Page 304
Page 304
It was Onoki, the future Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
Suddenly, a burly, bearded ninja leaped out from the Iwagakure delegation, his face flushed, and roared towards the Hokage Building, "What exactly does Konoha mean by this?!"
As soon as he spoke, the ninjas in the Iwagakure team began to question him all at once.
"That's right! You've left our Iwagakure delegation here for so long, is this how you treat your guests in the Land of Fire?!"
"We've been here for so long, and not a single person has come out to greet us!"
"Isn't this a blatant disregard for Iwagakure?!"
These words were like throwing a boulder into a calm pond.
The Uchiha guards, who had been standing solemnly on duty, suddenly became serious. They lowered their center of gravity and took a step forward, forming a subtle encirclement. The air instantly filled with the tense atmosphere of gunpowder.
Several Uchiha guards even had their pupils shrink, and a faint red light emanated from them!
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kagami Uchiha exchanged a glance, swallowed hard, and nervously looked at the composed Izuna Uchiha beside them.
Danzo narrowed his eyes, a sinister glint in them: "Hmph, Iwagakure is still as rude as ever!"
It seems that what Izuna-sensei meant by "big scene" was this sudden diplomatic incident.
Chapter 233 Mere grains of sand are not even half as good as me!
Just as the shouts of the Iwagakure ninjas subsided and the atmosphere around them became tense, the situation became even more tense.
Squeak.
A sudden sound broke the stalemate.
The heavy doors of the Hokage Building were slowly pushed open, and a figure walked out from the entrance.
The man's long, jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, barely concealing his appearance even under his Hokage hat, and his dark red armor was faintly visible beneath his divine robe.
His deep black eyes were cold and sharp, and he exuded a powerful aura that looked down on the world, as majestic and domineering as an emperor descending to earth.
The visitor was none other than Uchiha Madara.
Madara Uchiha descended the steps one by one, looking down at the crowd in the plaza below with an innate air of arrogance on his face.
He simply stood there casually, and an invisible pressure seemed to surround him, suppressing the noise of the entire square.
Madara Uchiha stood on the steps, his gaze coldly sweeping over the Iwagakure members. A faint smile played on his lips as he arrogantly spoke, "Oh? You... are the people sent by Iwagakure?"
Madara exuded a nonchalant contempt, as if the menacing Iwagakure ninjas before him were nothing more than a bunch of overconfident nobodies.
His words caused the expressions of the Iwagakure members to change, and for a moment no one answered.
In the Konoha camp, Shimura Danzo stood beside Uchiha Izuna, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the legendary powerhouse before him.
Uchiha Madara...
The name was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
In reality, Madara Uchiha left Konoha when he was young.
Neither the Uchiha clan's internal documents nor the official Konoha annals contain much information about this legendary figure who worked alongside the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to establish Konoha.
Putting aside the mysterious masked man who called himself Madara, Danzo knew very little about the real Uchiha Madara.
However, seeing Madara's undisguised domineering aura as he calmly appeared today still gave Danzo a sudden jolt.
A powerful sense of oppression washed over him, making it hard for him to breathe.
Simply standing there without uttering a word, Madara Uchiha's aura already had a subtly awe-inspiring effect.
……
in the audience.
When Jiraiya saw Madara Uchiha appear, his expression immediately became serious.
He suddenly sat up straight, staring intently at the dream scene before him, no longer paying attention to Orochimaru beside him.
At this moment, Jiraiya's entire attention was drawn to Madara Uchiha.
"coming……"
Over the past few days, he and Kakashi have racked their brains trying to find information about Madara Uchiha, but they have been completely clueless.
I never imagined that I would witness the true face of this legendary ninja in Danzo's dream today.
If we can find any clues during this opportunity, that would be great!
Thinking of this, Jiraiya held his breath, staring intently at the screen, afraid of missing any detail.
Without Jiraiya noticing.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and glanced at Jiraiya with a half-smile.
……
In the plaza, the Iwagakure ninjas were all intimidated by Madara Uchiha's powerful aura and dared not speak.
But Ōnoki was young and impetuous, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.
The short, stocky young man stepped forward, raised his head to look directly at Uchiha Madara on the steps, and said loudly, "We're here to sign a peace treaty! Konoha has left us hanging here for so long, with no one to receive us—isn't that a bit inappropriate?!"
Onoki tried his best to make his voice sound confident, but his slightly trembling tone betrayed his inner nervousness.
