The war ends

Although Shisui Uchiha did not serve in the Uchiha police force, he was strong—exceptionally strong. To bloodline purists like Aren, wasn't Shisui the very embodiment of the Uchiha Clan's superiority? So even though Shisui was not on their team, Aren and the others had always respected him deeply. With his cheerful, gentle personality, Shisui got along very well even with bloodline purists like them.

"Shisui, stop teasing me. Lord Minato is practically a human mutation. He doesn't count when we're talking about clans. He's the only person in the Namikaze Clan—how does that even qualify as a clan?"

Seeing Shisui appear and tease him, Aren gave an embarrassed smile. Thanks to that, Madara Uchiha also escaped Aren's questions about which side he would take.

If this brat tries to be clever again and forces me to answer questions about taking sides, I'll find an opportunity to kill him.

Madara Uchiha glanced at Aren. He did not want to choose a faction too early. To him, the best way to maximize his gains was to enter Konoha's shinobi ranks as the son of the Uchiha Clan's leader. That would give him access to intelligence from both Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. Only by making decisions with the fullest possible information could he avoid being deceived.

Having already suffered once, Madara Uchiha would not allow himself to stumble in the same place twice.

"Hey, Itachi! Long time no see."

"Long time no see."

Madara Uchiha greatly admired Shisui, this outstanding young member of his own clan. Besides, the boy had just helped him out, so he returned Shisui's greeting.

Is Itachi close to Shisui?

Uchiha Fugaku was mildly surprised to see his son acting so familiar with Shisui. His son possessed extraordinary talent, but perhaps precisely because of that talent, Madara Uchiha had no playmates that Fugaku knew of.

"Shisui, why are you here? Does the front line need reinforcements?"

On second thought, Shisui and his son were both geniuses. Perhaps geniuses simply had more in common with one another. Rather than asking how Madara Uchiha and Shisui had met or become close, Uchiha Fugaku asked why Shisui had come.

"No, I came back to deliver the news that the war is over. The Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage reached a cooperation agreement. With the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind working together, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth have backed down. We don't have to keep fighting."

Shisui Uchiha was clearly delighted that the war had ended. From the moment he appeared, the smile had never left his face.

"Really? It's finally over?"

Hearing that the war had ended, Uchiha Fugaku also smiled from the heart. As the leader of the Uchiha Clan, reading reports of his clansmen dying on the battlefield every day had left him mentally and physically exhausted. Now, at last, no more people had to die.

"It's over already? What a shame. I haven't even had a chance to show what I can do!"

While Fugaku celebrated their victory, Aren voiced his disappointment. He seemed to harbor ambitions of making a name for himself in the war, but with the alliance between the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage, that chance was certainly gone.

Within a single day, news of the war's end spread throughout the Five Great Nations. Madara Uchiha returned to the village with Uchiha Fugaku. Before the village's Memorial Monument, those who had fought in the war and those who had not gathered to mourn.

Minato Namikaze.

Among the mourners, a handsome young man with blond hair stood out. As Madara Uchiha looked at him, his name gradually surfaced in Madara's mind.

In his previous life, this boy had caused him quite a bit of trouble.

"Though the war has finally ended, we lost far too many people. I hear the Third intends to resign to take responsibility. Some have also proposed putting you forward as the Fourth Hokage, Captain. Please..."

While everyone else was mourning, Uchiha Shan, an adviser standing behind Uchiha Fugaku, was already impatiently planning Fugaku's future. Listening to his fanciful suggestion, Madara Uchiha sneered inwardly.

Become Hokage? Don't make me laugh. How could the leader of the Uchiha Clan, isolated like an island, become Hokage? Even if the Uchiha Clan nominated him, would major clans like the Yamanaka, Hyuga, and Nara agree? Never mind them—why do you think the Third is stepping down? Because he's already chosen his successor, Minato Namikaze. With Minato's strength, Fugaku could never compete with him. And that's not even counting Danzo, lurking in the shadows, who has coveted the Hokage's position for decades. How can the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan be this stupid?

"Don't bring that up again."

"Then what about Kakashi Hatake? He isn't a member of our clan, yet he possesses a Sharingan."

After Fugaku rejected Uchiha Shan's first suggestion, Shan set his sights on Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan instead. If Madara Uchiha had not been a mere four-year-old at the time, he would have dearly liked to slap Uchiha Shan across the face. While he was at it, he even wanted to slap Uchiha Fugaku.

How had an idiot like this ever qualified to become an adviser to the Uchiha Clan's leader?

Did he really have to spout this nonsense at a memorial service after the ceasefire? He thought he was being discreet, but Root and the major clans were watching the Uchiha Clan closely. Madara Uchiha was certain that every word Uchiha Shan said today would probably be written down and delivered to Danzo and the Third Hokage by that afternoon. Fortunately, Uchiha Fugaku still had some sense and desired peace. Otherwise, a purge of the Uchiha Clan might well begin that very night.

If an impatient fool who could not even conceal his true intentions could become the clan leader's adviser, then the pro-war faction must already hold an overwhelming advantage within the Uchiha Clan. If this continued, war between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha would surely become inevitable.

Unwilling to listen to any more nonsense from the Uchiha Clan's fools, Madara Uchiha began looking around. As it turned out, he spotted someone who had greatly interested him in his previous life.

While everyone mourned, a man with long black hair, deathly pale skin, and black eyeshadow stood alone off to one side.

Orochimaru was an unparalleled genius who had put Impure World Reincarnation into large-scale use. Even Madara Uchiha could not help taking an interest in the results of his research.

"Mourning the dead is meaningless. If death has any meaning, it lies solely in how it can be used."

"Is that so? I'm very interested in how you intend to use death, Orochimaru."

Seeing the young Madara Uchiha approach him, Orochimaru could not help voicing what he felt at that moment. What he had not expected was for this four-year-old child to begin speaking to him with the bearing of a superior.