"When we set out, the clan head said everything was up to you."
Uchiha Sei had no objections. After hearing the plan, he thought it was feasible—a very good plan.
Uchiha Yang wasn't paying much attention to these matters. He had come to the capital to make life better for himself, not to keep finding more work to do.
That wasn't what he'd set out to do.
Uchiha Yang had no idea that his presence had already made someone else very busy.
Black Zetsu, the one who would one day pour his heart out to Uchiha Madara, had now infiltrated the Uchiha Clan from the Uzumaki Clan.
The Uzumaki Clan couldn't be allowed to perish. Its survival was crucial to Black Zetsu's plan.
Besides, the Uchiha Clan had changed dramatically since the end of the war, making them seem like strangers to Black Zetsu.
It was as if a bunch of brawny fools had suddenly grown brains.
Black Zetsu was a little panicked. He felt that things were slipping out of his control.
For a thousand years, Black Zetsu had hidden in the shadows, plotting to revive the Ten-Tails and free his mother.
Unfortunately, none of the Uchiha or Senju Clan Heads of previous generations had been strong enough to meet Black Zetsu's requirements.
But Black Zetsu had truly sensed hope in Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.
So Black Zetsu absolutely wouldn't allow anything beyond his control to happen.
After infiltrating the Uchiha Clan to investigate in secret, Black Zetsu had settled on a target: Uchiha Yang.
Once he'd identified this variable, Black Zetsu decided to make a move against Uchiha Yang.
Finding someone was easy for Black Zetsu. As soon as he learned that Uchiha Yang was in the capital of the Land of Fire, he hurried there.
Black Zetsu had also secretly leaked plenty of clues about the Tailed Beasts to the Senju as they searched for them.
He wanted to maintain the balance between the two clans and make it easier to carry out his plans.
Uchiha Yang had no idea Black Zetsu had set his sights on him. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have been all that afraid.
If Black Zetsu were really that powerful, he would have already freed Otsutsuki Kaguya instead of waiting all these years.
The hardest thing about dealing with Black Zetsu was that he was like a slippery eel—impossible to catch, always lurking in the shadows and scheming.
[Brain: Master, I sense a strange, sinister presence watching me from the shadows.]
At a pleasure house in the Red Light District, Uchiha Yang had brought the Great Elder and the others to enjoy the attentions of the hostesses.
[If there's any danger, you have my permission to take over my body. Don't worry about anything else.]
Uchiha Yang had no idea who was watching him from the shadows, so he figured it would be easier to let them take over.
As his brain and the others tried to figure out who was spying on them, Uchiha Yang's words helped the previously reserved Great Elder loosen up.
"Great Elder, you've spent your whole life fighting hard for the clan. Can't you enjoy yourself for once?"
"As your junior, this is the least I can do for you."
Uchiha Yang's face was flushed from drinking. He pulled a woman dressed as a widow toward him and said flirtatiously, "Go on over there and take good care of my elder."
The widow threw herself into the Great Elder's arms, gazing up at him alluringly.
"Big brother, you still look as full of energy as ever."
The widow's hands began to wander.
Uchiha Sake and Uchiha Ya seemed to be used to this sort of thing. They each found a different woman and started having fun off to the side.
Uchiha Yang naturally kept his hands off the women. He was afraid of catching something, and even a shinobi couldn't avoid certain diseases.
If he wanted to let off steam, he'd find a respectable woman. When he was out, looking and a little fondling were enough.
The Great Elder, Uchiha Sei, had also let himself go. Yang was right. He'd spent his whole life fighting. Couldn't he enjoy himself for once?
When the dancer in front of him stopped, the Great Elder, Uchiha Sei, shouted boisterously.
"Keep the music playing! Keep dancing!"
"Tonight's on me!"
The Great Elder was already caught up in the moment. He'd recaptured the energy of his youth and didn't want to stop.
What Tailed Beasts? What plans?
The clan head had said to just do whatever Yang told him.
"Now that's the spirit, Great Elder!" Uchiha Yang whooped. "Come on, everyone, raise a glass to the Great Elder!"
"To the Great Elder!"
The drunken crowd joined in.
The only ones who hadn't been drinking were Uchiha Kage, who was protecting everyone from the shadows, and the few elite jōnin the Great Elder had brought along.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu watched from the shadows, his face full of confusion. Could such ordinary people really have inflicted so much damage on the Uzumaki Clan?
Was the Uzumaki Clan too stupid and foolish, or was Uchiha Yang too clever?
Black Zetsu decided to wait until everyone had gone back before making his move. Time meant nothing to him. No matter how long he had to wait, he could afford to wait.
[Brain: Damn, that feeling again. It always makes my hair stand on end.] [Sharingan: Master's drunk. It's all up to us now.] [Hand: Relax. We've got this.] [Legs: No big deal.]
They stayed until late, then the group returned to their lodgings, drunk and stumbling.
With Xia Lian looking after him, Uchiha Yang went straight to sleep.
After watching the woman leave, Black Zetsu slowly approached Uchiha Yang.
In that very instant, Uchiha Yang's eyes snapped open.
Those Mangekyō Sharingan stared straight at Black Zetsu, leaving him frozen in shock.
Weren't you drunk?
Weren't you just an ordinary person?
Why were you staring at me with those Mangekyō Sharingan?
I'm out of here!
Black Zetsu immediately sensed that things had gone terribly wrong.
He'd faced the Mangekyō Sharingan countless times, but never before had one made him feel such overwhelming pressure.
"You can't escape."
Uchiha Yang spoke in a chilling voice, his Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on Black Zetsu with utter indifference.
Black Zetsu didn't dare linger. He turned into a shadow and vanished into the darkness.
"Nightmare World."
Uchiha Yang's Mangekyō Sharingan blazed red in the night, its light seeming to illuminate the entire world in an instant.
Black Zetsu found himself surrounded by daylight, trapped in a terribly distorted illusion.
So this was the ability of his opponent's Mangekyō Sharingan. It really was troublesome.
Black Zetsu hated the abilities born from the Mangekyō Sharingan most of all. Like the kaleidoscope itself, they were endlessly varied and incredibly strange.
"I told you, you can't escape."
Uchiha Yang appeared above Black Zetsu, gazing down at him like a god.
Black Zetsu's face twisted into a sinister grin. "You think you can kill me? Don't make me laugh, boy."
[Brain: This guy's Black Zetsu, the one who poured his heart out to Uchiha Madara in the story. Should we take him out today?] [Sharingan: Obviously! If we don't take out Black Zetsu, are we saving him for the holidays?] [Hand: Go on! Take him out!] [Brain: Black Zetsu is a product of Yin-Yang Release. We'll need Sealing Jutsu or the Rinnegan.] [Sharingan: Hand, do you know Sealing Jutsu?] [Hand: You just expect me to know everything, huh?] [Sharingan: Useless.] [Hand: Don't make me slap you.]
Before you continue