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451-455

Added 2025-05-21 17:32:20 +0000 UTC

Chapter 451: Is This Really a Problem That Can Be Solved with Money!?

As Shinji hurriedly flew back to the Uchiha clan, what he saw was not the ruins of the clan grounds, destroyed by Uchiha Madara as prophesied by the Great Toad Sage.

In fact, he didn’t even see Uchiha Madara at all.

Within the sensory range of Sage Transformation: Cursed Seal Level Two, he detected no signs of a powerful chakra presence in the area. Just to be sure, he even switched to Nine-Tails Chakra Mode combined with Sage Mode to perform a malicious intent scan.

However—

The overwhelming source of hostility came from—

Below.

Inside the Naka Shrine, a massive crowd of Uchiha clansmen was glaring at him furiously, their anger fueled by the fact that their ancestral hall had just been blown open.

"Who did this?"

"Which bastard dares to wreak havoc in the Uchiha clan!?"

"Wait a minute, hold off on using Fire Release for now—this shorty looks kinda familiar…"

Uchiha Yakumi held back the furious Uchiha Shinichi, who had been about to unleash a Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu without hesitation. Yakumi frowned in surprise and said,

"This guy… he looks a lot like Shinji?"

"Huh!?"

The crowd erupted in commotion.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Shinichi, whose dramatic words had been interrupted, instantly turned red with embarrassment. His eyes widened in frustration, and steam almost seemed to rise from his head.

H-he had just spoken so passionately… If that brat overheard him—

How was he supposed to face him in the future!?

At the front of the crowd, Uchiha Fugaku let out a deep sigh of relief upon realizing that the intruder was that fool, Shinji, and not Uchiha Madara.

At the very least, Shinji had finally arrived, and because of that, Madara had not appeared. Moreover, Kamutakami, the predictive ability of his Dojutsu: Kurama Soul, had not given any warnings of imminent danger. That meant…

The Uchiha clan's impending disaster was temporarily averted.

However—

Fugaku turned his head toward the main hall, where the clan’s Grand Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, sat stiffly in his seat, gazing blankly up at the rooftop where Shinji stood.

Fugaku knew that his direct opposition to Setsuna earlier had created a difficult situation.

Setsuna had already been displeased with him, and now that Fugaku had disrupted his plans—twice—to force Shinji to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could already imagine the trouble the Grand Elder would cause him in the future.

Yet, to Fugaku’s surprise—

After remaining frozen for a few moments, Setsuna slowly turned his head. His voice trembled as he asked,

"Fugaku… That person on the rooftop… Is that really Shinji?"

Fugaku blinked. Then he remembered—Setsuna had lost his memories of the past four months.

"Yes, it’s him," Fugaku confirmed.

The instant he heard those words—

The expression on Uchiha Setsuna’s face collapsed.

His face turned pale. His wrinkles quivered.

"That’s him…?"

"That kid… The boy from the Naka River… is him?"

Setsuna’s gaze went blank. His entire demeanor became lifeless, as if he had lost interest in everything around him—perhaps even the will to live.

Slowly, in a daze, he turned around.

Ignoring the other clan members, ignoring the clan meeting that had just been interrupted, ignoring even his past fury, he stumbled out of the shrine—

Muttering to himself as he walked away,

"What… What have I done…?"

At that moment, the old man finally realized—

The lonely, nameless boy he had once met by the Naka River was none other than Shinji, the very person he had tried to manipulate as a pawn for the clan’s sake.

At last, he understood why his past self had trusted Shinji so instinctively. And at last, he realized what kind of terrible mistake he had made.

He did not regret his decision—

But the overwhelming sense of guilt now weighed heavily upon him.

Meanwhile, standing atop the roof, Shinji took in the reactions of everyone below.

He ignored the strange mix of embarrassment and excitement on most of the Uchiha clan members’ faces. He ignored Obito Uchiha, who, as always, looked sulky and dissatisfied.

What truly caught his attention—

Was the expressions on Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Setsuna’s faces.

Seeing them both react this way, Shinji’s heart sank. He had some guesses about what had happened, but he chose to set those thoughts aside for now.

What mattered even more at this moment—

Was that, through the combination of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Sage Mode, he suddenly sensed another overwhelming surge of malicious intent—

A hostility so intense it was practically overflowing from the screen!

Shinji's head snapped in the direction of the source.

