"Thank you." Orochimaru's face still carried a trace of lingering anger.
In this world, there was nothing more terrifying, more infuriating, than having your greatest secret discovered, especially when it concerned the very thing you feared most: death.
And to have it discovered by him, the only person in Konoha with my Cursed Seal, the one person he still allowed himself to feel some semblance of human attachment to... it was frustrating.
"Lord Emiya, isn't this a bit dangerous?" Tendo Pain had to remind him.
"It can't be called dangerous," Shirou replied, unconcerned about his plan to go to Konoha. Besides, he had Zetsu to help him.
To be honest, he could even enter Konoha openly and justifiably. The current Konoha couldn't do anything to him. For Shirou, it was also an excellent opportunity.
This era, with the two true protagonists of the ninja story having already appeared, would likely produce a considerable number of quests.
At the same time, there were also enough people who could trigger the system. According to his understanding, the quests it issued often followed ninjas with some reputation.
Outside the Akatsuki base, Shirou and Zetsu set off. "If we go to Konoha," Black Zetsu's sinister voice reminded him, "we can just handle the trouble with Obito. He's the person Madara left behind and has been staying in Konoha recently."
"Actually, Obito isn't that much trouble," White Zetsu chimed in, disagreeing. "The guy's just a bit impulsive. He won't go against Lord Emiya's will. He thinks he's Madara's successor, so he tries to act all high and mighty like him, gets a little arrogant..."
"Like Madara?" Shirou seemed somewhat curious about the Uchiha still diligently acting in Konoha, but his Rinnegan concealed all his emotions.
"He's not the same as Madara," Black Zetsu saw through him completely. "Hehehe, Madara's will is much firmer than his. He is just..."
Just a pawn!
This sentence certainly couldn't be said out loud. Madara's temperament was indeed arrogant, but he was not a brainless fool. Obito's arrogance was more of a foolish and conceited stupidity.
After inheriting Madara's will, he thought he was the savior.
Unfortunately, in the past, Black Zetsu wouldn't have minded his foolishness. However, now that the true savior, Emiya Shirou, had appeared, Obito's existence was inevitably a bit of an eyesore.
"Something big has happened... with Obito!" a White Zetsu clone emerged from under their feet, its face still in disbelief.
"Is Obito dead?" Black Zetsu's surprised voice held a hint of relief. It would be great if he just died directly. Then there would be no need to worry about him disrespecting Shirou.
"Ah?" the clone quickly shook its head. "No, it's a problem in Konoha. Uchiha Obito and a guy named Uchiha Itachi killed everyone in their Uchiha clan, and it seems only a seven or eight-year-old child is left!"
"???" Shirou's eyes flashed.
"Why did they kill the entire Uchiha clan?" the main White Zetsu was very confused.
"I don't know," the clone was also extremely confused. If Obito had killed the Uchiha, it would be understandable; they all knew he needed some spare Sharingan for a life-saving jutsu.
But Itachi helping him was something White Zetsu couldn't understand. Its intelligence wasn't very high to begin with, and it couldn't figure it out even if its brain was fried.
"Where are they?" the main body quickly asked.
"When I came, they were still in Konoha," the clone scratched its head, embarrassed. "But I told Obito that Lord Emiya has been resurrected. He should be coming back, right?"
"Let's go see them," Shirou tapped his arm.
"This is a truly major event," Black Zetsu's voice was filled with infinite emotion. It remembered its first meeting with Shirou was when he was assassinating Indra.
The Uchiha were Indra's descendants, the clan it had been closely watching.
Because Kaguya's revival required the Rinnegan, and the only hope of one appearing was in the Uchiha clan. It had not expected them to head towards extinction, which forced it to make a firm decision.
This time, the plan to revive Kaguya could not fail again.
Just then, Shirou seemed to have the exact same thoughts. He looked up at the moon, his voice like that of a gambler with no way out. "Black Zetsu, if the Uchiha clan is truly extinct, Madara might be the last pair of Rinnegan in this world. Our plan cannot fail again."
"It will not fail," Black Zetsu quickly tried to persuade him, its heart filled with infinite melancholy. It seriously tried to find a reason to boost his confidence. "And there are still Uchiha alive. Didn't you say a child survived?"
-----
In a forest outside Konoha, under a blood moon, a mysterious masked man stood on a tree, waiting for Itachi.
The masked man had always wanted to recruit this powerful, complex-minded clansman with the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he had always refused. However, tonight, something unexpected happened. Itachi, for some unknown reason, proposed to help him slaughter the Uchiha clan.
