In the dimly lit secret chamber, Uchiha Madara opened his cloudy eyes and looked at Black Zetsu.
Choosing Uchiha Fugaku was a last resort.
Among all the Uchiha, only a few had the potential to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. Although Uchiha Obito had entered Madara's sights, the boy hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet, let alone been to a battlefield.
The other Uchiha clan members were even less suitable. While their personalities were also extreme, they were still a bit too normal, lacking the necessary potential for awakening.
Perhaps in another two years, Uchiha Obito would be a better choice, but for now, he could only choose Uchiha Fugaku.
"Will he cooperate with us on the Eye of the Moon Plan then?"
Black Zetsu's form shifted into a human shape, shrouded in candlelight, beneath Madara's shadow.
"He will. Although his thinking is more mature, his personality also has obvious flaws. He's indecisive and overly cautious. While this isn't typical for an Uchiha, it also indicates that his emotions are far more sensitive and delicate than we imagined.
No Uchiha who has awakened the Sharingan lacks delicate emotions.
Even though Fugaku has already awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he still appears so composed on the surface. This suggests that deep down, he's suppressing a more violent volcano of emotions. Once it erupts, it will be an opportunity for him to awaken his Mangekyo, and also an opportunity to reach into his heart, uncover his obsession, and turn it into a sharp blade in my hands.
As it turned out, I succeeded, and the effect was excellent. This is thanks to Tobirama's disciples and their relentless suppression of the Uchiha clan. He is now a very useful tool.
In comparison, although the child Obito is too naive, more emotional, and younger, making him easier to control, it will still take at least two or three years of tempering to see how well this blade will hold its edge after hardening."
When it came to understanding the Uchiha, Tobirama Senju would definitely rank first, and Uchiha Madara would certainly be second. Calculating Uchiha Fugaku, who had obvious personality weaknesses, was not a very difficult task for Madara, as long as he had enough cards in his hand.
Everything has pros and cons.
For Madara, Uchiha Obito was younger, more malleable, and not very intelligent, so he could be molded into his absolute will's representative. But this was also his weakness.
It's currently uncertain how far Obito can be molded, and given Obito's intellect, when facing the increasingly unclear situation of the Ninja World in the future, a pawn like Fugaku, who has a certain level of foresight and strength, and whose own resources and influence are quite good, is more capable of handling complex situations.
If the Ninja World were to maintain the balance among the Five Great Ninja Villages for the next two or three decades, as it had for the past forty years, then Uchiha Madara would certainly wait a few more years and choose Obito.
He only wished for the Eye of the Moon Plan to proceed smoothly until his resurrection.
However, now Qingshui had emerged from the Sand Village, and Nagato was in Rain Hidden. These two were destined to be the trendsetters of this era, just as he and Hashirama had been in the previous generation.
Coupled with Konoha, which still retained its foundation, and the remaining ninja villages capable of interfering with and influencing the situation, the future of the Ninja World was no longer something Obito's mind could handle.
"I understand, Lord Madara. I will pay close attention to Uchiha Fugaku. Also, this is the latest intelligence: the Third Hokage has died, just like Tobirama Senju, dying while covering a retreat."
Black Zetsu respectfully handed a piece of intelligence to Uchiha Madara.
"Read it aloud. My eyes are too cloudy to even make out these words."
Uchiha Madara sighed and closed his eyes, appearing to be filled with the weariness of a hero in decline.
"Yes, Lord Madara."
Black Zetsu began to read in a hoarse, flat voice.
A long time passed.
"Qingshui of the Sand Village... this kid is stronger than we previously estimated. We underestimated him somewhat. If we let him continue, I wonder if he will hinder our plan to collect the Tailed Beasts in the future."
"Then, Lord Madara, do we need to..."
"No need. His strength is quite good. Even if he can't compare to me and Hashirama, there's no one stronger than him in this generation. Plus, he has the Sand Village as his backing. We currently have no way to deal with him.
Besides, we don't need to deal with him. The Sand Village is stronger than Konoha now, and their Kazekage candidate is too powerful. The remaining ninja villages will definitely target them, either openly or covertly, so there's no need to worry too much about it.
As long as Nagato can resurrect me to my full power with Rinne Rebirth in the future, coupled with the power of the Rinnegan, let alone him, even Hashirama... Hmph."
