Danzo's Schemes

"Lord Madara? Are we beginning the selection process already?" Zetsu asked, his expression showing a hint of surprise after hearing Madara's instructions.

To observe the Uchiha and choose a successor for after Madara's inevitable death.

As Madara's "other half," he was well aware of this plan.

"That is correct. It is time to set this plan into motion... Zetsu!"

"As it happens, I have obtained some very interesting intelligence from Kirigakure."

Zetsu asked with a touch of interest: "Is it information regarding that Uchiha Yuzhen?"

"Indeed!"

Following this, Uchiha Madara began to address Zetsu's confusion.

He recounted to Zetsu the intelligence he had obtained from Kirigakure concerning Uchiha Yuzhen.

"I see, I understand. I shall dispatch the White Zetsu to begin tailing this Uchiha Yuzhen immediately!" Zetsu declared in a resolute tone.

There was no helping it; in his eyes, this Uchiha Yuzhen was simply too outrageous!

Such strength at only twelve years old?!

How could this possibly be an ordinary Uchiha?!

Besides, Indra's chakra had not yet reincarnated...

Where on earth did this Uchiha Yuzhen pop out from?

"Very well. Since you are tailing an Uchiha, you might as well see if there are any other promising talents out there."

"As you command, Lord Madara!" After responding to Madara, Zetsu submerged into the ground.

Madara watched Zetsu's departure.

He turned his head to look at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him.

He muttered to himself in a solemn tone:

"Everything is for the sake of peace!"

Time slipped away in a hurry.

In the blink of an eye, more than a week had passed since Yuzhen returned to Konoha.

Even he, despite being immersed in his training, had become aware of a major event!

Sunagakure had officially declared war on Konoha, and the pretext for the conflict was already laid out.

Namikaze Minato had killed the Third Kazekage!

In response, Konoha issued a stern protest.

But it was useless.

The outbreak of this war had been foreshadowed long ago.

After the previous Ninja World War, the problems plaguing each nation had remained unresolved.

The economy remained as sluggish as ever.

When the economy is sluggish, the lives of the noble lords become difficult.

When the noble lords struggle, their spending on hiring ninja villages is inevitably reduced.

For a ninja village where seventy percent of its fiscal revenue relied on mission quotas, this was truly adding insult to injury!

When all the major ninja villages were struggling, one only had to look at the center of the map.

Good heavens, Konoha was sitting on all the advantages of time, location, and human support.

"No, I must go there and take a share of the spoils!"

Especially for the impoverished Sunagakure, a ready-made excuse had fallen right into their hands.

Furthermore, aside from Sasori, the other Sand Ninja truly believed that Konoha had killed the Third Kazekage.

And so, the war began.

Between Konoha and Sunagakure, it erupted.

Back in the Training Ground within the Forest of Death, Yuzhen, who favored the quiet here, was as always engaged in his cultivation.

A week passed slowly, and his strength underwent a complete transformation.

Regarding ocular techniques, because he possessed neither the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan nor Hashirama Cells, he could only simulate their usage in his mind.

However, his chakra, after a week of steady development, had experienced unprecedented growth.

As of now, he estimated his chakra reserves to be roughly 100 units, equivalent to the amount Naruto possessed at twelve years old.

More importantly, unlike Naruto, he did not need to divert the vast majority of his chakra to suppress the Nine-Tails.

Furthermore, the Mangekyō Sharingan, even without activating its specific ocular techniques, provided a massive boost to his insight, the amplification of Genjutsu, and his dynamic visual acuity.

These aspects were incomparable to the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

"Plus the special application of Susanoo I've figured out on my own!" Yuzhen whispered to himself with pride.

He couldn't help but feel proud.

A few days ago, when he sensed Susanoo, his Affixes—[Genius (Gold)], [Uchiha (Purple)], and [Yin Style (Blue)]—had triggered a synergy.

The gold-tier Genius Affix and the purple-tier bloodline Affix allowed him to summon the guardian deity inscribed within his bloodline: Susanoo.

Moreover, the blue-tier Yin Style Affix seemed to meet certain conditions, causing his Susanoo to become different from that of a typical Uchiha.

Without needing to reveal the Mangekyō pattern, Yuzhen could activate Susanoo using only his Three Tomoe Sharingan, just like Madara.

This meant that in future battles, he, Uchiha Yuzhen, would be able to use Susanoo at will as if he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, without the side effect of blindness.

A massive advantage!

An Uchiha who could use Susanoo freely and one who had to use it sparingly were two entirely different concepts.

Especially since he also knew the Flying Thunder God.

A Susanoo capable of instant teleportation... he imagined his enemies would surely feel despair when facing him.

At that moment, his strength had rightfully reached the level of a Kage, and a rather formidable one at that.

With a thought, the panel displayed his current strength level.

Host: Uchiha Yuzhen
Gender: Male
Age: Twelve
Strength: Kage

A twelve-year-old Kage-level powerhouse—not counting the gods of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

Still quite impressive!

At this moment, facing the impending war, Uchiha Yuzhen no longer felt a shred of fear.

On the contrary, he was eager to give it a try.

The Flying Thunder God ensured he would not die.

Susanoo ensured that he would become a reaper of lives on the battlefield.

The reaping of lives meant the harvest of Combat Points.

The harvest of Combat Points meant the upgrading of Affixes.

The upgrading of Affixes meant the strengthening of his power!

How could he not be eager to try?

Since awakening his Past Life Wisdom, especially after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Yuzhen had realized something...

Bitterly training could never compare to the satisfaction of upgrading Affixes!

This was his unique advantage!

"Therefore, the current me will never fear war again!"

With that thought, he ended his training for the day.

Meanwhile, in the Root base of Konoha, Shimura Danzō held the detailed report on Uchiha Yuzhen and read it over carefully once more.

The contents made Danzō shudder.

During his time at the Ninja Academy and just after graduation, this Yuzhen was a transparent ninja whose talent could only be described as mediocre.

Then came the part that chilled him to the bone: in less than half a year, after awakening the Sharingan, the man had become unstoppable!

Not only did he advance to the Three Tomoe in a short time, but his ability to learn ninjutsu had also undergone a earth-shattering transformation.

Thinking of this, only one thought crossed Danzō's mind.

An anomaly!

Without a doubt, an anomaly!

As a student of Master Tobirama, how could he not know the psychological impact of the Sharingan?

The speed at which this brat went from awakening to advancing was simply too fast.

The heart of this boy must have undergone a major change!

However, the report indicated that his personality was perfectly normal.

But in Danzō's eyes, that was the most abnormal thing of all!

"Evil Uchiha brat, this old man will surely catch you in a flaw!"

Danzō stood up and paced the room a few times.

He thought of the current situation in the Ninja World. After Sunagakure declared war on Konoha, Kirigakure had also begun to stir, for reasons unknown.

Thinking of Kirigakure, he thought of water.

And water... was quite unfriendly to the Uchiha, who represented fire.

At this moment, a flash of inspiration struck Danzō's mind.

"That's right, the outbreak of war is inevitable. I just need to arrange for this brat to be stationed somewhere related to Kirigakure..."

"Then, I will have my men assassinate him and pin the blame on Kirigakure."

"And just like that, this thorn in my side is resolved!"

Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still.

He immediately headed toward the Hokage Building.