Uchiha in the Shadows

An unknown underground space.

An extremely old man sat back in a stone chair, several tendrils extending from behind him into the depths of unknown darkness.

He had a pair of crimson eyes. At a glance, he looked like the God of Death from legend.

Long ago, his name had been even more terrifying than the God of Death's.

A legendary shinobi spoken of alongside the God of Shinobi.

Uchiha Madara!

A white mass rose from the ground, breaking the silence.

"Lord Madara! They're fighting! They're fighting!"

"Konoha and Sunagakure have already gone to war at the border, and the other shinobi villages look eager to make a move too!"

After a long silence, a hoarse, scornful sneer rang out.

"The shinobi world is like this. Even if we do nothing, people can never coexist peacefully."

"Hashirama, the illusion of peace you maintained completely shattered after your death."

Oh dear, Lord Madara was starting another long-distance conversation with Hashirama Senju.

White Zetsu obediently waited for quite a while.

"How is the matter I told you to handle?"

White Zetsu pulled out a sheet of paper containing several names and accompanying intelligence.

"As you instructed, all the information on Uchiha children between five and ten years old is here."

At the very top was the name Kagami Uchiha.

He had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at the age of seven. Even in the Warring States Era, Uchiha Madara had never heard of such a genius.

But it was nothing remarkable.

Being fast was not as good as going far.

Uchiha Madara's understanding of the Sharingan ran extremely deep. He knew that awakening it earlier was not necessarily better.

Possessing power beyond what one's body could withstand as a child was no good thing.

The more he learned, the more Uchiha Madara felt that Kagami Uchiha would never awaken the Mangekyo—or rather, that even if he did, it would not be to Madara's liking.

That brat was too calm, too mature.

Though he had people he cared about, if someone were to target his grandmother and younger brother, given the brat's personality...

He would most likely figure out what had happened instead of being overwhelmed by rage.

Which meant he could never become what Madara wanted.

Uchiha Madara carefully studied the list before finally fixing his gaze on the name Uchiha Obito.

He knew the conditions for awakening the Mangekyo very well. Beyond the basic requirements, the most important thing was an immense emotional shock.

When an Uchiha lost someone they dearly loved, they gained power.

Such a condition... was like a curse.

Therefore, the more emotionally intense an Uchiha was, the greater the hatred they gained after losing love.

"Keep an eye on that brat called Obito. Investigate him thoroughly. I want to know what he cares about most."

"Eh~ Lord Madara, wouldn't that Kagami Uchiha clearly be more suitable as your successor?"

"If I didn't know you were still alive, I'd think he was your reincarnation. That talent of his is practically overflowing..."

"Shut up."

Uchiha Madara gave a muffled snort. "The Uchiha's true talent is not something like the Three-Tomoe Sharingan or ninjutsu."

"Uchiha Obito has greater potential than Kagami Uchiha!"

He paused.

"Send a clone to make contact with Kagami as well... He can serve as a backup."

White Zetsu's words had still struck a chord with him.

Kagami Uchiha could not possibly be his reincarnation, but... if reincarnation really existed...

Could it be possible that he...

After all, his personality was very similar to Izuna's, and he possessed extraordinary talent with the sword...

Even his appearance bore some resemblance to the young Izuna.

This was where Uchiha Madara had gotten the wrong idea.

The Uchiha were all exceptionally good-looking. Kagami Uchiha simply happened to be handsome in the same way Izuna had been—both had that fresh, clean look.

Even Fugaku, who was practically at the bottom of the Uchiha looks ranking, could still be praised for looking mature and steady.

"That will be all..."

After giving his instructions, Uchiha Madara slowly closed his eyes.

He was far too old, and the injuries accumulated in his body were far too severe. If not for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path sustaining him, he should have died long ago.

This sense of powerlessness disgusted him greatly. He only hoped to quickly choose a contingency to restrain Nagato, then go to his death.

When he returned once more...

He would be at the height of his power!

The Hokage conference room.

The war situation was tense. Shimura Danzō had been very busy lately, busy acting as the hidden hand behind the other shinobi villages and sowing discord between them.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had also headed to the Land of Fire's capital, telling that old fart of a Daimyo to prepare war supplies and stop holding them back.

Everyone realized...

The Third Shinobi World War might be about to begin.

There were clear signs of it. After losing the First Hokage's suppression, every few years, once the villages had recovered and rebuilt, they would want to divide up the territory again.

After all, the Land of Fire possessed the most and best territory and resources.

None of the Kage were fools. If they allowed the Land of Fire to peacefully develop, then in a few decades, it would once again become the dominant force it had been in the First Hokage's era.

No one wanted to be the underling. Everyone wanted a bite of such a fat prize as the Land of Fire.

Recent events had made the smoke in the Hokage Office even thicker.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone, reading the frontline battle reports while continuously producing secondhand smoke.

Should he order the Uchiha Clan to head to the front...

Among Konoha's Four Elders, Hiruzen Sarutobi had the least prejudice against the Uchiha.

But less did not mean none.

He wanted to use the Uchiha as a blade, but he also feared that blade becoming too sharp and turning against him.

According to Jiraiya, Kagami's heart was not bad, but compared to the village, he cared more about the Uchiha Clan.

This was... the narrow-minded notion of being unable to break free from one's clan.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, that alone meant he could not give Kagami Uchiha the opportunity to touch the upper echelons of power.

However...

If Orochimaru's plan succeeded, it really could end the war friction with the Land of Wind.

If they could swiftly beat the Land of Wind into submission and form an alliance with it, they might be able to deter the other shinobi villages.

They might even... be able to delay the Third Shinobi World War.

The two words "peace" were far too tempting for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After pondering for a long time, he summoned a shinobi.

"Have the shinobi I marked on the list prepare themselves and head to the western front."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had not fully followed the list Orochimaru provided. Those people were all hardline Uchiha radicals.

He selected half of them, then added several moderate Uchiha as well, including Uchiha Fugaku.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had once had an in-depth conversation with Fugaku.

He could tell that Fugaku did not want the rift between the village and the Uchiha to grow any wider, and was willing to make certain compromises for that purpose.

At dusk, Hiruzen Sarutobi received Uchiha Fugaku alone.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hiruzen Sarutobi got straight to the point.

"Fugaku, what kind of person do you think... Kagami is?"

Fugaku was slightly stunned. Lowering his head, he responded, "He is an exceptionally talented shinobi and is kind to his friends and family. He is an outstanding child."

Although he had clashed with Kagami Uchiha before, he would not speak of such matters before outsiders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and said in a deep voice, "Only kind to his clansmen, correct?"

"Hokage..."

Raising a hand to signal for him to listen, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "I specifically arranged for Jiraiya to take Kagami as his student because I valued his talent."

"But over the past year or so, it seems his way of thinking has not changed. He is still not close enough to the other Konoha shinobi..."

Cold sweat appeared on Fugaku's forehead as he resorted to a universal response. "Hokage, he is only a child. He simply is not very good at expressing himself."

"You know that is not what I want to hear."

Ever since Fugaku could remember, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been the Hokage.

The authority accumulated over those decades made Fugaku feel as though he were walking on thin ice.

That single calmly spoken sentence left him like a child being reprimanded by his teacher, completely at a loss.

"Hokage, I will definitely change Kagami's way of thinking and have him forge deep bonds with the village's companions!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Fugaku."