Chapter 8: Striking Red Hair

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Uchiha Madara was extremely domineering, directly stating that whoever dared to make noise would face his wrath. This imposing manner stunned White Zetsu.

"Uh... so powerful, Madara-sama. Then, what should we do now? Seize the political power of the Land of Rain?"

Uchiha Madara looked towards the north:

"First, get rid of some annoying flies. Those irritating insects from the Sand Village seem to have been driven to the border of the Land of Rain, but there's still a persistent Iwagakure [Note: Iwagakure is the Hidden Stone Village] ninja force stationed within the Land of Rain!"

"Understood, Madara-sama. I will go and ascertain the intelligence of the Iwagakure stationed forces!"

Having said that, White Zetsu very quickly sank into the tree trunk using the Mayfly Technique. He began to mobilize his tens of thousands of clones to gather intelligence.

Entrusting the intelligence gathering work to White Zetsu, Uchiha Madara felt relatively at ease. Then, he set off alone towards the north.

Although the Land of Rain's borders were not as vast as those of the Five Great Nations, it would still be quite tiring for Uchiha Madara to travel from one end of the Land of Rain to the other in a single day. Moreover, before White Zetsu clarified the situation there, Uchiha Madara didn't need to rush his journey.

Thus, on a drizzly evening, Uchiha Madara found a small town in the Land of Rain and prepared to spend the night there.

Because it was wartime and affected by the conflict, this small town was also in a state of devastation. The buildings on the outskirts were dilapidated, and many homeless people wandered around.

However, the central area of the town was the district for the wealthy. With these rich individuals paying ninjas for protection, the facilities within the town were well-maintained and relatively peaceful.

Changing out of his red armor into a black robe, Uchiha Madara flashed into the town.

Hmm... after finding a seemingly decent inn, Uchiha Madara suddenly thought of something just before entering.

He reached into his pocket - no money!

This was very awkward!

He stood in front of the inn, his face stiff as the rain poured down, feeling uncertain whether to go in or not.

Could it be that he had to resort to a business without capital?

But for the dignified Uchiha Madara to rely on robbery to make money, he really couldn't bring himself to do it!

While he was hesitating, a kind-faced landlady in a kimono walked out of the inn. Seeing Uchiha Madara standing outside, she immediately opened the door with a welcoming gesture and said, "Ah, guest, are you looking for lodging? Hai, douzo [Note: Hai, douzo means "Yes, please come in"]!"

Uchiha Madara's face immediately turned very embarrassed, and he flailed his hands, saying, "Ah! No! Landlady, you've misunderstood! I was just looking! Goodbye!"

With that, he immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared, leaving the bewildered landlady standing at the door, looking left and right for Uchiha Madara's suddenly vanished figure.

In an alley next to the inn, Uchiha Madara Covering his face with a look of bitter hatred and muttered to himself:

"How embarrassing... but... the matter of not having money and asking for credit, I absolutely cannot let that be known, even if it kills me. Fortunately, the people here don't recognize me, Uchiha Madara, otherwise, I would have lost a lot of face!

Speaking of which, where should I spend the night without any money?"

Just as he was feeling distressed, a commotion broke out on the street outside the alley...

Several guys wielding sticks with cruel expressions chased after two children, noisily passing by the alley where Uchiha Madara was staying.

Uchiha Madara raised his head, his eyes alert. He had just caught a glimpse of red.

This red was not from the sweaty men chasing, but from the two children running away in front!

One of the children had distinctly red hair!

Uchiha Madara was very clear about what striking red hair meant in this world.

He looked up and with a few light leaps, his figure as agile as a spirit cat, jumped onto the roof of a house, chasing after the commotion that had just passed.

The situation was clear: two boys, around ten years old and dressed in rags, had secretly entered the central area of the town in the rain. While no one was paying attention, they had stolen a piece of black bread but were unfortunately discovered and were now desperately trying to escape.

During wartime, the importance of food was self-evident. Not even a piece of black bread could be lost. Without a second word, several burly men with sticks were gathered and gave chase!

Uchiha Madara stood on the roof and saw clearly that the two children running away were of similar age, one with short orange hair and the other with long red hair.

There was no doubt. The short orange-haired one was Yahiko, and the long red-haired one was Uzumaki Nagato.

The black bread they had managed to steal was held tightly in Yahiko's arms. The two children protected their life-saving food, running for their lives.

However, how could the two of them, malnourished as they were, outrun the several burly men behind them? They were about to be caught.

In a hurry, Yahiko stuffed the black bread in his arms into Nagato's hands and pushed him, urging repeatedly, "Nagato! Take it and go! Konan hasn't eaten for three days! Hurry!"

The red-haired urchin Nagato widened his eyes:

"Yahiko, they'll beat you to death!?"

Giving Nagato a big smile, Yahiko urged again, "Don't worry, at worst I'll get a beating. My body can definitely handle it. But Konan can't wait!"

"But…"

"Don't hesitate! Go!"

With a strong push, Uzumaki Nagato finally ran off, clutching the black bread tightly.

The several burly men behind them immediately caught up, knocking Yahiko down without a word and delivering a vicious beating with their sticks, cursing as they struck.

"You little bastard! You've got some nerve!"

"Dare to steal things! Beat him to death!"

"How many times has this been! You little brat, are you looking to die!"

Surrounded and beaten, Yahiko hugged his head and curled into a ball, his thin body gritting his teeth and enduring, stubbornly trying not to cry out in pain.

In the short time he was being beaten, Nagato, accustomed to running away and exceptionally familiar with the surrounding terrain, had turned several corners and crawled through a few dog holes, successfully shaking off the pursuit.

The burly men, realizing that Nagato had escaped, became even angrier and beat Yahiko even more vigorously.

The muffled thudding sounds of the beating echoed in the drizzling rain.

Chapter end