"All right!"
Madara nodded.
Time was merciless and powerful. Even a man like him, who had once stood at the pinnacle, could not withstand its ravages.
"Also, intelligence on Xia Le!"
"Gather it as quickly as possible. This man will undoubtedly become our greatest obstacle in the future!"
Madara spoke gravely.
At the mention of Xia Le, Zetsu's gaze grew solemn as well.
"He is indeed a problem!"
"But as you said, perhaps we can turn other forces to our advantage!"
"The Uchiha have never been well liked, have they?"
Madara remained cold and offered no response.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and a year went by.
Xia Le still had no real insight into converting the chakra in his body into natural energy, or replacing it altogether.
Although Orochimaru's laboratory continued conducting various experiments, it had likewise made little progress.
Wood Release and the Sharingan were both extremely exclusive kekkei genkai, provoking severe rejection in other organisms.
But that was hardly unexpected. Any achievement required time.
In the new year, Kakashi was promoted to chunin.
Meanwhile, a baby named Shisui was born into the Uchiha Clan.
When Xia Le learned of this, he first froze, then frowned.
He thought back to that single knock on his door a year earlier.
He had encountered Obito afterward, and the boy had remained cheerful. Yet his subconscious perception could clearly sense that something was missing from that cheerfulness.
The current Obito was unremarkable, seemingly displaying no talent at all.
Half a year earlier, Xia Le had arranged for his friend and subordinate, Hikaku, to lead Obito's team. But he soon learned that Obito had been assigned to Minato Namikaze, placed on the same team as Kakashi, and already sent out on missions.
Then another year passed amid that peaceful