When it came to the big-picture idea of "loving Konoha," one couldn't avoid mentioning the Will of Fire promoted by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
This half-baked "village-loving education" had become the cause Sarutobi Hiruzen had championed most ardently since taking office as Hokage.
With war on the verge of breaking out, Sarutobi Hiruzen repeatedly promoted the Will of Fire and its message of loving the village throughout Konoha. He brought it up especially at large gatherings at the Ninja Academy and among the Jonin Commander.
Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on!
The firelight would continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves sprout.
Hearing this same old spiel, Uchiha Fucheng secretly grinned.
With skills like Sarutobi Hiruzen's, he might not even be as good as a college-educated village official from Li Village.
That gave Uchiha Fucheng confidence, too.
At the Police Force's Villager Open Day event, he also delivered a public speech to the many villagers of Konoha.
"The name Konoha itself was first proposed and given by the Uchiha Clan. We feel a profound and passionate love for Konoha.
"For the Uchiha Clan, Konoha is the original purpose and foundation we must never forget. In the wars to come, the Uchiha Clan will never forget its original purpose!
"The spirit of Konoha!
"Is the spirit of the Uchiha!"
The impact of this speech even surpassed Sarutobi Hiruzen's "the fire burns on."
"Never forget our original purpose" and "the Uchiha named Konoha" became the most frequently discussed phrases throughout Konoha over the next two days.
Uchiha Fucheng was one crafty fellow. He simply left out Uchiha Madara's name.
It was true that Uchiha Madara had come up with the name Konoha. Even Hashirama had acknowledged as much, but how many ordinary villagers remembered Madara's deeds?
He had perfectly positioned the Uchiha Clan as the leaders who had founded Konoha.
As the Senju Clan kept a low profile, their descendants gradually spread out and blended into the general population,
his Uchiha Clan was the true founder of Konoha and its heroic clan, in the fullest sense of the words.
"What does it mean to never forget your original purpose?"
"What does it mean to have been this way since ancient times?"
Uchiha Fucheng leaned back with a knowing air and spoke eloquently.
After making several important reforms, Fucheng decided to deal personally with the "ticking time bomb" buried within the Uchiha Clan.
Naka Shrine.
The Stone Tablet that had been "altered" had even fooled Black Zetsu into deceiving Uchiha Madara.
Later on, Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi would also be led astray by the malicious influence of this Stone Tablet.
With the next shinobi war in the Land of Rain about to begin, there was a chance someone might awaken a Mangekyō. If they saw this false information, it could cause trouble.
So, relying on his memories of the manga, Fucheng easily found the Mysterious Stone Tablet hidden beneath the shrine.
The Stone Tablet revealed different passages written by the Sage of Six Paths, depending on the level of Sharingan used to read it.
It recorded many secrets unknown to the world.
The passages could be read in this order: Sharingan, Mangekyō Sharingan, Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and Rinnegan.
Although Uchiha Fucheng hadn't seen much of its contents, he had the "superpower" of spoilers.
Fucheng could naturally guess what the Stone Tablet concealed.
What he had to do was simple: destroy the Stone Tablet!
That way, as the last person to have read it, he would have the final say over what it meant.
First, he made copies of the correct text in the first two sections.
Second, he used the crude method of heating and then cooling the Stone Tablet, destroying its internal structure through thermal expansion and contraction.
In the end, he scattered the Stone Tablet's powdered remains, bit by bit, into the stream near Naka Shrine.
This strange behavior soon alerted one of the White Zetsu keeping watch over Naka Shrine.
A special report about the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine was soon delivered to Uchiha Madara.
Uchiha Madara hadn't yet reached the pitiful state he would be in a decade or so later, with tubes stuck all over his body.
But his ailing, aging body could no longer support his constant meddling in the affairs of the Shinobi World.
After obtaining the Ten-Tails' husk, Uchiha Madara was like some poor soul tricked into buying a secondhand iPhone.
The main lifeline connected to the Ten-Tails had become Madara's "lifelong bond," requiring him to recharge every few hours.
Every so often, Uchiha Madara had to plug himself into the tubes and recharge for a while.
Poor signal, quick battery drain, no high-wattage fast charging, and frequent lag.
This body, drained of its vitality by the Rinnegan and reduced to a decrepit state, seemed to have become the backdrop to his and Black Zetsu's retirement routine.
"Why did only one of the three White Zetsu assigned to keep watch come back?"
After hearing the White Zetsu's report, Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu both felt something was off.
White Zetsu wasn't exactly sharp, but he had no trouble keeping watch and relaying what he saw.
White Zetsu replied, "I saw Uchiha Fucheng, the new Uchiha Clan Head. He went into Naka Shrine, and when he came back out, he threw a lot of dirt into the river.
"I suspected he'd been digging beneath the shrine, but I checked underground and found no signs that anyone had dug a tunnel."
Uchiha Madara was taken aback.
He thought of Naka Shrine, and of the Mysterious Stone Tablet that could only be deciphered with the Sharingan.
Uchiha Madara pressed him. "What about the Stone Tablet underground? Didn't this Uchiha Fucheng awaken a Mangekyō? Did he look at the Stone Tablet?"
White Zetsu scratched his head and thought it over blankly before answering, "I didn't notice him looking at the Stone Tablet, but it seems like the Stone Tablet is gone."
"What? G-gone?!"
It wasn't just Uchiha Madara who was startled. Black Zetsu beside him was baffled, too.
"What do you mean, gone? Did someone steal it?"
White Zetsu shook his head. "The Stone Tablet was huge and hard to move. If a whole group of Uchiha had come to carry it away, I definitely would've noticed. But I didn't see anyone moving it out."
Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes menacingly. "Looks like the new Clan Head did it. He's the one who got rid of the Stone Tablet."
Black Zetsu nodded to himself and followed up, "What about the other two White Zetsu nearby? Did you see them?"
White Zetsu shook his head. "I saw one a few days ago, the one on the outskirts of Konoha. It seems he was blown up by the people testing bombs outside the village.
"I found some White Zetsu remains turned into splinters of wood in a huge pit at an explosion testing ground. The pit was bigger than this cave. Other than the White Zetsu remains, I didn't find anything else.
"That White Zetsu was a dimwit who liked picking up rocks. He probably went underground at Konoha's testing ground and got blown up by accident. Judging by the mess, he must've been blown into tiny pieces."
Black Zetsu looked at White Zetsu's dumb expression with helpless disgust.
White Zetsu's answer nearly made Uchiha Madara's nose twist with anger.
Still, Madara thought the White Zetsu's report had been quite detailed.
He had explained the situation at Naka Shrine clearly and also shared plenty of information he'd overheard about the Uchiha Clan.
The information about the Uchiha Clan holding meetings at Naka Shrine was especially important to Madara.
A Susanoo that could reach its second or even third stage?
He could make the entire clan give up their factional disputes and unite behind him.
He could even drive reform within the Uchiha Clan?
Interesting. This Uchiha Fucheng is almost as capable as I am, Madara thought.
"This Uchiha Fucheng even claims that Konoha was named by an Uchiha ancestor?"
The more he heard, the more curious Uchiha Madara became about this mysterious Uchiha Fucheng, who had risen to prominence so suddenly.
"Black Zetsu, send some more clever White Zetsu to keep watch. At least ten. Make sure they monitor the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fucheng, and even the people around him.
"I need more detailed information. Perhaps some of our plans will require a genius Uchiha who can awaken a Mangekyō."
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