Chapter 655: 616. Madara Shinden: The Legend of Kusanagi Blade
Madara eats his breakfast while silently listening to the discussion and rumor of the surrounding people. He pays close attention to the discussion of the shinobi groups.
After an hour, Madara departs the tavern after gathering enough information. He walks through the streets of the commercial district of the village, purchasing supplies and sorting out the information he just overheard.
'Looks like my speculation is correct. The shinobis of the Land of Earth are uniting under the banner of the Kamizuru clan. Their purpose is unclear to others, but this group is amassing a large number of weapons, armor, and other war supplies.' Madara wonders.
'What could be their purpose? Could it be?' Madara narrow his eyes.
'Then there is also the matter of civil war in the Land of Water. Various forces are entangled with each other, making the situation more chaotic than usual. So much so that even merchants and traders are being constantly attacked and plundered.'
Hmm…
Suddenly, Madara's eyes narrow. He feels a murderous intention locked onto him.
Madara keeps walking forward. He glances at a dark corner from the corner of his eyes. His lips curl slightly.
'A group of mischievous rats!'
Whoosh…
In the next instant, Madara disappears from their vision.
AH…
The group of shinobis hiding in the dark corner suddenly frowns.
"Where is the target?"
They look at each other and attempt to search Madara's trail.
"Are you looking for me?"
Suddenly, Madara's voice echoes in their ear above their head.
They raise their heads and notice Madara standing on the roof of a nearby house. Madara folds his hands and calmly glances at this group of ragtag bunches.
He senses their chakra signature and doesn't find any significantly powerful opponents.
"So, a group of wild thugs! But they seem to have lots of innocent blood on their hands."
Swish…
The next instant, Madara disappears from everyone's vision and reappears outside the alley with a kunai in his hand.
Swish…
He flicks the kunai to wipe the blood and continues to walk forward, silently disappearing into the crowd.
A few seconds later,
Another bunch of shinobis appear in the alley. They glance at the horrifying sight of blood and corpses straying around and gasp in shock.
Their group was the backup reinforcement of the previous group. But it hasn't been long since the other group left and now every member of this group is dead.
"A powerful shinobi has appeared!" This group looks at each other with fear in their eyes.
"Let's inform the members of the Sōgen clan of this matter." The shinobis glance at each other and nod.
While the group was discussing among themselves, a sudden silent figure appeared among them.
Madara glances at the second group of shinobis with a cold gaze. His presence startles the group and they prepare to flee at first sight.
Shiing…
"Genjutsu: Sharingan,"
Madara traps them all in his Sharingan's genjutsu.
"Hmm… Looks like these people are the affiliates of the Sōgen clan. If I kill them here, their death might alert the higher-ups of the Sōgen clan. Although I am not afraid of the Sōgen clan, I don't want any unnecessary conflict on this trip, leading to any further delay.
With his genjutsu, Madara transplants fake memories in the shinobi's mind and disappears quickly. While moving towards the rendezvous spot, Madara recalls information on the Sōgen clan.
'Sōgen clan is a middle-sized clan of the Land of Grass. They don't possess any powerful Kekkei Genkai or special skills, but their proficiency in Kenjutsu is quite top-notch."
Most shinobi clans are mercenary groups that are blades for hire. Several people, including the feudal lords, nobles, various aristocrats, and top merchants, hired these shinobi clans to do their dirty work for them.
The shinobis live a life of blood and battle. But that doesn't mean these shinobi clans are poor. On the contrary, most shinobis clans have a very rich heritage and legacy.
Almost every shinobi clan has a stronghold in a country. The stronghold of most shinobi clans is surrounded by small civilian villages. These small villages seek shelter under these powerful shinobis for protection and pay a fair amount of their revenue as protection fees to the shinobi clans. Thus, this is a mutually beneficial relationship. This way, every medium to large size shinobi clan has a territory that falls under its control.
This small village is in the territory of the Sōgen clan. Most shinobi clans want control over their subsidiary village and thus create small underground organizations to keep the villages in check. However, the Uchiha clan despises such tactics.
Madara recalls another rumor about the Sōgen clan.
According to the rumor, the Sōgen clan possesses a powerful sword called the 'Kusanagi blade'. This blade is also infamously known as the 'Grass-cutter blade' in the Land of Grass.
The legend comes from the tale of an unknown shinobi. The unknown shinobi wielded the blade to single-handedly cut down an entire foreign invading army.
Rivers of blood flowed from the massacre, and the surrounding land was painted red from the bloodbath. The infamous place where the battle took place is called the Kama Plain. The forest surrounding the plane is called the red forest because of the blood-red leaves of the surrounding tree.
After that legendary battle, the Kusanagi blade came into possession of the Sōgen clan and was passed down as an heirloom. Not much is known about the Kusanagi blade since it didn't appear after that battle. It's said that the Kusanagi blade can extend its reach endlessly to strike the enemy down, no matter the distance.
Madara reaches the rendezvous point and meets with the other members of his clans. He summarizes his encounters and listens to the rest of them. After a few minutes, the remaining members also arrive and the group sets off.
After traveling non-stop for an entire day, the group finally reaches the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass.
Madara glances at the bottomless ravine, separating the prosperous land of grass from the rocky terrain of the Land of the Earth. The distant Ishiyama mountain range stands tall, separating the two countries from each other.
"Let's rest here for the night and we will cross the mountain range tomorrow!"
Madara glances at his slightly exhausted group and gives orders. The exhausted group relaxes slightly and takes out their rations and chakra pills to recover their stamina and strength.
As for food, some dry rations and beef jerky are enough nutrition, to recover lost energy. After filling their stomach, Madara signals Ekizo to scout the surrounding area again.
After half an hour, Ekizo returns with a few wild fruits and berries.
Madara hears his report while he distributes the fruits to other Uchiha clan members.
"Very well, take some rest while I keep a lookout!"
Whoosh…
The group quickly disperses and conceals themselves in the forest to hide and sleep. Madara also carves a hole in a hollow tree and conceals himself.
With such a small group, sleeping in the open is akin to inviting disaster and unknown enemies. Lighting a fire is equivalent to shining a beacon on this dark night.
The members of the group take turns to sleep and keep a lookout.
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Chapter 656: 617. Madara Shinden: The Uchiha Branch Family Part-1
Two days later,
The group arrives at the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Flower. During these past two days, the group didn't encounter any trouble, making their journey extremely smooth.
Madara and the group glance at a large field of flowers in a valley at the foothill of the mountain from a distance.
"We are finally here, the Land of Flowers."
Madara and the rest walk through the rugged terrain of the last mountain of the Ishiyama mountain range, Iwanohashi Mountain. The Iwanohashi mountain is also commonly known as the 'Edge of the Stone' among the natives.
The fertile land of the Land of the Flower is a stark contrast to the rocky and barren land of the Land of Earth. The Land of Flowers is a small country bordering the Land of Earth, the Land of Fruit, and the Land of Trees. This country's soil has special qualities that make it incredibly fertile, and perfect for growing crops and other plants. But flowers are the country's major export item, hence its name. The neighboring Land of Earth, whose terrain does not allow much agriculture, relies on the Land of Flowers in order to feed its people, trading most of its rich mineral reserve for the Land of Flowers's crops.
The Land of Flowers doesn't possess any powerful military might and relies on its alliance with the Land of Fruit, and the Land of the Tree to repel enemies.
So, when a branch of the powerful Uchiha clan proposed to take shelter in the Land of Flowers, the Daimyo of the Land of Flowers readily agreed to accommodate them.
The Uchiha group arrives in the first valley, the Valley of Sunflowers. Land of Flowers' terrain is divided into several valleys. Among them, the Valley of Sunflowers, the Valley of Sakura Blossom, the Valley of Water lilies, the Valley of Roses, and the Valley of Orchids are the major ones.
The current residence of the Uchiha branch family is located in the Valley of Sunflowers.
While traveling, Madara glances at the several farmers, tending to the various Sunflower. The scene of peace and harmony reminds Madara of his childhood dream.
'A place with no chaos and conflict!' The image of Konohagakure appears in his mind.
The group walks through the large sunflower fields and arrives outside the small village.
"Himawari Village?!" Madara glances at the name on the arc-shaped entrance of the village.
"A fitting name indeed!"
"Halt!"
A group of villages with spears blocks their path at the entrance.
"Identify yourself!" The village guards point a spear at them.
The Uchiha group stops. Madara takes out a scroll from his storage and hands it to the guard.
