True and False Prisoner Madara

"Uchiha... Madara?"

Jiraiya repeated the name softly.

He pondered for a moment, then murmured in shock:

"How... how is this possible?"

"That Uchiha Madara, didn't he already die in the Valley of the End during his battle with the Lord First?"

He took a deep breath, his brows furrowed, and spoke in a low voice the question that had been on his mind:

"Leaving aside the fact that his body was brought back personally by the Lord First,"

Even if that man survived the battle with the Lord First, so many years have passed, how could he possibly still be alive now...?

Minato waited quietly for Jiraiya to finish asking all his questions. On Naruto's small face, a gentleness and maturity beyond a child's reach were displayed.

"I'm not actually sure about the true identity of the mastermind behind it all."

He's only temporarily referred to as "Madara" through his Summoning Contract with Nine-Tails.

At this point, the gentle expression on Naruto's face softened slightly, and his tone became more serious:

"There are many things about that mysterious person that don't match the legendary Uchiha Madara."

He wore a tiger skin mask that completely covered his face, leaving only his right eye visible.

According to all the records about Uchiha Madara in the Konoha archives, including the oral history left by the Lord First himself, that man should have no reason to hide his identity.

Minato paused for a moment, then continued his calm analysis:

"Moreover, although that mysterious person is very strong, his fighting style mainly relies on a very troublesome Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Compared to his methods, his combat experience isn't particularly impressive... at least it's definitely below mine.

As Minato spoke, he subtly glanced at Kakashi was leaning against the window.

Seeing that Kakashi didn't react, Minato secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then withdrew his gaze, his tone becoming even more certain:

"I suspect that the mysterious person is most likely not Uchiha Madara, but rather an Uchiha who received Uchiha Madara's Uchiha Madara and may have worshipped him!"

"It's not Uchiha Madara, but a member of the Uchiha Clan...?"

Jiraiya muttered to himself, then looked at Minato in front of him, nodded, and gestured for him to continue.

Minato looked at Jiraiya before him and continued in a solemn tone:

"During that year, I reviewed the files on Uchiha Madara preserved in Konoha and found evidence to prove this conclusion."

Jiraiya straightened up a bit, quietly waiting for Minato to continue.

According to official Konoha records, Uchiha Madara was 1.79 meters tall.

Minato spoke slowly and deliberately, his blue eyes filled with extreme seriousness:

"And the mysterious man I fought that night was definitely over 1.8 meters tall!

It's normal for someone to shrink in height as they get older, but over the years, Ban's height has not only not decreased, but has actually increased, which is completely inexplicable!

Therefore, I personally believe that the mysterious person is definitely not Uchiha Madara himself, but most likely someone who has been living away from home, or even a Uchiha who has been declared dead by Konoha!

Jiraiya:(||๐_๐)

Jiraiya stared at the young, innocent face before him, speechless for a moment.

"While the final conclusion was convincing, the process was rather unreliable..."

He Chunin, rubbing his hair helplessly, a faint sense of melancholy rising within him.

He looked at Naruto's youthful face, as if through that youthful face he saw the blond youth standing in front of him.

"I never expected to hear Minato's somewhat airheaded analysis again..."

Jiraiya murmured to himself, a nostalgic smile appearing on his bold face.

Nothing is more joyful than seeing someone you cherished who you thought was long gone.

"If that kid knew Minato was still around, he'd be really happy too..."

Jiraiya's gaze dimmed for a moment as he recalled Konoha's initial refusal to return.

He knew very well that after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, it was almost impossible for Kokushiro to return to Konoha on his own initiative.

Jiraiya took a deep breath, suppressing his feelings of disappointment.

He raised his head, looked at the Third Hokage Hokage, and spoke with deep confusion:

"Now that it's been confirmed that there's a mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident, why not announce it publicly?"

Jiraiya's voice rose slightly, and he said urgently:

"If it were made public, maybe..."

"Calm down, Jiraiya."

The Third Hokage's voice calmly interrupted Jiraiya's words:

"If it were the normal you, you would have figured it out by now."

Upon hearing the Third Hokage's response, Jiraiya's expression froze for a moment, then he slowly lowered his head.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the disciple before him, the light in his eyes dimming slightly, and explained in a hoarse voice:

"Given that Minato and Kushina's current state absolutely cannot be revealed to the outside world, we do not have any relevant evidence to prove the existence of the mastermind behind it all."

Since the Nine-Tails Incident, Konoha has always claimed it was a "natural disaster," even though we can almost confirm that the Nine-Tails ' rampage was related to the Sharingan.

Declaring that the culprit behind the Nine-Tails Incident is suspected to be a member of the Uchiha clan without concrete evidence will only make the Uchiha feel even less trusted...

He paused, then continued in a helpless tone:

"Even if you invoke Uchiha Madara's name, it's the same."

"After all... ever since Konoha's defection and Shisui's death, Konoha has completely lost the opportunity to communicate with the Uchiha Clan."

Sarutobi Hiruzen subconsciously wanted to pick up the pipe on the table, but after looking at Minato's "gentle" eyes, he hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not pick it up.

He glanced at Jiraiya, his voice growing softer and softer, tinged with an indescribable weariness:

"After confirming that the Uchiha Clan had decided to launch a coup, Minato and I repeatedly discussed whether there was still a possibility of a peaceful resolution."

The Third Hokage's gaze drifted through the window to the Hokage portraits carved into the rocks:

"After repeated discussions, the best solution we came up with... was to get Kou back."

He looked at Jiraiya again and said in a serious tone:

"During the five years that Konoha was away from him, Konoha never officially recognized him as a true rogue missing-nin."

The highest orders were simply to bring him back or to gather information about him.

This wasn't just because of my own wishes, nor was it solely to appease the Uchiha Clan.

The Third Hokage's gaze passed over Jiraiya's shoulder and landed on the silver-haired Anbu who had been leaning against the window and had remained silent since earlier:

"Including Kakashi, and the comrades who survived alongside Kokoro on the battlefield of the Third Ninja World War,

Throughout the five years that Konoha was away from, they always believed in him from the bottom of their hearts.

They have now grown into the backbone of Konoha, including elite Jonin represented by Kakashi and Guy, who have become the core members of the Jonin Commander in a de facto sense.

If Koko really returns, with their support, at least within the Uchiha Clan, the voices of the pro-war faction will be somewhat diminished.

Even if we can only get them to temporarily set aside their coup plans, we can still buy more time for negotiations.

At this point, the Third Hokage's aged hands were clasped together on the table, their knuckles slightly curled.

The pine trees outside the window swayed gently in the wind, casting a small shadow on his face, making his aged appearance appear even more desolate.

"However, Minato and I haven't had a chance to put this plan into practice yet..."

The Third Hokage fell silent and did not continue speaking.

The atmosphere in the office noticeably somber at that moment.

Everyone knows what happened to the Uchiha after that.

"... knock."

After a long silence, Jiraiya slowly spoke.

Upon hearing Jiraiya mention Kokoro's name, Kakashi instantly raised his head, instinctively looking in Jiraiya's direction.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, a hint of anticipation appearing in them.

Jiraiya looked at the group of people before him, feeling the three pairs of eyes simultaneously fixed on him, and slowly spoke in a solemn tone:

"I... met Kou not long ago."

(The two chapters from yesterday are finally finished; there are two more to come today.)