And he saw—

From Konoha’s direction, a figure radiating sky-piercing resentment was leading another figure filled with pure hostility—along with an entire crowd of people—leaping toward the Uchiha clan grounds.

The leader of the group was none other than—

Shimura Danzo!

A high-ranking Konoha elder, a Hokage advisor, the leader of Root, and—technically speaking—Shinji’s superior.

Very soon, the group arrived at the Uchiha clan grounds.

Danzo, his face as dark as thunder, strode forward with Koharu Utatane, another Hokage advisor, who was wearing an equally grim expression.

Shinji had no choice but to jump down from the rooftop and meet them in front of the half-collapsed Naka Shrine as the representative of the Uchiha clan.

But before he could even speak—

Danzo, his face like a storm cloud, abruptly raised his hand, pointed at the sky, and bellowed:

"Shinji! You better give this old man an explanation!!!"

"An explanation?" Shinji twitched his lips and followed Danzo’s finger, looking up at the sky.

There, clear as day—

Was a gaping hole in Konoha’s barrier, left behind from Shinji’s ultrasonic-speed flight using Susanoo Armor.

Why say "left behind"… again?

The way Koharu Utatane’s face darkened made the answer obvious.

"You—you—you!!"

"Shinji, do you have any idea… The barrier was just repaired!!! And now you’ve destroyed it again!!!"

"Deliberately sabotaging Konoha’s defense system—what exactly are your intentions, huh!?"

The last time, Sarutobi Hiruzen had pushed the repair costs onto Koharu.

And now—before the barrier had even officially been handed over—Shinji had blown an even bigger hole in it.

Koharu’s heart was bleeding.

She could already predict that Hiruzen would use the same “unfinished repairs” excuse to make her pay for the damages again.

That meant—

She had to clean up Shinji’s mess out of her own pocket once more!

And she wouldn’t even get anything out of it!

Even if this brat was likely to become the Fourth Hokage—

This… this was absolutely unacceptable!!!

Koharu’s old face twitched. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing a strained smile as she trembled and said,

"Next time… c-can we please just use the front door?"

Seeing this, Shinji felt a massive headache coming on. He could only give a dry laugh and say,

"I'll pay for it. I’ll pay for it… okay!?"

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS JUST ABOUT MONEY?!"

Danzo, still furious, raised his voice even higher and glared at Shinji with dark, stormy eyes.

"The incident in the Land of Rain—you must give me an explanation, Shinji!"

"Tell me—"

"Why did you attack the Akatsuki!?"

Chapter 452: The Catastrophe in the Land of Rain

"Me?"

In front of the half-collapsed Naka Shrine, Shinji pointed at himself, staring at Shimura Danzo in astonishment.

"Are you saying that I ambushed the Akatsuki in the Land of Rain?"

He never imagined in his life that he would hear such words coming from Danzo’s mouth. Was Danzo actually interrogating him on behalf of the Akatsuki, who were all the way in the Land of Rain?

What in the world was going on?

Wasn’t Danzo the one who had conspired with Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, causing the original Akatsuki to fall apart, leading to Yahiko’s death and Nagato’s descent into darkness?

Why did Danzo suddenly look like the good guy, and why did it seem like he was the one being framed for this mess?

Shinji's lips twitched as he gazed at the cunning old man before him, exasperated.

"Seriously? What reason would I even have to attack the Akatsuki?"

Although, to be fair, traveling to the Land of Rain was indeed on his to-do list.

If he wanted to confront Uchiha Madara, he had to ensure that Madara wouldn’t be able to use any Six Paths-level jutsu or abilities. While Shinji could still handle the basic Rinnegan powers, like the Six Paths techniques, Chibaku Tensei, or Tengai Shinsei, if Madara unleashed the true Six Paths-level dojutsu—Limbo: Border Jail—even Shinji wasn’t sure how to counter it.

So, before making his move against Madara, Shinji needed to go to the Land of Rain and secure the Rinnegan that Nagato had in his possession before Madara could react.

At the same time, while securing the Rinnegan, he might even be able to tinker with its mechanics a bit, giving himself an edge in the upcoming battle against Madara.

Of course, in order to ‘convince’ Nagato to cooperate, he might have to use a little bit of force.

But—he hadn’t even done anything yet!

So why was Danzo already confronting him as if he had committed some heinous crime against the Akatsuki and the Land of Rain?

At that moment—

"You don’t know? Or are you just pretending not to know?"

Shimura Danzo narrowed his eyes, his face darkening as he locked his gaze onto Shinji.

