Chapter 124: Do You Want to Dance Too?
The night was pitch black, and the wind on the hilltop blew fiercer than before, carrying an indescribable chill, as if something was approaching from afar.
At some point, the stars had hidden behind the clouds, turning the sky gloomy and blurring even the distant lights of the town.
The air grew heavy, as if an invisible hand was pressing down on everyone's chests.
Tsunade stood on the hilltop, her face filled with shock and confusion.
First, she felt a powerful presence, followed by a suffocating chakra approaching from the distance.
She had only ever felt that kind of chakra from one person.
A name flashed through her mind—a name that should no longer exist in this world.
"Uchiha..."
Tsunade's voice was faint, her pupils shrinking and her lips trembling slightly.
In the distant, dark horizon, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was as if the darkness itself had coalesced into a human form, walking toward them step by step.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, each step steady and deliberate, as if he were measuring the breadth of the earth.
Long black hair fluttered gently in the night wind, and his crimson armor gave off a dull gleam in the dark. The metal plates along the edges of his armor clinked softly with every step.
"Madara!!!"
Tsunade finally uttered the rest of the name.
Uchiha Madara looked young. His face was unwrinkled, his skin full, and his features deep, cold, and imposing. However, fine cracks ran across his face, stretching from his forehead down to his chin.
His eyes were the crimson Sharingan, glowing like blood in the dark. With every step, the grass beneath his feet sank slightly, leaving shallow footprints, as if the earth itself trembled beneath his tread.
Tsunade stiffened, subconsciously taking a half-step back. She pressed a hand to her chest, as if trying to suppress something. Her eyes were wide open, reflecting the figure emerging from the darkness.
"H-How could it be him?"
Her voice was hoarse, carrying an unconcealable shock.
She had seen Uchiha Madara before. Although she was very young at the time, that face, that aura, and that overwhelming pressure were things one could never forget once witnessed.
But this man should be dead. He had been dead for many years, having perished at the Valley of the End.
How could he still be alive?
No... those cracks on his face, what were they?
Did someone resurrect him?
Tsunade's mind was in utter chaos.
Beside her, Shizune fared even worse. She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide as saucers, trembling violently. Muffled whimpers escaped her throat, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.
Yugito Nii had crouched low the moment Uchiha Madara appeared.
Leaning slightly forward with her center of gravity lowered, her arms hung naturally at her sides, resembling a cheetah ready to pounce at any second.
Her eyes were locked onto Uchiha Madara, his figure reflected in her pupils. Her entire body was tense, every muscle coiled to its absolute limit.
She was a Jinchuriki, an elite of Kumogakure who had seen countless powerful fighters. Yet, facing this man, her body instinctively triggered the most primal response—fight or flight.
And she chose to fight.
But only she knew just how violently her heart was pounding in her chest.
Uchiha Taiga grinned, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears. His eyes shone like two stars, bursting with excitement and battle lust.
He took a step forward, and the ground beneath his foot violently cracked upon impact. The fissures spread outward from his sole, covering the surrounding rocks and dirt like a spiderweb.
"Madara!"
His voice echoed through the night sky, carrying a long-suppressed exhilaration.
"I didn't expect it to be you! As an Uchiha, I've wanted to meet you for a long time!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara stopped in the distance. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Uchiha Taiga on the hilltop.
A smile appeared on his previously expressionless face. It wasn't a large smile—just a slight upward curve of his lips—but it carried an inexplicable undertone.
"Brat, you aren't afraid of me?"
His voice was deep and commanding.
Uchiha Taiga's smile widened, his excitement now uncontainable. He bared his teeth in a fierce grin, his entire being radiating an intense will to fight.
"How could I be! Old man, you're just a corpse. What is there for me to fear?"
His voice was loud, so loud that it echoed through the woods at the foot of the hill.
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara's smile grew even wider, shifting from a smirk into a full-blown laugh. His laughter echoed through the night sky, carrying a bold and hearty amusement.
He threw his head back, his long black hair dancing in the wind, his crimson armor vibrating slightly with his laughter.
"Hahaha..."
Uchiha Madara laughed aloud.
Uchiha Taiga watched him, and as if infected by his mood, he also let out a laugh, joining in the uproarious laughter.
"Hahaha..."
Their laughter intertwined above the hilltop—one deep and resonant, the other clear and spirited.
Tsunade took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress her inner tension.
Her gaze darted between the two, looking from one to the other, her expression growing increasingly complicated.
She inexplicably felt that these two were very similar in certain ways... That smile, that look in their eyes, that posture when facing a formidable enemy—they were exactly the same.
Thinking back, she suddenly realized that the aura exuded by the two laughing men was the unique pride inherent to the Uchiha clan.
And their pride went even beyond that, carrying an arrogance that looked down on everything and disregarded everyone else.
She recalled the intelligence reports from the village, which analyzed Uchiha Taiga as having a cold personality, unlike a normal Uchiha.
Only now did she realize in hindsight just how terribly wrong that analysis was. No matter how aloof Uchiha Taiga seemed, the core of his personality still bore the unmistakable shadow of an Uchiha.
That pride etched into his very bones could not be masked by mere coldness.
Their laughter gradually ceased, and their smiles faded.
Uchiha Taiga looked at Uchiha Madara. The moonlight shone on his face, making his white eyes exceptionally bright in the dark night.
"Did you come here to kill me?"
Uchiha Madara stood at the foot of the hill, arms crossed, looking up at the youth on the hilltop.
His gaze was calm, as if looking at an opponent worthy of his attention.
"No, I came to invite you."
Uchiha Taiga spoke up, crisp and decisive.
"I refuse."
Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Won't you even listen to the terms?"
Uchiha Taiga shook his head, his tone flat. "There's no need. You're a dead man, so stop meddling in the affairs of the living."
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara stared back at Uchiha Taiga.
His gaze sharpened, as if re-evaluating the boy.
Uchiha Taiga did not back down, meeting his stare head-on.
Their gazes clashed in midair, almost as if sparks could be seen exploding in the night.
At a certain moment, both spoke at the exact same time.
"Do you want to dance too?"
As the words fell, as if by some unspoken agreement, both of their figures vanished instantly from their spots.
There were no afterimages or trails; it was as if they had been erased directly from the world.
The next moment, two figures appeared in midair.
Bang!!
Two fists collided in midair, producing a muffled boom like two mountains crashing into each other.
A fierce gale spread outward from the center of the impact. Their bodies seemed frozen in midair, locked in a contest of strength where neither yielded an inch, their eyes dead set on each other.
At this moment, both of their eyes were a brilliant crimson, with three tomoe spinning rapidly in each of their pupils.
Tsunade stared intently at the two, her heart inexplicably sinking.
Uchiha Taiga and Uchiha Madara glared at each other in midair, their fists still pressed together, neither stepping back.
The wind blew past, sending their hair fluttering in the air. The crimson armor and the dark travel cloak formed a stark contrast.
Uchiha Taiga's smile returned.
"Old man, you've got quite the strength."
The corners of Uchiha Madara's mouth also curled up slightly.
"You're not bad yourself, you little brat."
The next moment, the two separated, both dropping from midair to land a dozen meters apart.
The air seemed to gradually thicken, permeated by an inexplicable pressure.
"Come, let's fight to our hearts' content!"
Uchiha Taiga shouted, his figure shooting forward like a bolt of lightning.
"Hah!"
Uchiha Madara let out a short shout, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.