Chapter 215 – The Crumbling Pillars of the Ninja World
> "So be it!"
Orochimaru gave a sinister smile and said pointedly, "They still don't know who will win in the end. Uchiha Madara thinks he's standing five steps ahead of everyone else, overlooking the entire world…"
He didn't even need to finish the sentence.
As his loyal subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi understood immediately.
Sure enough—even when facing a living legend like Uchiha Madara, Orochimaru-sama still had his own secret plans. The admiration Kabuto felt surged even higher, filling his heart to the brim.
> "I must become someone like Lord Orochimaru…"
With that thought, Kabuto slowly rose from the ground, his eyes glittering with excitement.
> "Bring out the White Zetsu samples. Let's resume our research," Orochimaru ordered coldly. "Madara Uchiha's grand plan is about to begin. We must make the most of the little time we have left."
> "Understood!"
Kabuto nodded rapidly and dove back into his scientific preparations.
There was nothing more to say.
He would follow Lord Orochimaru into madness and beyond.
> So what if it's Uchiha Madara? Let's see how far we can go before we break.
---
At the same time, in the Hidden Stone Village — Iwagakure
> "Sigh…"
Inside the Tsuchikage's Office, the Third Tsuchikage — Ōnoki floated in midair, his old face wrinkled deeply as he looked down at his desk and sighed.
What more could be said?
The Fifth Hokage — Uchiha Yuta had once again displayed terrifying growth. Even the two invaders who arrived on Earth with monstrous chakra—kin of the Ōtsutsuki Clan—were effortlessly slain.
> "The world of shinobi... has become hell," Ōnoki murmured.
He didn't want to admit it, but he regretted ever getting involved with Uchiha Madara. Having tied Iwagakure to that pirate ship, they now found themselves powerless and trembling.
> "Lord Tsuchikage, what should we do now?"
"Uchiha Yuta has become a godlike figure. What path remains for Iwagakure?"
"Does Madara Uchiha truly have a plan to counter the Fifth Hokage's overwhelming strength?"
The voice of concern came from Kurotsuchi, Ōnoki's granddaughter, and was echoed by other high-ranking officials of Iwagakure—Hōntō, Onowa, and several others.
They were all worried.
And they had reason to be.
> "This…"
Ōnoki opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. His face paled as the bitter truth settled over him like a cold mist.
At this point, he was no fool. Uchiha Yuta's rise was no longer a fluke. His strength had far exceeded even that of the First Hokage—Senju Hashirama—who was once revered as the God of Shinobi.
Now… Uchiha Yuta stood on par with the Sage of Six Paths.
That realization nearly crushed the old Tsuchikage's pride.
> "Forget it…"
After a long silence, Ōnoki took a deep breath and spoke heavily, "Since we've already latched onto Madara Uchiha's leg, we may as well hold on until the end."
> "Iwagakure has no other choice."
His words were met with somber nods.
> "Understood, Lord Ōnoki…"
"We'll follow your lead…"
"It's all we can do…"
The air was thick with helplessness.
---
BOOM!!
Suddenly, a surge of spatial chakra twisted the air in the Tsuchikage's office.
Before anyone could react, four figures emerged in a burst of space-time distortion.
Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito (still masked), Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu had arrived.
---
Silence.
Utter, breathless silence.
Ōnoki froze midair. His eyes widened. Even Kurotsuchi and the others were so shocked that they couldn't even speak.
> "D-Damn it…"
Ōnoki finally broke the silence, trembling slightly as he muttered under his breath.
He hadn't expected it—no one had.
Madara Uchiha had just descended directly into the Tsuchikage's office without warning. The sheer pressure of his presence was suffocating.
> If I had even thought of switching sides earlier... if I had said something about joining Uchiha Yuta…
Ōnoki didn't dare finish the thought. The sweat dripping from his back said enough.
---
> "Good…" Madara said softly, the corners of his lips curling into a cold smile.
"You've made the right choice, Ōnoki. Otherwise… by tonight, Iwagakure would have been wiped off the map."
Ōnoki's face froze into a pained smile.
He said nothing—but everyone in the room understood. His gamble had paid off.
Barely.
As for Kurotsuchi, Hōntō, Onowa, and the rest of Iwagakure's high command, they didn't even dare breathe. Their heads were bowed low in terror.
They had witnessed the fall of other great powers in recent days. And now, standing before them, was a man who had once challenged the entire shinobi world.
And yet…
Even Madara Uchiha feared Uchiha Yuta.
That was what chilled them most.
---
To be continued...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 30+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics