Ancient Scroll?

Therefore, it is necessary to dispatch those who have just joined Konoha, yet possess high credibility and will not betray us.

This will not only earn the Daimyo's trust but also stabilize the relationship between their village and the Land of Fire.

"Hmm, then it is decided. Sending six elite jonin and six jonin to guard him will be sufficient."

"No one in the ninja world would expend Kage-level power just to assassinate a Daimyo; it is unnecessary."

"Furthermore, twelve jonin, including six elite jonin, are more than enough to kill even some lesser Kage-level powerhouses."

Madara Uchiha, wearing the Hokage hat, sat in the office and spoke to Hashirama Senju, who was wearing an identical hat beside him.

"Then it is settled. Hashirama, you go and arrange the candidates from the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan, and go negotiate with them."

"Tobirama and Izuna, you two gather some elite jonin and jonin, and from them, select four elite jonin and six jonin."

"Screen them strictly, weed out those with ulterior motives, and if necessary, probe their minds."

"Have the Yamanaka Clan handle the vetting. The people dispatched to the Daimyo's side must be cautious; otherwise, if something goes wrong, our Konoha's source of funding will be severed."

Soon, Madara Uchiha had distributed the tasks. He felt it was better for Hashirama to oversee the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, as his own presence might prove counterproductive.

"Mm, I understand. I will go talk to them."

Hashirama Senju nodded slightly. He knew Madara Uchiha's mindset—he was shy and couldn't bring himself to be harsh toward his own villagers.

"Yes, First Hokage-sama."

"Yes, First Hokage-sama."

Izuna Uchiha and Tobirama Senju replied quickly, and then the three of them left the Hokage office together.

"It really feels like a dream, that I have actually become the Hokage of this village, haha!"

After everyone had left, Madara Uchiha stood up from his chair. Looking at the workers still toiling away outside, and those carving the statues of himself and Hashirama, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he chuckled.

"Damn it, who ruined my plan? It was clearly flawless; why would such a situation arise?"

"It is truly strange. The person who should have died didn't, so how could Madara Uchiha have awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"Hmph, it seems I must plan this out carefully once more."

"There is still plenty of time. I have all the time in the world, hmph."

Somewhere outside Konoha, a figure made entirely of black appeared beside a large tree. Half of his body was still submerged in the ground as he stared at Konoha, his brow furrowed—well, actually, he had no brows—and he shouted in anger.

After shouting, he sank into the ground and vanished.

In truth, if one speaks of war, it was all instigated by Black Zetsu alone. He simply wanted to find the strongest reincarnations of Asura and Indra.

Thus, he launched war after war, all to find an Indra reincarnation capable of awakening the Mangekyo.

Yet, in a thousand years, not a single person had been able to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, let alone the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Now, having finally found Madara Uchiha, an Indra reincarnation who had awakened the Mangekyo, he had already orchestrated a great battle for them, only to discover unexpectedly that Izuna Uchiha had not died.

If he did not die, he could not force Madara Uchiha to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and the plan could not be implemented.

"Knock, knock, knock...!"

Just as Madara Uchiha was gazing at the village he loved, a few knocks sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Hearing the sound, Madara Uchiha quickly turned toward the door and called out.

"Creeeak...!"

At that moment, Fujima Senju walked in.

"Hehe! Uncle Madara."

Seeing Madara Uchiha, Fujima Senju smiled immediately.

"It's you, kid? Haha!"

"What is it? Not staying with your little wife? What business brings you to your Uncle Madara?"

Seeing Fujima Senju, a trace of affection flashed in Madara Uchiha's eyes. Since he had no children of his own and was like a brother to Hashirama Senju, he naturally extended that love to him as well.

"Hehe! I have something to discuss with you, so I came over."

Fujima Senju grinned at Madara Uchiha, then walked straight up and hopped onto the Hokage's desk.

"What is it? Speak."

Madara Uchiha didn't mind at all; he walked over to him, sat down on a chair, and looked at him with a smile.

"Uncle Madara, I found an ancient book that records some interesting things. Take a look."

Fujima Senju then produced a scroll. It was extremely tattered and looked quite aged.

Of course, this was something Fujima Senju had aged himself, having buried it in the dirt for over a month and deliberately making it look worn.

"What is it?"

"Let me see."

Madara Uchiha was curious, so he took the scroll and began to read.

In the first year of the Warring States period, the world was plagued by constant strife. Ninjas dominated the land, with the most powerful factions being the Kaguya Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Senju Clan.

They waged war against one another, seizing resources and selling their services to various nations. They accepted missions, killing and destroying without mercy, leaving the world in a state of utter devastation.