Speaking of Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara couldn't help but chuckle softly and opened his eyes.
How I wish I could fight Hashirama again with the power of the Rinnegan... a truly exhilarating battle.
"However..."
Uchiha Madara tilted his head slightly, seemingly having a new idea.
"Lord Madara, tell me."
Uchiha Madara suddenly shook his head and frowned.
"I remember, Rain Hidden and Sand Hidden are allies right now?"
Black Zetsu replied:
"Yes, Lord Madara. It's just that Hanzo seems to have some ulterior motives. On the surface, he's diligently helping Sand Hidden attack Konoha, but in reality, he's secretly preparing elite troops to attack the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls, capture the Seven-Tails, and plan to establish a sixth great nation."
"We can offer them some help within the scope of the original plan. I was worried that Jiraiya's ideals would lead Nagato astray, making him accept the naive ideas passed down from Hashirama. Now, it seems Hanzo is indeed more suitable than Jiraiya. It will be easy to get the current Nagato to accept our ideals."
"I understand. Then, Lord Madara, what should we do next with the Sand Village and Fugaku?"
"Have Yagura send Fugaku more achievements. Now that Orochimaru has become the new Hokage, if he wants to protect Konoha, he must win over the Uchiha, especially Uchiha Fugaku, who has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. As long as Fugaku's achievements are sufficient, he won't be stingy with an Elder position. Once Fugaku becomes a high-ranking official in Konoha, the forces he can mobilize will significantly increase."
Uchiha Madara continued:
"As for Sand Hidden, we can plan for them after we have Nagato firmly under our control. Rain Hidden and Sand Hidden are already allies. In just a few more years, Nagato will further master the power of the Rinnegan, which will be enough to contend with Qingshui of the Sand Village. If Hanzo establishes the Land of Rain as the sixth great nation, Nagato can then use the power of the Land of Rain.
Then, through the alliance, he can indirectly utilize the power of the Sand Village. Until the final step is achieved, we can cooperate with them to advance the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.
Mist Hidden Village can also be a bonus. Half of the six largest powers in the Ninja World are on our side, plus the two strongest individuals of this generation, and Fugaku as our inside man in Konoha. This is enough to push the plan to its final stage.
As long as Nagato awakens me with the Rinne Rebirth Technique in the final step, all obstacles can be easily cleared, and the portion of the Tailed Beasts that fell into Sand Hidden's hands can be collected."
A faint smile appeared on Uchiha Madara's face, as if his plan had already succeeded.
As for whether Qingshui would pose a threat to him?
He had considered it, but didn't think it would be a threat.
In this world, apart from Senju Hashirama, no one was worthy of being Uchiha Madara's opponent!
"Alright, inform Fugaku. If he has time, tell him to come over again. I'll pass on the last bit of what I have to him, and he can also take care of my body."
With his successor chosen, Uchiha Madara no longer wanted to endure the powerlessness brought by this decaying body.
...
...
Uchiha Fugaku, who Uchiha Madara was thinking of, had returned to the Konoha camp as a hero.
However, after soundly defeating the Mist Hidden, the joy of victory was completely washed away by the news of the Third Hokage's death in battle.
Now, the Konoha camp was shrouded in sorrow.
Except for certain Uchiha.
"That's great, Clan Head!"
Young Uchiha Yashiro clenched his fists, his expression so excited that his three-tomoe Sharingan lit up.
"That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead, and you've also made a huge contribution this time, awakening the legendary Mangekyo. Perhaps this time, we Uchiha will also have a chance to contend for the Hokage position!"
"Alright, Yashiro, don't spread these words for now. I need to first gauge the opinions of others in the village. If there's a chance, I'll go for it."
Uchiha Fugaku raised a hand, signaling his clan members to calm down.
A pair of crimson eyes with complex patterns quietly opened.
Sensing the powerful visual prowess in Fugaku's eyes, the Uchiha closed their mouths, simply gazing at Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan with fervent expressions.
A subtle curve, barely noticeable, appeared at the corner of Fugaku's mouth.
After awakening the Mangekyo, these clan members were finally a bit more subdued in front of him.
Whenever an Uchiha awakened their Sharingan or it advanced, they would always be filled with ambition, feeling like they were the best, second only to heaven and earth.
Simply put, they tended to get conceited.
