The Third Raikage could have evaded the attack with the speed augmented by the Lightning Style Chakra Mode, but thinking of the Cloud Ninja behind him, he bore it all alone.
As the Raikage! He had to shield his subordinates from all harm, even if it wasn't his own words!
"Come on!"
With a crackle of lightning, three fire dragons spewed flames, engulfing the Third Raikage.
The ground where he stood had already been cratered by the preceding Five Elemental Jutsu: Great Waterfall Technique, and now it was even more devastating. Fortunately, the Third Raikage always fought shirtless, otherwise, it would have been quite indecent right now.
After the smoke cleared, the Third Raikage was enveloped in crackling arcs of lightning, his spiky blond hair standing on end. He had activated his Lightning Style Armor, his strongest defensive state. Ordinary ninjutsu could no longer affect him; not even an S-rank Wind Style jutsu could break through his flesh.
Seeing that his attack had no effect, Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually calmed down. He knew the terrifying power of the Third Raikage; such ninjutsu would not cause him much damage. But Hiruzen Sarutobi was not afraid. He had mastered over a hundred ninjutsu and various combination ninjutsu; surely one of them would be effective.
Moreover, his goal was not to defeat the Third Raikage. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was confident, he also knew that he couldn't win alone. He was waiting, waiting for Konoha's reinforcements!
As long as he could hold off the Third Raikage until the other Konoha reinforcements arrived, the Cloud Village would not be able to sustain themselves. At that point, the Third Raikage would be hesitant and would regret transferring Ay and Killer B away!
The real battle! It was just beginning!
Meanwhile, on a small road in the Land of Fire, a convoy of carriages was traveling towards Konoha village.
Orochimaru, with a pale face, sat in a carriage, clutching his stomach. He had not recovered from being struck by the Lightning Style: Liger Bomb. If not for his strong survivability, he might have gone to the Pure Land to study technology.
The thought of almost losing his life to the Third Raikage made Orochimaru's expression darken. Initially, he could still fight back, but once his opponent activated the Lightning Style Chakra Mode, his speed was no match, and he could only endure the blows.
Thinking of enduring blows, Orochimaru couldn't help but think of Jiraiya. If Jiraiya were here, he and Jiraiya would team up. Jiraiya would take the hits, and perhaps they could hold the opponent off for a while.
With a creak and a rumble, the carriages slowly disappeared at the end of the small road.
...
Deep underground somewhere in the ninja world, sunlight never reached this place. Only occasionally did a faint glow filter through the gaps in the trees.
So, even though it was almost summer, Madara didn't need a fan; it was already cold enough here...
Gurgle.
As if sensing movement, a pair of blood-red Mangekyo Sharingan eyes quietly opened in the darkness, gazing at the newcomer.
"Madara-sama! Guess what good stuff I brought you!"
The one speaking in such a tone could only be White Zetsu. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu split in half, and the white half, hopping on one foot, approached Uchiha Madara, holding a bottle of nutrient solution.
Uchiha Madara ignored this fool and looked at Black Zetsu, who had regained his form, saying, "What happened?"
Black Zetsu felt a bit uncomfortable in his current dark state. He casually grabbed a White Zetsu clone and merged half of himself into it, saying, "The Third Great Ninja War has begun. I found something quite good on the battlefield between Konoha and the Mist Village. Please take a look."
Uchiha Madara glanced at the nutrient solution container in White Zetsu's hand, slightly surprised.
"Oh? Mangekyo? Do the Uchihas still have such basic talent these days?"
Uchiha Madara took the container and played with it. With his eyesight, he could tell that it should be a recently awakened Mangekyo.
"Right! He also has a younger brother, and I recovered his Sharingan too."
Black Zetsu pulled the corpses of Uchiha Tianyi and Uchiha Taiyi from underground and dropped them on the ground. The two brothers' deaths were rather tragic.
"They died? What a pity!"
Uchiha Madara's initially delighted mood sank. "But they're still usable, I suppose."
Uchiha Madara didn't ask Black Zetsu about the abilities of these Mangekyo Sharingan. Nothing could be understood better than wearing them himself!
Acquiring a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan was merely adding a bit to his reserves. The current ninja world couldn't rouse even a shred of his interest, let alone produce ninjas who could rival him.
The long years of solitude had filled Uchiha Madara's mind with only two thoughts: one was his "Great Plan for Peace," and the second was Hashirama Senju, the rival he had yearned for his entire life.
Even though Hashirama had "killed" him with his own hands once, he felt no regret. As Hashirama Senju's lifelong rival, no one understood Hashirama's love for the village and his desire for peace better than Uchiha Madara.
That was originally their shared dream!
It was just that this ninja world had disappointed him. Hashirama's approach could not achieve lasting peace. Human greed was boundless; take one step back, and they would advance another.
Hashirama! Just you wait! Peace will be realized through my hands!
And then, we will be together...
"Madara-sama, I have a question I'd like to ask."
Uchiha Madara's eyes, now cold, turned to Black Zetsu. The atmosphere had been so good just now, he had already envisioned a peaceful ninja world and doing... what he liked with Hashirama...
Never mind, I, Uchiha Madara, am not one for fantasies! I will make this a reality!
"Speak!"
He was still a bit angry!
"Have you ever heard of the term 'Lao Liu'?"
Actually, Black Zetsu didn't want to ask, but with his millennia of experience, he couldn't understand the meaning of this term. Was it something only humans could comprehend?
"Lao Liu?"
Uchiha Madara sat in a hollowed-out tree root, his expression laced with a hint of confusion. What was "Lao Liu"? He had never heard this term before! How could this be?!
"Who told you this? Explain the situation in detail."
Uchiha Madara feigned a grave expression, as if this term was extremely significant!
Seeing that Uchiha Madara was actually taking it seriously, which was rare, Black Zetsu wondered if this was truly a forbidden word.
He then spoke without reservation, recounting how he had ambushed Uchiha Tianyi on the battlefield and encountered Nagato.
"So... it was someone Nagato knew who told him to be wary of you? But how could anyone in the ninja world know about you?" Uchiha Madara pondered, refusing to mention "Lao Liu" at all, because he didn't know either!
"Madara-sama! Do you know the meaning of Lao Liu?" Black Zetsu exclaimed excitedly.
Uchiha Madara: ???... No social awareness?
"Ahem, based on your narrative, it's not quite the same as my understanding of 'Lao Liu.' Your 'Lao Liu' probably means someone who schemes behind people's backs!"
Even though he, Uchiha Madara, hadn't heard of it, his analytical skills were top-notch!
Black Zetsu's dark face showed no expression. "Then, Madara-sama, what is the meaning of 'Lao Liu' as you know it?"
Uchiha Madara: ...This is annoying, let it all perish!
"This question needs no further discussion!"
Uchiha Madara's eyes turned cold as he looked at White Zetsu and said sternly, "How did Nagato appear on the battlefield? Where were the White Zetsu clones responsible for surveillance?"
White Zetsu's main body, who was in the process of selecting a "body," scurried over, tripping on a severed arm midway.
"Madara-sama, the one responsible for surveillance was Tobi. He seemed to have been attracted by an insect that was defecating. However, he has now caught up with Nagato, and they appear to be heading towards the Land of Water."
"..."
Uchiha Madara suddenly had a feeling that this place was like... an asylum for the mentally ill?