Uchiha Madara stared at Shouta Kazuki in front of him, his expression darkening as the boy uttered a single word with absolute conviction—
"Money."
Madara blinked, momentarily taken aback.
"...What?"
This wasn't the answer he had been expecting. Just moments ago, he had asked the boy about the price one had to pay to wield such a godlike ability—the power to summon the dead, to bring forth those long lost to time. And yet, rather than some profound or cryptic explanation, this boy had simply responded with money.
"Are you playing games with me, brat?!" Madara's voice carried a sharp edge, his brows furrowing as he glared at Shouta. "I asked you what kind of sacrifice this technique requires. And you're telling me that all it takes is silver?"
The sheer absurdity of the statement made his blood boil.
Did this brat truly believe that a technique capable of defying the very laws of life and death could be purchased like some common trinket at a market?
Seeing Madara's disbelief, Shouta sighed, setting down the wine cup in his hand. He had anticipated this reaction. After all, if their positions were reversed, he wouldn't believe it either.
"Madara," Shouta said, his tone patient but firm, "you asked me what the cost of summoning the dead is. And I told you—it's money. Silver, to be exact."
Madara's expression twisted in frustration. "You expect me to believe that? If all it took was money, the world would already be overrun with the resurrected! Every ruler, every warlord, every grieving family with wealth would have already used this power to bring back their loved ones! And yet, the dead stay dead!"
"That's because no one else has this ability," Shouta replied calmly. "I do."
Madara narrowed his eyes. His instinct told him that this boy wasn't lying—but that didn't make it any less ridiculous.
Shouta leaned back, crossing his arms as he continued.
"I didn't understand it myself at first. But after traveling to the world of the dead, I unlocked this power. My ability allows me to summon souls back into the world of the living, restoring them in their prime. But, of course, this power isn't free. It comes at a cost, and that cost is measured in silver."
Madara scoffed, but his curiosity was undeniable. "And just how much silver does it take to bring someone back?"
Shouta smirked slightly. "That depends entirely on the strength of the person being summoned. The more powerful they were in life, the higher the price."
Madara folded his arms, now genuinely intrigued. "Explain."
Shouta nodded. "A mere genin—someone with only the basics of chakra control—costs around ten thousand silver taels. A chuunin requires a hundred thousand. A jounin? One million. If you want an elite jounin, like Kakashi Hatake, for instance, the cost jumps to several tens of millions. But..."
Shouta met Madara's gaze, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"For a legend—a shinobi of Kage level or higher, like yourself—the cost is one hundred million silver taels."
Madara's lips curled in a faint smirk. "So, you're saying that if I wanted to summon someone like Senju Hashirama, I'd need one hundred million taels?"
"Exactly."
Madara chuckled darkly. "Hmph. I suppose that means you must have spent one hundred million taels to summon me then?"
At this, Shouta awkwardly scratched his cheek, averting his gaze slightly.
"Uh... well, about that..."
Madara's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'about that'? Don't tell me you didn't think I was worth the cost?"
Shouta waved his hands frantically. "No, no! That's not it at all! It's just that... well... I didn't actually pay for your summoning."
"...What?"
Madara's expression darkened immediately.
"You see, my ability gave me a free summon. I was lucky enough to get you as my first one. I didn't actually spend a single tael..."
Madara's eyebrow twitched.
"So, you're telling me that my resurrection—Uchiha Madara's return to the world of the living—was free?" His voice dripped with incredulity.
"Uh... yes?" Shouta admitted sheepishly.
A dangerous aura emanated from the Uchiha warlord, his fists clenching. "Are you telling me that my life was valued at zero?!"
Shouta winced, holding up his hands. "Hey, hey! Think of it this way—you were so powerful that my ability chose you to be the first summon! If anything, you should take that as a compliment!"
Madara stared at him for a long moment, before exhaling sharply. "Tch. Consider yourself lucky that I'm in a good mood today, brat."
Shouta let out a relieved chuckle. "Yeah, yeah... Anyway, back to the topic. Now that you understand how my ability works, you should also understand why I need money."
Madara gave him a pointed look. "You're planning to summon more people."
"Exactly!" Shouta grinned. "Think about it. If we had the right people on our side, we could shake the very foundations of this world! Imagine resurrecting the strongest warriors in history, all under our command."
Madara smirked at the thought. "Hmph. Ambitious, aren't you?"
Shouta leaned forward. "But here's the thing—I need funding. And that's where you come in, Madara."
Madara arched a brow. "Oh? And what exactly do you expect me to do?"
Shouta's grin widened.
"Simple. You're going to help me make enough money to bring back whoever we want."
Madara burst into laughter. "So, you resurrected me not to wage war, but to be your financial strategist?"
"Hey, don't underestimate the power of wealth," Shouta said playfully. "With enough money, we can revive anyone—even the ones you've been longing to see again."
Madara's expression grew serious at that, his mind briefly drifting to memories of the past. Senju Hashirama... his greatest rival, his only true equal. The thought of seeing him again stirred something deep within him.
He let out a deep sigh, swirling the wine in his cup.
"You certainly are an interesting one, brat."
Shouta smirked. "So... what do you say? You in?"
Madara took a long sip of his drink before smirking back.
"Heh... let's see how much money we can make, then."