The other ninja clans had already begun to distance themselves and guard against them. The days ahead were likely to be difficult.
"Who's there?"
The moment he stepped inside, he sensed something was wrong. A barrier had been set up here.
"Fugaku, don't be nervous. This barrier is only for soundproofing."
A figure emerged from the shadows, making Fugaku Uchiha's heart skip a beat.
"Fourth Hokage!"
This was Namikaze Minato—but hadn't Namikaze Minato already died?
He had seen the body himself!
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night."
Yang Hao's Shadow Clone, disguised as Namikaze Minato, spoke apologetically.
"Didn't you die?"
Seeing that the other party meant no harm, Fugaku Uchiha finally relaxed, though his doubts remained.
That corpse from before could not have been faked. It had been Namikaze Minato.
"This is merely a clone I left behind. It won't last much longer."
Yang Hao began spinning his tale, claiming that this was only a clone and that it could not be maintained for long.
Fugaku Uchiha understood, but even more questions arose in his heart.
"Fourth Hokage, what exactly happened tonight? Why did the Nine-Tails break free and appear in the village? And what was with the Sharingan's ocular power in the Nine-Tails' eyes?"
"Uchiha Madara!"
Yang Hao's Shadow Clone spoke a name that left Fugaku Uchiha stunned—and even more confused.
"This is a secret belonging to the Hokage lineage. Back then, Uchiha Madara was not killed by the First. Later, he used one of your Uchiha clan's forbidden techniques to revive himself and leave, hiding away to carry out some unknown conspiracy.
"The mysterious man who appeared this time was most likely Uchiha Madara. Only Uchiha Madara could summon and control the Nine-Tails."
Yang Hao's bluff was delivered with utter seriousness. Pinning this on Uchiha