Chapter 301: Madara – I’ve Put Up with You Long Enough!

"That doesn't seem right." 

Madara was momentarily stunned. For once, he hesitated. 

After all these years, Zetsu had always been loyal to him. 

And now, just because of something Raijin said, he was considering putting Zetsu to the test? 

It felt a little wrong. 

But if he didn't do it… 

Madara was tempted. 

"What's wrong with it?" 

Raijin was caught off guard. 

He had only been making a casual suggestion—he hadn't expected Madara to actually consider it. 

If they really used Genjutsu to test Black Zetsu, they would find out the truth immediately. 

But what surprised him even more was the hesitation in Madara's eyes. 

This was his chance. He had to push further! 

"Let's wait a little longer." 

Madara pressed his lips together and finally spoke. 

No matter what, he had put all his trust in Zetsu.

"If the final result..." 

At this moment, Madara wasn't hesitating—he was actually afraid. 

If, in the end, the test proved that Zetsu had truly turned against him... 

A second betrayal. Madara didn't know if he could handle that. 

"You don't trust me." 

Raijin crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. 

"It's not that I don't trust you..." 

Madara was stunned. Wait, shouldn't I not trust you? 

Do you really not understand where we stand with each other? 

Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. 

Saying something like that would make all his previous efforts to guide Raijin seem pointless. 

"Then why not put Zetsu to the test? I promise that if he passes, I'll make sure he has the best food, clothing, shelter—everything." 

Raijin turned to Madara, pressing the issue. 

One of the three heavy burdens in his heart finally had a chance to be lifted. 

Raijin decided to push harder. 

"You think I care about money?" 

Madara tilted his chin up slightly, looking at Raijin with disdain. 

"You do." 

Raijin met Madara's gaze, completely unfazed. 

Did Uchiha Madara have money? Not a chance! When had he ever done missions? 

The ninjas from Kumogakure and Kirigakure who once worked for him had long been abandoned, now hunted by the entire shinobi world under Konoha's orders. 

Where would he even get money? Black Zetsu probably had to scrape together his meal funds. 

"But I don't need money." 

Madara pursed his lips, not bothering to deny Raijin's words. 

Money? How could that ever be more important than ideals? 

That wasn't the point. 

The point was—Madara suddenly saw an opportunity. 

"If Zetsu passes this test, I want permanent Sage Mode." 

Madara looked straight at Uchiha Raijin as he spoke. 

"Oh? And if he fails?" 

Raijin raised an eyebrow, smirking as he asked. 

"If he really betrays me, then we get rid of him." 

Madara closed his eyes for a moment, then answered. 

"Get lost! You know that's not what I meant." 

Raijin snapped, clearly annoyed. 

With Madara's personality—someone who was practically obsessed with loyalty—if Zetsu actually betrayed him, there wouldn't even be ashes left of him. That didn't need to be said. 

"Is that how you talk to your elders?" 

Madara sighed, rubbing his forehead as he looked at Raijin with a headache.

Fighting him over this? That would be too much. 

But acting like nothing happened? Madara wasn't exactly happy about that either. 

"Ah~ The last person who said that to me is all smiles whenever they see me now." 

Raijin chuckled and spoke softly to Madara. 

"Who? Uchiha Setsuna?" 

Madara paused for a moment before asking. 

"As expected from a former Uchiha clan leader, you really know your people." 

Raijin laughed lightly and nodded. 

"He admires strength." 

Madara shook his head with a smile and spoke casually. 

"Don't change the subject, Madara. What if he doesn't pass the test?" 

Raijin pressed on. Some things needed to be made clear before taking action. 

Otherwise, what if Madara suddenly claimed later that he had been tricked? 

"If he doesn't pass the test… Hmm… That is to say… Hmm… If I ask for him back, would you give him to me?" 

Madara pursed his lips and gave Raijin an open-ended answer. 

"Of course not." 

Raijin responded without hesitation. 

"I believe Jue will definitely pass the test." 

Madara nodded, sounding completely certain. 

"Now I'm starting to worry that you might go easy on Jue." 

Raijin looked at Madara with some doubt. 

"How could I? You think I'd abandon my principles over something as small as permanent Senjutsu?" 