The current Uchiha Fugaku was no different; he also felt he had a chance to contend for the Hokage position.
However, after serving as clan head for two years, he had a deeper understanding of Konoha's current internal situation and the Uchiha clan's predicament, so he wasn't overly reckless—even after awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, his indecisive and overly cautious personality remained unchanged.
"Fugaku, you're finally back. You're not hurt, are you?"
Stepping into the tent, the first to greet Uchiha Fugaku was Minato Namikaze.
His golden hair was as dazzling as ever, but the Konoha Jonin vest still stained with blood and dust indicated that he had just endured a bitter battle and hadn't had time to clean up.
Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto were close friends, so Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku naturally knew each other well, counting as good friends.
"It's nothing. In front of these eyes of mine, they were merely the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Rather, Minato, facing the Fourth Mizukage, who became the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, must have been much more troublesome for you."
"It wasn't too bad. Elder Homura and I were enough to hold back the Mizukage. The key to this battle was the Uchiha defeating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, which led to this victory. Fugaku, you deserve the most credit this time."
Minato Namikaze said with a smile.
Uchiha Fugaku naturally sat down with Minato Namikaze opposite Mitokado Homura, who had been waiting there.
These three were Konoha's highest-ranking defense stationed on the eastern border against the Mist Hidden.
"So, Fugaku, you've indeed awakened the same eyes as Madara, gaining power stronger than the three-tomoe Sharingan, correct?"
Mitokado Homura, concealing his apprehension about the Mangekyo Sharingan, spoke to Uchiha Fugaku with a pleasant expression.
"Indeed. Unfortunately, I just awakened it, and I'm not yet skilled enough in using this power. Otherwise, only two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wouldn't have died."
Uchiha Fugaku had a hint of pride on his face, then suddenly recalled the scene of his previous battle against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
His close clan members, who had grown up and trained with him, had died assisting him against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, which led him to awaken these eyes.
It was a pity he only killed two; he hadn't yet fully avenged them.
That newly risen pride quickly faded, turning into silent grief.
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's sudden dip in mood, Mitokado Homura wasn't surprised.
It was quite normal for Uchiha to be mentally unstable.
"You should have all heard the news by now. Hiruzen... just like the Second Hokage, he sacrificed himself to cover our retreat, exhausting himself and dying under the encirclement of numerous experts and five thousand ninja from the Sand Village."
At this point, Mitokado Homura's gaze was calm as he continued, "According to the dying wish left by the Third Hokage, the position of the Fourth Hokage will be taken by Orochimaru."
Mitokado Homura paused, observing Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku's reactions.
Minato Namikaze's reaction was as he expected: sorrowful, yet with firm eyes.
As for Uchiha Fugaku...
Hmph, it was indeed the typical Uchiha reaction.
He knew that Orochimaru had been getting deeper into darkness over the past two years, influenced by Danzō, and his background was somewhat tainted.
Fortunately, Hiruzen had suppressed it before, and all traces had been thoroughly wiped clean. It's just unknown if Danzō still has any lingering evidence.
Will Danzō prioritize the greater good and help the village overcome this crisis first?
Danzō is a hidden unstable element; after the Third Hokage's death, no one will be able to suppress him in the short term.
The Uchiha clan is also a potential source of instability, especially Uchiha Fugaku, who has awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.
They need to be gently reprimanded, but not excessively, as the village still needs the Uchiha clan's strength right now.
"The Third Hokage directly appointed him? But according to protocol, a Hokage's succession requires a vote of confidence from the village's Jonin…"
Uchiha Fugaku's words were quickly interrupted by Mitokado Homura.
"That's why Orochimaru is currently acting Hokage."
Mitokado Homura continued, "For all procedures, there are precedents to follow. During the First Shinobi World War, before the Second Hokage died covering our retreat, he also appointed Hiruzen as his successor in front of us. After returning to the village, there were still those who questioned Hiruzen's position as Hokage."
The main group that challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi at that time was actually the Uchiha.
The Senju Clan would not defy the Second Hokage's dying wish, but the Uchiha, as one of Konoha's two founding clans, felt that since the first two Hokage were Senju, it should be their turn now. They were quite vocal about it.
Now that the Third Hokage is dead, you still want to try again?
Mitokado Homura gave Fugaku a meaningful look.
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