Black Zetsu's Assault, and Danzo's Walk-On Role.

"One, two..."

"To think there are only two light spots emitting intense malice toward me. It seems Danzo really has run out of capable subordinates."

Ensei Uchiha watched the incoming enemies with a hint of amusement. They must have been spotted by the night patrol squad the moment they stepped onto the perimeter of the Uchiha Clan grounds.

At this time, the Uchiha Clan possessed over twenty individuals with the Three Tomoe Sharingan, and Ensei Uchiha had arranged for at least five of them to be on patrol every night.

Under normal circumstances, even a Hokage-level expert like Hiruzen Sarutobi would find it difficult to bypass these patrolling Uchiha clansmen for long.

However... the green light spots on the map representing the defenders dimmed one after another in rapid succession.

"At this speed, I suppose only a Mangekyo Sharingan could pull this off."

"Is it Obito Uchiha... or Shisui?"

He quickly calculated his available manpower in his mind, then signaled the Ninja Cat Clan members on guard at the gate to notify Fugaku Uchiha and the other Three Tomoe Sharingan experts currently in the compound.

As for Ensei Uchiha himself, he created a Shadow Clone and dispatched his Zero-One and Zero-Three Artificial Humans to meet the enemy.

As for Zero-Two, although it was a specialized model designed specifically for Obito Uchiha, it was currently needed to monitor the entire battlefield and could not be moved away without authorization.

When Ensei Uchiha's Shadow Clone arrived at the scene, seven or eight bodies were already strewn across the ground... oh, they weren't corpses, just individuals trapped under genjutsu and unable to break free.

"It reeks. Danzo, have you been living in a latrine lately?"

Ensei Uchiha once again marveled at the high fidelity of his Shadow Clone; it felt exactly like being there in person, and the stench emanating from the nearby Shimura Danzo was practically a biological weapon.

He casually released a large-scale Wind Style jutsu to blow the foul odor away, but it could still be smelled whenever he got close to Shimura Danzo.

Consequently, Ensei Uchiha kept his distance. He ordered the Artificial Humans to deal with Danzo; given Danzo's current strength, the Artificial Humans were more than enough.

"Hey, Black Zetsu. You're controlling Shisui, so why didn't Obito come along!"

Ensei Uchiha looked at Shisui Uchiha, whose body was already half-submerged in black, and couldn't help but sigh.

This poor kid, he still hadn't been able to escape his tragic fate.

"Ensei Uchiha... the one who came here this time should also be a Shadow Clone, right."

"You're the one who can perceive the past and future, so why ask me?"

Black Zetsu's unique voice rang out, and combined with Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo, it created a sense of unknown dissonance.

Judging by the original plot, Black Zetsu's combat power shouldn't be considered high.

But if one were to be ambushed by Black Zetsu, it would be extremely difficult to break free.

After all, Black Zetsu was a creation of Kaguya Otsutsuki. Its level was more than a tier higher than an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan.

Even Madara Uchiha, who possessed the Rinnegan, had been deceived and ultimately ambushed by Black Zetsu at the final moment.

During the confrontation with Kaguya, both Sasuke, who possessed the Rinnegan, and Naruto, in Sage Mode, had been briefly controlled by Black Zetsu, though this might have been because Black Zetsu had received assistance from Kaguya.

But... one must never be careless!

"If I were truly omniscient and omnipotent, the first thing I would do is finish you off!"

"Honestly, you, the manifestation of Madara Uchiha's will, are far more troublesome than Obito Uchiha."

Ensei Uchiha's Shadow Clone quietly sent a message to his main body, warning him to guard against a potential ambush from Obito Uchiha, who might be lurking in the shadows.

In truth, Ensei Uchiha did not know what had transpired between Shimura Danzo and Obito Uchiha, nor did he know that Black Zetsu was acting alone, not even bringing a few White Zetsu along.

