A Prewar Night Talk

The serious topic was over.

Hui and Chuanhe returned home, but their senses detected three people standing outside the door.

Chuanhe remarked, "Shisui moves quickly. He got it done in no time."

"Hui, go brew a pot of tea for me. Six cups should be enough."

Hui looked puzzled. Six? There were only five of them, including themselves. Still, he nodded obediently.

Chuanhe opened the door and greeted them with a smile. "Clan Leader Fugaku, it's not every day you come to visit me."

"Come in, come in, Elder Setsuna. You're practically a regular. Come have some tea."

"Shisui, you'll have to make do with holding a cup and watching. Once this is over, I'll use [Spirit Sealing Reincarnation] to get you a new body. That lump of earth is still pretty unsettling to look at."

Fugaku and Setsuna exchanged a glance and hesitated briefly before entering and taking their seats.

Six cups of warm tea sat on the table as the five of them settled around it.

Chuanhe took a sip of tea, then said slowly, "Who wants to speak first? We can't just sit here in silence."

They had heard what Shisui said earlier, so they already had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

Shisui had explained that the person who killed him was most likely sent by Danzo, since Danzo had hunted him down at the end.

Fugaku hesitated. Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan was proof enough that this was really him.

But Fugaku had heard from his elders that the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had developed Impure World Reincarnation specifically to target the Uchiha.

There was still a sliver of a chance that Shisui was being controlled, though Fugaku quickly put the thought out of his mind.

As the wielder of a Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku knew all too well how powerful these eyes were.

"Chuanhe, I want to hear your side of things directly. Are you really a spy? Is [Flame Explosion Technique] a remote-controlled bomb from Kumogakure?"

Chuanhe froze with his teacup halfway to his mouth. They were still worried about that? He couldn't help but laugh.

"Fugaku, if I were really a spy, I wouldn't need to go to so much trouble to destroy Konoha. Everything I've developed since joining the Uchiha Clan has been something with an absurd level of destructive power."

Chuanhe set down his cup.

He formed Hand Seals.

[Summoning Technique]

Two glass bottles appeared in Chuanhe's hands.

"Come on, both of you. Give me a drop of blood, and I'll show you why I said that."

Fugaku and Setsuna exchanged another glance, then cut their index fingers and squeezed out a drop of blood.

Setsuna had seen Chuanhe in action, so he didn't believe for a second that he was a spy. Could Kumogakure have a shinobi with that level of skill in Fire Release? Impossible!

Fugaku, meanwhile, already believed Chuanhe, but still had some questions.

After ending the Summoning Technique,

Chuanhe summoned the Magic Cube again and took out the central piece from its base.

They all vanished from the spot.

On the far side of a distant planet,

the five of them stood atop a mountain. In a crater nearby lay a lump of flesh that looked particularly familiar to Hui.

But no one was paying any attention to it.

Because below the mountain...

lay a colossal crater, bottomless and stretching beyond the horizon. Its surface had a faint, glassy sheen, a physical effect caused by the intense heat.

It was obviously the result of an explosion.

Everyone except Chuanhe saw their pupils contract.

Was this [Flame Explosion Technique]?!

The sheer area... This was impossible... Even a Tailed Beast couldn't manage something this large!

Actually, if a Tailed Beast really learned the technique, it could probably manage it by self-destructing.

Hui was just as shocked. Even if every shinobi in Konoha had joined together to unleash it, they still wouldn't have come close to making something this big.

As if he could read their confusion, Chuanhe said, "Relax. This isn't something [Flame Explosion Technique] could achieve on its own."

"This was left behind by my test of an ultimate weapon. Good thing I didn't stay to watch. Otherwise, you might not have seen me again."

Hui's thoughts stirred. Could this be that mass weapon?

Actually, Chuanhe's weapon wasn't a nuclear bomb. He just called all of them ultimate weapons.

Fugaku had regained his composure by now. "Chuanhe, who are you, exactly? This does convince us that you're not a spy, but it also makes you far more dangerous."

Chuanhe smiled faintly. "It's not complicated, Fugaku. I really did develop all of these things myself."

Setsuna couldn't hold back. "Impossible. Even if Uchiha Madara came back to life, he couldn't cause destruction on this scale."

Chuanhe couldn't help chuckling at Setsuna's words.

"Setsuna, you may have misunderstood Uchiha Madara. He could do it! And far more easily than I could."

"Uchiha Madara could do it right then and there, all by himself. I have to prepare everything ahead of time, and I still need equipment to help me."

Fugaku and Setsuna were both aghast. "What?"

Setsuna was so worked up that his face flushed. "Impossible! If Uchiha Madara was really that powerful, how did he die at the hands of the First?"

Chuanhe gazed into the distance, his expression calm. "He wasn't as powerful back then as I've described. And after fighting the First, he didn't die!"

This time, even Shisui and Hui couldn't hold back. They both cried out, "What?!"

"Calm down, calm down. I'll give you a brief explanation, since it's connected to what's going on with the Uchiha."

They slowly managed to settle down.

"This has to do with the stone tablet beneath the Uchiha Clan shrine."

Fugaku nearly lost his composure again at that, but he managed to hold it in. Compared to the destruction they'd just witnessed, this was a minor matter.

"The stone tablet was altered. Originally..."

"What?!" *3

Chuanhe was at a loss. These things really were shocking, but how was he supposed to explain anything if they kept reacting like this?

The look in Chuanhe's eyes made them all uneasy, so Shisui stepped in to smooth things over.

"Then I'll continue. The stone tablet originally contained the Sage of Six Paths' teachings to future generations. It didn't contain the way to achieve eternal peace that was added later."

