King of Worlds'

After finishing his sentence, much to the surprise of Ishi and his team, Uchiha Madara's figure suddenly dispersed with a "puff" of white smoke and vanished.

"Just a Shadow Clone?"

Exhaling lightly, Ishi felt a bit relieved, but the next moment, he quickly scanned his surroundings.

"Sazuri!"

He called out sharply.

Sazuri had already closed his eyes, carefully searching with his sensory abilities.

"No trace of anyone, Captain," Sazuri replied softly.

Ishi's expression remained tense as he glanced around cautiously.

When Madara had appeared earlier, Sazuri hadn't sensed anything, and even now, there was no sign of him.

"Uchiha Madara!"

Murmuring the name, Ishi couldn't shake off a sense of unease.

"The intel stated that Konoha is allied with this group, but Uchiha Madara's actions..."

The thought left Ishi baffled. This legendary man had not attacked them upon their first encounter. Instead, he had divulged the whereabouts of his supposed allies.

With his eyes flickering in contemplation, Ishi deliberated quickly.

Moments later, he waved his hand decisively.

"Head toward the coastal area bordering Konoha's forest."

"Sazuri, maintain constant sensory awareness and determine the enemy's position."

"Yes!"

The team members replied firmly.

In the next second, their figures vanished, leaping swiftly from branch to branch, heading straight for the edge of the forest near the coastline.

After they had gone, a lone figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

With a stern expression and a commanding presence, it was none other than Uchiha Madara.

"I've always suspected that boy's background and identity are unusual. Let me see for myself."

With those words, Uchiha Madara's figure flickered and disappeared once more.

Having already decided to leave Konoha to pursue his own path, his plans changed upon encountering the Sand Shinobi squad. Hearing about the boy who had fought him reignited his curiosity.

In fact, Madara began to strategize.

"If that boy truly has remarkable potential, he might prove useful to me."

With this thought in mind, Uchiha Madara began to close in on Qin Yi's group.

During their previous encounter, he hadn't exerted himself much, yet Qin Yi's performance had astonished him. The boy's array of mysterious Ninjutsu, many of which Madara had never seen before, and his keen judgment in battle strategy had left an impression.

"He's a talented youngster, but that alone is far from enough."

"A truly powerful Shinobi must exhibit exceptional intelligence and creativity in combat."

"Let's see if you have what it takes to be of use to me."

Keeping his distance, Uchiha Madara followed the Sand Shinobi squad at a safe range. He neither approached them nor rushed, displaying immense patience.

…

Konoha's forest, near the coastal region

A massive army of 6,000 soldiers was advancing slowly. Due to their sheer numbers, Qin Yi's forces were unable to move quickly.

The forest was vast, filled with towering trees that stretched endlessly, its area almost rivaling the entirety of Qin Yi's nation. Of course, this was also because his Royal City was still in its nascent state. Once the King's Way was fully established, the nation's territory would expand rapidly.

Another day passed. During this time, Qin Yi and the Three Generals continued their drills deep within the dense forest.

At the moment, they were engaged in covert combat training.

The Three Generals teamed up to launch an attack on Qin Yi.

"Surround from three sides."

Perched on the branches of towering trees, Qin Lin and the other two made hand signals to coordinate their plan, finally pointing toward Qin Yi, who stood below, calmly observing his surroundings.

After exchanging nods of understanding, Qin Lin raised three fingers, curling them down one by one.

As the final finger bent, the Three Generals dove down simultaneously, blades flashing as they aimed their strikes at the back of the unsuspecting Qin Yi.

But just at that moment, Qin Yi spun around sharply.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled a massive fireball from his mouth.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three bursts of smoke erupted instantly, and wooden logs dropped to the ground.

Qin Yi squinted his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"An adept use of the Body Replacement Technique."

He surveyed his surroundings, noticing that the Three Generals had already vanished.

Taking a step forward, he suddenly stopped as a wooden stake to his left abruptly transformed into Qin Lin's figure.

"Be careful, Your Majesty!"

With a loud shout, Qin Lin charged, his longsword stabbing straight toward Qin Yi.

Qin Yi took several large steps back, skillfully dodging three consecutive slashes. His eyes were filled with approval.

The Three Generals were undeniably proficient in blade techniques, swordsmanship, and taijutsu. Their timing in battle and innovative use of Ninjutsu revealed a wisdom that likely stemmed from years of military leadership and battlefield experience. Their growth was rapid and impressive.

After Qin Yi had explained the basics of Shinobi combat strategies and techniques, the three had quickly expanded on those ideas, developing new approaches to battle.

After retreating three steps, Qin Yi's expression suddenly shifted slightly.

"And I'm here too!"

Another shout rang out as Yang Yi burst forth from the ground, having transformed into a patch of grass using the Transformation Technique.

Caught in a pincer attack— with one opponent pressing from the front and another ambushing from behind— Qin Yi appeared to be in a moment of crisis.

"Doton (Earth Release): Sand Sink!"

Yet Qin Yi's expression remained calm as his hands formed seals with lightning speed.

As Yang Yi leaped up to strike with his blade, Qin Yi's body sank swiftly into a swirl of sand. In the next moment, he reappeared over ten meters to their side.

"Excellent teamwork. Your Ninjutsu usage and adaptability are remarkably swift. The Three Generals are indeed formidable!"

Qin Yi's voice carried a hint of admiration as he expressed his satisfaction with their progress.

"Your Majesty, you seem to have forgotten about me!"

At that moment, another voice rang out from behind him, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind surging forward.

"Fūton (Wind Release): Air Pressure!"

Qin Yi's expression shifted to one of shock, disbelief, and then despair.

A sharp wind blade struck, slicing through Qin Yi's torso at the waist, cutting him clean in two.

As this horrifying scene unfolded before their eyes, Qin Lin and Yang Yi froze in shock, terror, and disbelief.

Behind them, Fang Lan was equally stunned.

None of them had expected the final ambush to succeed.

But… that was their Majesty!

Did they just kill him?

Panic, confusion, and disbelief overwhelmed them, leaving them speechless.

Then—

"Puff!"

A burst of white smoke dispersed into the air, leaving all three dumbfounded.

"General Fang Lan, of course I didn't forget you. But it seems your reactions were… a bit excessive."

A calm voice floated in the air, and Fang Lan realized in shock that a dark kunai was now pressed against his neck.

The weapon, known as a kunai in this Otherworld, could be thrown or used as a short blade. Although the generals weren't yet familiar with it, they understood its lethality.

"Clink, clink."

The cold kunai rested against his neck as Fang Lan swallowed nervously.

"Your Majesty… you're not dead?"

Qin Yi withdrew the kunai, chuckling softly.

"Of course, I'm not dead. But you all were far too careless."

"If this had been a real enemy, you'd have been dead long ago!"

(End of Chapter)

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