"Orochimaru ambushed the Akatsuki and stole the Rinnegan," Danzo said coldly. "And you, who helped him carry out the destruction of Loran, are telling me you know nothing about it?"

"What are you talking about?"

Shinji's expression instantly hardened. The moment he heard "Orochimaru stole the Rinnegan," his pupils shrank, and his face changed drastically.

"When did this happen?" he asked urgently.

Danzo studied Shinji’s face carefully, observing every reaction.

After a moment, he shook his head and let out a cold snort before turning to leave.

But—

"Wait!"

Shinji’s voice cut through the air, halting Danzo in his tracks.

The next second—

Danzo felt an overwhelming surge of chakra erupt behind him, wild and violent like a rampaging beast. It carried a bone-chilling malice that made his body stiffen involuntarily.

A massive skeletal hand, composed entirely of flames, shot forward and blocked his path.

"Danzo."

Shinji stood behind him, his voice cold and commanding.

"You’d better start explaining things properly from the beginning. Otherwise—"

"You might just have to explain to the Uchiha Clan how you got that thing hidden under your bandages."

"This is madness!"

Nearby, Koharu Utatane, who had accompanied Danzo, was visibly stunned. Her face twisted in anger as she barked,

"Shinji! What do you think you’re doing?!"

"Threatening a Hokage advisor inside the village itself—do you have any respect for Konoha?"

Shinji merely raised an eyebrow, too uninterested to waste words on the old hag.

Instead, he made the skeletal hand of his Susanoo clench into a fist—

Whoosh!

The enormous fist stopped just an inch from Koharu’s wrinkled face.

The sheer force of the air pressure alone sent ripples across her skin, yanking it backward as if she had just received an extreme facelift.

In an instant, the words she was about to say got stuck in her throat.

Danzo, meanwhile, stood in silence, staring at the massive skeletal hand that had forced Koharu into submission in under a second.

"So, this is Susanoo…"

His expression darkened. After a long pause, he took a deep breath and turned to face Shinji.

Gritting his teeth, he finally spoke:

"Shinji… Do you really think everything I’ve done has been for my own sake?"

"Everything I have done—was for you."

"For you, the Fourth Hokage, who emerged from the depths of my Root!"

Shinji was momentarily taken aback.

Before he could question him further, Danzo continued in a low, serious tone:

"The war you ended—I have been working to secure the greatest possible benefits for both you and Konoha!"

"And to understand that, you need to realize—"

"At the conclusion of the war, the Land of Rain became a major threat to Konoha."

"During the Third Shinobi War, Amegakure, under Hanzo, maintained a powerful standing army. Now, if Hanzo were to ally himself with the Akatsuki, who possess the Rinnegan, they could advance north and crush the already-weakened Land of Earth—or they could join forces with the Land of Wind to stir even greater unrest in the shinobi world."

"Half a month ago—"

"Hanzo proposed a peace negotiation between the Akatsuki, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. He planned to use the Akatsuki—an organization you were once a part of—to threaten Onoki and Rasa into forming an alliance with the Rain Village. If those three factions had truly united, Konoha would have faced a far greater threat than the Second Shinobi War!"

"So—"

"I repeatedly sent agents to sow discord between Hanzo and the Akatsuki. And in the end, I chose to side with the younger, more naïve, and more easily controlled faction—the Akatsuki—by assisting them in overthrowing Hanzo’s rule."

"But—just when everything was about to succeed—"

Danzo’s expression darkened further, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Orochimaru appeared."

"He captured the Akatsuki’s female member, Konan, and used her to threaten the Akatsuki’s leaders—Yahiko and Nagato—forcing them to hand over the Rinnegan. Despite both sides suffering heavy losses in the battle that followed—"

"Orochimaru still managed to steal one of the Rinnegan!"

"This completely ruined my plan! The Akatsuki no longer trust my agents, and they have even imprisoned my right-hand man, Aburame Ryoma!"

Hearing all of this—this entire series of events he had no idea about, consequences that had unfolded because he had ended the war early—Shinji’s expression grew increasingly grim.

He frowned and asked,

"When exactly did Orochimaru steal the Rinnegan?"

"The day before yesterday," Danzo said coldly.

"Then, immediately after that, the incident with you and Orochimaru destroying Loran occurred. Don’t tell me you really know nothing about that, Shinji?"

