Uchiha Madara's Scrutiny!

North of the Land of Fire.

Beneath the Graveyard Mountains.

Gnarled, intertwined trees weave together, their sprawling roots like massive dragons burrowing deep beneath the earth.

Yet, as if governed by some mysterious force, they consciously avoid a specific underground cavern.

This is the very tomb Uchiha Madara chose for himself all those years ago.

The colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is buried within the rock and soil, its shackled hands spread wide before its chest.

Pipes extend from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, connecting to the seat below—or more accurately, to Uchiha Madara, who sits upon that seat.

Decades have passed since that battle with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

The Asura of the ninja world, once in his prime and peerless, is now a white-haired old man on the verge of death.

Perhaps this very second, or perhaps the next, he will truly perish.

No.

If not for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him continuously supplying Chakra, even the Asura of the ninja world would have long since passed away.

What sustains him now is nothing but an unfulfilled ambition!

"You say the Uchiha have produced an anomaly?!"

Uchiha Madara's half-closed eyes snap open, fixing their gaze on the White Zetsu below.

Though he no longer possesses the formidable power that once swept across the ninja world, the oppressive weight within those Sharingan has not weakened in the slightest; instead, tempered by time, it has grown even more profound.

So profound that a single glance is enough to leave one gasping for air.

Even though White Zetsu is long accustomed to Uchiha Madara's aura, he still feels an instinctive dread.

Only those who personally experienced the era of Uchiha Madara can truly understand the weight behind the title of Asura of the ninja world.

The White Zetsu lowers his body even further and says:

"Yes, Lord Madara."

"That person is named Uchiha Shingen, a contemporary of Uchiha Obito."

"He was originally a peripheral character of no note, but recently, he has become a pivotal figure connecting Konoha and the Uchiha."

"More importantly, the strength and talent he has displayed are far greater than our previous target, Uchiha Obito."

"He has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and is only a step away from the next level, the Mangekyō."

"Uchiha Shingen, is it?!"

Madara nods slightly, his lowered eyes showing a lack of interest.

As one of the strongest and most unique Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world, the Sharingan is truly special.

The most counter-intuitive aspect of it is that it is not necessarily the clansmen with the greatest talent or strength who find it easiest to awaken the Mangekyō.

On the contrary, those with mediocre strength who harbor an unusual obsession are more likely to awaken their eyes the moment that obsession is shattered or their most cherished possession is destroyed.

The more one understands love, the deeper that obsession runs, and the more powerful the resulting ocular power—and the special ocular techniques awakened—will be.

This has been proven countless times throughout the hundreds of years of Uchiha history.

It is also the reason why, after the Second Hokage, the upper echelons of Konoha have remained highly wary of the Uchiha.

While this power is immense, it also easily warps a person's character—for better or for worse—which is a major taboo for a Konoha that prioritizes stability.

"If it were merely a matter of outstanding talent, he would not be worth our attention."

"A character as pure and kind as Obito's is actually more likely to manifest powerful ocular strength after experiencing intense mental trauma."

"No, Lord Madara!"

In a rare move, White Zetsu interrupts Madara to explain:

"That is precisely the second point I wish to address."

"Uchiha Shingen's personality is an absolute anomaly, even within the Uchiha clan."

"What he pursues is different from other Uchiha, or even normal ninjas."

Uchiha Madara's interest is suddenly piqued.

He slowly sits up straight, waiting for White Zetsu to continue.

"That guy seems to pursue a peaceful, stable, and routine life."

"Every action he takes is centered around this goal."

"Whether it is training to gain strength or his style of doing things, it is all for the sake of better..."

As he speaks, White Zetsu's expression turns strange. Seeing a flicker of impatience on Uchiha Madara's face, he hurriedly adds:

"Slacking off."

"In other words, Uchiha Shingen is just a salted fish who only wants to clock in at the Police Force, live a two-point-one-line existence, and lead a quiet life."

"Are you sure he is an Uchiha? And not someone from the Nara clan?!"

A look of surprise flickered across Madara's face.

He, too, had once served as the head of the Uchiha clan; even though he had long since departed Konoha, his attention toward the Uchiha had never waned.

In fact, by lurking in the shadows and utilizing White Zetsu, he could see things even more clearly.

Although the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's ability to sense malice made it impossible to spy on the core secrets of Konoha, the Uchiha, being on the periphery of the village, were not included in that protection.

Yet, having lived for several decades, he had truly never seen an Uchiha like this!

"I am certain."

White Zetsu nodded, immediately handing over a dossier that had been prepared in advance.

Madara took it and began to read. The more he read, the stranger his expression became, eventually giving way to an extraordinary sense of excitement!

"It seems I have found a pawn with even greater potential than Obito!"

"Even among the Uchiha, who are born with hearts twisted by love, this guy is the most twisted and dangerous of them all!"

In that instant, Madara gripped the scroll tightly, his Sharingan spinning uncontrollably:

"The more twisted the love, the more powerful the ocular prowess it can nurture!"

"If this brat realizes that the peaceful life he has been pursuing is nothing but a Kyōka Suigetsu, a castle in the air, the intense mental trauma will likely give birth to an unprecedentedly powerful dōjutsu!"

"Such a person is destined to be used by me."

Black Zetsu stood to the side, hesitating over whether to offer a reminder that this person might simply be a lazy slacker.

After all, while such a content-with-the-status-quo personality was rare among the Uchiha, it was common enough elsewhere.

However, noticing the expression on Madara's face, Black Zetsu wisely kept his mouth shut.

He had already waited for nearly a thousand years; he didn't mind one more attempt. Besides, even if it failed, there was still Obito, whom Madara had already selected as a backup.

"I want his complete file!"

"Additionally, I want detailed intelligence on the recent movements of the Uchiha clan!"

"As long as you aren't detected by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's malice-sensing ability, everything else is fine!"

"Understood!"

White Zetsu replied, sinking back into the ground.

The surroundings fell silent, save for Madara, who stared at the photograph of Uchiha Shingen, his smile growing increasingly twisted.

"Achoo!"

Uchiha compound.

After returning to his quarters and washing up, Uchiha Shingen couldn't help but sneeze.

He had intended to go straight to sleep, but he couldn't rest knowing the Earth Style ninjutsu scroll he had just acquired was still sitting there, barely touched.

"No sleep!"

"Let's see what this Earth Style ninjutsu is all about first!"

"After all, this concerns my grand plan of happily slacking off in the Police Force; it is the most important thing!"

"Staying up late and grinding now is so that I won't have to grind later!"

"Once my strength surpasses that old man's, I'll be able to slack off in the Police Force however I please!"