Madara immediately looked offended and snapped back at Raijin. 

At the same time, he crushed the thought of helping Jue that had been lingering in his mind. 

Of course, permanent Senjutsu was important. Even though Madara hadn't fully figured out the secrets of the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan yet, that didn't stop him from securing permanent Senjutsu first. 

As for whether it was worth all this effort… 

Uchiha Raijin had already proven the answer with himself. 

A major reason Madara found Raijin so difficult to deal with was his permanent Senjutsu. 

It was a new path to strength, one with vast potential for growth. 

There was no way Madara would give it up. 

"I hope you're telling the truth." 

Raijin nodded but didn't dwell on the matter. 

Whether or not Madara went easy on Jue didn't really matter. 

Even if he did, as long as Raijin didn't notice, then it was as good as him not doing it. 

But how could he possibly not notice? 

Even if he worked backward from the result, he would still be able to tell. 

"You don't trust me." 

Madara snorted in dissatisfaction.

"How could that be?" 

Raijin let out an awkward laugh. Isn't it normal not to trust you? Why are you barking like a dog? 

"Why don't we discuss how to test Zetsu?" 

Raijin turned to Madara and asked. 

"Sure." 

Madara readily agreed, waiting to hear Raijin's idea. 

"I think that while we can use Genjutsu to test Ujue, we should set some conditions first." 

Raijin nodded as he spoke to Madara. 

"For example, we can use my visit to you today as the basis and create a scenario where we have a conflict, leading to the breakdown of our alliance. 

Then, you can follow Zetsu's advice and act according to his suggestions. At that point, he will fall into the Genjutsu. Whatever he suggests will come true, and step by step, we'll see whether he has betrayed you or not." 

Raijin explained his plan to Madara. It was something he had come up with on the spot. Since he wasn't sure if there were any flaws, he wanted to discuss it with Madara. 

"Hmm, very thorough. Just like your usual style." 

Madara nodded in satisfaction and looked at Raijin. 

"Shall we give it a try?" 

Raijin asked. 

Madara chuckled softly and nodded. At the same time, the nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan on his forehead glowed with a strange, eerie light. 

In that instant, Raijin felt the surroundings shift. 

The once mild and comfortable air suddenly turned bone-chilling cold. 

— 

**Heaven's Middle Realm: Ice and Snow Domain** 

"Hey? What are you doing?" 

Raijin dodged left and right, avoiding dozens of ice pillars that suddenly appeared. He looked up at Uchiha Madara, who was floating in midair, with some surprise. 

Was there really a need to make this look so real? This was just an act! 

"Raijin... do you know how long I've put up with you?" 

Madara looked down at Raijin from above, his face emotionless, as he slowly raised his hands. 

The next second, countless ice needles and massive ice blocks rained down toward Raijin. 

Even though Madara's face was blank, the overwhelming storm of ice made it very clear how he was feeling. 

Ever since he came to Konohagakure, he had been speaking up for this annoying brat time and time again. 

And today, he had even given him a long lecture to guide him. 

But what about this ungrateful punk? He still refused to call him "Grandpa Madara!" 

Unforgivable! 

*Crackle—* 

Purple-gold lightning flickered as Raijin's entire body turned into a flash of electricity, zipping through the icy space at high speed. 

Come on… 

This is too much! 

But there was no other choice—Madara had already attacked, so Raijin had to respond. 

Heaven's Middle Realm was definitely troublesome, but… 

Setsuna's eternal fusion with his near-light-speed elemental form. 

This little bit of ice? It'll never touch Raijin in this lifetime! 

"Hmph." 

Madara watched the scene in front of him, his forehead's nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan and the Rinnegan in both eyes locked onto Raijin. 

The next moment, without any warning, the lightning that Raijin had transformed into instantly froze into solid ice. 

Madara had been preparing for a while, but he still couldn't keep up with Raijin's speed. So, he made a choice—he lowered the temperature of the entire space. 

Even with the nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan activated, there was still a slight gap between Madara and Raijin when it came to speed. 

Not to the point where he couldn't react at all, but also not so small that Raijin could just toy with him however he wanted. 

It was like comparing two ninjas with different specializations. 

