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TUS Chapter 298: The Price of Defiance
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 01:03:50 +0000 UTCFunan looked down at Mifune, who knelt on one knee before him, his voice calm. "Have you made your decision?"
Mifune lowered his head and spoke in a hushed tone. "Yes. I only ask that you treat the Land of Iron as your own people and grant them fairness."
Funan nodded slightly. "Very well."
Mifune let out a quiet sigh of relief. His gaze fell on his katana, and he smiled bitterly.
The Land of Iron had always held a unique position. The great shinobi villages respected it to some degree, and it was the chosen location for the Five Kage Summit.
That was the nation's moment of glory.
But—
He had encountered Uchiha Funan.
A man who refused to follow conventional rules. A man whose strength defied imagination.
And so, this was the result.
Uchiha Soji had surrounded the Land of Iron without launching an attack.
To those inside, it was a relentless psychological assault—an invisible war that gnawed at their minds every second.
In recent days, tension in the Land of Iron had reached its breaking point. Everyone lived in constant fear, dreading the moment the Uchiha forces would descend upon them.
They understood their situation all too well.
If Konoha decided to act, the Land of Iron wouldn’t live to see another sunrise.
The power gap was simply too vast.
But now, at last, it is coming to an end.
Mifune lifted his head toward the sky, staring at the blazing sun.
Five thousand samurai. That was the entirety of the Land of Iron’s fighting force.
He would wager these five thousand samurai to secure his homeland’s safety.
To ensure that under Konoha’s rule, the Land of Iron could continue to exist in peace and equality.
At the very least, his people wouldn’t have to live in constant terror, slowly driven to madness by fear.
"Only now… can I truly call myself a samurai."
With those final words, Mifune returned to the Land of Iron.
That very same day, five thousand samurai marched out, positioning themselves in the path of the advancing White Zetsu and Edo Tensei armies.
Behind them stood a large number of Konoha's sealing shinobi.
Any defeated Edo Tensei shinobi would be sealed away by them.
Of course, they were prepared to retreat at any moment.
Elite Jōnin from Konoha were stationed among them for protection.
Leading them was none other than Gaara.
With Edo Tensei warriors as their opponents, sensory and sealing shinobi had become even more vital. Funan would not allow them to be sacrificed here.
Mifune faced his samurai and spoke steadily. "Are you afraid?"
"No!"
The samurai roared in unison.
Mifune chuckled bitterly. "Is that so? Because I am."
The samurai stared at him in silence.
Mifune—the great general of the Land of Iron—afraid?
If he had feared death, he never would have come this far. He was one of the greatest samurai of his time.
"Truly," Mifune continued with a faint smile. "Who among us does not fear death?"
"But!"
"There are things more important than life itself. That is why we fight without fear." He turned and pointed toward the Land of Iron. "That is our home. Protecting it is our duty. The lives of our people outweigh our own."
"We may die. But some things must live on."
"Prepare for battle!"
The samurai roared again, their voices filled with unwavering resolve.
Mifune studied their faces, then suddenly added, "Do not hate Konoha."
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
The samurai exchanged uneasy glances.
Even the sealing shinobi behind them gawked in shock.
Saying something like that… at a time like this?
Was he out of his mind?
Mifune’s voice was firm. "I say this again: do not hate Konoha. Everything that has happened is because of me. If you must resent someone, resent me."
"From a fair perspective, I was the one who provoked Konoha first. Konoha merely retaliated."
"From a power perspective, the Land of Iron, a weaker nation, dared to challenge Konoha, a giant."
"Both choices led to destruction."
"On top of that, I allied with Iwagakure and Kumogakure to attack Konoha."
"Everything... all of it... was my doing!"
He let out a quiet sigh. "So, let it all end."
"Let my death erase my mistakes. And I hope that, in the future, no one follows the same path I did."
"The only ones I’ve wronged... are all of you." Mifune turned toward his samurai and bowed deeply. "I have no right to ask for your forgiveness," he said solemnly. "But I beg you, for the Land of Iron—"
"For our families!"
"Let us fight!"
"A battle to the very end!"
"Let the entire shinobi world hear the roar of the samurai!"
With those words, Mifune unsheathed his katana and strode toward the advancing White Zetsu army.
Behind him, the samurai followed without hesitation.
At that moment, their eyes burned with unwavering determination. For their nation, they would give their all. A battle with no regrets.
Mifune’s words, seemingly reckless or even counterproductive, had instead ignited a fire within them.
Funan stood quietly to the side, watching the scene unfold. A faint smile played on his lips. "A decent leader," he murmured. "But he miscalculated both his own strength and his enemy’s. In that regard, he was unqualified."
