Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The atmosphere at the scene was silent.

No.

To be precise, it was heavy.

At least, that was how Uchiha Itachi perceived it.

Standing behind Uchiha Taiga and watching the two figures standing far apart, he could sense a distinct, chilling aura of murder lingering around them.

This put a considerable amount of pressure on him.

Despite his young age, he was the clan head's son. According to the rules of ninja clans, he was the young master.

As the young master, there was a lot he had to learn from a young age, especially matters concerning his own clan, which he had been exposed to since childhood.

Others might not be sensitive to the name Uchiha Madara, but he knew exactly what it meant.

That was the man known as the Asura of the Ninja World, the existence who ended the Warring States period alongside the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. He was as powerful as a god.

And now, such a person had suddenly appeared before them, claiming to be Uchiha Madara. No matter how you looked at it, he came with ill intentions.

He might not understand much at his young age, but he could still distinguish good from bad in the current situation.

A single eye was revealed beneath the newcomer's mask, and it was an eye Uchiha Itachi was all too familiar with.

It was the Sharingan.

Therefore, Uchiha Itachi subconsciously believed him.

At this moment, the man calling himself Uchiha Madara did not speak again. His single eye simply stared at Uchiha Taiga, making it unclear if he was angered by Taiga's words.

Fine.

Uchiha Taiga admitted that his insults were quite foul, but he was telling the truth. After all, Uchiha Madara was a fool himself, and that was undeniable.

As for Uchiha Obito, who was parading around under Uchiha Madara's identity, it would be more fitting to rename him Uchiha O-bitch-o.

For once, Uchiha Taiga didn't expose the newcomer's identity. Instead, out of a wicked sense of humor, he chose to play along, treating it purely as entertainment.

As for why Uchiha Obito had sought him out, he had a rough guess.

Today was the very day Sarutobi Hiruzen left the village to report to the Daimyo. With the Hokage out of the village, it was the perfect time for Uchiha Obito to sneak in.

As for why he sought him out specifically, Uchiha Taiga figured he either wanted to recruit him or just wanted to make an appearance.

Either way, it was nothing good.

But did Uchiha Taiga care?

He didn't even care about the entire Uchiha clan, so why would he care about a loser?

Not a chance.

"Not going to answer? Or did you just come here to stand around and put on an act?"

Uchiha "Madara" moved, stepping toward the two of them again while letting out a low chuckle.

"Hehehe, what a sharp-tongued brat. Do you think that will be enough to anger me?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Taiga smiled and slowly drew the ninja sword from his waist.

This was the very sword gifted by Uchiha Fugaku and his wife, a high-quality blade.

As for the Sword of Kusanagi, that thing was too eye-catching, so there was no need to bring it out for now.

"You say you're Uchiha Madara, so I'll treat you as Uchiha Madara for now. I imagine you didn't come here alone just to chat with me, right, Asura of the Ninja World?"

Uchiha "Madara" stopped a few meters in front of Uchiha Taiga and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Naturally. I am here to test your caliber."

Seeing him act like this, the corner of Uchiha Taiga's eye twitched, and he almost failed to keep a straight face.

Honestly, knowing the truth—that the person standing before him was Uchiha Obito—and watching him try so hard to act like Uchiha Madara was genuinely hilarious.

He had some of that overbearing aura, but not much. It might bluff others, but it couldn't bluff him.

It was somewhat absurd.

However, considering that Uchiha Obito was an absurd character to begin with, it all made sense.

"I see. Then bring it on. Let me get a good look at just how strong the Asura of the Ninja World really is."

As he spoke, the ninja sword was fully unsheathed, its edge gleaming with a cold light.

"Aren't you going to draw a weapon?" Uchiha Taiga asked.

"Hmph, I don't need one to deal with a brat like you."

Uchiha "Madara" stood proudly, full of arrogance.

"Heh."

Uchiha Taiga chuckled lightly to ease the inexplicable awkwardness, then instructed without looking back, "Step back. Stand further away."

