Return to the Village, the Final Carnival Is About to Begin!

Night had fallen.

Amid the roar of the Valley of the End's waterfall.

Uchiha Xuan and Madara Uchiha, restored to his peak, vanished silently into the night like two black bolts of lightning.

With Xuan's freakish Perfect Sage Body chakra concealing them, combined with Madara's peerless stealth techniques.

The old man and the young man, two "monsters," were like drops of water melting into the sea.

Along the way, not even the Hyuga clan ANBU, famed for possessing the strongest sensory abilities in Konoha, detected the slightest anomaly.

Konoha, deep within the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

The underground chamber of Naka Shrine.

This was the Uchiha clan's most central forbidden ground. Aside from the clan heads of each generation, not even the elders had the right to enter.

"Creak—"

The heavy stone door was slowly pushed open.

Uchiha Xuan entered first, followed by Madara Uchiha, clad in crimson armor from the Warring States era, his long hair draped over his shoulders.

Madara looked around the somewhat dark and cramped chamber, his brows knitting slightly.

"This is the 'temporary palace' you mentioned? This place isn't even as spacious as the rat hole I had in the Valley of the End."

There was a trace of disdain in Madara's tone, but when he saw the familiar stone tablet in the center of the chamber, his gaze still wavered involuntarily.

"Make do with it for now, Madara."

Xuan shrugged indifferently.

"After all, you're a 'dead man' now. If you swaggered through Konoha's streets, that old brat Senju Tobirama would probably have a heart attack on the spot."

He patted Madara on the shoulder, his tone teasing.

"You'll have to put up with this for a few days. Think of yourself as the trump card in my hand. Once the show begins, there'll be plenty of chances for you to show off."

Madara snorted coldly but did not argue.

He walked up to the stone tablet that he had once regarded as sacred doctrine, but now found utterly disgusting.

Bang!

He suddenly raised his foot and kicked the tablet that recorded Black Zetsu's altered lies about the Eye of the Moon into pieces!

"Keeping this trash around only hurts the eyes."

Madara withdrew his foot, turned, and sat cross-legged in a corner of the chamber, closing his eyes.

"I'll wait here. Kid, I hope the 'grand gift' you promised won't disappoint me."

"Don't worry, Madara. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Xuan looked at the shattered tablet strewn across the floor, a cruel curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

After settling Madara in, Xuan left Naka Shrine and returned to his residence.

The next morning.

When Uchiha Xuan emerged from his so-called "secret training" and reappeared before the clan members.

The entire Uchiha Clan Grounds seemed to have had an invisible pause button pressed.

Every clansman who saw him, whether ordinary civilians or battle-hardened members of the Police Force, unconsciously stopped what they were doing and held their breath.

If the previous Uchiha Xuan had been like an incomparably sharp sword, all edge and aggression.

Then after being tempered by the Perfect Sage Body, he had become like a bottomless ocean.

The sharpness around him had been completely restrained, replaced by a terrifying aura as profound and immovable as an abyss and a mountain.

He merely walked along casually.

He had not activated his Sharingan, nor had he released any killing intent.

Yet everyone who approached him felt awe and trembling rise from the depths of their souls.

"Lord... Lord Xuan!"

Uchiha Setsuna and Kagami Uchiha hurried over upon hearing the news.

The instant they saw Xuan, both of them even felt an urge to kneel and worship him immediately.

"Your... your training..." Setsuna swallowed, his voice even stuttering slightly.

"It went fairly smoothly."

Xuan smiled faintly.

"How is the progress on transferring the assets during the days I was gone?"

"My lord!" Uchiha Inabi, who was in charge of the matter, hurried forward to report. "Following your instructions, all real estate has been liquidated through underground channels and converted into gold and chakra metal! The funds have also been broken up and deposited into the secret accounts we opened overseas!"

Inabi's voice trembled with suppressed excitement. "Other than these Clan Grounds, we no longer have a single coin's worth of attachment left in Konoha!"

"Very good."

Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

He turned to Kagami Uchiha and Uchiha Setsuna.

"What about the organization of the combat personnel and the sealing and packing of supplies?"

"Rest assured, Lord Xuan!" Setsuna's expression was solemn. "All clansmen capable of fighting have been divided into fifty breakout squads according to your requirements! The women, children, elderly, and weak have also been arranged in the center of the formations! All Explosive Tags, ninja tools, and medical supplies have been packed into specially made sealing scrolls!"

"At your command, our Uchiha clan can... burn our boats!"

A fanatical fire burned in Uchiha Setsuna's eyes.

He had finally waited for this day!

"No, it isn't burning our boats."

Xuan shook his head and corrected him.

"It is... being reborn."

He walked to the center of the council hall, his gaze sweeping over every clan elder present.

"Pass on my final order."

Xuan's voice echoed through the silent hall, cold and resolute.

"From now on, everyone is to maintain their outwardly normal routines. Do not arouse any suspicion from ANBU or Root."

"However..."

A horrifying gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Sharpen the blades."

"Poison the kunai."

"Keep your chakra at peak condition at all times."

"The entire Uchiha Clan Grounds will enter Level One silent combat readiness!"

"Yes!!!"

All the higher-ups answered in unison, their voices filled with barely restrained killing intent!

Over the next few days.

On the surface, the Uchiha Clan Grounds remained calm and peaceful.

The clansmen went out to buy groceries as usual, and the Police Force patrolled the streets as usual.

Even the ANBU and Root ninja responsible for surveillance discovered nothing unusual.

But they did not know.

Inside those seemingly peaceful houses, beneath those seemingly numb faces.

One sharp ninja blade after another was being polished to a gleaming shine in the darkness.

One explosive formation after another, covered in Explosive Tags, was being silently buried in every corner of the Clan Grounds.

The entire Uchiha Clan Grounds was like a living volcano already filled with gunpowder.

There was not a wisp of smoke on the surface.

But beneath the ground, magma was already churning, ready at any moment to erupt with world-destroying power!

Everyone was waiting for the signal that would ignite it all.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups of Konoha, those old men still immersed in their power struggle and endlessly arguing over the position of Hokage.

Knew nothing of it.

Finally, on a dark and windy night.

Uchiha Xuan sat alone in his room, wiping down a short blade.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A faint knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Xuan said without looking up.

An ANBU ninja wearing a fox mask slipped in like a ghost and knelt on one knee before Xuan.

If any other Konoha higher-up had been present, they would have been horrified to discover that this ANBU was actually the captain of the ANBU First Squad responsible for monitoring the Uchiha Clan Grounds!

"Lord Xuan."

The ANBU captain removed his mask, revealing a face filled with fanaticism and loyalty.

He had already been completely controlled by Xuan's Golden Flame Divine Eyes genjutsu!

"Something happened at the Hokage Building?" Xuan asked blandly.

"Yes!" the ANBU captain reported respectfully. "Lord Senju Tobirama has just issued a secret order. Tomorrow morning, he will personally head to the front lines to inspect the border defenses after Cloud Hidden Village's withdrawal!"

Hearing this news, Uchiha Xuan's hand abruptly stopped wiping the short blade.

He raised his head, and two brilliant golden flames suddenly ignited within those deep black eyes!

"Senju Tobirama... is leaving the village?"

An exceedingly cruel and excited smile curved across his lips.

"This truly is... heaven helping me."

He slowly slid the polished short blade back into its sheath.

"Notify every squad."

Xuan rose to his feet and looked at the waning moon outside the window, obscured by dark clouds.

"Tomorrow night at midnight."

"Codename: 'Genesis.'"

"The final carnival..."

He turned to look at the kneeling ANBU, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

"Is about to begin!"