After he finished speaking, his gaze was fixed on Uchiha Madara, revealing a hint of unease.
When Danzo heard Onoki mention the "peace treaty," he raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.
Hashirama Senju was naturally aware of the history of collecting the Tailed Beasts and signing peace agreements with the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Even Hashirama Senju went so far as to kneel and beg for a peace treaty between the major ninja villages.
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
However, he didn't think Madara Uchiha would do such a thing.
Sure enough, the next second Madara Uchiha let out a disdainful sneer.
"Don't get it wrong, you brat from Iwagakure."
Madara Uchiha's every move exuded an indescribable arrogance.
"In my dictionary, Madara Uchiha, there has never been a word like 'peace agreement'!"
Madara slowly surveyed the Iwagakure members, then continued indifferently, "Before you, there is only one path: submit to the absolute power of Konoha!"
Upon hearing this, the Uchiha guards who had been on guard and waiting on the Konoha side straightened their backs with excitement, raised their heads, and showed confident and proud expressions.
This is their invincible Hokage!
With just a few words, Madara Uchiha revealed Konoha's tough stance, making everyone's blood boil.
On the other hand, many of the Iwagakure members had pale faces, and their eyes showed a complex mix of hesitation and anger.
As Shimura Danzo read Madara Uchiha's assertive declaration, a wave of astonishment suddenly surged within him.
He couldn't help but exclaim inwardly: Is this what it's like for Madara Uchiha to become Hokage?!
Such a domineering and forceful Hokage did not evoke any resentment in Danzo.
His gaze swept back and forth between Madara Uchiha and the Iwagakure members, his thoughts drifting back to the past.
After a brief moment of distraction, the image of Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly appeared in Danzo's mind.
That was his former close friend, but also his lifelong political enemy and regret.
In reality, Hiruzen Sarutobi always hesitated and retreated when faced with provocations from various hidden villages.
No matter how hard Danzo argued, he could not overcome Hiruzen's decisive power as Hokage, and could only watch helplessly as Konoha's dignity was repeatedly trampled upon and compromised by his opponent.
Whenever Danzo recalled this incident, a surge of resentment welled up within him, which he found difficult to quell.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glare fiercely at the young Hiruzen Sarutobi not far away.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was just stunned by the domineering aura that Madara Uchiha had just displayed.
Suddenly, Danzo gave him another fierce glare. Confused, he shuddered and shrank back.
Danzo snorted disdainfully before turning his gaze back to the arena.
The ninjas of Iwagakure were stunned for several seconds after hearing Madara Uchiha's oppressive words before they came to their senses.
They looked at the composed Madara Uchiha, exchanged bewildered glances, and then a low murmur of unease arose within the ranks.
"This isn't right...this isn't what we agreed on!"
"How could this be?! Lord Hashirama clearly promised..."
Several Iwagakure ninjas couldn't help but gasp in surprise, completely unable to believe the answer they heard.
Their mission was to sign a peace agreement, with Hashirama Senju personally promising certain favorable terms to Iwagakure.
But now the Hokage of Konoha is acting as if he has no intention of negotiating at all, and is even asking them to submit directly?!
The Iwagakure members were taken aback and showed expressions of surprise, doubt, and anger, muttering complaints under their breath.
Ōnoki was also provoked by Madara Uchiha's attitude, and his face turned pale.
Suppressing his shock, he stepped forward again and demanded, "How is this possible! Lord Hashirama clearly said—"
Onoki blushed and, in his excitement, couldn't even finish his sentence.
Before he could finish speaking, he was abruptly interrupted by a cold shout from Madara Uchiha.
"Oonoki!" Madara Uchiha's expression remained indifferent, silencing Onoki's remaining words. "I am the Hokage! Konoha is ruled by me!"
His sharp gaze shot towards his opponent like a blade, and the subtle pressure he exuded made Onoki involuntarily shut his mouth, and for a moment he was so shocked that he had difficulty breathing.
Just then, a deep, hoarse voice came from behind the crowd: "Uchiha Madara, your request is a bit too much."
Before he finished speaking, a tall, slender figure walked up to Onoki's side.
The newcomer was wrapped in bandages; it was none other than the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.
Unable to contain himself any longer, he appeared and spoke up to stop them, saying, "Uchiha Madara, your request is really too much!"
"Even though our Iwagakure is not as strong as Konoha, we will never kneel and submit!"
"If Konoha dares to use force, we...we will definitely fight back to the end!"
stonecrandall