This was somewhat surprising, but he still believed it was beneficial to him and had immediately agreed. The harvest was plentiful. He was very satisfied, having obtained many spare Sharingan. This was good news.
Unfortunately, there was also bad news. It was said that Orochimaru had used the Impure World Reincarnation to revive Emiya Shirou again.
Zetsu had told him to go and pay his respects, with the clear implication that he was Shirou's subordinate. This news made him feel faintly displeased.
How did a long-dead old fossil come back to life again!
The mysterious masked man knew he was no match for Shirou, but he still preferred to keep control of Project Tsuki no Me in his own hands. He wanted to create a new world with his own hands. This absurd and false world should be transformed by him.
Just as he was pondering how to maintain control after Shirou's appearance, a figure landed beside him, wearing a neat ANBU uniform, his body still stained with the thick smell of blood. His voice seemed to be trying to force a sense of peace. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not long at all," the masked man's voice had a forced calmness and arrogance. "Have you taken care of the tail following you?"
"It's been dealt with," Itachi didn't say much.
"Come with me," the masked man nodded. "I originally invited you to join my organization to provide a new path, but I just received news that there might be some changes in my organization."
"Changes?" Itachi's eyes sharpened.
"That's right," the masked man looked up at the sky. A hint of complexity showed through the hole in his mask that revealed his scarlet Sharingan. "Now let me properly introduce you to my organization. A truly great figure is about to join."
"A great figure?" Itachi's eyes also narrowed. This mysterious man who had always called himself Madara, Itachi had once suspected his true identity.
However, the entire ninja world knew Madara had not died in the battle with the First Hokage. After assisting Shirou in quelling the First Great Ninja War, he had hidden in some corner of the world. He also only had one good Sharingan.
The mysterious man happened to only ever use one eye, which made Itachi faintly want to dispel his suspicions. Now, this man was actually calling someone else a "great figure"? Was there anyone in the ninja world with a higher status than him?
-----
Inside Konoha, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was pensively holding his pipe. As the longest-reigning Hokage, he had experienced many things.
Now, he was an old man.
As he grew older, the flaw of being considered soft-hearted inevitably began to magnify, causing him to be tolerant and indulgent of the conflict between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha, which ultimately led to tonight's tragedy.
Although the conflict had finally come to an end, it was still a huge loss.
Hiruzen had just sent Itachi away. He had learned from him the identity of the mysterious masked man, who had always called himself Madara.
"Is it possible?" he recalled his past meeting with Madara. He knew it was possible, because Madara and Shirou had had contact.
Now, he could only hope for Itachi. Before leaving, Itachi had entrusted the only remaining Uchiha, Sasuke, to him, saying he would join that Madara's organization as a rogue ninja and try to gather intelligence.
"Lord Third," a silver-haired ANBU landed beside him. "The bodies of the Uchiha have all been disposed of. But the bodies in the Military Police Force building are missing. It's uncertain if they've been dealt with."
"Don't worry about it," Hiruzen waved his hand, not having the energy to care. "Although I just dismissed Danzo, he should have had his Root clean it up before."
He mentioned another matter. "Now that Danzo no longer holds any position, the Root he established has been disbanded. Break up the people inside and place them in the ANBU."
"Kakashi," Hiruzen let out a long sigh. He thought of the mysterious man and faintly felt he couldn't grasp the future.
He softly instructed the silver-haired ANBU beside him, "The future burden of the village will eventually fall on you young people. A storm is brewing in the ninja world, a storm that might even destroy Konoha. You must be more diligent in the future."
This ANBU, Hatake Kakashi, just lowered his head without a word. Ever since his father's incident when he was young, his heart had been closed off. The companions he had met had died one after another.
His kind teacher, the Fourth Hokage, and his wife, had also died. To be honest, he felt there was no meaning in his own life. He seemed to be constantly living a life of pain and had never seen any hope.
He didn't see any use in diligent training. Anyway, it didn't matter if he was weak, and it didn't matter if he died. At least he wouldn't have to endure endless loneliness and pain like a scarecrow in a field.
"Kakashi, do not fail the Storm Release kekkei genkai that you possess," Hiruzen said, valuing its power more than ever. "The Storm Release kekkei was taught to your father by a great person. I hope you can pull yourself together a bit and pick up that glory of the past again, so as not to let the traces left behind by that Lord be covered in dust."