Upon hearing the name, Kakuzu's face twisted in horror.
Deidara and the others didn't react as strongly, but they could tell the masked man who had appeared was no ordinary figure.
With his Sharingan, they guessed he was from the Uchiha clan. However, none of them immediately thought of the legendary Madara Uchiha—after all, Deidara and Hidan knew little about such history. Even the usually composed Kisame showed a flicker of surprise, though a faint smirk remained on his lips.
Kakuzu, however, was visibly shaken. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"No way... Are you Madara Uchiha!?"
His eyes locked onto the fan strapped to the man's back, and in that instant, he was halfway convinced. Yet, he still struggled to believe it—Madara Uchiha was supposed to be dead.
Though Kakuzu had never seen him in person, the name was legendary among those from his era. Everyone knew the stories of Madara Uchiha and his rival, the man who stood against him.
A force of destruction. A god among shinobi.
Together, those two had shaped history. In their time, either one of them alone was enough to shake the entire world.
If Madara Uchiha was truly alive…
Kakuzu's eyes burned with excitement. If this is really him, then our victory is assured.
The masked man chuckled. "Oh? So someone still remembers me."
Kisame grinned. "Madara Uchiha, huh? If that's true, our chances just skyrocketed."
Deidara narrowed his eyes, recalling something the old man Onoki had once said.
"Madara Uchiha… the nightmare of Onoki himself? Now that's interesting."
Kakuzu took a deep breath and asked the most important question.
"According to history, you died fighting Senju, didn't you?"
The masked man shrugged. "As you can see, I survived. Barely. That battle left me in critical condition—I still haven't fully recovered."
Kakuzu's excitement wavered. If he was telling the truth, then the situation was more complicated than it seemed.
If the real Madara Uchiha were here, he would have already destroyed Konoha.
Tobi noticed Kakuzu's expression and chuckled.
"Heh, I seem to have disappointed you. But this time, I'm not alone. I've brought an army of 100,000 ninjas!"
The room fell silent. Everyone was stunned.
Tobi's voice grew firm as he pressed his foot into the ground. "This time, we control the war. We will be the ones declaring war—not the Five Great Nations uniting to destroy us."
As he spoke, he studied everyone's reactions.
"Our new world will come..."
Nagato stood nearby, listening to "Madara's" speech, but his mind was elsewhere.
He knew their alliance was only temporary—just a means to combat the Five Nations. He also knew that most of Akatsuki's members were truly his allies.
Nagato had already seen the 100,000 White Zetsu. Their connection to Zetsu himself was obvious.
He narrowed his Rinnegan eyes as he watched Tobi's back.
Madara… when the time comes, we'll see who truly leads.
---
A few days later, Sakiya and Jiraiya returned safely to Konoha.
The moment they stepped into Tsunade's office, she couldn't hold back—she rushed forward and hugged Jiraiya tightly, speechless.
Sakiya quietly stepped aside, leaving them to their moment.
She returned to her family's home, where she reunited with her parents and lost herself in playful laughter with Nanako.
---
The Next Morning
In a familiar wasteland—the same place where Sakiya once unleashed a devastating fireball—Chihiro often brought Tsukigami and Sakuragi here to train.
Maybe it was because they were familiar with the area, or maybe because it was spacious enough, but they had grown accustomed to practicing here with their training tools.
Today, however, Sakiya had come specifically to check on their progress.
She stood at the front, arms crossed, watching as the three of them lined up before her like soldiers before their commander.
"Alright!" Sakiya said, her gaze landing on Chihiro at the far right.
"Now, let's start with… uh… the Sword Witch—Senhori!"
Chihiro's previously serious expression immediately crumbled, and she gave Sakiya an unimpressed look.
"Really, Sakiya? If you can't even remember the name you gave me, why not just use my real name?"
Sakiya huffed. "Of course, I remember! You've been promoted to Sword Witch now, after all!"
As she spoke, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Yeah! That's right! You're the Sword Witch! It's not just a name anymore!"
Chihiro smirked at Sakiya's enthusiasm and stepped forward, ruffling her hair. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."
Sakiya squinted in satisfaction for a moment, enjoying the attention—until she suddenly snapped back and pulled away.
"Hey! My head isn't something just anyone can touch!" she grumbled.
Chihiro chuckled knowingly and pulled out three lollipops.
Sakiya snatched them greedily and, after inspecting them, said, "Fine! For the sake of these supreme energy crystals, I'll let it slide."
She quickly returned to business. "Alright! Now show me what you've got!"
Chihiro grinned, then casually drew her blade and stepped forward.
"Watch closely. This is what I've been working on."
Sakiya noticed a thin steel wire wrapped around the blade.
Chihiro began with a simple swing, and as she moved, a segment of the wire detached, subtly extending the reach of her strike by an inch.
As she continued, more of the steel wire unraveled, forming what seemed like an invisible extension of the blade. Soon, as Chihiro moved, shimmering strands of steel created a web of cutting edges around her.
She turned to Tsukigami and Sakuragi.
"Now!"
The two immediately pulled out kunai and shuriken, launching them at Chihiro from multiple angles.
Chihiro's eyes narrowed as she adjusted her stance. The extended wires needed time to gain momentum, so their swings lagged slightly behind her own movements. But she was prepared for this—she simply had to account for the wire's position as she moved.
As the kunai and shuriken approached, they suddenly met an unseen force. Sparks flew as they were deflected, scattering harmlessly to the ground.
Sakiya's eyes widened.
Chihiro then stepped back, wrapping the steel wire neatly around her blade once more.
Sakiya clapped, her face beaming. "Not bad! You learned this in just a few days?"
Chihiro grinned, clearly pleased with the praise. She looked at Sakiya and winked.
"I'm not done yet."
She shifted her stance, gripping her sword with both hands and angling it toward a wooden target in front of her.
A surge of chakra flowed into the blade.
Sakiya watched closely as Chihiro infused Wind Release chakra into both the sword and the steel wires.
Then, in one swift step, Chihiro slashed forward.
A visible arc of white energy cut through the air.
SLASH—!
The wooden target was sliced cleanly in half. Both halves toppled to the ground.
Sakiya stared in shock for a moment before erupting in excitement.
"Amazing! You really are the Sword Witch! I can't believe you mastered this so fast!"
Meanwhile, Sakuragi watched the whole thing, feeling a sudden wave of self-doubt...
_____________
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