Uchiha Setsuna had thought that no matter what strange sort of being the Phantom before him claimed to be, nothing could surprise him. Now, however, he had to admit that its words had shocked him, for the Phantom had spoken the name of a man the Uchiha Clan had rejected, yet whom some clansmen, led by Setsuna himself, still revered.
"What did you say? You're... you're Lord Madara's will?" Uchiha Setsuna's voice trembled with shock.
"Lord Madara," Zetsu said mockingly. "In the past, you refused to acknowledge him as clan head because he fought back. Now you call him 'lord' again. How amusing."
Uchiha Setsuna choked on those words. He could not deny them, and shame stirred within him. When Lord Madara had stood alone, without support, he had failed to step forward. How shortsighted he had been!
"It was our fault," Uchiha Setsuna said shamefully. "At first, we thought Lord Madara's actions were out of step with the times. But now I understand. That bastard Tobirama Senju is restricting us under the guise of the Security Force, planning to turn us into Konoha's watchdogs. Yet most of our people still haven't seen through him!"
Uchiha Setsuna did not know that Tobirama's true intentions were benevolent. His extremist outlook led him to believe that Tobirama was wearing them down by subtle means, slowly stripping away the Uchiha Clan's defiance until they could no longer threaten the Senju Clan's position.
"Exactly. Madara knew this, which was why he urged the Uchiha Clan to leave Konoha Ninja Village. But not a single person followed him. Even alone, Madara tried to protect the Uchiha Clan. He sought out the legendary monster beast, the Nine-Tails, intending to seize the position of Hokage in Konoha Ninja Village," Zetsu said coldly.
Everyone knew that Madara Uchiha