*Chapter 287: I've Been Waiting for You, Madara*

Uchiha Fugaku’s current change is the result of being beaten down by this world.

But sometimes, he truly wishes he hadn’t gone through such a beating.

"Should we make the Hidden Waterfall Village join the war? But if the leader of the village goes to Konoha, it would be easy to tell he's under the control of the Sharingan."

"If that exposes us, Clan Leader, wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?" someone asked with a frown.

After all, there were only a few of them left scattered around.

They couldn't just send one person to follow along.

If they entered Konoha like that, their identities would be even more easily discovered.

Konoha likely knew more about them than they knew about themselves.

Their ninjutsu characteristics, and even the illusions of the Sharingan, were all familiar to Konoha.

If Konoha brought along someone with the Byakugan, everything would be revealed at a glance.

"No! The illusion of my Mangekyō Sharingan can hide within his consciousness and control him!"

"When the time comes, I'll go along with him. As for you, if I'm exposed,"

"Just leave immediately and ensure the Uchiha clan’s last legacy survives."

Fugaku thought for a moment and then said in a low voice.

His Mangekyō Sharingan was not without its uses.

The eye techniques of the Mangekyō were not easily detectable.

Moreover, the eye techniques of his Mangekyō were somewhat special, with an extremely strong ability to conceal themselves, even from the Byakugan.

However, there was a catch!

He couldn’t be too far away!

If the distance became too great, he wouldn't be able to fully control that person anymore.

After all, the other party was still a Jōnin-level ninja.

Although from a small village, the chosen ones wouldn't be weak.

"Clan Leader..."

"Why do we need to intervene in the war between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village?"

"Yeah, what does their war have to do with us? If you go and risk yourself..."

A few people looked shocked, panic flashing through their minds.

Currently, Uchiha Fugaku was their pillar of support.

The reason they had been able to remain steady was because of Fugaku’s presence.

Moreover, the idea of avenging themselves on Konoha came from Fugaku.

Only by opening his Mangekyō Sharingan could he put them at ease.

So, no matter what, they didn’t dare let Fugaku leave.

"Although Konoha’s war has nothing to do with us, I feel like someone is manipulating events behind the scenes."

"I want to see if it has anything to do with Uchiha Raijin!"

Uchiha Raijin had become a nightmare for Fugaku.

His thoughts were constantly occupied with Sasuke.

And with the words Uchiha Fugaku had left with him when he departed.

So much time had passed, Sasuke must have become a fine ninja by now.

At this moment, with Konoha going to war,

someone was definitely fanning the flames from behind the scenes.

The first person that came to Fugaku's mind was Uchiha Raijin.

"..."

Everyone exchanged glances, but in the end, they didn’t try to stop Fugaku any further.

After the meeting ended, Fugaku didn’t leave immediately.

Instead, he meditated and rested in the underground chamber.

After a while, two figures stepped into the chamber.

Both were wearing black robes with red clouds, looking extremely peculiar.

"Uchiha Madara! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Fugaku opened his eyes, staring intensely at the man in front of him.

The only thing Fugaku could rely on now was this man who called himself Uchiha Madara.

Even though he had never seen the real Uchiha Madara,

this man wielded the same weapon Madara once did—

the scythe that could once go toe-to-toe with the First Hokage.

But where was the fan...

that symbol of their clan?

Fugaku felt a sense of doubt within.

When Uchiha Raijin was in Konoha, he had been extremely cautious.

He had never publicly wielded the fan at any normal occasion.

Konoha knew that Uchiha Raijin held the Uchiha clan’s fan,

but Fugaku didn’t.

He had never seen it.

And Konoha wouldn’t have shared that information with him.

"Uchiha Fugaku, you must have something important to discuss, right?"

"Let's not waste each other's time," Uchiha Obito said with a cold snort.

However, he still felt some pressure inside.

His Mangekyō Sharingan was long gone, and his current strength wasn’t enough.

If he hadn’t transplanted two new Sharingan, he wouldn’t have dared to appear before Fugaku.

Now, his only reliance was on forbidden techniques!

"I'm planning to go to Konoha!"

Fugaku said in a deep voice as he looked at the two figures in front of him.

