Madara's Change

"So, where should I begin?"

Inside the cave, Madara, watching Black Zetsu about to be sealed by the Totsuka Blade, seemed lost in a very distant memory.

"Back then, when I used Shadow Clone to secretly infiltrate Konoha to select a successor for the Eye of the Moon Plan, I selected two candidates from the Uchiha Clan."

One of them is Obito, who's standing next to me.

As he spoke, Madara tilted his head slightly towards Obito beside him and said leisurely:

"And the other one was the one I ultimately eliminated— Uchiha Kuro."

"As for the reason for eliminating him, you can probably guess."

Madara looked at Black Zetsu and said frankly without any attempt to hide anything:

"The successor I choose must possess sufficient power, and for the Uchiha, the potential to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan is naturally one of the most crucial criteria."

"But Uchiha Kuro's talent was really too ordinary."

At this point, Madara seemed to notice Obito's displeased expression and added:

Although Obito's talent isn't that great, it's even less than his.

But unlike Uchiha Kuro, who learned to wear a mask from a very young age and never showed his true self.

Obito was naive enough and sincere enough towards those around him.

At the time, I felt that Obito was much easier to control and had a better chance of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan than that scheming brat who was so complicated that even I found him troublesome.

"However, looking back now, I realize I misjudged him back then."

Madara stood with his hands behind his back, positioned within the deep blue Crow Tengu he had summoned, his imposing aura making the entire space feel suffocating.

"At that time, I just thought of him as a little clever kid who wasn't worth wasting too much energy guarding against."

But what I didn't expect was that the guy I once thought was insignificant actually possessed something I had never seen in any Uchiha, or even in myself.

Self-awareness.

Madara looked at Black Zetsu and slowly uttered this word:

"Uchiha Kuro, he always had a clear understanding of the limitations of his talent that was beyond his years."

But he neither resigned himself to the status quo nor complained about his fate; instead, he embarked on a path that no one had ever walked before.

He analyzed his situation with extreme objectivity, utilizing all available resources and precisely absorbing from the vast heritage accumulated by the Uchiha Clan what was most suitable for him and could allow him to grow at the fastest speed.

"I was truly shocked when I witnessed it all..."

Ban chuckled, and said with genuine emotion:

"A Uchiha with mediocre talent actually managed to forge such a path."

"Snort!"

Black Zetsu scoffed disdainfully, his single, eerie yellow eye now filled with near-mad resentment, fixed intently on Ban's face, whose true emotions were unreadable.

"What does this have to do with your discovery that there are problems with the Eye of the Moon Plan?!"

Don't tell me that you, Uchiha Madara, would doubt the correctness of the Eye of the Moon Plan just because of the growth of a brat!

I know you, Madara. You've never been someone who would be influenced by mere weaklings!

"What you said... is correct."

Banji nodded calmly, as if he had expected it, and said in a low voice:

"Although during those six years of observation, I did have some slight doubts about the Eye of the Moon Plan based on what that kid did and what he said to Obito."

But these alone are far from enough to shake my conviction.

What truly made me re-examine all of this was something else.

He accomplished something that I couldn't do back then.

As he spoke, he slowly closed his eyes, seemingly recalling details of the past, and a slight ripple of emotion stirred within his originally arrogant tone:

"He, a weakling... gradually changed the Uchiha clan, and even gradually changed Konoha's attitude towards the Uchiha clan."

"And it was from that time on..."

Ban sighed deeply and said in a low voice:

"Having been secretly observing all of this, I gradually developed some different thoughts that I had never considered before."

Black Zetsu's dark yellow pupils suddenly contracted as he listened to Madara's words of "self-reflection"!

As the mastermind behind Uchiha Madara's gradual descent into the Eye of the Moon Plan, no one knew better than it why this man had become utterly disillusioned with the Ninja World back then.

What exactly happened that made them so determined to carry out the seemingly incredibly suspicious Eye of the Moon Plan?

Aside from his close friend Hashirama Senju and his younger brother Uchiha Izuna, Madara only cared about two things in his life.

One was his ideal, the other was his sense of belonging.

But in the end, both of these things betrayed him.

Konoha, the village that embodies his and Hashirama Senju's dreams, does not accept him.

And the Uchiha Clan, which he had once considered his own, was entrusted to him by his younger brother Uchiha Izuna before his death, but they did not trust him.

And it was during this opportunity, during this man's most lonely and confused moment, that Black Zetsu "perfectly" "pushed" the stone tablet that it had secretly altered in front of him.

Madara's unwavering belief in the Eye of the Moon Plan was never solely based on his yearning for "peace."

The bigger reason is that, before he even decided to carry out that plan, he had already lost all trust and expectation in Konoha, the Uchiha, and everything in this world.

The arrogant and corrupt Uchiha Clan is beyond change, and Konoha is definitely not the place he envisioned.

It's not that he lacks the ability to change things, but rather that things are simply beyond redemption!

But even with these thoughts in mind, Uchiha Madara, during the observation period he used to choose a successor,

He witnessed firsthand how an Uchiha, whom he had judged to be "mediocre in talent," gradually transformed the Uchiha Clan, which he considered hopeless.

Even the gate to Konoha, which was almost always half-closed to the Uchiha, was gradually pushed open by him from the most unbelievable angle.

Uchiha Kuro, without even realizing it, shook the heart of Uchiha Madara, a heart that should have been unmoved by anything anymore.

Black Zetsu pieced all of this together in its mind into a picture it had never imagined before. As if it had figured something out, it gritted its teeth and growled:

"Uchiha... knock!!"

extra

The following is a discarded draft for this chapter. After finishing it, I felt that following this path would be too drawn out, so I abandoned it. Please treat it as an extra chapter.

