Fierce opposition

Uchiha Madara, lingering with the lingering smell of gunpowder and a faint stench of blood, entered the gates of the Uchiha clan. The emergency border patrol hadn't gone smoothly, resulting in several skirmishes with Senju Clan patrols. Although his strength was sufficient to crush them, the endless struggles and the exhausted yet resigned expressions of his clansmen weighed heavily on his heart.

He didn't even have time to take off his tattered armor, stained with dust and dark red blood. He just wanted to see Aoi as soon as possible and make sure she was okay. In the quick encounter yesterday, he could sense the lingering melancholy between his sister's brows, which made him feel uneasy.

However, as soon as he stepped into the main house, a trusted ninja who had been waiting there appeared beside him silently like a ghost, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a very low voice, but with an undisguised anxiety: "Master Patriarch!"

Madara didn't stop, but frowned impatiently: "What's the matter?" He just wanted to see Aoi now.

"It's...it's about Miss Aoi." The trusted ninja's voice became increasingly low, even trembling. "The Elders...the Elders secretly summoned Miss Aoi yesterday and summoned her again this morning...they...they decided..."

Madara's footsteps suddenly stopped, a deep sense of foreboding gripping him. He slowly turned his head, his deep black eyes glowing red in the shadows. "What are you deciding?" His voice was so cold it seemed to freeze the air.

The trusted ninja lowered his head even lower, hardly daring to look Madara in the eye. He gritted his teeth and quickly said, "The Elders have decided... to form an alliance with the Night Moon Clan of the Land of Lightning... and the candidate for marriage... is Miss Aoi! And... Miss Aoi... she seems... to have agreed!"

"Marriage? Yeyue? How dare they?!"

Uchiha Madara's roar was like a volcano suddenly erupting after being suppressed for millennia, like the final and most terrifying roar of a wounded and dying lion! A wave of sound, filled with extreme rage and destructive energy, exploded in the narrow corridor, vibrating the paper doors on either side! The trusted ninja was so frightened by this terrifying pressure that he instantly prostrated himself on the ground, shaking violently and uncontrollably, even his breathing almost stagnating!

Raging rage, like the most violent chakra, instantly overwhelmed Madara's sanity! He couldn't believe his ears! Those old bastards! Those parasites who only knew how to hide behind the scenes and play power games! How dare they! How dare they go behind his back! Without his knowledge! Forcing his only sister, Uchiha Madara's only remaining blood relative in this cold and cruel world, the one he would risk everything to protect! To enter into that damned, filthy political marriage! And marry her off to the Yeyue clan, known for their barbarity and fierceness!

What do they think of Aoi? A bargaining chip that can be exchanged at will and used for profit?!

"Where's Aoi?! ​​Where is she now?!" Madara suddenly leaned over, practically lifting the ninja off the ground. The three-magatama Sharingan in his eyes had already emerged uncontrollably, and the scarlet light spun wildly in the dim light, terrifying to the extreme! The rage and murderous intent contained in it almost ripped the life out of him!

"In her room... I just came back from the meeting room..." The ninja was so scared that he stammered.

Madara shook him off, and his figure instantly turned into a black gust of wind, disappearing at the end of the corridor at a speed that was difficult to capture with the naked eye, leaving only the almost materialized, suffocating breath of anger lingering in the place.

"Bang--!"

The delicate paper door of Aoi's room was slammed open with such brutal force that even the hinges groaned under the weight! Madara burst into the room like a demon, bringing in a gust of wind that made the curtains dance wildly.

What he saw was Aoi sitting quietly on the tatami mat by the window, her side turned towards him, gazing at the cold, newly risen crescent moon. The moonlight outlined her frail figure, her face almost transparently pale, her eyes staring blankly into the distance. She exuded a heartbreaking, shattered fragility and a deadly calm. The plain kimono she wore seemed so oversized that it seemed to engulf her whole being.

