Beneath that size 12 foot lay Madara's face, colder than absolute zero.
The hallucination of Hashirama was instantly shattered by the sheer intensity of Madara's spiritual pressure.
"Kid, I'll admit, your Genjutsu has some kick to it..." Madara said icily, wiping away the dirt imprint left by the giant foot on his face.
"Have you decided how you want to die?"
The question sent a chill down Mizuna's spine. He didn't dare speak, nor did he dare look Madara in the eye. He just lowered his head, his brain scrambling for a strategy.
Crap! Crap! Holy crap! What do I do? What options do I have left? System! System! Save me! Mizuna screamed internally.
"What do you want me to do? You created this mess yourself. Why ask me?" The System replied with zero sympathy.
Mizuna panicked even harder. The System's "not my problem" attitude made his blood run cold.
Suddenly! An idea so cursed, so unhinged, popped into Mizuna's mind.
Without a second of hesitation, his survival instincts hijacked his brain. He blurted out the one taboo subject nobody should ever bring up in front of Madara.
"Big Bro Madara... look at me closely. Do I... look like your little brother?"
As he spoke, he frantically messed up his hair. He forced his naturally wavy red hair into a spiky style, trying to mimic Izuna Uchiha.
Madara froze. He stared at the red-headed brat in front of him who was acting completely out of his mind.
You think Madara was touched? No. Madara was just so furious he was trying to decide which specific method of execution would be painful enough for this kid.
But Mizuna, oblivious as ever, thought the strategy was working. Just as he was about to double down and say something else...
"Bro, I..."
Boom!
Mizuna felt his point of view shift violently. Before he could finish his sentence, he was launched backward. All that remained where he stood was Madara's leg, still extended from the kick.
"Brat! Originally, I was just going to rough you up a bit. But you... you dare to provoke me again and again! I've changed my mind. Brother of Mito or not, I won't let you die quickly..."
Madara blurred out of existence.
Mizuna hadn't even recovered from the G-force of the kick yet. He slammed into a rock wall, creating a massive crater. He couldn't feel his back anymore. In fact, he couldn't feel anything below his waist. He could feel his hands, though—mostly because of the bone-deep agony radiating from them. His arms were definitely broken.
"Fractured arms... can't feel my legs... Just like when I fell off the Hokage Rock. I'm paralyzed again..." Mizuna's voice was so quiet even an ant would struggle to hear it.
If it weren't for his Uzumaki bloodline giving him insane vitality, he was sure he would be nothing but meat paste right now.
It hurts... System, save me! This was his only thought.
"You really know how to speedrun death. If not for your bloodline, you'd be toast already!"
The System spat out a Resurrection Pill. This time, it fed the pill directly into his mouth, since Mizuna couldn't even crawl.
"Thanks..."
Mizuna had just started to feel the relief of healing when he looked up and saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Susanoo." Madara whispered.
A massive, seven-meter-tall blue skeletal avatar manifested. It raised a giant chakra blade and swung it down. The sword slashed through the air with a terrifying whistle.
Mizuna swore this was the fastest reaction of his entire two lives.
He forced his body to jump, barely dodging the fatal strike. But he wasn't fast enough to save everything.
Slash.
One of his arms was lopped clean off.
Looking at his bloody stump, Mizuna—a guy who grew up in a peaceful modern society—finally broke.
"AAAAAHHH! My hand! My... MY KING'S POWER!" Mizuna screamed, clutching his wound, referencing Guilty Crown in his delirium.
"Damn it! I'm the protagonist, aren't I?! Why?! Why is my life so tragic?! Where did I go wrong? I was supposed to live a peaceful life in the Naruto world, reach the peak, and marry a sugar momma!"
Mizuna still didn't get it. This situation was entirely his fault. Dreams of "reaching the peak" and "marrying a rich girl" were novel tropes. But this was reality. People here had flesh and blood, and if Mizuna didn't drop his arrogant "I'm a Transmigrator" attitude, he would never survive in this world.
Madara didn't care about any of that. He watched Mizuna screaming and writhing on the ground with mild curiosity, like a child watching a particularly resilient bug.
"You took a kick from me and can still move? Heh... what a cockroach. If I gave you a few years, your vitality might actually make you a decent ninja. But... you're out of time."
Madara swung the chakra blade again.
Maybe it was the pain, or maybe the adrenaline, but Mizuna felt a surge of rage. He managed to dodge the blade again.
"You think I'm Hello Kitty just because I don't roar?! I'm gonna show you some real moves! Uchiha Madara!" Mizuna roared internally.
Why didn't he say it out loud? Because shouting wastes breath, and he didn't want to get headshotted instantly.
Suddenly, a sword appeared in Mizuna's remaining hand.
Yes! It was [The Village's Best Sword] from the System Shop!
"The description said if I use it when I have 'no idea what's going on,' unexpected things will happen! Don't fail me now, RNG gods!"
Mizuna swung the sword with everything he had left.
Madara looked at the pathetic blade with amusement.
The sword struck directly against the ribcage of the Susanoo.
Now, you might laugh at Mizuna. Sasuke used the Kusanagi Blade, Danzo used Wind Style Kunai... and you tackle a Susanoo with a rusty iron sword? Are you suicidal?
But don't forget! This is The Village's Best Sword!
The next moment, something completely unexpected happened.
Before Mizuna could even apply force...
Snap.
The sword broke.
Yes. It just snapped. Crisp and clean.
Mizuna stared blankly at the broken hilt in his hand.
The corners of Madara's mouth twitched upward.
"Heh. Struggling to the bitter end even when it's hopeless. How ugly." Madara chuckled.
Mizuna looked at the broken sword and suddenly smiled. It was a smile of pure liberation. He felt like the 'Mamba Out' helicopter pilot accepting his fate as the cabin caught fire.
I knew it. A loser who failed his college entrance exams like me... I couldn't even survive in a fantasy world...
His vision went black.
Mizuna slumped helplessly against a large tree. Behind him was a trail of destruction where his body had smashed through several other trees. He had lost the will to survive. He closed his eyes and passed out.
Madara walked over slowly, standing over Mizuna's broken body.
"Dead?" Madara whispered.
Suddenly, Mizuna's body began to knit itself back together. The missing limb regenerated, the wounds closed.
Madara watched this, genuinely shocked.
"Regeneration strong enough to regrow limbs... I take back what I said, kid. You would have become famous. But... there is no 'would have'."
Madara raised his Gunbai fan, aiming to crush Mizuna's skull completely.
Suddenly, a voice boomed out.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
Madara leaped back, dodging the massive wooden dragon that crashed into where he had just been standing. He looked up.
Standing there was the God of Shinobi.
Senju Hashirama.
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