Madara was the type with well-rounded abilities, capable of handling any situation with ease. 

Raijin, on the other hand, specialized in overwhelming speed, using sheer velocity to dominate his opponents. 

As for the so-called "speed of light"... 

That was actually a misleading concept. 

For both Raijin and Madara, there was no fixed value for what "light speed" meant. 

Both Raijin's golden Tenseigan and Madara's nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan perceived light differently from ordinary people. 

At the end of the day, it was just a contest of reaction speed between the two of them. 

Strictly speaking, while the golden Tenseigan was powerful, it still had some gaps compared to the nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan, which represented the peak of the chakra system. 

However, permanent Sage Mode made up for that gap, putting Raijin and Madara on equal footing. 

*Boom!* 

Almost the instant the ice formed, it shattered completely. 

Before Madara could react, Raijin's figure vanished into the space of Amenominaka. 

Seeing this, Madara frowned slightly, then disappeared into Amenominaka's space as well. 

Is he trying to move the battlefield to Konohagakure? 

Madara had to admit—it was a smart move. 

Fighting him inside Amenominaka's space was a huge disadvantage for Raijin. 

With Flying Thunder God at his disposal, escaping this space was the right choice for Raijin. 

However… 

If the battlefield moves to Konohagakure, won't Konohagakure itself become a distraction for you? 

Konohagakure. 

Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked up at the dark, clouded sky, where Uchiha Raijin stood high above. 

The thick storm clouds, the oppressive flashes of lightning and thunder. 

Every single person in Konohagakure, whether ninja or civilian, had the same name appear in their minds. 

Futsunomitama. 

Is Konohagakure under attack? 

As that thought rose in their minds, the piercing sound of the village's alarm echoed through the air.

As soon as that long-lost voice echoed, all the civilians rushed toward the shelters without hesitation. 

The young ninja still in the academy worked together with the Genin and Chunin to maintain order. 

Meanwhile, the Jonin of Konohagakure appeared one by one on the rooftops. 

The Jonin squad members, dressed in green vests, who had stayed behind to guard the village. 

The masked Anbu of Konohagakure, wearing silver-white armor. 

The members of the Konohagakure Police Force. 

The Hokage's personal guards, appearing alongside Tsunade. 

And then, the barrier of Konohagakure slowly rising into place. 

Tsunade stood with her hands behind her back, frowning as she gazed at Raijin in the sky. Across from him, maintaining a safe distance, was Uchiha Madara. 

"Jiraiya!" 

Tsunade called out softly, stopping Jiraiya, who was about to step forward to help. 

"Are we just going to stand here and watch?" 

Jiraiya frowned at her words, turning his head to look at Tsunade. But his feet remained planted on the ground. 

Orochimaru, who had hurried over after abandoning his experiment, also turned his gaze to Tsunade. 

"Raijin doesn't need your help," Tsunade said firmly to Jiraiya. 

"When facing Uchiha Madara, I believe Raijin won't lose. If any of you rush in recklessly, you'll only become his weakness." 

She paused for a moment, then continued in a calm voice. 

"What truly troubles Raijin right now is the existence of Konohagakure itself. Everyone, protect the village. Make sure Konohagakure doesn't get destroyed by the shockwaves of Raijin and Madara's battle. 

Let our Hokage Guard Squad Captain focus entirely on his fight against Madara!" 

"Understood!" 

Everyone nodded and refocused their attention on the battle ahead. 

Senju Tobirama watched Tsunade standing tall against the wind, and a faint smile of approval appeared at the corner of his mouth. 

Now that's what a Hokage should look like… 

Tsunade pressed her lips together as she looked up at Raijin facing off against Madara. A small pang of regret surfaced in her heart. 

Did this conflict happen because of me? 

But she knew there was no point in thinking about that now. 

The problem was already here. The only thing that mattered now was solving it. 

And Konohagakure would solve it. 

Tsunade admitted that truly destroying Madara might be nearly impossible. If it were, Raijin wouldn't have agreed to cooperate with him in the first place. 

At the same time, Madara also couldn't truly wipe out Konohagakure. 

If he could, he wouldn't have agreed to cooperate with Raijin either. 

—End of Chapter— 

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