With that, Danzo stole a glance at Shinji’s face, then, gripping his cane tightly to suppress the tremor in his hands, he swiftly pulled Koharu away and hurriedly left the Uchiha district before Shinji could stop him.

Shinji didn’t bother to chase after them.

He simply stood silently in front of the half-collapsed Naka Shrine, his heart growing heavier by the second.

He had never expected that sparing Orochimaru in the ruins of Loran would come back to haunt him this quickly.

Not even a day had passed—and the consequences had already hit him with full force.

Chapter 453: The Six Paths Challenge and Preparations for the Future

This time,

Danzo chose to collaborate with the Akatsuki rather than Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure.

Although this decision made his image shift suddenly from a scheming villain to a benevolent elder supporting the development of a peaceful organization,

In reality, Shinji knew very well—

Danzo had not changed at all.

What had changed was the power structure of the ninja world, altered by Shinji's own influence.

Iwagakure lost over 9,000 ninja troops in a single strike in the Land of Lightning, suffering heavy casualties among its elite Jonin and Jinchūriki. This effectively crushed its war potential to rock bottom, leaving it even weaker than the Rain Village, which it had long regarded as nothing more than a buffer zone.

Meanwhile, after the battle ended, Amegakure now had both the Akatsuki and Hanzō, the so-called "Demi-God of the Shinobi World." Furthermore, since the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sought to end the war quickly, he refrained from pressuring the Lands of Wind and Earth during the subsequent peace negotiations. He did not demand reparations, inadvertently making both nations prime targets for opportunists.

The Land of Wind retained a complete military force,

The Land of Earth possessed immense wealth,

And the Land of Rain had elite warriors capable of deciding the outcome of a war—so long as Shinji was absent.

Under these circumstances, even Hanzō, who had lost his ambition after the last Great Ninja War and only wanted to survive in the chaotic era, could not avoid developing new aspirations.

After all, he had never met Shinji,

And he had no idea what this name—one that had become legendary in just a few short months—truly signified.

Thus, half a month ago, Hanzō proposed peace talks among the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain, with the Akatsuki at the center.

From Konoha’s perspective, Danzo had no choice but to side with the Akatsuki over Hanzō this time.

It was a remarkably wise decision,

But unfortunately, Orochimaru intervened unexpectedly.

As a result, what began as a regional power shift in the ninja world escalated into a far more significant event—

The theft of the Rinnegan!

"According to intelligence from the Ninja Cats, one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, left Konoha and went straight to the Land of Rain."

"After committing multiple acts against the village—including defecting, attacking Amegakure, and conducting reckless experiments in the Land of Wind—"

"Although Konoha has not officially issued a wanted notice for Orochimaru yet, the hunt for him has already begun,"

"Even Namikaze Minato, who had just returned to the village to report, was immediately dispatched to investigate Orochimaru’s whereabouts in several smaller nations, including Tani no Kuni and Tetsu no Kuni."

Uchiha Hachidai followed closely behind Shinji. Though he wasn’t sure why Shinji was suddenly asking about these matters,

He still quickly relayed all the intelligence the clan had gathered.

"You said… the Land of Iron?"

Shinji abruptly halted, his gaze turning sharp as he looked back at Hachidai.

"Orochimaru… was spotted in the Land of Iron? Was it in the north or the south?"

Hachidai shook his head.

"We're not sure yet. Orochimaru is one of the Legendary Sannin—tracking his movements is no easy task."

The Land of Iron’s southern region remained under its direct governance, while the northern part, due to its remote geography, was an uninhabited wilderness.

Hachidai’s words confirmed some of what Danzo had said earlier, but more importantly, they helped Shinji realize why Minato had been seen in Tanzaku Town.

He had initially thought Minato was simply returning to the village. However, now it was clear that he was actually on a mission.

And if Orochimaru had indeed traveled to the northern Land of Iron,

Then the situation was far worse than Shinji had anticipated—it was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Based on what Shinji knew,

If Orochimaru was heading north, there could only be one possible destination: a hidden place along the northern coastline, known as the Mountain Graveyard.

In the original storyline, this was the secret base where Uchiha Madara stored his vast army of White Zetsu. It was also his personal stronghold!

The Rinnegan wasn’t something just anyone could use. In the original timeline, the only person Madara found capable of wielding them was Nagato, who possessed Senju DNA. Orochimaru’s experiments with Hashirama’s cells had yet to yield any breakthroughs—Shinji himself was the only unexpected success.

