Obito, Uchiha Meeting

Inside an underground cavern, a figure clad in a black robe with an orange tiger-striped mask appeared as silently as a ghost.

His fingers dug deep into his palms, as if he were suppressing a raging fire, standing on the very edge of an outburst.

"Madara, how did it go? Did you succeed?"

A "person" with one half white and one half black appeared, questioning the masked man.

"No. That damned Minato Namikaze! He used a contract seal to sever my connection with the Nine-Tails."

"Tsk, you were too careless, Madara. Fortunately, White Zetsu sent word that the Fourth Hokage is dead. That counts as one less obstacle."

"I saw a teenager, probably a few years younger than me, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan. But I have never seen him in the Uchiha Clan before. Because of him, Konoha's losses were significantly reduced; even with deaths, it's a negligible blow to Konoha. I truly don't know where he popped out from. Furthermore, he used Susanoo. He must have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan quite some time ago, otherwise, how could he possibly manifest Susanoo? A Kage-level teenager, and on top of that, I saw him use the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains. Damn it!"

The "person" was stunned. A Mangekyo Sharingan user in his early teens? And he could use Susanoo? Even Indra and Madara Uchiha weren't that fierce at that age. And Adamantine Sealing Chains? What kind of monster was this? Wait, hold on!

"What does that child look like?"

The masked man's eyes flashed, shifting into a pinwheel-shaped Mangekyo Sharingan, activating a genjutsu.

As the "person" viewed the appearance of the child within the illusion, he began to cackle, a sound that was deeply unsettling.

"Obito, this child has quite the background."

The masked man was none other than the "filial" disciple who would eventually plunge the Ninja World into chaos and ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War—Obito Uchiha.

And the identity of the strange-looking "person" before him was self-evident: the ultimate filial son of the millennium—the manifestation of Kaguya Otsutsuki's will, also known as "Black Zetsu."

Hearing Black Zetsu play coy, Obito was also stunned, as he had been posing as Madara Uchiha ever since the man's death. To avoid blowing his cover, Black Zetsu usually addressed him as "Madara." Why was he using his real name now?

"Hehehe, because he is Madara-sama's own grandson—Uchiha Hise. Though, you could also call him Uzumaki Hise."

Obito was shocked!

Madara Uchiha had a grandson? Wasn't he a lone wolf? And if he had a grandson, he must have had a son, so why did he need me to monitor Nagato?

Seeming to perceive Obito's shock and confusion, Black Zetsu spoke up:

"Madara-sama had a child with a woman during an accidental encounter, but for the sake of peace in the Ninja World and this great plan, Madara-sama gave up on staying by that woman's side. He didn't even go to see his child when he was born; he sacrificed everything for the sake of the entire Ninja World."

Like hell he did! Black Zetsu scoffed inwardly.

Back then, after Madara left, he walked for half a day before turning around and heading back.

He returned to Senju Yeri's side and spent several months with her. During that time, several indescribable things occurred.

Later, when he discovered Yeri was pregnant, Madara had actually considered abandoning his plans to stay by her side and live out the rest of his life in peace.

Black Zetsu, who had been observing Madara from the shadows, nearly vomited a pound of blood—if he had blood, that is.

He had even considered secretly killing Yeri.

But at that time, Madara was protecting her every step of the way, and Black Zetsu never found the opportunity.

Yeri seemed to have sensed Madara's hesitation and persuaded him, saying, "You told me that was your lifelong wish; do not give up your pursuit for my sake. It would make me look down on you. Besides, I will wait for you here, waiting for your successful return. You are Madara Uchiha; you will surely succeed."

Thus, after holding a simple wedding with Senju Yeri, Madara left. Before departing, he used genjutsu to control several people to ensure Yeri's safety.

Black Zetsu, hiding in the shadows, had also breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought about controlling those protectors to kill Senju Yeri, hoping to make Madara Uchiha crave the Infinite Tsukuyomi even more.

But thinking that Senju Yeri's encouragement might serve as Madara Uchiha's motivation, he gave up on the idea.

After faking his death, Madara Uchiha would take time to visit Senju Yeri and his child. But later, when the child learned that his father had abandoned his mother and himself for his own pursuits, his impression of Madara Uchiha grew worse and worse, to the point where he wouldn't even call him "father."

Thinking back to the days before Madara Uchiha had awakened the Rinnegan, when he hadn't yet officially appeared before him, it was all bitter tears, Black Zetsu couldn't help but reflect.

Just as Black Zetsu and Obito were discussing Madara Uchiha's descendants, the Uchiha Clan was also in an uproar.

"Clan Head, there is no one in the clan who looks like that. A clansman said he saw this person arrive in Konoha today; he might be an outsider... Moreover, he saw the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage go to meet him personally. However, his identity and origin could not be traced, and his name is difficult to verify, given that such an event just occurred..."

Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan, nodded and said:

"Very well, you may go."

"Everyone, what are your thoughts?"

After arranging for the majority of the Uchiha Clan's ninjas to assist with disaster relief, Uchiha Fugaku immediately summoned the elders to hold a meeting.

"Let's wait and see for now. We must first determine if he is a member of the Uchiha Clan, and confirm the previous events before making a decision. After all, without confirmation, discussing it here is useless. Let us instead discuss what happened during the disaster relief... Those guys in the upper echelons are becoming increasingly exclusionary toward us Uchiha. The Sharingan pattern that appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes, the orders issued by the upper echelons... You all should be clear that our days ahead will likely be even harder."