After he finished speaking, both Uchiha Obito and Zetsu froze in place.

Was Fugaku trying to get himself killed?

Didn’t he know that Konoha was hunting down every Uchiha they could find?

If it weren’t for Zetsu’s clones,

Uchiha Fugaku would have already been tracked down by Konoha’s Root division.

After all, this guy always left loose ends behind!

'Obito, maybe we should just take his eyes now. He seems to have a death wish,'

'Wait! Let's hear what he has to say first.'

Obito and Zetsu exchanged thoughts, then turned their attention back to Uchiha Fugaku.

"Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village are at war, and I believe it’s connected to Uchiha Raijin."

"Before, Uchiha Raijin manipulated several villages to start a war, which ultimately caused Konoha to lose half of its forces."

"Now, given Konoha’s current situation, there’s no reason for them to initiate a war..."

Fugaku explained his reasoning.

But clearly, his judgment was wrong.

Obito knew all too well that this guy wanted to destroy Konoha.

Why would he ever help Konoha fight a war? Besides!

Fugaku should get up to date on Konoha’s recent turmoil first.

If some of Konoha’s top brass, like Danzo Shimura or Hiruzen Sarutobi, had died,

then maybe Uchiha Raijin really had returned.

In that case, Obito would seek Fugaku out immediately.

But for now, those old geezers in Konoha were still alive and well.

In fact,

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s son had reportedly just gotten married.

So tell me, what crisis could Konoha possibly be in right now?

Obito glanced over at Zetsu.

“There’s no trace of the Uchiha clan within Konoha, and there’s no sign of that group in the ninja world either."

"Sorry, Uchiha Fugaku, but your theory doesn’t hold. Uchiha Raijin hasn’t shown up yet.”

Zetsu spread his hands as he spoke.

His clones were scattered all over the ninja world,

always searching for information related to Uchiha Raijin.

But it was as if that group had simply vanished,

disappearing from the face of the earth.

"What?"

Uchiha Fugaku collapsed into a sitting position.

The hope he had been clinging to disappeared once again.

All he wanted right now was to know Sasuke's whereabouts!

“Huh? What are you guys doing in a place like this?”

At that moment, a white head popped out of the ground.

Fugaku's eyes flickered. This area had a barrier in place.

But he hadn’t expected someone to still be able to break in.

Clearly, this guy had some serious issues.

“Madara, I’ve got some surprising news for you!”

“And it’s related to Uchiha Fugaku. I bet it’ll make you happy for a while.”

White Zetsu completely ignored Fugaku’s reaction and went straight to the point.

“What news?”

Uchiha Obito asked calmly.

White Zetsu was always up to something new,

constantly feeding him fake information.

Obito had grown used to it.

“I think I’ve found Uchiha Sasuke!”

White Zetsu said with a sly grin.

“Crack!”

A pair of large hands instantly gripped White Zetsu’s neck.

The terrifying strength made White Zetsu's eyes roll back.

But it didn’t have any real effect.

The man in front of him had no intention of letting go.

“What did you say? Where is Sasuke?”

Fugaku breathed heavily as he stared at White Zetsu, the Mangekyō Sharingan unconsciously flashing in his eyes.

He had been waiting for this news for so long, living each day like torture.

He had no idea where Uchiha Raijin had taken the Uchiha clan.

Nor did he know if the clan was flourishing under Raijin’s control.

He wasn’t the clan leader anymore, so none of that mattered.

The Uchiha clan no longer concerned him!

Only Uchiha Sasuke, his own flesh and blood, mattered.

That was the most important thing.

“Ah…”

White Zetsu pointed at Fugaku’s hand, opening his mouth to speak but unable to get the words out.

“Calm down.”

Obito kicked out, aiming straight at Fugaku.

With Fugaku choking White Zetsu, there was no way White Zetsu could talk.

Boom!

Fugaku winced in pain but managed to regain some composure.

Hearing news about Sasuke had made him lose control in an instant.

Fugaku steadied his breathing, a complex expression appearing on his face.

Sasuke was back.

But how much had Sasuke grown over the years?

How strong was he now?

Had he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?

Could he bear the weight of his power? It was all unknown.

Fugaku now wanted to know more about Sasuke’s situation.