Uchiha Itachi snapped back to reality, his small face already slick with sweat. Without any hesitation, he ran backward, being very obedient.

The next moment, he heard a sharp metallic ring.

*Clang!*

It was the sound of a blade slashing down.

Looking back instinctively, his eyes widened.

In his line of sight, Uchiha Taiga's figure blurred into a single line, appearing in front of Uchiha Madara almost instantly as his ninja sword slashed down at his head.

The latter seemed caught off guard, not expecting Uchiha Taiga to possess such incredible speed. Unable to dodge in time, the black cloak on his chest was sliced open.

If one looked closely, they would notice faint arcs of electricity coursing over Uchiha Taiga's legs and feet.

*Boom!*

The explosive sound only echoed out at this moment. The ground where he had originally stood had caved in slightly, with cracks spiderwebbing outward—clearly the result of Uchiha Taiga's explosive launch.

"S-So amazing..."

Uchiha Itachi forgot to keep running and stopped in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at the scene.

*Swoosh!*

Over there, Uchiha Madara retreated rapidly, leaping back several times to put distance between himself and Uchiha Taiga.

He looked down at the tear on his chest. Fortunately, it hadn't injured his body; it had only cut through the fabric.

But even so, his face beneath the mask turned grim.

'I was careless!'

He had originally come here to see just what kind of genius this famous prodigy of the Uchiha clan really was.

After all, having released the Nine-Tails, fought the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, and triggered the Nine-Tails' attack, he had accomplished massive feats and considered himself a powerhouse.

Coupled with wearing the guise of Uchiha Madara and holding such a mindset, he naturally placed himself above the other party subconsciously.

But Uchiha Taiga's single strike had snapped him back to reality.

That strike... was too fast.

Uchiha Taiga slowly straightened his posture, the lightning on his legs gradually dissipating. He took the initiative to speak, "This is a Body Flicker Technique developed based on the Senju's monstrous strength and Kumogakure's Lightning Style Nintaijutsu. Asura of the Ninja World... what do you think?"

This Body Flicker Technique was actually just a half-finished product and wasn't perfect, but that didn't stop him from showing it off to let this Uchiha "Madara" broaden his horizons.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Uchiha Taiga added, "Were you about to say, 'Mere gravel cannot compare to even half of my power'?"

The other party still didn't speak, but the corner of his eye beneath the mask twitched.

"Heh, interesting brat."

Uchiha Taiga grinned. "Is that so? Then... shall we continue?"

As his words fell, his figure vanished once more. This time, he charged at the other party like a blur again, kicking up quite a commotion.

But Uchiha "Madara" stood completely still, as if he hadn't noticed the incoming attack.

The next moment, the two crossed paths.

Uchiha Itachi watched without even blinking.

He saw it clearly. For a split second, their figures overlapped. Uchiha Taiga had clearly passed right through the other party's body, yet not a single strand of the man's hair was disturbed.

"How... is this possible?"

Uchiha Itachi's young mind couldn't comprehend what had just happened, but seeing this scene made his heart sink heavily.

*Swoosh!*

Uchiha Taiga flickered away, dodging a kunai, and landed on a nearby tree branch, looking down from above.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu? Not bad. I just wonder how long you can maintain this jutsu once activated?"

Uchiha "Madara's" fingers twitched slightly.

Then Uchiha Taiga continued, "A very unique jutsu. Such a technique has never circulated in the ninja world. So, is this the ability of your eye?"

Uchiha "Madara" looked up, meeting Uchiha Taiga's smile.

"If you are Uchiha Madara, you definitely possess those eyes. It seems I'm not wrong."

Uchiha Taiga spoke to himself, seemingly making guesses, but in reality, he was just a troll messing with Uchiha Obito's mind right to his face.

Finally, his smile vanished, and his expression turned cold.

"Do you also want to dance?"

Uchiha "Madara" remained silent. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, his voice still hoarse.

"I underestimated you, Uchiha Taiga. Since that's the case, I will defeat you in the area you are most proud of and make you see reality."