Night had fallen.
Inside his room, Masahiko was channeling chakra to temper his body's flexibility while he awaited the appointed time. Soon, a light screen popped into existence before him. He stopped his training and settled into his chair.
On the screen, after the brief opening credits, the scene shifted to the Uchiha Clan grounds. The camera angle panned upward, locking onto a secluded corner. In the distance, perched diagonally above on a tree branch, was Hatake Kakashi in full Anbu attire, his gaze fixed intently on the Uchiha district ahead.
"ANBU Kakashi! So handsome!"
"I am licking the screen!"
"Stop being so thirsty, you weirdos!"
A second later, the camera slowly descended until the screen was swallowed by darkness. After a brief black screen, Shisui appeared in the frame.
Naturally, a barrage of bullet comments flooded the screen, but Masahiko paid them no mind, his focus entirely on the unfolding drama.
Soon, the scene where Shisui ambushed the Masked Man and engaged in a probing conversation played out before his eyes. Masahiko wasn't particularly surprised. Shisui had asked for instructions beforehand, and Masahiko had told him to use his own judgment, so he had anticipated this development.
The audience, however, was reeling with shock.
"Holy sht! This Masked Man is an Uchiha?"*
As the plot advanced...
"Fck, he's the founder of the Uchiha? That badass?"*
"Uchiha Madara?!"
"I get the feeling Shisui doesn't fully buy it, but this guy is definitely connected to the Uchiha."
"The story he mentioned earlier... about the Uchiha clansmen betraying their own ancestor back in the day?"
As the dialogue between the two intensified, the bullet comments discussing the Uchiha lore multiplied rapidly. The revelation that the person who wanted the Uchiha dead was actually a member of their own clan—suspected to be their very ancestor—was mind-blowing. When combined with the previous episodes, the audience seemed to understand "Madara's" perspective.
"I feel like Madara has a point."
"For real. Shisui has backed down so much, yet Danzō still chose to kill him. It shows the higher-ups in Konoha never intended to give them a way out."
"Hard to say if he's the real Madara, but for this round, I'm siding with Madara."
Not everyone was convinced that the Masked Man was truly Madara. That included Shisui, who likely harbored doubts. Masahiko, possessing memories from his past life, knew even better: what Obito told Shisui was a mix of truth and lies. However, based on the current situation...
He didn't believe Obito would order Itachi to annihilate the entire Uchiha clan as he had in the original timeline.
Because Shisui was still alive!
The scene cut to Shisui using Genjutsu to knock out several Anbu operatives in quick succession, infiltrating the Naka Shrine. There, in front of the stone tablet, "Madara" and Shisui engaged in a dialogue heavy with lore drops.
Masahiko scanned the bullet comments. Most were expressions of pure shock, but a few held some value.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan feels like a scam. I doubt Shisui actually believes that part, right?"
"If it weren't for the hooded figure earlier, Shisui might have believed a bit more. Now... I'm inclined to think he's acting."
"Feels like two people playing with their cards face up."
"Shisui isn't going to lose his other eye too, is he?"
Many viewers were worried.
Regarding combat strength, Masahiko wasn't concerned. Obito's abilities were bizarre and tricky, but in terms of raw offense and Genjutsu, he wasn't necessarily stronger than Shisui.
The only fear was... Shisui falling into a trap too easily.
In this arc, Shisui showed shadows of Itachi's demeanor—truly fitting for two men who were both friends and teacher-student. Fortunately, after understanding the full sequence of events, Masahiko was confident that the next time he met Shisui, the young Uchiha would trust him even more.
The scene shifted. Shisui was fighting his way out from the Naka River.
Lightning flickered through the forest. A beast formed of condensed lightning galloped through the underbrush, lunging straight for Shisui.
However, Shisui turned and swung his tantō...
Behind him, Kakashi, who was maintaining the ninjutsu, suddenly froze.
It only took a split second for Kakashi to break the Genjutsu.
Clang!
A blade slashed toward him. The figure flashed past, vanishing in an instant. Kakashi, with his single Sharingan unveiled, stared at the Shisui standing before him. "Shadow Clone?"
"A Shadow Clone is enough to hold you off," Shisui said calmly. "Hatake Kakashi. To utilize an Uchiha eye to this extent... you are indeed formidable. But..."