Even Hui could hardly hold back this time, but after thinking it over, he realized that was just a false appearance.

The other three weren't confused about that. What confused them was... the Sage of Six Paths?

So that was where the Uchiha came from!

"Before fighting the First, Uchiha Madara's Mangekyō had already become an Eternal Mangekyou. He could see more of the stone tablet's contents."

"It recorded how to awaken the Rinnegan: by combining the power of the Senju with the power of the Uchiha."

They held back their reactions and continued listening.

"Actually, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan both descended from the Sage of Six Paths. You were originally one family."

"Uchiha Madara obtained a piece of Hashirama Senju's flesh in battle. He survived by using [Izanagi], and awakened the Rinnegan in his old age."

"The man who came during the Night of the Nine-Tails claimed to be Uchiha Madara. In fact, he was the heir Madara had chosen: Obito Uchiha."

"Obito was also one of the masterminds behind this incident. All right, do you have any other questions?"

The three exchanged glances. Questions? They had far too many.

Hui began thinking about Obito. The man was very different from the one he'd known about before.

Shisui sensed that familiar feeling of something being off and spoke up. "Chuanhe, what you've told us is certainly shocking. How did you find out?"

Chuanhe looked troubled. "The masked man last time made me suspect something was wrong. I pieced it all together using [Impure World Reincarnation]."

That was a lie. Chuanhe really had gone through the process, but he couldn't reveal where the information had truly come from, because of time...

Time was strange in this world. In any case, nothing stayed hidden forever.

Fugaku said quietly, "So Itachi was deceived?"

That was the only conclusion Fugaku could draw from what he'd heard, and it was all he cared about right now.

Chuanhe nodded. "That's right."

"This all started with a misunderstanding about me. I'll take responsibility and put an end to this once and for all."

"I'll do my best not to hurt anyone, but the Konoha High Command and Obito Uchiha must face the punishment they deserve."

Fugaku said gravely, "Chuanhe, can you leave Obito Uchiha to me, so the clan can punish him?"

Chuanhe smiled faintly, though his eyes were cold. "Of course. Clan Leader Fugaku, once you're done with him, just hand him over to me. The body will be fine, too."

Chuanhe hadn't forgotten that Obito had gone after his son. He imagined the rest of Obito's life would be very "pleasant" in Fugaku's hands.

Fugaku's heart sank. Was it that test from four months ago?

Afterward, Itachi had written to them and told them not to look into it too closely; it had been a test by their allies.

And they had indeed learned a few things, such as the [Heavenly Transfer Technique]. That had made them even more certain of their allies' intentions.

So that was it. This was all Obito's scheme.

Setsuna went straight past Fugaku and said, "Chuanhe, don't mind Fugaku. I agree to it."

Fugaku didn't object.

Shisui seemed about to say something, but in the end he stayed quiet.

Chuanhe's expression softened. "Now that we've cleared up this misunderstanding, let's go back and meet our ally."

They returned to the living room from before. Chuanhe sat down and took a sip of warm tea.

The others were somewhat wary, and Shisui even took up a fighting stance.

"Chuanhe, you never said Orochimaru was one of our allies!" Shisui's voice sounded tense.

The legendary Sannin put him under considerable pressure.

A pale, black-haired man who looked a little like a snake stood there quietly. His expression was rather strange: he looked delighted, yet somehow gave everyone the chills.

"Heh heh, Chuanhe, it seems I heard some very interesting news today. Is this Hui beside you? My, my, the little one has grown up so much."

Hearing this, Hui felt a chill run through his whole body, followed by a wave of revulsion.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Next time, use your [Vanishing Facial Copy Technique] to change your face before you come over. You don't want to scare the children."

"Chuanhe, you really haven't changed at all. I'll get straight to the point, then. It seems I heard today that Shisui was killed on his teacher's orders, not Danzo's, as you previously believed."

Chuanhe frowned. Something was off. Very off. Even if the news was true, given Orochimaru's complicated relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi, why would he share that conclusion with him?

"Orochimaru, I believe you, but why are you telling me this?"

Orochimaru sat down, and the others gradually lowered their guard.

Orochimaru's expression was complicated as he addressed Chuanhe. "Chuanhe, with your abilities, you'll find out sooner or later."

"So let me confirm once more: you're leaving Teacher Sarutobi's fate to me, right?"

Chuanhe was silent for a while before turning to Shisui. "Orochimaru, ask Shisui that. I can't make that decision for him."

The news had thrown Shisui into confusion the moment he heard it. "The Third... Sarutobi... No, that can't be. He... he..."

Fugaku, who was sitting beside him, gently patted Shisui on the shoulder. No matter what, Shisui was still only a boy in his teens.

No one spoke. The only sound in the room was that of people drinking tea.

After a long while, Shisui finally seemed to calm down. He looked at Orochimaru with his Mangekyō Sharingan and asked, "What would it mean if I left the Third's fate to you, senior Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru shook his head and replied calmly, "It would simply mean that he died at my hands."

Shisui suddenly thought of another question and turned sharply toward Chuanhe.

"Obito... what will... happen to him?"

Chuanhe thought of a famous quote from a "person" that seemed perfect for the situation.

"To me, death means being spared unnecessary suffering. That is mercy."

Hui had watched the entire exchange, and it left him feeling uneasy too.

He wasn't very familiar with senior Shisui, but from the way people in the clan described him, Hui could tell he was a big brother who loved his clan and his village.

Hui watched as senior Shisui's trembling gradually subsided and his expression slowly settled.

"Then let's do it that way. I'll leave it to you, senior Orochimaru."