Masked Man

"That's right."

Fugaku looked at Dan with approval and nodded, recalling the past, "Three years ago, it was clearly Cloud Hidden that kidnapped Hinata Hyuga first, and Hyuga Hiashi killed the Cloud Hidden envoy in a rage to save his daughter. But under pressure from the Fourth Raikage, the Third Hokage, in order to appease the anger of Cloud Hidden, still made the Hyuga Clan hand over the corpse of Hizashi Hyuga."

Dan was also lost in thought, following Fugaku's lead as he continued:

"The suppression of the Uchiha Clan by the Konoha high command is ten times worse than what the Hyuga Clan faced.

If history were to repeat itself, in the face of pressure from the Cloud Hidden Village, the Konoha high command would not only fail to stand on the side of the Uchiha, but would likely be overjoyed, taking the opportunity to suppress the Uchiha Clan as a matter of course.

By then, the Uchiha would also be forced to hand over their own 'Hizashi Hyuga,' or perhaps even the heads of many more clan members."

Lessons from the past guide the future.

"Dan, you truly understand me; you've said exactly what I wanted to say."

Fugaku smiled, the approval in his eyes growing even stronger.

He had criticized Dan's stance as "too moderate" earlier that day, and he hadn't expected his brother-in-law to correct himself so quickly, learning to consider the interests of the Uchiha.

In Fugaku's view, Dan's vision already surpassed that of most clan members, and his ability to stand at a higher vantage point to view and think about problems was truly rare.

After this exchange.

He became even more determined to carefully cultivate Dan and make his brother-in-law his right-hand man.

But before that.

"So, my advice to you is to fire this woman immediately when you go back tonight, and do not associate with her again in the future. Dan, can you do that?"

Fugaku stared intently at Dan, waiting for the latter's answer.

"Who else knows about the matter regarding Samui?" Dan asked this before giving his answer.

"I investigated this matter personally; even Mikoto and Itachi are completely unaware."

Fugaku signaled for Dan not to worry, as the Intelligence would not leak.

Dan nodded, then said calmly: "In that case, I am going to keep Samui."

What?

Fugaku thought he had misheard, his brows furrowing once more, his face full of displeasure: "Dan, do you like this woman that much?"

Yes.

Samui was very beautiful.

In Fugaku's memory, he had only seen one other beauty with such blonde hair, a large chest, and fair skin in all these years, and that was the legendary one of the Sannin, the Princess of Konoha, Princess Tsunade.

Was that why Dan was so reluctant to let this woman go?

"That is not the reason."

Facing his brother-in-law's questioning, Dan shook his head and told the truth, "I knew Samui was a spy from the very beginning."

As he spoke, he gently stroked Samui's hair in his arms with his large hand, just like petting a cat.

What??

Fugaku was shocked once again.

No wonder.

When he told Dan that Samui was a spy, Dan hadn't been surprised at all; it turned out he had known all along.

"Then, why have you kept her by your side all this time?"

After regaining his composure, Fugaku pressed him.

Because she is very useful; she can serve as both an employee and a nanny.

Dan thought this to himself, but in reality, it was just that simple.

However, he also knew this reason would not satisfy Fugaku, so after a few seconds of contemplation, he gave a different answer:

"Brother-in-law, since the Konoha high command is so afraid of Cloud Hidden, why can't we take advantage of that point, establish some kind of connection with Cloud Hidden through this woman, and perhaps even use the other side's power for the benefit of my Uchiha Clan?"

Once these words were spoken.

Fugaku's entire body jolted, his pupils gradually dilating as he revealed an expression of sudden realization.

It was like a bolt of enlightenment.

"I understand, Dan. You mean to use this woman as a pawn, to use her to..."

"Something like that."

Dan interrupted, and although he didn't know exactly what Fugaku had understood, he nodded along with the other man's words as he always did.

"Since that is the case, I will leave this woman to you to handle."

Fugaku stood up with peace of mind, and as he spoke, he picked up the documents, a "hiss" of flame erupting from his palm.

Right in front of Dan, he burned the information regarding Samui into Ashes.

"Then I will head back now."

Dan easily picked up Samui in a bridal carry and bid farewell to Fugaku.

A Solitary Moon hung high in the sky.

The Naka River flowed quietly through the forest of the Uchiha Clan.

On the banks of the river stood the ancestral temple of this clan—Naka Shrine.

Under the cold moonlight, Uchiha Yashiro arrived at the main hall of the shrine alone. He looked left and right, confirming that no one was following him, before stepping inside.

Inside the shrine, beneath the seventh tatami mat counting from the far right, a secret room was hidden.

This place was the secret meeting spot for the Uchiha Clan.

Creak.

Yashiro pushed the door open and entered, discovering that the torches on both sides of the secret room had already been lit. A figure stood with his back to him, facing the stone tablet of the Uchiha Clan.

"You've come."

The man slowly turned around.

"Greetings, Lord Madara." Yashiro lowered his head and bent his waist, bowing deeply to the other party.

The man before him.

He wore black clothing, had a wild mane of long black hair, and wore an orange Tiger Mask on his face, revealing only a single eye.

The first impression he gave was one of coldness and eeriness.

No one would have guessed.

This mysterious Masked Man was actually the former Clan Head of the Uchiha, a legendary ninja who had shaken the Ninja World and was believed by the world to have long since died—

Uchiha Madara.

When Yashiro first met the Masked Man, he had merely thought the other party was a charlatan playing tricks, until he was soundly defeated by him.

The Masked Man claimed to be Uchiha Madara.

He not only displayed the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan to Yashiro but also revealed many Uchiha secrets that even Yashiro had never heard of.

The Masked Man said that he had sought out Yashiro because he wanted to support the Radical Faction of the Uchiha.

To take revenge on Konohagakure.

Yashiro believed him.

"What movements have there been in the clan recently? Is the plan proceeding smoothly?" The Masked Man glanced at Yashiro and asked casually.

Yashiro hesitated for a moment, but ultimately spoke of the matter regarding Uchiha Dan.

"Oh?"

After hearing Yashiro's report, the Masked Man became interested in Dan.

He incited Yashiro and the others to rebel against Konohagakure, not because he wanted the Uchiha Clan to successfully seize power and become the Hokage or anything of the sort.

On the contrary.

He hoped to use the power of Konohagakure to wipe out the Uchiha.

As it stood.

The ideas of Dan, the "Suicide Attack Faction," coincided perfectly with the Masked Man's own, as seeing the Uchiha and Konohagakure burn together was the scenario he most wanted to see.

Thinking of this.

"I will personally go to contact Uchiha Dan and recruit him."

After dropping this sentence, a vortex-like distortion of space centered on his right eye suddenly occurred, sucking his entire body into it.

He vanished.

Yashiro's expression was one of shock and suspicion.

Although it was not his first time witnessing the abilities of Lord Madara, this method of manipulating space at will still left him in awe.

Is this the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan?

Inside Konohagakure.

The Masked Man moved like a ghost, passing through the area as if it were uninhabited, and soon found the gym in the alley.

"Physical Transformation Department."

He read the words on the plaque, let out a scoff, and took a few steps forward, his body passing through the tightly closed door without any obstruction.

Hm, is no one home?

He entered the gym and looked around, finding no sign of Dan.

Well then... I'll just wait a while.

And so.

The Masked Man wandered around for a bit, finally pushed open the door to the Meditation Room, sat down on a cushion, and rested his chin on his hand, closing his eyes to refresh his spirit.

Half an hour later.

Just as the Masked Man was growing somewhat impatient and about to lose his temper, the owner of the gym finally returned.