Konoha was in an uproar.
The Susanoo, standing tens of meters tall, was so conspicuous it was impossible to ignore. In this era, where most had lived through the Warring States period, too many people recognized the familiarly colored Susanoo.
"How is this possible!"
"How can Madara Uchiha's Susanoo appear!"
"The Madara Uchiha killed by the First Hokage is still alive!"
"Madara Uchiha is here again!"
Ninjas throughout Konoha were shouting, fear on most of their faces. They didn't know why he was still alive, but they knew what kind of power his Susanoo possessed. In the Warring States period, legend had it that anyone who saw Madara's Susanoo appear on the battlefield was certain to die. The blue, terrifying god of war. That was the impression people had.
Of course, this was certainly somewhat exaggerated. Many ninjas in Konoha had seen it and survived. This didn't mean they dared to relax. They knew about their own survivor bias. They knew that many more people had died under its power.
At this moment, people once again recalled the fear of being slaughtered. Especially since this Susanoo was just its normal state, far from its limit. Even so, it was not a power ordinary ninjas could confront.
"Quick, go tell Lord Hokage!" This was the first thought in the minds of most Konoha ninjas.
"Quick, report to Lord Tobirama!" This was the thought of the few rational ANBU.
In fact, there was no need to inform them.
In the Hokage's office, Tobirama knew the threat of Madara Uchiha better than anyone. He heard the commotion and saw the Susanoo from the window. "It really is Madara! That monster isn't dead yet!" He gritted his teeth, his first thought to go and deal with it. He originally wanted to use the Body Flicker Technique, but was restricted by the cursed seal on his arm.
Not good! He had not yet mastered this power and could not use his chakra freely. He had overlooked his responsibility and made such a big mistake.
If only I had one more day... I was too careless in my greed for the secret power of the ancient era! I must find Emiya Shirou! Only then can I release this cursed seal!
Then he thought of where he had arranged for Shirou to stay—the area where Konoha accommodated distinguished guests, and the area where Madara had just appeared. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. What was that fiend doing there!
He quickly rushed over with the ANBU, observing the damaged state of Madara's third-stage Susanoo. "I have seen this form before, but he can't even maintain it. It seems he escaped death, but nearly exhausted his power in that battle!"
"Madara has appeared again?" Hashirama didn't have time to think. He didn't even have time to say much to Mito. The couple also quickly rushed towards the direction where Madara had appeared, disregarding his own injuries and her exhaustion.
Within the tall Susanoo, Madara stood inside the head, gritting his teeth. His gaze swept over Konoha, and he saw countless figures rushing towards him. This group of ant-like ninjas... at this moment, they were all threats to his escape.
Of course, the most troublesome was undoubtedly the mysterious person in front of him. He saw Shirou standing below, which made him extremely hateful and angry about his exposure today.
"Susanoo?" Shirou looked up, asking with sincere humility. "Although I've never liked fighting, isn't a mere third-stage Susanoo underestimating your opponent a bit too much?"
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly. This guy knows so much about the Susanoo! He doesn't even care about its threat!
However, he didn't think about it too much. He had only unleashed it to break the cursed seal. His real purpose was just to escape.
"You... who on earth are you?" Madara narrowed his eyes, calculating the time it would take for Hashirama to arrive. He just wanted to know who this person who had caused him such a huge loss was. Without a doubt, he was an overly terrifying expert.
Madara had never seen someone who could so easily break his genjutsu. Even at his peak, he would not be this person's opponent. And his identity was so mysterious. As someone who had contended in the Warring States period, Madara had never thought there were other experts besides him and Hashirama.
"I always thought that only Hashirama could contend with me. I never expected that in such a small ninja world, there would be a figure like you." His remaining Sharingan eye stared intently at Shirou. "A person as strong as you shouldn't be an unknown."
"That sentence... sounds a bit familiar," Shirou frowned and thought for a second before suddenly looking up. "It reminds me of the first Sharingan ninja who fell at my hands."
"Hmm?" Madara suddenly became curious. Could it be that someone from his clan had fought this person before?
"Indra," Shirou said, looking up at Madara. "If your clan has records, Indra is the ancestor of your Sharingan clan. When I defeated him," he spoke the truth very frankly, "he happened to say the same thing as you."
This was the absolute truth. The first time Shirou tried to assassinate Indra, Indra had also said in disbelief that there was someone like him in the world.
This kind of thing, Madara of course didn't believe. "What kind of joke is this? Are you messing with me?" His face was full of anger. He clenched his fist and wanted to control the Susanoo to smash down on Shirou.
This monster... actually dares to play with me with such words!
Although he didn't know his ancestor's name, he knew he would never believe such foolish words.
"I am Emiya Shirou," Shirou shook his head, seemingly not caring about Madara's rage. He calmly raised his finger and sighed, "I never like to deceive people."
Crack!
A huge stone arm suddenly appeared from the ground, its clenched fist forcefully colliding with the Susanoo's.
"What?" A storm of shock rose in Madara's heart. He wasn't surprised that his attack was easily blocked; he was surprised by the name he heard.
The name Emiya Shirou... he had heard it too many times.