"Can all tailed beasts speak human language?"
Uchiha Madara's scarlet eyes scrutinized the hostile Seven-Tails, Chōmei, and murmured unconsciously.
"Yes!"
"Six Paths-level Yin-Yang Release is enough to create entirely new beings with intelligence comparable to humans."
"Tailed beasts are species created by the Sage of Six Paths after separating the Ten-Tails' chakra, supplemented by Yin-Yang Release."
Orochimaru responded with a light chuckle, pressing the grinning Nine-Tails under his palm.
"Kurama, you scared Chōmei!"
The Nine-Tails felt no remorse and cackled at the stunned Chōmei.
Chōmei was frightened for a while, but seeing that Uchiha Madara only stared at it and didn't seem to intend to attack, its fear gradually subsided.
"You..."
"Aren't you going to capture me anymore?"
The cautious question brought Uchiha Madara, who was lost in thought, back to his senses.
Looking at Chōmei, who possessed human-like thought processes, Uchiha Madara suddenly realized how little he knew about this world.
After a moment of silence, Madara ignored Chōmei's worried inquiry and turned to look at Orochimaru, the only other Six Paths-level powerhouse in the ninja world.
"Do I still have a chance to touch the power of the Six Paths level?"
Orochimaru gave an affirmative answer.
"Yes!"
Uchiha Madara withdrew his gaze and nodded gently.
"I believe you."
"I'll go explore Takigakure. You handle this!"
Madara seemed to have found a future goal, his eyes gradually filling with a thirst for life and power. With a casual instruction, he shunned towards the interior of Takigakure.
Orochimaru watched Uchiha Madara's disappearing back, knowing that this future Six Paths-level fighter was secured.
...
"Fire Style - Great Fireball Technique!"
With a cold, soft cry, a massive fireball crashed down onto the houses in the center of Takigakure.
This was a unique greeting for ninjas like Uchiha Madara, who had survived the Warring States period.
"Rumble!"
Amidst the rumbling sound of collapsing houses, flames soared into the sky.
The Takigakure ninjas, who had been hiding in fear due to the Seven-Tails, Chōmei's descent from the sky, were immediately alerted by the commotion and poked their heads out from their hiding places.
Upon seeing an old ninja in red armor launching the attack, they became furious.
"Who are you?"
"How dare you sneak into Takigakure and attack, you're seeking death!"
...
"Only these people..."
"Such a weak village, are there really ninjas who fought and survived against Hashirama?"
Looking at the ragtag group of individuals whose strength barely reached that of an average jonin, Uchiha Madara closed his eyes with disdain.
"In your village..."
"Is there a ninja named Kakuzu?"
"Call him out, I have something I want to ask him!"
Madara crossed his arms, his expression arrogant, and his tone stiff, like a command.
"Kakuzu?"
That name was practically taboo in Takigakure.
When the Takigakure ninjas heard that Uchiha Madara had infiltrated their village and attacked with the sole purpose of finding Kakuzu, who had killed their village elders, stolen their secret treasures, and defected, they immediately became filled with killing intent.
"This old guy is in league with Kakuzu!"
"Take him down!"
The more hatred the Takigakure ninjas had for Kakuzu, the more ferociously they attacked Uchiha Madara, who they suspected was Kakuzu's accomplice.
If they couldn't defeat Kakuzu, they couldn't defeat an old man?
"Takigakure Style - Water Blade!"
"Water Style - Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
...
Madara was somewhat puzzled as to why mentioning the name Kakuzu would elicit such a strong reaction from the Takigakure ninjas.
"It seems there really is a person named Kakuzu!"
"However..."
Facing the eclectic array of Water Style ninjutsu attacks from the Takigakure ninjas, Uchiha Madara's eyes suddenly opened, his three-tomoe sharingan slowly spinning. He dodged a few ranged water ninjutsu attacks and instantly closed in on the Takigakure ninja ranks.
"I suppose you won't reveal information about Kakuzu unless I defeat you trash."
He grabbed the arm of a Takigakure ninja attacking with a water blade. Madara's wrist, like a vise, twisted sharply.
"Crack!"
With the crisp sound of the Takigakure ninja's bones breaking, a sharp water blade instantly pierced through his back.
Uchiha Madara casually pulled out the water blade stuck in his chest, twirled it in his hand, and kicked the Takigakure ninja, who was clutching his heart and collapsing, away.
"Developing Water Style ninjutsu to this extent, it's a bit like Tobirama's Hard Water Ninjutsu."
"But..."
"Equally flashy and insubstantial!"
With a sneer, Madara swung the water blade in his hand and turned, severing the throats of two Takigakure ninjas who had charged behind him.
As blood rained down, Madara ducked, evading the water blades swung by several others.
Simultaneously, he flung the water blade, which had several cracks and was barely maintaining its form, and impaled a Takigakure ninja who was attempting to form hand seals for a jutsu.
Using the momentum of his swing, his body flipped sideways. His legs, like two ferocious spears, accurately struck the chests of two nearby ninjas.
In a series of evasions and maneuvers, Madara, with his aged body, used only a few basic taijutsu techniques to easily dispatch nearly ten Takigakure ninjas who had surrounded him within a few breaths.
"The ninjas of today..."
"Are already this weak?"
His indifferent, disdainful words, coupled with the three-tomoe sharingan glowing scarlet in his eyes, felt like a heavy blow to the chests of the Takigakure ninjas.
"Uchiha..."
"Takigakure and Konoha are allies. Why is someone from the Uchiha clan attacking our village?"
"Our leader, Suigetsu, is currently a guest in Konoha. If you don't stop, when the leaders of both villages learn of Takigakure's situation, they will certainly not let the Uchiha clan off!"
An older Takigakure ninja suppressed his fear and threatened Uchiha Madara with a show of bravado, attempting to use the past alliance between Takigakure and Konoha, as well as Madara's Uchiha clan identity, to force him to stop.
However, he didn't know that the more you were defiant towards someone like Uchiha Madara, the more he would look down on you.
Just like the young Ōnoki back then, who, after displaying his Stone Will in front of Uchiha Madara, had momentarily touched him, causing Madara to lightly let him go.
The current foolish and cowardly display of the Takigakure ninjas was precisely what Madara despised the most.
"A ninja village with such capacity, is it even qualified to be an ally of Konoha?"
"This is your last chance..."
Uchiha Madara's expression was arrogant, and the immense chakra within him slowly surged.
"Reveal the whereabouts of Kakuzu and the Earth Grudge Fear technique, otherwise..."
"Takigakure will have no reason to continue to exist!"