Hearing the loud noise, she slowly turned her head. Seeing that it was Madara, she seemed to be trying hard to force a smile to reassure her brother, but the curve of her mouth was more heartbreaking than the most bitter cry, and her pale face was filled with unconcealable fatigue and despair.

"Brother, you're back." Her voice was light and a little hoarse, as if she had exhausted all her strength.

Madara's rage and the questions that were about to erupt suddenly got stuck in his throat the moment he saw his sister like this, transforming into a sharp, almost suffocating heartache! His sister... the sister he had cherished since childhood... was actually forced into this state!

But the destructive rage in his chest burned even more fiercely! He strode forward, almost rushing in front of Aoi, and suddenly grabbed her slender shoulders with both hands (the moment the action touched her thin body, he subconsciously restrained most of the strength, becoming even a little cautious). His voice trembled uncontrollably with extreme anxiety and anger: "Is what they said true? You agreed? Why did you agree?! Why didn't you refuse?! Tell me! Did those old guys from Huohe force you?! Are they using the family's survival to pressure you?! Using me to pressure you?! Tell me!"

He knew the elders' methods too well! He also knew Kui too well! She was so kind and cared so much about him as a brother. They only needed to hint that the marriage was to relieve his pressure and for the survival of the family, and this silly girl would probably...

Aoi's eyelashes trembled violently at his questioning, and she slowly lowered her eyes, avoiding her brother's blazing gaze that threatened to set her on fire. She was silent for a few seconds before she spoke softly in an unusually calm voice, seemingly devoid of all emotion: "Brother, this is my own decision."

"Nonsense!!" Madara's low roar almost shook the roof. "It was your own decision?! How could you voluntarily marry into that kind of hell?! What kind of place is the Yoruzuki clan? They are just a bunch of uncivilized barbarians! They only know how to fight and plunder! Do you know what you will encounter if you marry there?! There is nothing you are familiar with in Uchiha! No mild climate! No considerate maids! There might not even be a good meal! You will be trapped in a completely unfamiliar and hostile environment for the rest of your life! You tell me this was your own decision?! I don't believe it!!"

His voice was torn by anger and heartache, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, with bloody pain: "I, Uchiha Madara! I am not so incompetent as to need to use my own sister in exchange for that pathetic, short-lived peace! If the Uchiha really needs to rely on such means to survive! Then it might as well be destroyed completely!"

"The best option? Pushing you out there to die is the best option?!" Madara's rage soared wildly again, and the chakra around him began to boil uncontrollably, forming a visible light red air wave, blowing papers and small objects in the room everywhere! The strong sense of guilt and powerlessness burned his internal organs like poisonous fire! As the head of the family, he couldn't lead the family out of the predicament; as a brother, he couldn't even protect his sister, but instead asked her to make such a huge sacrifice for him? This was worse than being defeated by Hashirama Senju a hundred times! Worse than losing everything! It made him feel unprecedented shame and anger!

"I absolutely do not agree!" Madara roared in a decisive tone, his eyes flashing with an almost crazy, all-destructive murderous intent. "I'm going to find them now! Whoever dares to mention this again! Whoever dares to force you again! I'll kill him! I'll kill him one by one! Until everyone shuts up!"

After saying this, he turned abruptly, carrying a terrifying murderous aura that could freeze blood and burn everything. Like a demon with a storm of destruction, he stormed out of the room and ran towards the meeting hall! Behind him came Aoi's anxious, tearful cry: "Brother! Don't!", but he was now filled with raging rage and murderous intent and could not hear it at all!

"Bang--!!!"

The two heavy, solid wooden doors of the meeting hall were shattered by Madara's terrifying kick! Amidst flying wood chips, the doors slammed heavily against the walls on both sides with a deafening roar!

Inside the hall, several core elders who were nervously discussing the specific details of the marriage, the allocation of supplies, and how to deal with Madara's possible reaction, were frightened by this sudden and horrifying turn of events and looked up in horror!

