Fugaku and Obito

There were even more people than when he came before.

This made him very unhappy.

"Kid, this isn't what you said!" He crossed his arms. "I told you, I don't like crowds!"

"Great Clan Chief!" A strong, old voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, filled with excitement—the kind of excitement that comes with age.

Uchiha Madara looked over at the sound with displeasure.

He was a grumpy old man.

"Clan Head!" Uchiha Setsuna was so excited that his face turned red. He was about the same age as Sarutobi Hiruzen, but he looked much older.

"Who is this person?" Uchiha Madara did not recognize Uchiha Setsuna.

After leaving Hidden Leaf Village, he gradually stopped paying attention to the Uchiha Clan, because in his view, the Uchiha Clan would perish under the suppression of Tobirama Senju Tobirama and his successors.

Therefore, in his mind, the Uchiha Clan was already dead.

Before Uchiha Shingen could explain to Uchiha Madara, an excited Uchiha Setsuna had already run to Uchiha Madara at his fastest speed.

He knelt down with a thud.

"Great Clan Chief, it's me, Uchiha Setsuna! You've finally returned!"

"Uchiha Setsuna?" Uchiha Madara was stunned, the displeasure on his face vanishing. "Are you Uchiha Setsuna...?"

Even after all these years, he still remembers the names of all his followers.

Uchiha Setsuna wasn't even a true follower in the strictest sense; when Uchiha Madara left Leaf Village, Uchiha Setsuna was still just a Chunin.

However, Uchiha Madara Uchiha Setsuna he was young.

To be fair, Uchiha Setsuna wasn't particularly outstanding among the many geniuses of the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha Madara remembered this young man because when he called on his clansmen to leave with him, Uchiha Setsuna was one of the few who followed without hesitation.

Although Uchiha Madara ultimately chose to leave alone, he still remembered that young man who wasn't even a Jonin—given the circumstances at the time, how could Madara not remember him for being willing to abandon the ninja village he had worked so hard to build and wander the world with him?

Uchiha Madara looked at the old man before him, and the hard expression on his face softened somewhat.

He stepped forward and helped Uchiha Setsuna up.

" In Uchiha Setsuna, you've grown old..."

"Clan Head..." Uchiha Setsuna, "You still remember me!"

"Yes, I remember..." Uchiha Madara nodded.

The young man from back then has aged so much.

He thought that his followers had all passed away over the years.

"Uchiha Setsuna, besides you, is anyone else still here?"

"They're gone, clan head. I'm all alone now." Uchiha Setsuna's expression turned somber as he spoke of his former comrades.

After Uchiha Madara left, people like him were considered by Senju Tobirama to be unstable factors who inherited Uchiha Madara's will, and he was suppressed both openly and secretly.

By the time of the Third, the Hokage Building's targeting of these individuals had become quite overt.

By the time of the Third Shinobi World War, only Uchiha Setsuna remained.

"Is that so..." Uchiha Madara was a tough man, with a dark face and a sharp tongue to outsiders, but seeing that Uchiha Setsuna didn't have many years left to live, he was speechless for a while.

He felt a slight pang of regret.

Perhaps... he should have agreed to let this part of his tribe go with him?

No, if that were the case, his connection with the Uchiha Clan would be impossible to sever.

Going with him would probably only hasten my death.

The fact that ninjas from other villages dared not target him does not mean they dared not target other Uchiha Clan.

"It's good that you're alive, don't overthink it." Uchiha Madara released his grip and looked behind Uchiha Setsuna.

He saw many children.

For a fleeting moment, he felt as if he had returned to the Warring States period.

Back then, whenever he returned to his clan's settlement, the children would stand at the village entrance waiting for him and the other clan members.

Chapter 49 Fugaku and Obito

The common trait among ninja clans is xenophobia, though the degree varies. If the clan's system is relatively fair and just, the clan members will have a particularly high sense of pride in their clan, and they will always have special feelings for any outstanding individuals who have come from their clan.

Generally speaking, as a byproduct of this kind of emotion, people tend to agree with the views of that expert.

