When Uchiha Madara's gaze swept over towards the Konoha side, everyone from the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen down to the ordinary shinobi shuddered involuntarily.
It wasn't cowardice; they were simply helpless!
Ever since Uchiha Madara had appeared in Konoha, he had crushed them again and again with near-brutal methods. Truly, he had crushed them until they had no fight left, even defeating the god-like figure in their eyes, the First Hokage. By now, basically no one in Konoha had any will left to fight Uchiha Madara!
Their fighting spirit had scattered, their morale had collapsed; Konoha's fate was sealed, beyond any hope of recovery!
A mocking smile touched Uchiha Madara's lips as he slowly walked over.
The Konoha shinobi showed little reaction, nor did they attempt to flee, adopting an attitude of resignation.
However, Jiraiya, filled with righteous indignation, watched Uchiha Madara approach. He suddenly noticed the peculiarity of Madara's eyes – their strange, pale purple color. This triggered his memory of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, and his expression changed drasticallyl.
He recognized those eyes from the records... those were... the Rinnegan!
He still remembered: the Great Toad Sage's prophecy stated that the one to overturn the ninja world would possess a pair of purple eyes! This matched Uchiha Madara's current eyes perfectly!
Shocked, he couldn't help but cry out to alert the others:
"Hey! Sensei! Everyone! Look at Uchiha Madara's eyes!"
Even without Jiraiya's reminder, the key figures in Konoha had successively noticed Uchiha Madara's eyes. They hadn't seen clearly from a distance earlier, but looking now... those weren't the Mangekyo Sharingan they had assumed, but purple Rinnegan!
These individuals instantly recalled Jiraiya's words about the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, a wave of astonishment washing over them.
Tsunade stared blankly, muttering to herself:
"So... Uchiha Madara is the one destined to overturn the ninja world... No wonder... ~||..."¹
A surge of research desire welled up in Orochimaru's heart, but he quickly suppressed the urge to study the Rinnegan.
Hatake Sakumo pursed his lips, silent, his heart filled with sighs regarding the legendary Rinnegan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt even more horrified than anyone. He figured Uchiha Madara must have become so overwhelmingly powerful precisely because he possessed the Rinnegan.
Before even reaching them, Uchiha Madara had used his eyes alone to thoroughly intimidate them.
Uchiha Madara walked up to the Konoha shinobi, glanced at the troop suffused with an air of deathly stillness, and shook his head:
"Morale collapsed, fighting spirit broken... you lot truly can't muster any interest [in fighting] now, can you!"
The shinobi remained utterly unresponsive...
Finally, the highest-ranking person present, the Third Hokage, stepped forward, grinding his teeth at Uchiha Madara:
"Uchiha Madara! Things having come to this, there's not much more to say. If you insist on destroying our Konoha, I will surely perish together with you! If you are merely here to humiliate us, then know that a samurai can be killed, but not insulted!"
Madara scoffed with a sound like a sigh:
"Forget it, forget it. I'm not here to humiliate you, nor am I here to continue slaughtering the weak. If I wanted to slaughter the weak, that bunch of pathetic Root ninja with Danzo over there would be a better target."
"Then what exactly are you here for!?"
"Me? I'm here to negotiate with you!"
"Negotiate!?"
"That's right. You are the Third Hokage, Konoha's current supreme leader. Only you are qualified to represent Konoha in negotiations with me!"
The Konoha shinobi stared at each other in blank dismay...
What kind of international joke is this!? Uchiha Madara, having already crushed the entirety of Konoha, instead of seizing the chance to annihilate the village completely, wants to negotiate with us instead!?
In the midst of their bewilderment, Sarutobi Hiruzen tentatively asked Uchiha Madara:
"Then... Madara... uh... what exactly do you wish to negotiate?"
Uchiha Madara raised a hand, signaling Hiruzen to be silent:
"Hold on! Before negotiations, let me first state what will happen if the negotiations fail!"
As he spoke, Uchiha Madara pointed towards the colossal Planetary Devastation floating in the sky, then made a circling gesture, pointing towards the air-raid shelter beneath the Hokage Rock, saying:
"If the negotiations are unsuccessful, I will smash it right into the Hokage Rock!"
With a whoosh, the Konoha shinobi instantly erupted!
Never mind the Hokage Rock itself – that was Konoha's spiritual symbol – but the area beneath it? That was the air-raid shelter! Right now, Konoha's three hundred thousand plus civilians were all inside!
These three hundred thousand plus civilians were Konoha's very foundation. No matter how badly Konoha was destroyed, as long as the people remained, it could eventually be rebuilt. But if the people were gone, then Konoha would be truly finished!
Uchiha Madara... he intends to tear Konoha out by the roots!
Instantly, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others understood. Their gazes towards Uchiha Madara grew increasingly hostile.
This guy... negotiation is false, extortion is the truth!
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared hatefully at Madara, grinding his teeth:
"...Uchiha Madara... you fiend..."
Uchiha Madara calmly accepted Hiruzen's hatred:
"Alright, then, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Let us negotiate!"
Hiruzen and the others remained silent, every one of them fixing Madara with glares that could devour him whole.
Uchiha Madara paid their glares no mind whatsoever. He formed hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. With a poof of white smoke, he summoned a table and two chairs.
He nonchalantly sat down in one chair and gestured for Sarutobi Hiruzen to sit:
"Sit. The opportunity to sit face-to-face as an equal with me, Uchiha Madara... besides Hashirama, you are the first!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his teeth, but ultimately sat down opposite Madara.
Uchiha Madara, smiling faintly, pulled out two sheets of paper from his robes and handed one to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen took it. As he read the paper, his expression shifted from bewildered to utterly furious.
"Konoha Armistice Agreement and War Reparations Terms!? ...Cede Konoha's Scroll of Seals to Uchiha Madara! Pay two billion ryo², six hundred thousand tons of grain, and two hundred thousand tons of copper, iron, heavy metals, and other resources as reparations to Uzushiogakure! Cede all territory north and west of the Qinglian Mountain Range to the Land of Uzu!"
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