"Brother, he has a heartbeat. Save him... huff... hah..."
Tobirama Senju looked awful. He forced out the crucial information, then braced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.
The words "he has a heartbeat" quelled Madara Uchiha's fury. He crouched beside Uchiha Izuna, staring at his bloodless face and gripping his weapon so tightly it nearly bent.
"He can be saved, he can be saved." Hashirama Senju hurriedly pressed his hands against Uchiha Izuna's chest. Medical Ninjutsu glowed faintly beneath his palms, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this scene before.
As the other two fell silent, Tobirama Senju sat cross-legged on the ground to recover his chakra.
Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju's shadow clone was still anxiously watching the Ninja Academy, completely unaware that Watanabe Ichiro behind him had lost his usual spark. Watanabe Ichiro, who had been inhabiting this disguise, had already transferred to the two disposable disguises he had sent out to stir up trouble.
Watanabe Ichiro hadn't drawn another Character Profile Card from the system lottery. Since he already had one custom-made disguise, he couldn't create another. His only option for additional disguises was to redeem two white-grade disposable ones with poor aptitude from the shop.
Kidnapping was a dirty trick, but it really worked.
Watanabe Ichiro honestly couldn't think of a way to kill Uchiha Izuna, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, in a fair fight. He had no choice but to resort to underhanded methods.
Still, he had already collected Uchiha Izuna's cells, so he could resurrect him later. The children at the school hadn't suffered any lasting harm, either. It had hurt at the time, but their physical fitness would improve considerably afterward. He had chosen that Cursed Seal with great care.
The outcome was reasonably good, and the haul was plentiful. Killing Uchiha Izuna, shocking Tobirama Senju and the others, and enraging Madara Uchiha had instantly filled his little stash of points.
So many points. Maybe I should kill Tobirama too... hmm, never mind. There's still more to milk out of him later. No need to rush. Keep it sustainable.
Uchiha Izuna had been "saved."
He could breathe and retained the physiological signs of life, but the parts of his brain responsible for memory and thought had been destroyed. The person named "Uchiha Izuna" was already dead. All that remained was an empty, soulless shell.
Hashirama Senju didn't know how to console Madara, so he plunged into the ancient texts in the clan compound in search of a treatment.
Tobirama Senju, on the other hand, had no intention of saving Izuna. He pronounced him dead and returned to his experiments, though this time his research focused on [Impure World Reincarnation].
Madara Uchiha sat beside Uchiha Izuna's hospital bed, his hands tightly clasped. He spent the entire night sitting alone in silence, then finally agreed to the clan's proposal for an eye transplant-
He would take his younger brother's eyes and evolve them into the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, allowing his brother's eyes to live on within him and continue seeing this world.
"This was Izuna's dying wish." That single sentence from Tobirama Senju persuaded Madara Uchiha, who had been locked in a stalemate with the clan elders. Tobirama left out Izuna's other dying statement, which permitted him to study his Sharingan for a while. Judging by Madara Uchiha's state, he suspected saying it would have him immediately summon Susanoo and start smashing people.
Tobirama Senju did, however, secure permission to observe the transplant. His past performance in handling official affairs, his genius for devising and developing ninjutsu, his timely call for help, and his several uses of Flying Thunder God had genuinely helped Madara Uchiha. Madara overruled the Uchiha clan elders' objections and approved it outright.
Observing the procedure gave Tobirama Senju a deeper understanding of the Sharingan. He carefully recorded the data and compiled it into a volume.
After receiving the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Madara Uchiha became almost unhealthily obsessed. He went out searching everywhere for the black-robed figures from back then and the so-called [Black Zetsu]. [Black Zetsu] had been involved in the earlier incident with Watanabe Ichiro, and now he had heard that name again.
Damn it! Who the hell was [Black Zetsu]? He kept showing up again and again, and his methods only grew more despicable!
Hashirama Senju asked to accompany him, but Madara Uchiha refused. Hashirama tried to follow him in secret, only for Tobirama Senju to drag him away to handle Konoha's official affairs. Every day, he slumped over the Hokage's desk, wailing as he worked.
Tobirama Senju himself, meanwhile, laid out Konoha's future plans and then shut himself away in the laboratory to develop [Impure World Reincarnation].
Watanabe Ichiro was assigned to investigate [Black Zetsu]. More accurately, most of the ANBU had been dispatched to search for traces of [Black Zetsu].
Everything seemed to carry on as usual. Only the teacher at Konoha's Ninja Academy had changed.
Yet even when the tree wished to rest, the wind would not cease.
In a clearing far from Konohagakure, dense trees cast deep shade. It was so quiet that not even birds could be heard.
Watanabe Ichiro activated his three-tomoe Sharingan and scanned his surroundings, confirming that no one was nearby and everything was safe.
He dutifully formed hand seals, and a wood clone identical to him appeared at his side.
The newly created wood clone met his eyes and nodded, then used the Transformation Technique to take on an unfamiliar appearance. For some time to come, this wood clone would spread Black Zetsu's name throughout the shinobi world.
It would likewise move on after each strike, serving as bait to lure Madara Uchiha away. When its chakra ran too low to maintain its movements, it would light a campfire and dispel itself, sending its memories back. The wood left behind would burn to ash, leaving no trace while also helping Watanabe Ichiro pinpoint Madara Uchiha's whereabouts.
This wood clone hadn't come free. After milking Izuna for a haul of points last time, Watanabe Ichiro had browsed the shop and found [Wood Release: Level One].
It was an extremely watered-down version, worse even than Yamato's Wood Release. However, he could upgrade it later by feeding it points, and its functions met Watanabe Ichiro's needs:
It allowed him to use [Wood Clone], which could withstand a certain amount of damage without dispersing. That effectively meant an endless supply of disguises at zero points per use-a very good deal.
Naturally, it was also correspondingly expensive. Redeeming it had consumed nearly all the points Watanabe Ichiro currently possessed.
Still, out with the old, in with the new. Watanabe Ichiro didn't feel too pained by the expense. Besides, just like the ["Coincidence"] he had redeemed before, this Wood Release skill went straight into his skill library and remained usable even if he changed disguises.
More importantly, a huge wave of points would soon be coming in.
"Oh! Ichiro, you're back~"
"Thanks for all your hard work~ Did you complete another mission perfectly? That's the strongest Uchiha for you~"
After finishing an A-Rank Mission, Watanabe Ichiro returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound for the first time in a while. Countless girls of marriageable age enthusiastically crowded around him along the way. Sasuke's treatment at the Ninja Academy offered a good point of reference.
Watanabe Ichiro's disguise had perfectly inherited the Uchiha Clan's good looks. His outward personality was gentler and more reserved, and he lacked the usual Uchiha's prickly pride when dealing with others. Though he was always quiet and kept a low profile, he consistently topped the list of "Konoha's most eligible bachelors."
Normally, Watanabe Ichiro didn't want to be surrounded by girls who wouldn't earn him any points, so he avoided them whenever possible. But things were different now. For the sake of his plan, he would have to trade on his looks a little.
"Hmph, him again!"
"Tch! What's so great about him?"
"Ooh~ The strongest~ Uchiha~"
The attention Watanabe Ichiro received from the girls clearly provoked resentment among his fellow men, especially those whose crushes were among the crowd surrounding him.
Several hotheaded young Uchiha men had long disliked him, and they exchanged looks that promised trouble.
Amid the crowd, Watanabe Ichiro appeared to be helplessly fending off the enthusiastic girls, but his attention had shifted to a flashing icon on the system.
You've finally arrived, my true Lord Black Zetsu.
Before you continue