This reprimand left Najenda and the rest of Night Raid dumbfounded!
It had to be said, Uchiha Madara was right. Night Raid was good, and certainly formidable, but why torment yourselves over the grand cycle of a thousand years?
Compared to worrying about such things, people should focus more on the present.
Currently, the people of the Empire could be said to be living in deep suffering. If no one was willing to do something for them, then they wouldn't know how much longer they would have to struggle in this misery.
Even if in a thousand years, it was another cycle and everything turned chaotic again, at least Night Raid would have fought for a period of peace and prosperity for the people.
As this knot in their hearts was untied, everything suddenly brightened. Night Raid's hearts seemed to instantly lighten considerably. They felt a sense of clarity, both inside and out, quite unlike the previous despair and confusion.
Amidst their relief, a sense of anomaly simultaneously arose in Night Raid's hearts—an anomaly directed at Uchiha Madara.
This fellow, isn't he Night Raid's number one enemy? Why is he suddenly enlightening us now!?
Najenda, as their representative, looked Uchiha Madara up and down, uttering her own疑问:
"Uchiha Madara... you... how could you...?"
"You're wondering why I'm suddenly enlightening you, aren't you?"
Najenda nodded vigorously. She genuinely didn't understand these things.
Sitting in his seat, Uchiha Madara revealed a slight, knowing smile, as if everything was within his grasp:
"Because I intend to subjugate Night Raid. Of course, I don't wish to see you all abandon yourselves. Since you fools can't figure it out yourselves, then it can only be me, Uchiha Madara, Night Raid's future big boss, who personally comes to enlighten you!"
Najenda immediately gave Uchiha Madara a dead-fish glare, filled with displeasure.
Just how thick is this fellow's skin? He's not even married yet, and he's already calling himself Night Raid's big boss? Where do you even get this confidence?!
With a slightly embarrassed cough, Najenda put on a serious face and righteously declared to Uchiha Madara:
"Hmph, Uchiha Madara, no matter what, we are very grateful that you could enlighten us. However, if you still harbor thoughts of subjugating Night Raid, then please give up on that idea."
Lubbock, the only one in all of Night Raid whose fighting spirit remained high and who wasn't injured, propped himself up on his elbow on the ground and shouted loudly at Uchiha Madara:
"That's right! Night Raid will not yield to you! Give up!"
Akame, whose whole body was paralyzed and difficult to move, trembled as she stood up, her voice weak but resolute:
"Even if Night Raid is completely annihilated today, we will not surrender!"
Najenda nodded with a serious expression and continued to add:
"Furthermore, if you, Uchiha Madara, hadn't enlightened us just now, and we had remained lost in despair, there might have been some possibility. But now, Night Raid has found its established goal, and we will even less yield to you alone!"
Night Raid's answer was firm and decisive. This seemed to be their final stubbornness, absolutely unquestionable and unchangeable.
Faced with this situation, Uchiha Madara opened his mouth to speak:
"Surrendering to me and achieving your goal of saving the people of the Empire, these two things are not contradictory, are they!?"
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in their minds; Night Raid instantly stared, dumbfounded!
His words... seemed right too...
No! No! Something's wrong!
Najenda fell into a momentary confusion. She stood before Uchiha Madara, desperately shaking her head to clear her thoughts, then she raised a finger to him:
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Something's wrong! Wait..."
After a moment, Najenda seemed to have cleared her thoughts. She looked up and asked Uchiha Madara with confusion and incomprehension:
"Uchiha Madara, I always thought you were a heinous demon king, how could you... also sympathize with heaven and pity mankind!?"
Quickly extending a finger, Uchiha Madara corrected Najenda's words:
"...Please give fresh flowers..."
"I am not some heinous demon king. In this world, I have never done anything bad. It's just that I possess astonishing power, and the methods I used to subjugate Night Raid were a bit ruthless, that's all!
"Also, I don't sympathize with heaven or pity mankind, and I never will!
"I have no interest in the suffering of the people in this world or the darkness and corruption of the Empire's higher echelons. And I don't have the energy to manage it either. I have my own massive amount of matters that still need who knows how many years to resolve!
"But speaking of which, I don't care about the life and death of these people in the Empire, but my subordinates can!
"...
"As long as my subordinates are loyal to me and do not harm my interests, if they go pursue their own goals and realize their own ambitions, why should I stop them?"
After hearing these words, Najenda's gaze towards Uchiha Madara became somewhat peculiar:
"Uchiha Madara, you actually... you're such a... a feudal lord!"
Najenda racked her brains for a long time but couldn't quite define Uchiha Madara with proper terminology. Calling Uchiha Madara a "leader" felt inappropriate, and calling him a "Lord" was also unfitting. She could only settle for a middle ground and refer to Uchiha Madara as a "feudal lord."
Suddenly, Najenda realized that her train of thought had been led astray by Uchiha Madara again. She vigorously shook her head, like a rattling drum, looking somewhat cute.
"No! No! This isn't the point! The point is, Uchiha Madara, you still want to subjugate Night Raid, don't you!?"
Uchiha Madara nodded:
"That's right. However, after subjugating you, I won't stop Night Raid's goals and endeavors. I'll let you overthrow the Empire, and I'll let you save the people!"
Najenda was stunned. It seems... quite good!
This was a case of the bystanders seeing clearer than those involved. From a distance, Akame, who was trembling as she stood up, quickly grasped the key point. She shouted loudly at Uchiha Madara:
"Uchiha Madara! Night Raid can do it ourselves! Why must we abandon our freedom and submit to your authority, be controlled by you?!"
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