"As for why Madara Uchiha never invaded Konoha, I have a few guesses. First, it may have been a matter of age. After living from the Warring States period until now, Madara Uchiha's strength must have declined considerably. He probably wasn't strong enough to take Konoha back then! Second, Madara Uchiha may have been... injured, and badly. Even the First returned from that battle with serious injuries, despite his formidable constitution. Madara Uchiha's constitution was inferior to his, so it's highly likely that he was badly wounded!" Minato analyzed reasonably. After all, he didn't know that Madara Uchiha had obtained the Rinnegan!
"Exactly. I agree with Minato's assessment. According to the intelligence I've obtained, the Uchiha Clan possesses a powerful ocular jutsu called Izanagi. Its primary effect is to sacrifice a Three-Tomoe Sharingan in exchange for changing any reality unfavorable to the user, even death. If Madara Uchiha used this jutsu back then, everything would make sense!" Danzo had, for once, sided with Minato!
"Izanagi? The Uchiha Clan has a jutsu like that?"
"Changing any reality that goes against you? Wouldn't that make you invincible?"
"Damn—the Uchiha Clan has quite a few members with Three-Tomoe Sharingan right now!"
"Interesting. As expected of a clan with a thousand-year history—they have deep reserves! Looks like I've found a new avenue of research." Orochimaru licked his lips, a sinister gleam in his eyes, and pondered in silence.
The moment this information came out, the entire meeting room erupted into commotion!
"That can't be right. I worked alongside the Uchiha Clan during the Third Great Ninja War. I can say for certain that when a member of the Uchiha Clan died, they were truly dead. Nothing like the Izanagi phenomenon Elder Danzo described ever happened!" the Anbu captain Yuhi Shinku objected.
"Hmph. That's because an internal Uchiha conflict broke out back then, and many members of the Uchiha Clan died. That was why they sealed away the forbidden jutsu Izanagi. These days, aside from the Uchiha Clan's leader and elders, only those whose ancestors were personally involved in that turmoil might have kept the jutsu in secret. Ordinary Uchiha Clan members can no longer learn it!" Danzo explained. If that internal conflict hadn't happened, he never would have been able to exploit the chaos and obtain information on Izanagi. He had Uchiha Setsuna to thank for that!
"Danzo is right. But Madara Uchiha must have used Izanagi and lost an eye, severely weakening himself. That's why he hasn't dared to invade Konoha all these years! The twin heroes of the Warring States, reduced to scraping out a miserable existence in the darkness underground—it's tragic. He'd have been better off dying in the Battle of the Mountains!" Mitokado Homura sighed.
"I disagree with Yan's theory. Remember, Madara Uchiha was the former leader of the Uchiha Clan. When he left, he took the clan's symbol, the Gunbai, with him. With his strength, taking some spare Three-Tomoe Sharingan as well would have been easy. The Warring States period had ended only recently, and many members of the Uchiha Clan had died. The clan must have had plenty of Three-Tomoe Sharingan left behind. Madara Uchiha had no reason not to take them!" Utatane Koharu analyzed calmly.
"Er, ahem. Koharu is right. I overlooked that." Mitokado Homura coughed awkwardly.
"The question now is how to deal with the situation at hand. Obito has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and his ocular jutsu is an incredibly troublesome space-time technique. I've fought him before. That ability is practically impossible to counter. If it weren't for its time limit, I'd probably have fallen to Obito that day," Namikaze Minato said gravely, lost in memory.
"We need to understand the reason before we can solve the problem. How exactly did Konoha offend Obito? Why would he strike so viciously at the village that raised him? Minato, did you mistreat him when he was on your team?" Utatane Koharu looked at Minato with suspicion.
"Ahem. Elder Koharu, please don't make baseless accusations and tarnish my reputation. I've always treated my subordinates equally! Kakashi can vouch for me." Minato could only offer a helpless explanation.
"Minato has always had good character. Otherwise, I wouldn't have supported his becoming Hokage. But that boy Obito..." Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know what else to say. Though relations between him and the Uchiha Clan had been strained during his time in office, surely that had nothing to do with a child who had only just started at the Ninja Academy! Had Obito always resented Konoha this much? Had all those acts of helping old ladies cross the street just been a show? Damn, such a young age, yet such a deep and calculating mind. He'd even fooled an old man like him!
"Actually, it's the exact opposite. Obito didn't hold any deep grudge against Konoha. The main reason was Madara Uchiha's Eye of the Moon Plan. The plan was to use the Rinnegan as a foundation, gather the Nine Tailed Beasts, and revive the Ten-Tails. Then the user would become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and cast a jutsu called Infinite Tsukuyomi on the moon, trapping everyone in the Ninja World in a false dream. That was how they intended to achieve peace!" Minato spilled every detail in one breath.
"Damn..."
"What?"
"No way..."
"That really does sound like something Madara Uchiha would do..."
"The Rinnegan? I know about that," Danzo said, stepping forward.
One of Jiraiya's students? The Land of Rain—so he was connected to Hanzo the Salamander? Orochimaru wondered to himself.
"Elder Danzo, you've encountered Madara Uchiha?" Minato exclaimed, startled. Who would have thought Elder Danzo had such strength? He didn't know exactly what the Rinnegan was, but from Madara Uchiha's Eye of the Moon Plan, it was clear that the Rinnegan was indispensable to it. So the Rinnegan must have some connection to Madara Uchiha!
"No. I can say for certain that the boy wasn't Madara Uchiha. He was a thin, red-haired boy. In the Land of Rain, there's an organization called the Akatsuki. One of its leaders possessed the Rinnegan. Back then, the leader of the Land of Rain, Hanzo, invited me to help him ambush the Akatsuki, but they still managed to escape in the end." Danzo sighed. What a fine opportunity that had been! If he'd taken the Rinnegan for himself then, wouldn't Madara Uchiha's plan have fallen apart on the spot? What a pity. Because he hadn't had all the information, he hadn't committed all of Root's forces. Otherwise, none of this would have happened!
"So you've already made an enemy of them, Elder Danzo? Does that mean the Akatsuki is now hostile to Konoha?" Minato's expression darkened. Danzo really was good for nothing but making a mess of things! Who knew how many enemies he'd secretly saddled Konoha with...
"Hmph. Even without me, would that boy with the Rinnegan have spared Konoha? According to the steps of the Eye of the Moon Plan, they were bound to oppose Konoha over the Nine-Tails. Or are you saying the Fourth Hokage would hand over his son, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, in exchange for peace? If so, I've got nothing to say!" Danzo retorted.