At this point, Orochimaru was not qualified to wield the Rinnegan.

If he was bringing the Rinnegan to Madara, there could only be one reason—to offer them in exchange for an alliance.

And if Uchiha Madara reclaimed his own Rinnegan…

Then all of Shinji’s careful planning would instantly fall apart.

His original strategy was simple—overcomplicating things would only increase the risk of unexpected variables.

There were only three steps:

Seize the power of the Dragon Vein and take down the White Snake Sage, using both as chakra sources to perfect his own abilities.
Head to the Land of Rain to control Nagato, or at the very least, ensure the Rinnegan did not fall into Madara’s hands.
Travel to the Land of Water and activate the hidden mechanism he had placed in the Third Mizukage, forcing Madara to reveal himself—then assassinate him!

However,

Despite keeping the plan relatively simple, it had already gone off track in the first step. Various coincidences led to the creation of an anomaly—*"Ying."*

Though the outcome had turned out well in the end, as it helped him compensate for his system’s weaknesses in an unexpected way,

Now, as he prepared for the second step—

Shinji finally realized that the world would not bend to his will. Even with his near-invincible strength in the ninja world,

He had assumed he could force Madara into a "fair" battle, a duel between super-Kage-level shinobi to determine the fate of the world.

But in reality,

That was just an illusion, a subconscious avoidance of the truth.

The Rinnegan was Madara’s power to begin with. Expecting him to fight without them was nothing more than wishful thinking.

In the end,

Shinji would have to face Uchiha Madara with the Rinnegan!

And his true challenge…

Was at the Six Paths Level!

Thus,

To counter Madara’s unique Rinnegan ability—Limbo: Border Jail,

Shinji had no choice but to seek a solution.

Conventional ninjutsu would be useless against a Six Paths-level opponent.

There were only two viable options—

Sealing techniques and Senjutsu!

Faced with this abrupt shift in circumstances and the possibility of confronting Madara with one Rinnegan,

Shinji needed to prepare accordingly.

At this moment,

Led by Uchiha Hachidai, the two quickly left the Uchiha clan grounds. They passed through the Yamanaka Clan’s flower shop street, crossed several districts, and finally—

"We’re here!"

Shinji came to a stop in front of a seemingly peaceful street—one that was, in reality, under heavy ANBU surveillance.

Hachidai looked up and said solemnly,

"Just ahead is the Hokage Rock."

"The house with the spiral staircase at the lower right of the cliff—that’s the former residence of Uzumaki Mito and the current home of Uzumaki Kushina."

Chapter 455: The Possibility of the Hidden Four Symbols

No matter what technique is used, it always has its weaknesses—this is the fundamental logic that governs the shinobi world.

Even a Six Paths-level dojutsu like Limbo: Border Jail, capable of instantly overwhelming the nine Tailed Beasts, killing two main characters, and reacting to Tobirama Senju’s Flying Thunder God Slash, is no exception.

Based on how Uchiha Madara used Limbo: Border Jail in the original story, this technique integrates defense, offense, control, and even assassination into one. However, the shadows summoned by Limbo are not without flaws.

First, Uchiha Madara, when possessing only a single Rinnegan, could summon only one shadow. With both Rinnegan, he could summon up to four.

Second, these shadows, which do not exist in the real world, briefly become tangible when attacking, through a mechanism similar to Kamui. However, the duration of their physical manifestation and the range of their attacks are limited. After a certain period of activity, the shadows must return to the user’s body.

Additionally, every use of this dojutsu requires a cooldown before it can be used again.

The attack potency of the Limbo Shadows is strong enough to instantly subdue a Tailed Beast, and their defense can nullify any techniques that do not contain Six Paths or Senjutsu power.

But its most troublesome aspect is—

"Invisibility!"

Anyone without the Rinnegan or Sage of the Six Paths Mode is completely unable to see these shadows, no matter what they do.

And yet, now that the appearance of the Rinnegan itself has become unpredictable, Shinji must prepare for the worst—

At this moment,

Sitting at the dining table in Kushina’s house, Shinji was caught by surprise as he bit into a crispy tempura.

Unexpectedly, the food Kushina made was actually delicious.

Especially the tempura—coated with batter made from low-gluten flour mixed with ice water—it turned out thin, crispy, and incredibly satisfying.

“Hehe~ So? Pretty good, right? I specially learned this recipe from Mikoto! Even Rin couldn’t stop praising it!”