This was the main reason why Senju Tobirama the Uchiha Clan.

They're all veteran ninja clans, so they know this kind of situation. The Uchiha Clan's temporary peace is only because the Senju Clan has a charismatic leader who's popular with the whole village, and this leader is trying his best to take care of everyone's thoughts and needs.

Such a leader can't always be there.

In fact, after Senju Hashirama's death, the number of people in the Uchiha Clan who believed in Uchiha Madara's ideology did indeed rise sharply. This was partly due to Senju Tobirama, but also because the Uchiha Clan had a strong fighting spirit and could not tolerate being wronged.

The proud Uchiha Clan members are never willing to compromise their principles. They don't react much when others are in the right, but they react strongly when they are in the right.

They will fight for their rights.

In Uchiha Madara back then, most of the Uchiha Clan had lost their pride and their fighting spirit.

Uchiha Madara, who had a strong sense of family honor since childhood, could not accept the Uchiha Clan in this way. This idea of his had existed since the end of the Warring States period when the Uchiha Clan began to have surrender factions.

However, in his current state of mind, he admits he may have misjudged the situation.

The Uchiha Clan members who came to greet him were in good spirits, and the atmosphere of "It's good that there's no more fighting, so let's just leave it at that" was no longer there.

So, as before, he turned his attention to the children.

Protecting family and children was a shared wish he and Senju Hashirama back then.

To the little ones, although the uncle had a stern face, they didn't find him scary.

After all, the Uchiha Clan's fighting spirit is evident from a young age. They eat bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat as a regular dish. With a stern face like that, wouldn't Tenten? There's no pressure at all.

Uchiha Madara withdrew his gaze from the children.

Today's children don't have that bewildered look in their eyes about the future that they had back then; they are definitely much more energetic.

He was barely satisfied.

"Clan head, let's go inside first. You haven't been back for a long time. The clan has changed a lot." After the initial excessive excitement, Uchiha Setsuna's emotions had calmed down a bit.

Hmm, things have calmed down a bit...

"Chieftain, I'm married now!"

Uchiha Madara: "..."

Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Fugaku exchanged a glance, certain that the old man was not in his right mind, and decided to stop him from speaking further.

"Clan Head, the hall is ready." Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward and said respectfully, "Most of the clan members are there, and everyone hopes to receive your instruction."

"No need, you all go about your business," Uchiha Madara said.

He naturally had his reasons for returning with Uchiha Shingen.

This certainly doesn't include returning to the Uchiha Clan, and besides, he wouldn't stay in his current state for long.

However, the appearance of Uchiha Setsuna made him slightly change his plans.

Uchiha Setsuna really doesn't have many years left to live; Uchiha Madara could tell that.

It's not just because of age, but because my body is very weak, I have many hidden injuries, and my mental state is not good. It's probably due to long-term mental depression. It's a miracle that I can still be so active.

The death of a ninja is often sudden, unlike the gradual process experienced by ordinary people.

Squeezing physical and mental energy to refine chakra while still able to fight is a routine practice for ninjas. Watching a healthy person suddenly die is very ninja-like and perfectly reasonable.

Based on Uchiha Madara's observations, Uchiha Setsuna certainly wouldn't live to see him use the Eye of the Moon.

Since that's the case...

"Uchiha Setsuna," Uchiha Madara said, "Take me to your house."

"Yes, Lord Madara!" Uchiha Setsuna was overjoyed.

Having lived to this point in his life and no longer needing to worry about the future of his clan, Uchiha Setsuna had actually been tending to his family for the past few years, enjoying the clan's vibrant atmosphere, watching the lively figures of the mischievous children, and reflecting on the regrets he hadn't been able to fulfill in his life.

The biggest regret, of course, is right before our eyes.

Uchiha Madara and took the lead towards the clan's territory, while Uchiha Setsuna followed closely behind, pointing the way.

The clansmen were all very perceptive; none of them tried to steal Uchiha Setsuna.

