Still a Sixth Man? Keep Deceiving

Unknown to the people of Konoha, it wasn't just Shimura Danzō who had been keeping an eye on Uchiha Dan.

In an unknown corner of the Ninja World, deep within a massive underground cavern, a shadowy figure was reporting something to an old man standing before it.

"Lord Madara, that's how things stand. Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade have gone mad, insisting on protecting Uchiha Dan." The shadowy figure fell silent after finishing its report, quietly awaiting the decision of Lord Madara.

That's right, this Lord Madara was none other than Madara Uchiha.

Madara Uchiha's hair was completely white, his face lined with wrinkles, looking frail and aged, devoid of the arrogance and overbearing dominance he once possessed.

He was currently sitting on a stone chair, eyes closed, resting.

His back was covered in black tubes, connected to a terrifying, grotesque giant statue behind him.

If one looked closely, they could see life-energy-filled chakra flowing through the tubes into Madara Uchiha's body, maintaining his vital signs.

Seeing that Madara Uchiha remained silent, the shadowy figure, Black Zetsu, grew anxious and asked again, "Lord Madara, what's our next move?"

A slight smile curved Madara Uchiha's lips as he slowly opened his peculiar eyes.

At this moment, his eyes were entirely a pale purple, with faint circular patterns visible within them, appearing extremely strange.

These were not yet fully evolved Rinnegan, but they already had the nascent form of the Rinnegan, and it was believed they would fully transform into Rinnegan soon.

"You're saying Uchiha Dan and the First Hokage's granddaughter are dating?"

"Yes, Lord Madara!" Black Zetsu nodded. "Based on my observations, that seems to be the case."

Black Zetsu didn't understand human love, but seeing Uchiha Dan and Tsunade constantly together, he could make a judgment without needing to understand.

"Heh heh!" Madara Uchiha chuckled softly. "Don't you think this is a good thing?"

"A good thing?" Black Zetsu was confused. "Lord Madara, if this continues, Uchiha Dan might never leave Konoha. What about our plan?"

The plan Black Zetsu spoke of was, naturally, the Moon Eye Plan.

Originally, the protagonist of this plan was Madara Uchiha.

He had indeed fallen into the trap under Black Zetsu's guidance, transplanted Hashirama's cells, and was on the verge of obtaining the Rinnegan.

However, neither of them had expected that it would take so long for the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to evolve into the Rinnegan, leading to Madara Uchiha being on his deathbed now.

Even if he obtained the Rinnegan, his life depended entirely on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, making it difficult to collect the Tailed Beasts and become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.

Therefore, the two of them devised an alternative plan.

That was to find a child from the Uchiha Clan, find a way to twist his heart, and make him firmly believe in Madara Uchiha and the Moon Eye Plan.

Once such a person was found and successfully brainwashed, Madara Uchiha would choose to pull out the tubes behind him and embrace death.

The person chosen by him would, with Black Zetsu's assistance, act in the Ninja World in his name while keeping an eye on the Rinnegan.

When the time was right, they would begin collecting the Tailed Beasts, then at a certain point, implant the Rinnegan and use Rinne Tensei no Jutsu to revive him, allowing him to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and complete the Moon Eye Plan.

For many years, Madara Uchiha had been searching for a suitable replacement, but unfortunately, the people of the Uchiha Clan were too useless in his eyes.

The only one he felt held hope was Uchiha Dan, who had been expelled from the Uchiha Clan.

Although this fellow wasn't perfect, and even made Madara Uchiha somewhat unpredictable, he had no better options, so he decided to give it a try.

"While Tsunade is alive, he might indeed not leave," Madara Uchiha said calmly. "But what if Tsunade dies?"

"Dies?" Black Zetsu suddenly realized. "Once Tsunade dies, Uchiha Dan will surely be heartbroken. No one will protect him then, and conflict with Konoha's higher-ups is inevitable. Our opportunity will arise."

Madara Uchiha chuckled softly but said nothing.

His thoughts were not that simple.

Uchiha Dan was indeed imperfect now, but if his brother and lover died before his eyes, he would inevitably turn to darkness in despair. At that time, reality would force him to become the perfect candidate.

"How are things with Kirigakure?" Madara Uchiha suddenly asked.

"Everything is well. The Third Mizukage is still under control, and the entire Kirigakure has remained within our grasp," Black Zetsu reported. "Lord Madara, are you planning to instigate a war between Kirigakure and Konoha?"

Madara Uchiha shook his head and said, "Since Hozuki Gengetsu died, Kirigakure has degenerated. It will never be a match for Konoha."

"If a war were to truly break out, the situation would be one-sided."

"I cannot leave the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path right now, nor do I wish to expose myself to the world. Relying on you alone won't accomplish much, so we must plan carefully."

"Understood!" Black Zetsu also became excited at this moment.

He didn't care about war, nor about anyone's life or death. He only cared whether the Moon Eye Plan could be successfully implemented.

Back at the hospital, Tsunade, feeling much better after a big argument with Utatane Koharu, returned.

Uchiha Dan was also there, but his spirits weren't high, showing no joy at having survived.

"Dan... are you... are you okay?" Tsunade asked cautiously.

She was truly afraid that Uchiha Dan would completely sever ties with her from now on.

The thought that she had almost caused Uchiha Dan's death sent a chill down her spine.

How could she have been so foolish?

She had handed the knife to Utatane Koharu herself, allowing someone she disliked to kill someone she loved.

"Ugh, what's so good about it!" Uchiha Dan sighed, "We just dodged a disaster for now, just like five years ago."

"But can I dodge the first day of the lunar month and still dodge the fifteenth? It's only a matter of time!"

"There's a way!" Tsunade stated resolutely.

"What way could there be?" Uchiha Dan gave a self-deprecating laugh, as if he had lost all hope in life.

Tsunade walked out of the office, saw no one around, closed and locked the door, then walked over to Uchiha Dan.

"What are you doing?" Uchiha Dan quickly hugged himself and leaned back, putting on a scared act.

"You jerk..." Tsunade gritted her teeth, pulled out a scroll from her kimono, and threw it fiercely at Uchiha Dan before returning to her seat.

"What is this?" Uchiha Dan curiously opened the scroll, and his breathing became a little rapid.

Because it clearly contained the Monster Strength Technique.

It should be known that Tsunade relied on her Monster Strength Technique to fight all over the Ninja World, with few rivals.

"Tsunade, thank you, but I don't need it." Uchiha Dan stood up and pushed the scroll containing the Monster Strength Technique back to Tsunade.

Tsunade also stood up at this moment, holding the scroll with her hand and shaking her head, "Dan, I almost harmed you, so you must accept it no matter what."

Because both of them were standing and leaning forward, their distance at this moment was only a foot.

Tsunade immediately lowered her head shyly, but her gaze met Uchiha Dan's lips.

At this moment, she suddenly had the urge to take a bite.

Startled by her own thought, Tsunade sat back down, her face flushed red, and she didn't dare to look up again, keeping her head down.

This was too embarrassing.