21

"Thick, straight hair? A bright red moon?"

Ye Liang instantly realized who this was.

No way, this has to be the infamous Madara Uchiha!

While the description of thick straight hair was somewhat vague, the red eyes were unmistakable—the Sharingan. In this era, the only old man with such power could only be Madara Uchiha!

"But why would Lord Madara want to kill me?"

Ye Liang was puzzled. He began to recall memories from his previous life, and everything became clearer.

"Of course! The Kannabi Bridge incident originally involved Madara Uchiha's plan with Obito! That's why the Three-Tails ended up in the Land of Earth. Madara must have been behind it!"

"Madara used the Three-Tails to kill Rin Nohara, pushing Obito into darkness and setting the stage for his resurrection!"

"So, when I interfered and saved Rin, it ruined Madara's plan, and that's why he wants me dead!"

Ye Liang suddenly understood.

If that's the case, Loquat Juzo here was really just caught in the crossfire!

"Ahem!"

Ye Liang coughed dryly and looked down at Shizang.

"I've told you everything I know. Believe it or not, that's the truth!" Shizang said, exhausted.

Ye Liang slowly turned to leave. Now that he understood everything, he couldn't stay here any longer.

Being targeted by Madara Uchiha was incredibly dangerous. This time it was just Loquat Juzo, but next time it could be Nagato, Hidan, or even Madara himself!

Ye Liang realized that despite mastering many S-rank jutsus, he was still outclassed by top-tier opponents.

Thinking of this, Ye Liang whistled loudly. This was his signal to the team, something he had picked up from watching anti-Japanese war dramas.

"It's the captain's signal!"

Kakashi quickly finished off a minor enemy and ran toward Ye Liang. The other enemies, wary of Kakashi, hesitated to pursue.

Rin and Obito also headed towards Ye Liang.

The group quickly reunited in Poland Town.

"Sensei, did you handle the boss?"

"Yes, I've trapped him for now. When the village sends someone, they can take him away. However, the plan has changed. There's a bigger mastermind behind this incident."

"The previous plan is void. We need to act quickly," Ye Liang said with a sigh.

Kakashi and the others nodded in understanding.

...

A few days later, in the Hokage's office, Ye Liang frowned as he listened to the Third Hokage.

"You mean, Loquat Juzo was dead when Anbu arrived?"

"Yes, it seems he died from a genjutsu. His face was frozen in fear, but his body showed no other injuries," the Third Hokage said calmly.

Ye Liang thought deeply.

"It seems it really was Madara Uchiha."

Dying from a genjutsu-induced terror, there was no other illusion he could think of that could directly kill a top-tier ninja like that, except for Tsukuyomi.

Ye Liang decided not to leave the village for the time being.

It was too dangerous! Being targeted by Madara Uchiha was terrifying. That man was a grand schemer!

"Ahem, if there's nothing else, you may leave. You did well on this mission, and since you captured Loquat Juzo, the reward will be increased," Sarutobi Hiruzen said simply.

"Understood," Ye Liang nodded.

After leaving the Hokage's office, Ye Liang went straight to Anko's place. Counting rewards was something he enjoyed!

After tallying the rewards, Ye Liang's thoughts drifted back to Madara Uchiha.

"This time, the system rewarded me with 'Tailed Beast Bomb.' But strictly speaking, it's not ninjutsu. The Tailed Beast Bomb is a tailed beast's technique, concentrating its power into a ball of chakra and releasing it in a powerful blast!"

While powerful, it required an enormous amount of chakra. Ye Liang had experimented with it, but the power was weak, only capable of killing one Jonin due to his insufficient chakra.

"Is there no other way?" Ye Liang pondered.

Enhancing his chakra was crucial, especially with Madara targeting him. Being marked by the final boss from the get-go was immense pressure.

"How can I increase my chakra?" Ye Liang thought hard.

Chakra in the Naruto world originated from the ancient divine tree. Kaguya Otsutsuki, an alien, had come to Earth and planned to extract its energy through the divine tree to enhance her civilization. However, her plan was thwarted by local natives!

Kaguya had ended up having children with a local "monkey" lord, creating the lineage of chakra wielders.

"Perhaps she was really desperate," Ye Liang mused. He couldn't fathom her actions!

By some twist, Kaguya's descendants, Hagoromo and Hamura, had become powerful beings, while she had been betrayed and attacked by her lover and other "monkeys," only to survive and retaliate using the divine tree's power.

"Anyway, Ye Liang couldn't understand her thoughts at all!"

Kaguya's fate had laid the foundation for the chakra system in the Naruto world. Enhancing one's chakra was now a crucial step for Ye Liang to survive Madara's machinations.

"Maybe it's truly about desperation," he sighed, thinking back to how Kaguya, an incredibly powerful being, had been brought low by betrayal.

With these thoughts, Ye Liang resolved to find a way to significantly increase his chakra reserves. The pressure of being targeted by Madara Uchiha demanded nothing less.