Black Zetsu * Preparations

With a thought, Izuna opened the unscrupulous map.

In his mind, the area representing the Capital of the Land of Fire did indeed contain an exceptionally conspicuous special marker, lurking in the shadows beneath an apparently ordinary noble residence.

Black Zetsu.

During his days in Konoha, whenever he opened the map to check his surroundings, he would catch glimpses of this marker moving furtively around Konoha's outskirts or near the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Izuna figured Black Zetsu probably wanted him dead.

Ever since he appeared, Madara had clearly devoted more of his energy to building Konoha and protecting his younger brother.

Those extreme ideas about the Eye of the Moon Plan had probably long since been softened by the warmth and responsibilities of real life, and he might even have abandoned them altogether.

For Black Zetsu, who had painstakingly schemed for a thousand years, this was undoubtedly a major variable in his plans.

What was more, with Madara protecting him almost every step of the way, Izuna had remained in the relatively safer Konoha, making it difficult for Black Zetsu to arrange an "accident."

Remember Uchiha Takuma's reckless sneak attack?

When Izuna reviewed the incident afterward, he realized that elite Uchiha Jonin usually went on missions quite often. Having seven or eight of them present at once, as they had been that day, should have been impossible.

Never mind that I went out on a whim that day—even if they really had that much time on their hands, there's no way they'd all gather at the training ground and take a kid's spot to train.

Black Zetsu had probably been guiding things from the shadows and supplying intelligence.

Black Zetsu had likely wanted to exploit the younger generation's doubts and anger toward the "impostor" to stir up enough chaos to make Izuna "disappear."

Even if the Uchiha couldn't kill Izuna on the spot, the uproar of doubt within the clan would at least prevent Madara from fully protecting him.

After that, Black Zetsu would have more room to maneuver, and getting Izuna killed wouldn't be impossible.

Unfortunately, Black Zetsu probably feared Madara too much to remain and watch what happened.

If he had seen Izuna easily knock out the elite Uchiha Jonin he had carefully selected and incited with nothing but a shovel, he would probably have ground his back teeth to pieces.

The thought made Izuna want to laugh.

After that, the guy usually lurked near Konoha, but never dared come too close.

Because Madara was there.

Even if Madara's sensory abilities weren't as good as Tobirama's, who specialized in that field, his monstrous strength and instinct for danger meant Black Zetsu certainly couldn't be confident of doing anything right under his nose without being discovered.

But now?

The sudden, abnormal storm of public opinion in the Capital had finally given Black Zetsu a perfect opportunity to meddle from afar and throw the situation into chaos.

Far away in the Capital, he couldn't directly influence Konoha, but he could use the power of the noble circles and the weaknesses of human nature to set a trap for Izuna, building him up only to bring him down.

Looking at the marker in the Capital on the map, Izuna's lips curved into a cold smile.

Black Zetsu, do you think you can hide behind the scenes and exploit people's greed and narrow-mindedness to destroy the peace Madara and Hashirama worked so hard to build?

How naive.

Since you've been so "helpful" in building up the event for me and whipping the audience into a frenzy...

Don't blame me for taking the chance to add a little something and turn your trap into a stage all my own!

He was in the Shinobi World! A world with Chakra and all kinds of wondrous Ninjutsu!

Here, wouldn't it be easy to create dazzling, dreamlike stage effects like the ones he had only seen in video game cutscenes in his previous life?

Oh, right! I wonder if the Uchiha have a large-scale Genjutsu array?

If I could recreate some of those spectacular scenes you only see in games...

Izuna's eyes lit up, and a bold idea burst uncontrollably into his mind.

He couldn't help glancing at Madara beside him, whose expression was grave as he, too, apparently considered a response.

But... he had spent so many days painstakingly adapting that song, "Proof," nearly going bald trying to make it suit the biwa and the tastes of this era.

It would certainly have been enough for a small performance limited to noble circles.

But on the celebration stage, there might not be much chance to perform it after all.

It was a bit of a shame. Izuna smacked his lips, but soon let it go.

It's fine. A good song will always get its chance to shine. Right now, what matters more is launching a brilliant counterattack—a performance that will leave Black Zetsu and everyone waiting to laugh at me dumbfounded!

With that thought, a warm, sincere smile spread across Izuna's face again. He turned to Matsuda Hōshi, who was still waiting anxiously for his answer.

