Chapter 86

At this moment, on the other side

Fugaku slowly opened his eyes, and the familiar tent ceiling came into view; it seemed he had returned to the Ninja World.

Recalling his previous experiences, Fugaku was still dazed; he had passed out the moment Gerald's attack came.

Opening his eyes again, he was already back in the Main God Space; it seemed Orochimaru had completed the task alone in the end.

Thinking of this, he reached out and touched his left eye, recalling that brief and astonishing ability from the task.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down, giving him ample opportunity to react.

Fugaku named this ability "Reverse Flow Celestial Phenomenon." But with his current strength, even slowing time by one second was difficult to achieve.

"Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan," Fugaku whispered softly, a glimmer of longing flashing in his eyes.

After this task settlement, he chose to purchase only items to heal Poison Woman's injuries, keeping all other points. His goal in accumulating these points was clear—to exchange for the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Clan Leader, are you there?"

At this moment, a familiar voice came from outside the door.

Fugaku sat up straight, adjusted his collar, and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The tent flap was lifted, and a young Uchiha clansman walked in quickly. He held a small scroll in his hand.

"Clan Leader," the young man said respectfully with a bow, "this is a secret letter just sent by the clan elders."

Fugaku frowned slightly, reached out to take the scroll. He carefully examined the seal on the scroll, and only after confirming it was correct did he speak: "Thank you for your trouble, you may leave now."

The young man nodded and bowed, then withdrew from the tent.

Fugaku gazed at the scroll in his hand, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. The elders sending a secret letter at this time probably wouldn't bring any good news.

Fugaku quickly formed hand seals with both hands, a faint flow of chakra moving at his fingertips. He lightly touched the scroll, and the seal opened with a sound.

As the scroll unfurled, Fugaku's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

After finishing reading, his face was already filled with anger.

"Damn it!!" Fugaku gritted his teeth and whispered, slamming a fist onto the table.

An injured Uchiha Jonin returning to Konoha had actually gone missing in the village. This was absolutely no accident; within Konohagakure, who dared to lay hands on the Uchiha Clan? A gloomy figure immediately surfaced in Fugaku's mind—Danzo.

That old fox had always eyed the bloodline limits of various clans covetously, especially the Sharingan. Fugaku snorted coldly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

He actually dared to go this far!

Our Uchiha Clan fights the enemy on the front lines, while he, actually strikes at my clansmen from behind! But what angered him even more was Hiruzen Sarutobi's indulgence.

Clearly knowing Danzo's actions, yet always turning a blind eye, pretending to be a kindly old man, acting as if he knew nothing.

"Hokage-sama," Fugaku said softly, his voice filled with suppressed anger, "just how far do you intend to push the Uchiha Clan?"

Recalling recent battlefield deployments, he couldn't help but sneer. The Uchiha Clan was famous for Fire Release, yet they were sent to deal with Hidden Mist ninja skilled in Water Release.

So, dissatisfaction among many clansmen toward Konoha was growing day by day, and some had even proposed the idea of rebellion. This incident would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.

"Hmph!"

Fugaku snorted coldly; if it really came to that point, then he could only let Konoha taste the wrath of our Uchiha Clan. —At this moment, in the mountain cave where Madara Uchiha was hiding.

Suddenly, ripples spread across the ground, as if the water's surface had been gently stirred.

A figure slowly emerged from the ripples; it was a Uchiha clansman, and his body was wrapped in a mass of black substance. "Madara-sama, I have brought him back." Black Zetsu's voice came from within that mass of black substance,

Madara Uchiha had originally been leaning against a stone chair, and after hearing the movement, he slowly stood up.

His gaze fell upon the Uchiha clansman controlled by Black Zetsu; that man was still unconscious, pale-faced, with weak breathing.

"Well done," Madara said lightly.

Black Zetsu separated from the Uchiha clansman, who then slumped to the ground. Black Zetsu returned to his original form, standing beside Madara.

Madara's gaze swept over the unconscious Uchiha clansman, then he lightly spat out a single word: "Fly."

A white figure with strange spiral patterns on its face burst out of the ground, quickly possessing Madara Uchiha.

"Oh, Madara-sama is going out to clear his mind?" White Zetsu's voice came out, carrying a hint of playfulness.

Madara ignored White Zetsu's joke, gazing straight ahead, and said in a deep voice: "Amegakure. I'm going to take back what belongs to me."

White Zetsu immediately sensed the change in atmosphere. The solemnity in Madara's tone made him instantly put away his joking attitude.

"Understood, Madara-sama. We will set out immediately." White Zetsu responded seriously, his tone becoming stern.

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu stood to the side, silently observing Madara's every move. Madara's unusual behavior during this period had made him quite nervous, but he soon calmed down.

"In any case, it seems his ultimate goal hasn't changed," Black Zetsu deduced in his mind, "as long as he still walks the path of Infinite Tsukuyomi, everything remains under control."

A hint of mocking light flashed in his eyes.

In his view, Madara was nothing more than a pawn, a tool toward resurrecting his mother. No matter what plans Madara had, as long as Infinite Tsukuyomi was activated in the end, he would become his mother's sacrifice, and that was enough.

…………

With the help of White Zetsu's ability, Madara Uchiha traveled quickly underground. They were like a shadow, passing silently through the earth, and soon arrived at the outskirts of Amegakure.

Madara's figure slowly emerged from underground, and he looked up at the sight before him.

Countless towering concrete buildings rose from the ground, appearing especially oppressive under the gloomy sky.

"Nagato should be hiding somewhere among these high-rises," Madara muttered softly, his gaze scanning the surrounding buildings.

Madara walked through the rain and soon came before a special building.

This building was relatively low, hidden among other buildings, appearing even more concealed.

"It should be here..."

He walked straight toward that building, but before he could approach, two people dressed in black long robes blocked his way, saying cautiously: "This is Akatsuki's territory; idlers, do not approach."

Madara stopped, his gaze sweeping over the two guards. The corners of his mouth curled slightly, revealing a hint of a cold smile.

"Akatsuki Organization?" Madara said disdainfully, "I heard you don't use force and want to solve problems peacefully; truly laughably naive."

Hearing this, the two guards' expressions instantly turned ugly; they gripped their weapons tightly and shouted sternly: "Just who are you?"

"You'll know soon enough."

Voice Not Fall, Madara's hands rapidly formed Hand Seals. Chakra circulated swiftly within his body, instantly converging in his chest cavity.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

(Chapter End)