Unlike the villages in other nations with Shinobis, the Land of Flowers doesn't have any military force of its own. It's part of the reason, the Land of Flower has such strict policies to avoid invasion.
The guards unfurl the scroll and glance at its content. He passes the scroll to his deputy, who also confirms the authenticity.
After inspection, the guard returns the scroll to Madara and signals to his team. The guards open the path, allowing Madara and his team to pass.
Madara and the group enter the village and notice the harmonious atmosphere of the village, an entirely unfamiliar sight from the previous warn-torn Land of Fire.
"Let's hurry up!"
After appreciating the lively atmosphere for a minute, Madara reminds his people of their goal.
"Yes, Madara-sama!"
The group nods and quickly follows Madara. Makato, another of Madara's close aides asks directions from the passerby and walks towards their destination.
According to the letter, after arriving in the Himawari village, an escort team will lead them to the secret settlement of the Uchiha clan in the Land of Flower.
Ten minutes later,
The group arrives in front of a shrine in the Himawari village.
"This shrine?!"
The group glances at each other.
"This shrine looks similar to the Nakano Shrine of our clan."
The group enters the shrine and inspects it. There is not a single soul in the shrine, not even the person who will lead them to the Uchiha settlement.
However, Madara and the rest aren't discouraged. They explore the shrine for a few minutes. After around five minutes, the group regroups in the main hall.
"The layout is the same as the Nakano Shrine of the Uchiha clan!" Ekizo mutters.
"In that case…"
The group looks around. After confirming the absence of any outside, they walk towards the seventh tatami mat from the far right of the entrance.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
Madara makes a series of rapid hand signs and taps his palm on the floor.
"Release!"
Shua…
A bright light lit up on the floor, revealing a secret Fuinjutsu seal.
Snap…
Madara bites his thumb and drops a drop of blood into the center of the seal. The seal glows brightly after receiving the blood.
Rumble… Rumble…
The ground trembles and the seal fluctuates rapidly. It slowly disappears and the stone slab slides away to reveal a passage.
"As expected!"
The group enters the secret passage, and the entrance closes on its own, sealing the passage.
Shoom… shoom… shoom…
Suddenly, several light torches lit up in the passage, dispelling the darkness within.
The group follows the path, and after a minute of walking; they arrive at the bright light at the end of the exit.
"We are here!"
The group raises their guard and exits the passage. A ray of bright sunlight envelops their vision. However, the group's expression turns sharp as they sense a few presences around them.
They swiftly wield their weapon and call.
"Come out! We know you are hiding there!"
Madara glances towards a bush.
Shiing…
He and the rest of the group activate their Sharingan to intercept the hiding figures.
"It's us!"
Just as Madara and the rest prepare to take action, another group of people with Sharingan walks from the surrounding meadows.
"The branch family?"
Makoto mutters as he recognizes the people as the Uchiha clansman.
"Madara-sama!"
The group walks in front of Madara and greets him with a proper salute.
The Konoha group's expression relaxes as they recognize their compatriots.
"How's the situation with the clan?" Madara ignores their greeting and jumps straight to the point.
The group's expression also turns serious.
"Madara-sama, please follow us. We will explain the situation while on our way to the clan base."
"Alright!" Madara nods and signals the group to move.
The group moves forward with the Land of Flower group in the lead. The Konoha group curiously stares at their surroundings and praises the beautiful scenery of the Land of Flowers from time to time.
"It's really beautiful!" Makoto glances at a distant field of colorful flowers and praises.
"Of course! This place is like a paradise on earth." The branch family member nods proudly.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Flower took good care of us and provided us with one of the best locations to settle down." He adds.
"So, the branch family has ties with the Feudal lord of the Land of Flower?" Ekizo asks in surprise.
Just like other clans, the Uchiha clan's previous status was that of a mercenary clan. They worked quite many times with several Feudal lords but never had any close ties with them. It was more of a client and server relationship.
Now, from this group's words, it seems like the branch family is being sponsored directly by a Feudal lord.
"It seems like the branch family is doing a great job after leaving the main family. Then why would you people beg for our help?" Sekiro, another member of the Konoha group with a strong radical personality, mocks the branch family members.
"Well…"
Slight hesitation appears on the branch family member's faces.
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My new book Naruto: Shinobi of Blood and Bonds is out. Go Check it out.
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