion, its eyes lit up.

Hey~ another meal has arrived; this time it wanted to try the taste of 'Lao Da' sashimi!

The following word count is not included in the fee:

Last night was truly thrilling; two 'ghost fire' youths were riding a borrowed delivery scooter, twisting the throttle to the max without even turning on the lights, enjoying the thrill brought by high speed.

At the intersection in front of my house, I, riding my little Yadea, was just like that, hit and sent flying, probably flying about three or four meters.

Perhaps because National Day is approaching, the 'Hat Uncles' (police) were quite busy; I called 110 and waited for an hour before the 'Hat Uncles' finally arrived late; after finishing the statement, I called 120, and the 'White-Clothed Sisters' (nurses) were quite efficient, arriving in ten minutes.

Since the liability determination certificate hadn't been issued yet, the check-ups and such had to be paid out of pocket; I had my whole body's bones scanned, and fortunately, only two ribs were broken, which wasn't a big deal; speaking of which, are ribs really that fragile? The doctor said that even a sneeze could shake a rib into breaking.

After checking for the whole night, I wasn't required to be hospitalized, so I went home when it was almost dawn; because my little electric donkey was taken away by the 'Hat Uncles' for testing, I could only scan a Meituan yellow bike to go home, twisting the throttle to the max all the way, complaining in my heart,

Letting your family's vehicle hit me, watch me ride you hard, you little slutty donkey!

Sigh~ what a miserable ordeal! (End of chapter)