Twenty years ago, Konoha

"Thank you so much, kids, you've been a great help."

An elderly woman with gray hair stood in front of her old, somewhat tarnished wooden door, thanking the two children in front of her again and again.

At her feet were several wooden crates, each taller than half her, that she had just brought back from the next street.

"It's alright, Mother-in-law, we're going that way anyway, it's just a small favor."

He carefully placed the last wooden box beside the door and gave her a bright smile.

"That's right! Don't be so polite with us!"

Obito stood next to him, smugly wiping his nose with his still-dusty hand.

The old man wanted to invite the two of them inside for a bowl of cool tea, but they were both politely declined by Kou and Obito.

She couldn't refuse the two children, so she took out two bags of candy from the house and stuffed them into their hands without allowing them to refuse. Only after seeing that they had accepted them did she finally wave to them with relief, turn around and slowly close the wooden door.

Obito waved his hand vigorously until the old woman closed the door. Only then did he let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, excitedly turning to the boy beside him and saying:

"Thank goodness you were here today, Koko! If I were alone, I wouldn't have been able to finish this so quickly."

"Thanks to you, I'm finally not late today! Lin will definitely look at me in a new light!"

"Whoa."

Kou raised an eyebrow, quite surprised, and said:

"So you still remember you have to go to school today? I thought you'd completely forgotten about it."

"Hey! Don't always treat me like an idiot!"

Obito blushed and instinctively lunged at Koko.

But before he could make a move, he caught a glimpse of an old man with a hunched back, leaning on an old cane, by the roadside.

He seemed to have poor eyesight; he tapped his cane on the ground several times before taking a few steps forward, attempting to cross the road.

Obito glanced at the old man by the roadside, then at the direction of the school, a clear struggle flashing across his face.

But that struggle lasted only a moment, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he earnestly said to Kou:

"Kou, you go first, I'll take care of things here!"

"If Rin asks where I've been, just tell her—I'm upholding my ninja way!"

But before he could finish speaking, he saw that Kou had already ignored him and walked towards the old man.

Looking at Kouchi's retreating figure, Obito seemed to understand something and called out to Kouchi with emotion:

"Knock, you, do you also think like me that even if you're late, you should still help the elderly in the village?!"

You really are something else...

Hearing Obito's words, Kouchi paused in his steps and said slowly:

"Don't worry, neither of us will be late."

"... well?"

"As for why--"

He turned his head and gave a wicked smile:

"Because I had already guessed that I would most likely run into this kind of thing."

So I secretly set your alarm clock for a full hour a long time ago.

There's still plenty of time before class starts; we have all the time.

Ah! No wonder I felt so sleepy when I woke up this morning, it was you!

You liar! You made me only eat three bites of breakfast before rushing out!

Hey, don't run away! Stop right there!

In the early morning air of Konoha, the laughter and banter of the two boys echoed for a long time.

In the shadows behind them, an old eye quietly watched the retreating figures of the two boys, still chasing and laughing, as they walked away.

"Haha, these two lads are as interesting as ever, aren't they, Madara?"

The creature covering the aged, spotted body chuckled lightly and spoke to the spotted creature inside the shell.

But after waiting for a long time, it still didn't receive a response.

Tobi showed no sign of frustration, and continued speaking to himself:

"Speaking of which, you've been observing them from the shadows with this Shadow Clone for almost a year now, haven't you? Haven't you decided on the personnel for Eye of the Moon Plan yet?"

"If you ask me, that Uchiha Kuro is pretty good~"

He's sunny and cheerful, and he even awakened his Sharingan at the age of six—he perfectly fits your criteria!

As for the brat next to him... tsk tsk, he's simply unbearable to look at."

"..."

"Hey, Madara, at least cooperate a little and answer me..."

Ban ignored Tobi's complaints, silently gazing at the two small figures in the distance, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"At such a young age, he's already so skilled at disguise... How could such a brat be a member of the Uchiha Clan?"

That's really quite rare.

Ban muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing involuntarily:

"He just went to great lengths to disguise himself as this."

Is it simply a desire for some meaningless approval and favor from those around them, or...?

Ban seemed to have thought of something, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked at Koko, then disappearing in an instant, and he slowly spoke to Tobi:

"Tobi."

"Huh? I'm here! I'm here!!"

Tobi responded energetically.

Let's keep observing these two brats.

Madara watched Obito and the old man helping each other cross the street, and said meaningfully:

"I have a feeling this observation will continue for quite some time."

"Yes--!"

Tobi obediently replied, as if he would never question Madara's orders.

Ban didn't say anything more, but simply moved his feet in the shadows, chasing after the two people who were gradually walking away.

"Using their Uchiha Clan identity, coupled with such a near-perfect disguise, to gain personal benefits?"

If that's really the case, then this kid is far too interesting, and also far too... dangerous."

Madara thought to himself, and his heart, which had remained as still as stagnant water for years since Hashirama's death, was suddenly stirred with a rare interest.

"Let me take a good look, Uchiha Kuro."

"Just how much fun can you, this outcast of the Uchiha Clan, possibly bring me?"

Madara murmured to himself, and beneath the body of White Zetsu Tobi, a long-lost smile appeared on his aged lips.

The process of selecting a successor seems... not as boring as initially thought.

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye, five years have passed.

Six years have passed since Madara, with the aim of finding a successor, observed Obito and Obito from the Konoha.

For Madara, who had been lying dormant in the shadows of the Ninja World for decades since the Valley of the End, five short years should have been an insignificant period of time.

However, the reality seems to be quite different.

In the past five years, some things that he thought he had long since seen through and believed would never change have quietly changed...