The tomoe in Shisui's eyes spun rapidly.
It wasn't the Mangekyō, yet Shisui's prowess was such that he instantly trapped Kakashi and the subordinates behind him in a Genjutsu.
Again, Kakashi broke free in a mere instant, only to see Shisui already charging toward the Anbu ninja behind him. Kakashi's hands flew through hand seals, and the earth beneath the four Anbu members rose rapidly to shield them.
But it was too late. A scream rang out from the rear.
Another Shisui leaped high from that direction, dodging kunai, shuriken, and blades alike, his hands weaving signs.
Simultaneously, the first Shisui also wove signs.
Fireballs rained down like a meteor shower, their trajectory shifting with his Body Flicker movements. At the same time, around the other Shadow Clone, three dragon-shaped flames roared to life, rushing toward the four Anbu.
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
The two ninjutsu converged, blanketing the entire forest in a sea of flames.
Amidst the blaze, the camera pulled back. In the wide shot, one could faintly see Shisui at the edge of the forest, leaping into a tributary of the Naka River. He did not resurface.
The scene transitioned again.
The bullet comments were still reeling from the visual spectacle. Fire, water, earth... multiple ninjutsu weaving together in a single continuous shot. The rapid shifts in tactics and strategy left the audience breathless.
By the time the camera cut to Masahiko meeting Itachi, they were still discussing the fight.
"Dazzling! The animation quality is off the charts! I'm blowing this up!"
"Damn, if the anime original content is this badass, the manga canon adaptation is going to skyrocket!"
"Shisui is a beast!"
"Kakashi isn't weak either. It's just that Shisui had no reservations, while Kakashi had to worry about his teammates."
"Damn it, why are we back to the Old Thief? I want to see Shisui! I want to see Kakashi!"
Reading the comments, the corner of Masahiko's mouth twitched slightly.
Luckily, his screen time wasn't long. He exchanged a few words with Itachi, handed over the notebook, and the scene cut away to the Konoha Academy.
This time, there was a two-minute sparring match. Masahiko did technically make an appearance, but... he was essentially a background extra, standing to the side maintaining a gentle, handsome smile.
Perhaps the matchmaking mechanism Sasuke encountered resonated with the netizens of the other dimension, as the heat and comment volume were quite high.
It was just that there were a lot of comments cursing him.
Haters are fans too, Masahiko thought, indifferent. He silently chose to play the video at 2x speed.
Soon...
The Hokage's Office. Danzō, head bandaged and bloody, walked out of the room, followed by Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. As the camera moved inside, an Anbu ninja was kneeling on one knee before Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.
"Itachi, have you made your decision?"
"Hokage-sama, for the sake of Konoha, I am willing to obey your orders. Furthermore, behind the clan... there is actually another person."
Itachi kept his head low. "He did not reveal his identity, but he kept hinting to me... that he is Uchiha Madara."
"What?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up abruptly, his face filled with shock. "Madara? How is that possible? Didn't he die at the Valley of the End?"
"Your subordinate suspects he is not the real Madara, but he is likely connected to the Uchiha. I do not know the specifics," Itachi continued his report.
Hiruzen frowned, looking at Itachi with a heavy heart. "What did he ask you to do?"
"He asked me to join his organization. In exchange, I asked him to help me resolve the Uchiha clan. He agreed, claiming it also aligned with his ideology."
"Huh?"
Hiruzen was completely dumbfounded.
At this moment, Uchiha Itachi knelt on one knee and declared, "Hokage-sama, do you require your subordinate to go undercover? If so, for the sake of Konoha, for the sake of peace... I am willing to do the unthinkable!"
"The unthinkable..."
Hiruzen looked at Itachi, his expression complicated.
He was already shocked by the revelation, but hearing Itachi volunteer for such a dark path left him stunned into silence for a long while. He was bewildered.
"Itachi, I am very glad you have such resolve, but... I cannot let you bear the sin of slaughtering your own kin."
Hiruzen's expression shifted as he pondered for a long time. Finally, he opened his eyes and asked, "What is your father's attitude?"
"Father said he hopes I can find a different path. This is the best method I could think of..." Itachi lowered his head.
"Let us not be hasty."
Hearing this, Hiruzen looked thoughtful. "Go back. Inform him of this news, and test your father's attitude."
"Yes!"