The clansmen deeply respected this elder who had always cared for them and devoted himself to the clan.

Unlike the children who were born into a family whose circumstances had improved, the adult members of the clan had all experienced those days when they couldn't even sleep soundly. Although ordinary people didn't understand the ninja circle, they could still feel the atmosphere at that time and knew what the older generation of ninjas, led by Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Fugaku, faced and what they did for the clan.

With so many ninja clans in Leaf Village, it's easy to compare them. It's fair to say that, apart from the Uchiha Clan, the higher-ups of other ninja clans in Leaf Village are more or less driven by personal interests when doing things. They can't be as protective and relatively fair as the Uchiha Clan's higher-ups. Rather than calling them higher-ups, they're more like a group of model workers.

While this was largely due to the unique situation created by the Uchiha Clan's predicament at the time, the Uchiha Clan could not afford to lose their unity.

In recent years, Uchiha Setsuna's physical condition has been deteriorating. Everyone in the clan knows what this means.

Behind Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Shingen did not follow, but stood still.

The same applies to Uchiha Fugaku.

"Shingen." Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Shingen, then at Black Zetsu standing to the side. "This must be Zetsu, the embodiment of the clan head's will."

Black Zetsu, who hadn't uttered a word, brightened up upon hearing this.

Uchiha Fugaku was the first Konoha Ninja whose name was not mistaken.

"Yes, it's me." Black Zetsu's impression of Uchiha Fugaku improved greatly. "You're the current head of the Uchiha Clan?"

"Yes, I am aware of what happened at the shelter. Thank you very much for your help."

"No need." Black Zetsu waved his hand. "Shingen and I are friends, it's nothing. As for your son, never mind... you'll understand later."

Uchiha Fugaku: "???"

He has two sons, which one is this dark-skinned fellow referring to?

As far as he knew, both of his sons had "intimate" interactions with the embodiment of will before them while they were in the shelter.

"Shingen, won't you take me to your house for a visit?" Black Zetsu asked again.

"Let's go," said Uchiha Shingen. "It's a good opportunity for us to have a chat."

"In that case, Shingen, please take good care of Zetsu-sensei. I'll head back now." Uchiha Fugaku had never believed in the existence of any incarnation of will in this world; he was more inclined to believe that the person before him was a key factor in Uchiha Obito's defection from the village.

However, he certainly wouldn't say such a thing aloud.

As for Uchiha Obito, he is now personally imprisoned in the clan's dungeon.

He truly hadn't expected that the Third Hokage would Uchiha Obito to him; it would have been absolutely impossible in the past.

The clan's status in Leaf Village is truly different now.

The Third Hokage's action was exactly the standard procedure for handling troublesome matters within the Hokage Building.

Just then, Uchiha Shingen went to greet the mysterious Black Zetsu, while he went to have a good chat with Uchiha Obito.

After speaking with Uchiha Shingen and saying a final goodbye to Black Zetsu, Uchiha Fugaku left with a friendly expression.

After walking a distance away, his expression returned to its usual calm.

He first found Uchiha Yakumi and asked him to take charge of the cleanup of the clan's territory in his place, and then went to the underground prison in the clan's territory.

This design is only found in the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan.

After all, the clan territories of the two clans are relatively independent and not directly connected to the city. However, the original intentions of the two bloodline ninja clans in establishing such places are not entirely the same. The Hyuga Clan's functions are more diversified, serving both external and internal purposes.

Uchiha Obito can be considered the first Uchiha Clan to use this facility. Previously, this place was used by the Uchiha Clan to secretly imprison enemies who were inconvenient to deal with openly.

Entering this place is tantamount to disappearing from the world.

The underground prison was not large, with few rooms and only one corridor; after all, this facility was not designed for long-term incarceration.

When Uchiha Fugaku arrived, the clansmen guarding the area readily made way for their clan leader.

Uchiha Fugaku walked up to the cell Uchiha Obito.

Uchiha Obito on the ground. Considering that they were all Uchiha Clan, the guards didn't make things too difficult for him, only putting shackles on him to seal his chakra.