While the world believed this chaos was simply the nature of ninjas and harbored deep hatred for them, there was a mastermind lurking in the shadows.

He had no name, but his body was pitch black. He could merge into trees, the earth, or even human bodies without being detected, orchestrating wars across the globe and driving all clans to slaughter one another.

He was the source of all evil, said to be the son of the Celestial Maiden. The Celestial Maiden was the mother of the Sage of Six Paths, but because she sought to destroy the world, she was sealed away by him, leaving behind only one son who wandered the mortal realm with an immortal body.

He plotted to resurrect the Celestial Maiden and bring disaster upon the world, but to resurrect her, one must possess the Rinnegan.

There is a prerequisite for awakening the Rinnegan: the Mangekyo Sharingan. However, excessive use of the Mangekyo Sharingan leads to blindness. Only by obtaining the eyes of a close relative can one acquire the Straight Tomoe Mangekyo Sharingan, commonly known as the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan will never go blind, but it alone is not enough. One also requires the fusion of the purest bloodlines of the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan; if one were to add the bloodline of the Kaguya Clan, it could result in a divine body.

Once the Rinnegan is awakened, any attempt to use its power will break the seal of the Celestial Maiden, and the world will be destroyed.

Let future generations be warned; do not fall for this person's treacherous schemes. Remember this, remember this well.

"What? How is this possible? The first year of the Warring States? Isn't that a thousand years ago?"

"A black man? Who exactly is he? And the Celestial Maiden? The Sage of Six Paths? Does the Sage of Six Paths truly exist?"

Madara Uchiha did not believe the contents were fake, for who would waste their time writing such a fabrication? Furthermore, the fact that Senju Fujima had handed it to him meant...

Because Senju Fujima could not simply tell Madara Uchiha the truth directly, he had to resort to schemes. He needed to explain the situation clearly, so he had written a fake book.

"Uncle Madara, when I saw this book, I realized that you and Uncle Izuna might be in danger, so I came straight to find you."

Seeing the look of shock on Madara Uchiha's face, Senju Fujima curled his lips slightly before speaking to him.

"Izuna and I are in danger? Why?"

Madara Uchiha looked at Senju Fujima with some confusion. He clearly had not yet processed the information, his heart shaken by knowledge he had never encountered before.

"Uncle Madara, look, it is written clearly right here."

"It says there is a Celestial Maiden in this world who wants to destroy everything, which is why she was sealed by the Sage of Six Paths."

"But she left behind some pitch-black being, seemingly her son, who cannot die—which means he is still alive today."

"You have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Uncle Izuna has awakened his as well."

"This means that it is highly likely that this person will kill you, or find a way to kill Uncle Izuna, so that you can awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

"That way, either you or Uncle Izuna would obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and then you could ask my father for some of his pure Senju blood to combine with it."

"Wouldn't that lead to the Rinnegan? And that black man is coming specifically for your Rinnegan."

"He can also possess anyone. If he possesses you and releases that Celestial Maiden, everyone will die."

Senju Fujima began his deception, watching Madara Uchiha as he spouted nonsense with a straight face, making it sound incredibly realistic—though, in a way, it seemed to be the truth.

"Hmm?"

"When you put it that way, it does make some sense."

"So, someone is plotting against me, or against Izuna?"

"No, I will not allow anyone to harm Izuna. If anyone tries, I will make them pay with their life."

Izuna Uchiha was Madara Uchiha's reverse scale; anyone who wished to kill his younger brother would have to step over his corpse to do it.

"Exactly, Uncle Madara. This black man is likely hiding somewhere, waiting to strike at us."

"For someone to be truly immortal, one can only imagine how powerful he must be. We must be careful."

"If he is immortal, then that Celestial Maiden must also be alive. Once he steals your Rinnegan, Uncle Madara, he will release her directly."

"Never mind me; even Uncle Izuna would be killed."

"And it says here that the Rinnegan can resurrect the dead. If that is true, these eyes must be terrifying."

Senju Fujima watched Madara Uchiha, knowing that Madara would never take his brother's eyes to awaken the Rinnegan; even if he were to die himself, he would never harm his brother.

"I have seen similar information in our clan's archives, though I could only decipher the meaning of those texts once I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"It says: 'A god, in pursuit of stability, divided Yin and Yang into two poles. The two are opposites that interact to create the All-Encompassing Phenomena.'"

"It is similar to what is written here; it mentions the need for the fusion of the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines."

"It seems this is not a lie; it is likely the truth."

"Thank you, Fujima."

"I will be doubly vigilant and keep a close watch on Izuna; I will not let him come to any harm."

Madara Uchiha looked at Senju Fujima, nodded slightly, and then reached out to pat him on the shoulder.