No sooner had Ensei Uchiha's Shadow Clone finished transmitting the message to the main body than he sensed a surge of ocular power attempting to seize control of his consciousness. The quality of this ocular power was immense, far surpassing any other Mangekyo Sharingan.

Black Zetsu possessing him, and with a boost to ocular power?

Ensei Uchiha was secretly alarmed. Fortunately, before departing, this Shadow Clone had been infused with a significant amount of ocular power; otherwise, his only option would have been to dispel the Shadow Clone.

At the same time, Black Zetsu, who was controlling Shisui Uchiha, realized the true nature of that strange ocular power through Ensei Uchiha's resistance.

Byakugan... no, it was a Tenseigan, and an immature one at that!

The Uchiha Clan had awakened the Byakugan? This was a case of ancestral bloodline regression; it was truly a rare occurrence.

Upon learning that Ensei Uchiha was not a member of the Otsutsuki Clan, Black Zetsu's tense heart finally relaxed.

The Otsutsuki Clan had not appeared, and its plan could continue to be executed.

As for Ensei Uchiha, there was no need to worry about him for now; there was even a possibility of using him as a pawn later on.

But that ability to foresee the past and future... just how far could it actually go?

Just as Black Zetsu was pondering this, countless golden chains erupted from the ground, binding it tightly in the blink of an eye.

If these were ordinary chains, Black Zetsu naturally wouldn't care at all.

But these golden chains were a unique Kekkei Genkai of the Uzumaki Clan, containing sufficient sealing power, which was practically a natural nemesis for Black Zetsu.

The one who launched the attack was, naturally, Kushina Uzumaki.

The moment he learned of the enemy's arrival, Ensei Uchiha had notified Kushina Uzumaki, instructing her to focus her attention on a strange, pitch-black creature that looked like black mud.

"Excellent, the operation is a success!"

A look of excitement appeared on Kushina Uzumaki's face.

Seeing this, Ensei Uchiha immediately spoke up to warn her: "Use a sealing jutsu quickly! Forget about Shisui for a moment; seal that black blob along with him first."

Despite the timely warning, Kushina Uzumaki's reaction was still a beat too slow; a simple exchange of gazes was all it took for her body to be controlled by the Mangekyo Sharingan.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains dissipated without a sound. Kushina Uzumaki's sneak attack had failed to even extract Black Zetsu, and she had ended up getting herself captured in the process.

Damn it, I should have warned Kushina not to look an Uchiha in the eyes.

Ensei Uchiha felt a sense of helplessness. Although he knew Kushina Uzumaki lacked combat experience, he hadn't expected her to throw the match so quickly.

With no other choice, Ensei Uchiha released the ocular power stored within his Shadow Clone. Cloaked in what looked like a layer of Tailed Beast Chakra, he charged directly toward Kushina Uzumaki.

At that moment, Kushina Uzumaki was still under the influence of Kotoamatsukami, instinctively launching an attack at Ensei Uchiha.

However, before the attack could land on him, Kushina Uzumaki regained her senses and hurriedly retracted her strike.

The reason was simple: the influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra combined with the immense ocular power radiating from Ensei Uchiha.

A jinchuriki is not immune to genjutsu, but if a Tailed Beast detects that its host has been ensnared, it can use its own chakra to break the illusion.

Shisui's Kotoamatsukami could not be broken by that alone, which is why it required the assistance of the massive ocular power Ensei Uchiha possessed.

"Ensei, I'm sorry."

Kushina Uzumaki spoke with a hint of guilt.

"It is no matter. Black Zetsu was created by Madara Uchiha using Yin-Yang Release; he is practically the embodiment of Madara's will, so naturally, he isn't easy to deal with."

Through these few tests, Ensei Uchiha had gradually come to understand a few things.

To completely eradicate Black Zetsu, it would likely require combat power on the level of the Six Paths, or a sealing jutsu of the Six Paths caliber.

He wondered if finding a way to trap Black Zetsu inside the Kamui dimension would work.