Chapter 64: Uchiha Madara

From the moment he sensed Luo Fu’s inner thoughts, an inexplicable sense of responsibility drove Uchiha Shisui to continually try to change Luo Fu.

At the very least, he wanted Luo Fu to form some bond with the village.

Yet every time Uchiha Shisui tried to instill the Will of Fire in Luo Fu, he received nothing but unmasked contempt and disdain in return.

Although Luo Fu had never once outright rejected the Will of Fire in words, Uchiha Shisui knew Luo Fu had never given it a single thought.

And now, he even began to sense that Luo Fu harbored hostility toward the village’s upper echelons.

Without delay, while other Uchiha clan ninja were gathering the corpses of the Iwa and Kirigakure ninja,

Uchiha Shisui summoned a ninja cat via Summoning Jutsu and reported the plan to alter their route to the higher-ups, hoping to gain approval from the Hokage and the Elders.

But Luo Fu knew changing the route was impossible.

Because from the very beginning, it was the village’s high command that had exposed their departure time, path, and even their numbers.

The Konoha F4 wanted to use Iwa and Kirigakure to weaken the Uchiha, while also hoping the Uchiha would weaken Iwa and Kirigakure in return.

They treated the Uchiha as enemies outright.

The facts proved Luo Fu’s suspicions were entirely correct.

Soon, when the reverse Summoning Jutsu appeared out of thin air and the ninja cat delivered the high command’s decision, Uchiha Shisui froze in place after reading it.

“Why? Why is this happening? Why won’t the Hokage and the Elders allow us to change our route?”

Seeing Uchiha Shisui’s shattered expression, Luo Fu smirked maliciously and, without a word, began subtly influencing Uchiha Shisui with the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Yeah? Why? Why is the village treating us Uchiha like this?”

Luo Fu’s voice, though low, struck Uchiha Shisui’s ears like a thunderclap.

It snapped him out of his confusion over the village’s decision.

“Luo Fu Captain, I trust the Hokage and the Elders—they must have their reasons for refusing to change our route. Perhaps they intend for us to draw the attention of Kirigakure and Iwa.” Shisui grew more convinced as he spoke.

His eyes glowed faintly as he added: “It must be this way—the battlefield in the Land of Grass is already strained. If the enemy learns of our presence, they’ll divert some forces to target us, easing the pressure on our comrades in Grass.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Luo Fu sneered. “Itachi’re absolutely right. So for the village’s sake, the Hokage and the Elders must have deliberately leaked our intel—right now, Iwa and Kirigakure probably know exactly how many of us there are and what each of us can do.”

Luo Fu didn’t lower his voice—he deliberately raised it.

The Uchiha ninja cleaning the battlefield snapped to attention.

One Uchiha Jonin rushed forward and demanded: “Captain, what did Itachi say? Are Itachi saying we were ambushed because… because the village deliberately exposed our intel?”

“No! No! No!” Shisui shouted in protest. “The Hokage and the Elders didn’t do this on purpose! Besides, we’re still alive—only the enemy are dead. Doesn’t that prove the village has no ill intent toward us?”

“Shut up,” the Uchiha Jonin said, his eyes filled with unmistakable revulsion. “What do Itachi know? Do Itachi think we survived unscathed because of our strength?”

“Isn’t it?” Uchiha Shisui asked, stunned.

“Itachi…” The Jonin nearly laughed in disbelief. He shook his head. “Which of these enemies did we kill? They all fell to the Captain’s blade. Luo Fu had never shown his swordsmanship before. Even this chakra blade was only given to him by the Clan Head right before departure. Do Itachi really think the village prepared for this all along?”

“I…” Uchiha Shisui fell silent.

Luo Fu was perfectly content to see Uchiha Shisui rendered speechless—it saved him from being bothered by this idiot.

But now was not the time for internal strife.

“Enough. Since the village won’t let us change our route, we’ll follow the original plan. I’m curious to see how many more enemies await us.” Luo Fu smiled faintly and led the Uchiha ninja forward along the predetermined path.

After Luo Fu departed, several breaths passed.

A figure suddenly emerged from beneath the earth.

“My, my. Among the younger generation of Madara’s descendants, there’s such a terrifying swordsman.” The pale-skinned figure surveyed the numerous corpses of Kirigakure and Iwa ninja, then sank back into the ground like a shadow slipping beneath water.

In the Land of Grass, underground near the Shinobigakure Bridge,

a figure clad in a white robe, ancient and frail, so aged he needed a cane to walk, slowly and deliberately sat before the massive Outer Demon Statue.

“How fascinating. Among the younger generation, someone so unusual has appeared—a Uchiha who ignores his Kekkei Genkai and Sharingan, yet has mastered swordsmanship to the point of rivaling the White Fang of Konoha.”

Hearing Madara’s remark, Obito chirped: “Madara, should we do something about this guy?”

Madara showed a flicker of curiosity. “If there’s such an interesting descendant, I must see just how far he can go!”

“Obito.”

At Madara’s call, Obito hurried forward.

“Go. Spread word of this descendant’s deeds as quickly as possible.”

“Madara, what about that boy, Obito?” Obito asked curiously.

“Keep watching him. He will be my most useful pawn in the future.”

“And what about this Luo Fu?” Obito pressed.

“He’s merely a passing amusement for me in my final days. A man who abandoned his Uchiha Kekkei Genkai to pursue swordsmanship isn’t worth my attention—but I am curious about his achievements in swordsmanship.” Madara spoke with interest.

(End of Chapter)