At the very least, he needed to know what stage Sasuke was at.

“Cough, cough!”

White Zetsu coughed a few times, finally able to breathe again.

He shot a resentful look at Fugaku.

He had almost been strangled to death by this man.

But!

White Zetsu didn’t blame him.

After all, this man looked so fierce.

He even wanted to merge with him.

Of course!

Like how Tobi and Obito had merged.

“Alright! White Zetsu, explain in detail!”

Obito was also anxious, wanting to know more about Uchiha Raijin.

His Sharingan was gone, and even the Rinnegan left behind by Madara was no longer in his possession.

All he had left was the God Tree.

But!

Even though he mastered Yin-Yang Release, he could only perform simple operations on the God Tree.

Obito was incredibly frustrated!

At the very least, he needed to recover his Rinnegan first.

Only with enough power could he have a say.

“Our White Zetsu near the Land of Waves disappeared, and another Zetsu noticed something was wrong and went to investigate.”

“That traitor, the one Uchiha Raijin took, appeared again and was devouring our Zetsu!”

“He risked his life to share the information with us. That’s all we know.”

White Zetsu shrugged.

They didn’t know much.

The reappearance of the traitor taken by Uchiha Raijin meant that Raijin’s forces had also resurfaced.

Last time, they had blinded them, completely cutting off their vision in the ninja world.

Uchiha Obito had been trying to find a solution, but with a traitor in their ranks, there wasn’t much he could do.

The opposing White Zetsu could also connect to the Zetsu network, meaning any information passed between them could be intercepted.

They were all afraid of infiltration!

A shadow darkened Obito’s face.

The most troublesome part was that Zetsu in Raijin’s possession.

If not for that Zetsu, they wouldn’t be in such a passive position.

Obito didn’t intend to waste more time with Uchiha Fugaku here.

“It seems that Konoha’s decision to wage war may indeed have Uchiha Raijin’s involvement.”

“Fugaku, since you want to investigate, go ahead.”

“I’m going to search for that Uchiha Raijin myself.”

“Oh, and this place may have already been compromised. You’d better relocate.”

Obito paused just before leaving and spoke slowly.

After Zetsu shared the information, most of the surrounding Zetsus were already aware of it.

Whether Fugaku’s current location was exposed or not, they couldn’t be sure.

But it was best for him to move.

He didn’t want anything to happen to Fugaku now.

After all, Fugaku was his only hope.

That Mangekyō was meant for him.

“I know. I don’t need you to remind me.”

“I’ll be heading to Konoha next.”

Fugaku remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“Suit yourself!”

Obito didn’t say anything more.

After all, Fugaku had spores on him.

If something did happen to Fugaku, White Zetsu could still retrieve the Mangekyō from him.

No!

That wouldn’t work!

He needed to keep a closer eye on him.

He couldn’t let Uchiha Raijin ruin everything.

The thing he lacked most now was power.

If something happened to Fugaku, he wouldn’t have any power left to use.

“Madara, Uchiha Fugaku is probably going to find Uchiha Sasuke!”

At that moment, Black Zetsu suddenly spoke up.

“Does he want to get information about Uchiha Raijin from Sasuke?”

Obito paused, lowering his head in thought.

“Madara, have you forgotten how that man awakened his eyes? He took his brother’s Mangekyō Sharingan to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō.”

“Only after awakening the Eternal Mangekyō did he have the chance to unlock the Rinnegan!”

“Don’t forget! Their bloodlines are still tightly intertwined.”

Black Zetsu was speechless. Uchiha Raijin, Uchiha Raijin.

Could these guys not use their brains for once?

Looking for Sasuke was just to awaken his own Mangekyō.

Or perhaps…

A flash of malice flickered in Black Zetsu’s eyes.

Perhaps to help Sasuke awaken the Eternal Mangekyō.

There were only those two possibilities.

Maybe!

Sasuke could very well be Indra’s reincarnation in this era.

If Sasuke did awaken the Mangekyō, maybe he could achieve the same feats as Madara.

But...

Uchiha Sasuke wouldn’t be so easy to control.

After all, he had left with Uchiha Raijin.

There was no telling whether Raijin had left any safeguards on Sasuke.

(End of Chapter)