If Mifune had been stronger than Uchiha Funan…
If Uchiha Funan had only possessed an ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan…
What would this battle look like now?
Most likely, Konoha would have been forced into a full retreat, while the Land of Iron and Kumogakure would be standing tall, brimming with arrogance.
But reality was cruel.
There was no room for regret.
In war, one wrong step could send an entire nation into decline.
That was why many leaders hesitated to make bold decisions.
No one wanted to be condemned by history.
"You surprised me," a voice suddenly spoke beside Funan. "You didn’t stop him."
"He could have died in a way that had more value."
"Value?" Funan chuckled. "And what exactly is value?"
"Entertaining me—that's the value."
"Hahaha!" The man beside him burst into laughter. "Now I truly believe you’re a Uchiha."
At that moment, very few people in the world could stand beside Uchiha Funan.
And this man was not Senju Hashirama.
As he lifted his head, his crimson Sharingan gleamed, reflecting the world around him.
Uchiha Madara.
The man standing next to Funan was none other than Uchiha Madara himself.
And he hadn’t been summoned by Funan.
When Orochimaru failed to summon Hashirama and Tobirama using Edo Tensei, he grew uneasy.
He suspected that someone in Konoha had already used the technique.
And that person was most likely Uchiha Funan.
Once summoned, an Edo Tensei cannot be summoned again.
So, in response, Orochimaru decided to summon every powerful figure he could.
Including Uchiha Madara.
However, someone as powerful as Madara could never be controlled.
For that reason, not only did Orochimaru allow him to roam freely—Orochimaru himself actively avoided him.
Technically, if the summoner died, the Edo Tensei would be undone.
But could he be absolutely sure of that?
Never assume that just because you can’t do something, others can’t either.
A genius’s world is beyond the imagination of the ordinary.
So, Orochimaru hadn’t released Madara’s Edo Tensei.
Instead, he left him in the world, keeping just enough of a connection to summon him into battle when necessary.
But Orochimaru never expected this—
That Madara would seek out Uchiha Funan on his own.
"I asked you last time," Madara said. "Have you thought about it?"
"My answer hasn’t changed," Funan replied. "And it never will. No."
Assist in the Eye of the Moon Plan?
What was Madara thinking?
Funan was honestly baffled.
Did he really seem that desperate?
He loved this world—
Every day, he smiled, his heart full of joy.
Just thinking about his beautiful Shirayu, Pakura, Shizune, Kurenai, Yugao, Yako…
In this real world, he could have everything he wanted.
Why would he ever trade it for an illusion?
Am I Insane?
And that damn Eye of the Moon Plan—it’s just one big trap.
"What a pity," Madara sighed. "I truly thought we could work together."
"You’re overthinking it." Funan gave him a cold stare. "You and I are nothing alike. Even if I put that aside, we could never work together. Our personalities and worldviews are too different."
Madara fell silent.
He had realized it too. Uchiha Funan’s temperament was completely incompatible with his own. If anything, he was more like Senju Tobirama!
But Tobirama was the one who had killed his younger brother.
His most beloved brother.
There was no way they could ever work together.
Of course, Uchiha Funan and Senju Tobirama only had some similarities.
If Tobirama had Funan’s personality, Madara would have killed him long ago.
In times of war, people who talked too much didn’t live long.
"Madara, go find your Hashirama." Funan chuckled. "Have a real conversation with him. Who knows? You might just change your mind."
"Not a chance." Madara’s voice was cold as he turned and walked away.
Even if Uchiha Funan was alone, taking him down was out of the question.
He had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Senjutsu.
Madara had the Rinnegan, but he wasn’t at full strength.
If they fought, it would drag on endlessly.
And if Hashirama showed up, the two of them together might actually manage to seal him away.
Funan watched Madara leave, a smirk forming on his lips. "Heh… He’s really going to find Hashirama. Says one thing, but his actions tell the truth." Then, he shifted his gaze toward the battlefield.
In the distance, a wave of White Zetsu was charging forward.
"The samurai’s final battle… I’ll be the witness."
Over five thousand samurai. This was the Land of Iron’s last stand.
If they fell here, the samurai tradition itself might vanish.
Only by proving themselves here would Funan recognize their worth—and spare the Land of Iron.
As for why he no longer followed Orochimaru and his lot…
Follow them? Are you kidding?
Look at what a mess they’ve made.
Kumogakure—gone.
Iwagakure—gone.
If this kept up, the Land of Iron was doomed too.
Mifune could see that clearly now.
And Akatsuki? How many of them were even still alive?
No sane person would join them at this point.