Uchiha Madara stood amidst the flying sawdust, like an Asura returned from hell. The seething dark red chakra emanating from him resembled a blazing flame, making him look like a demon! His scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan (evolved in his fury!) locked onto every elder present. The rage, murderous intent, and icy madness contained within them practically became tangible, causing everyone's breath to stutter and their hearts to stop!

"Madara! How dare you!" Uchiha Fire Core was the first to suppress his heart palpitations, stood up suddenly and shouted loudly, but the fear and dread that flashed deep in his eyes revealed his inner trembling.

"How dare you?" Ban walked into the meeting room step by step. The stone slabs under his feet made a subtle cracking sound with each step. His voice, as cold as the cold wind of the underworld, echoed in the deadly silent hall. "I think it's you who are presumptuous! Who gave you the guts to decide my sister's marriage behind my back? Who gave you the right to treat her as a commodity to be sold at will? Selling her to Yeyue and those barbarians who deserve to be cut into pieces?!"

"Madara! Watch your words!" Uchiha Long, another senior elder, slammed the table and shouted fiercely, "This is for the survival of the family! This is not a joke! How can you act so wildly here!"

"For the survival of the family?" Madara sneered, his laughter filled with endless sarcasm and sadness. "How high-sounding! How righteous! Has the Uchiha clan reached the point where they need to betray the clan leader's own sister in order to survive like a dog wagging its tail for mercy?! If that's really the case! Then what's the point of this filthy, corrupt Uchiha clan existing or not?! I might as well destroy it with my own hands!"

"You bastard!" Uchiha Hoko was shaking with anger, pointing his finger at Madara, his voice trembling, "How dare you say such outrageous words! Have you forgotten your responsibilities as the clan leader?! Have you forgotten the glory of the Uchiha clan?!"

"Duty? Honor?" Madara's rage erupted completely, and a powerful wave of chakra spread out, blowing all the elders' robes wildly backwards, making a rustling sound, and almost making them lose their balance! "My responsibility is to lead my people in this chaotic world and fight their way out! It is to protect my family from harm! Not to trade my sister's lifelong happiness and freedom! For your pitiful, pathetic, and fleeting respite!"

His blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan swept across every pale-faced elder present. His gaze was like the sharpest blade, ready to rip their souls apart. "I tell you! As long as I, Uchiha Madara, am still alive! As long as I still have a breath left! I will never allow anyone to force Aoi to do anything she doesn't want to do! Marriage? Forget it! Stop this ridiculous farce immediately! Otherwise..."

The murderous aura surrounding him surged like a tsunami, instantly enveloping the entire conference hall! The air solidified like steel, and the temperature plummeted! All the elders felt a cold breath of death strangling their throats!

"...I don't mind using the blood of all of you to wash away the great humiliation that the Uchiha suffered today!"

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was incredibly tense and oppressive! The air seemed to have turned to a thick, viscous gel, making it impossible to breathe! The elders' faces were as pale as paper, and cold sweat dripped from their foreheads. They had no doubt that Uchiha Madara, enraged and with his Mangekyō Sharingan already activated, would slaughter them all without hesitation! His power and madness had long since transcended their control!

Uchiha Fire Core stared at Madara, his heart pounding. He knew Madara was dead serious. This conflict had completely spiraled out of control, reaching the point of no return! Should he insist on the marriage plan, risking being slaughtered on the spot by the clan leader and plunging the Uchiha clan into complete civil strife? Or...

At this critical moment, blood splattering five steps seems to be a foregone conclusion!

A soft, yet extremely clear, firm, even slightly trembling yet unquestionable voice rang out from the doorway of the deadly silent and murderous conference room:

"Brother, stop it."

Aoi stood at the entrance of the broken gate, her face pale without a trace of blood, her body trembling slightly with tension and fear, but she stubbornly straightened her back and walked in step by step, resolutely standing between the murderous Madara and the frightened elders.

She raised her eyes and looked at the Mangekyō Sharingan eyes that were filled with violence and destructive aura. Using all her strength, she spoke clearly, word by word:

"I really did all this on my own accord."