"Matsuda Hōshi," Izuna said cheerfully, as though his momentary distraction and cold smile had been an illusion. "Thank you."

He rose, walked to a corner of the room, and picked up his biwa. His fingers brushed the strings, producing a pleasant, soft sound.

"Then, can we start now?" He turned around with a bright smile. "I'm really interested in those classic pieces you mentioned. Sorry for the trouble."

Matsuda Hōshi was momentarily stunned by the change in Izuna.

The faint, chilling edge that had startled him a moment ago seemed to have been an illusion. The young man before him had become the warm, cheerful musical genius who had moved everyone on the streets of Konoha with his music once more.

Perhaps... I was worrying too much? Lord Izuna is so intelligent and perceptive, and willing to learn with an open mind. Perhaps he really can resolve this crisis?

Matsuda felt somewhat reassured and hurriedly nodded. "Of course! Of course we can! Shall we... start with the most basic Heikyoku modes and common fingering techniques? Although your fingering is in a style of its own, learning the traditional way to play with a plectrum and apply force will also help you understand the mood of the pieces..."

"All right, I'll follow your lead." Izuna sat cross-legged with the biwa across his knees, his posture upright and his expression focused, looking every bit the model student.

From the side, Madara had taken in every subtle change in Izuna's expression, as well as his murmured "So that's what happened."

He didn't interrupt, but a hint of understanding and cold severity flashed deep in his eyes.

Apparently, his younger brother knew something about this.

But why did he know?

Could there have been someone like that in his world, too, causing the same kind of disruption?

I'll ask him later.

Izuna began learning the foundations of the ancient melodies from Matsuda Hōshi, carefully following each step.

His memory was excellent, and the dexterity and control of his fingers were far beyond those of ordinary people, so he learned quickly.

He studied earnestly, genuinely absorbing the richness of the traditional music and appreciating its flavor and the history it carried.

This greatly pleased Matsuda Hōshi, who threw himself even more fully into teaching.

Time slipped quietly by as they studied.

Only when the night grew late and Matsuda Hōshi began to tire did Izuna politely bring the day's lesson to an end and arrange for a clansman to prepare a comfortable guest room for Matsuda to rest in.

After seeing Matsuda off, Izuna and Madara were left alone in the living room.

Izuna stretched, flexed his somewhat stiff fingers, then sidled up to Madara with a grin.

"Madara~"

Madara opened his eyes and looked at him. "Hmm?"

"Madara, can I ask you something?" Izuna's eyes sparkled with the excitement of someone saying, "I have an amazing idea, ask me about it!" "Do we Uchiha have, or do you know of, any kind of... really big, really flashy large-scale Genjutsu that could cover an entire stage... no, preferably a huge area, and make people feel like they're really there? Or a Genjutsu array or something?"

Madara raised an eyebrow. "A large-scale Genjutsu? You want to use it at the Spring Banquet?"

"Yeah!" Izuna nodded vigorously, gesturing as he spoke. "Could you help me think of what we could use?"

A large-scale Genjutsu...

Madara set aside the questions he had for Izuna and considered his younger brother's request.

A wide-area Genjutsu under precise control demanded an enormous amount of Chakra and exceptional control.

The Uchiha Clan excelled at Genjutsu, but most of their powerful techniques were used to control individuals.

To cover the celebration stage and even part of the audience, maintain detailed illusions for a long time, and also match them perfectly to the rhythm of the music...

That would be extraordinarily difficult.

But...

"It would be difficult," Madara said slowly, without dismissing the idea outright. "But not entirely impossible. I'll see what I can find."

Hearing that there was hope, Izuna grew even more excited. "We can practice coordinating the Genjutsu! Look! Uchiha Izuna takes you to a fantasy world! Battles! Dancing! Legends! Woo-hoo!"

Madara laughed.

"I'll think about it." Madara pressed the excited Izuna down onto the floor. "Don't get carried away fantasizing. First, make sure you absorb what Matsuda Hōshi taught you. You still have to go see the Third Elder, too. And what about your song?"

Izuna's face fell. "I know... I can't perform that song..."

There was a smile in the corners of Madara's eyes, and his smug expression made Izuna give him a dead-fish stare.

"I still think dragging it out for half a month is excessive."

"Mm-hmm, so do your best."

Izuna had lost the will to live.

Alas... things are about to get busy...