Kushina, with a proud expression on her face, chuckled and placed another piece of tempura into Shinji’s bowl.

"Sugoi~!" Shinji had no choice but to nod approvingly, quickly devouring the entire bowl of rice.

Hearing Kushina’s words, he recalled a scene from the anime—there was indeed a moment where Kushina delivered bento lunches to Minato’s squad. It was around the time of the Kannabi Bridge Battle, and Nohara Rin had even mentioned that Kushina’s bento was her favorite meal.

Many, including Shinji himself, had the impression that Kushina was bad at cooking.

This likely stemmed from moments such as when Obito rejected the bento she brought in a rush, or from the Infinite Tsukuyomi chapter, where Naruto refused to eat the food made by the "fake mother" because he was mistaken for Menma. There was also a scene during Kushina’s pregnancy where Minato took over cooking duties.

However, in reality, there was no concrete evidence in the original story suggesting that Kushina was a bad cook.

Soon, after finishing his bowl of rice, the cheerful Kushina eagerly tried to serve him another.

However, Shinji, deep in thought and not focused on eating, placed down his chopsticks and looked up.

"Actually, Kushina, I have a favor to ask of you."

Hearing this, the smile on Kushina’s face slightly faded, and she sighed.

"Seriously, you and Minato are exactly the same—you just got back, and now you're in a rush to leave again."

"I've already heard about Orochimaru’s situation, but hasn’t Konoha already sent people to track him down?"

"Shinji, what exactly are you worried about? Why are you in such a hurry that you can’t even finish your meal?"

Upon hearing her words, Shinji realized that Kushina might have misunderstood something, and he fell silent.

To the current shinobi world, all the recent major events revolved around Orochimaru’s departure from Konoha. Since Orochimaru was his master, it was natural for Kushina to assume that he was worried about his teacher.

But that wasn’t the case.

Orochimaru didn’t need his concern. In the entire shinobi world, there were very few people capable of capturing and completely killing him.

What truly troubled Shinji was the fact that the future he had altered had caused the timeline to diverge significantly from the original.

The early conclusion of the Third Great Ninja War had prevented key events such as the Kannabi Bridge Battle, the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, and the awakening of Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan upon witnessing Rin’s death from ever occurring.

And in this altered timeline, entirely new figures and events had emerged:

Orochimaru, now possessing both Byakugan and Rinnegan

Ghost Lantern Mangetsu with the Byakugan

Terumi Mei leading a fourth faction from Kirigakure

Sunagakure and Kumogakure surrendering to the Uchiha Clan

Tensions growing between the Uchiha and Konoha

Yet amidst all this chaos, Shinji made a terrifying realization—

The mastermind behind so many tragedies in the shinobi world, the final villain,

Uchiha Madara—

Had already taken notice of him!

Shinji couldn’t predict what Madara thought about his existence as a variable in this world.

But whether it was the attack by the Third Mizukage (who was under Madara’s control) during his journey to Turtle Island,

Or the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy, which foretold that Madara would return to the Uchiha Clan and cause a catastrophe,

Everything pointed to one conclusion—

Madara had been planning something all along.

Although, due to Shinji’s return to the clan and various other factors, Madara had temporarily refrained from taking action against the Uchiha, that did not mean he had abandoned his plans.

Shinji did not know what Madara was truly thinking,

But after surviving two crises and knowing Madara’s general situation, he was absolutely certain of one thing—

Even if the timeline has changed, some things will never change!

Madara was now old and frail, significantly weakened in mobility. However, before his death, he would definitely find his successor—a "pawn" to carry out his will.

And for that successor to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, another tragic event was bound to occur.

That tragedy would most likely involve him!

But who would be the chosen successor?

Would it still be Obito, as it was in the original story? Or would it be him?

Madara’s recent attempt to attack the Uchiha Clan might have been evidence of this plan in motion!

Shinji recalled the scene when he returned to the Uchiha Clan—

At that moment, Uchiha Obito was present at the clan meeting!

Since the Kannabi Bridge Battle could no longer occur, Obito had not yet awakened even a single-tomoe Sharingan.

Was it possible that Madara had come to the Uchiha Clan precisely to orchestrate a tragedy that would force Obito to awaken his Sharingan?

At that moment, Shinji’s gaze became firm.

He didn’t know whether tomorrow or an unforeseen disaster would come first, but there was one thing he knew for sure—

If he couldn’t prevent the tragedy from happening, then he had to eliminate the one responsible for it!