The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting a soft glow.
Several figures raced through the dark, deep forest beneath the moonlight.
They were all dressed in black, with nothing to identify their clan. But the red eyes constantly scanning their surroundings in vigilance gave them away.
The Uchiha Clan.
They carefully carried something between them, their movements exceptionally gentle and cautious.
Watanabe Ichiro lay in a cloth sling resembling a body bag, surrounded by their escort.
Worried that he might die on the way, the Uchiha kept their movements steady and level, making the journey far more comfortable than it had any right to be.
The gentle swaying felt like a cradle and nearly rocked Watanabe Ichiro to sleep.
Honestly, it was a little like auto-pathing in an online game. Once the quest appeared, you just clicked it, and the system took you to your destination.
Watanabe Ichiro had it even easier. He could lie there while someone delivered him.
The only problem was the pile of restraints they had strapped onto him to keep him from resisting. They dug into him a little.
Maybe I should take a nap. I'll be there by the time I wake up.
Watanabe Ichiro thought lazily, growing drowsy.
Earlier, in the Hot Pot Restaurant, Watanabe Ichiro had noticed several ill-intentioned gazes on him. He pretended not to notice and continued playing along.
He had not offended anyone in Konoha. Even an idiot could figure out that certain Uchiha who refused to accept him were itching to make a move.
But how will they do it?
This was Konoha's busiest street. Clearing the place without alerting him, entirely unnoticed, would be no easy task.
But Watanabe Ichiro doubted they would start an all-out fight here.
There were all sorts of people around. Who knew whether a Fire Release attack might burn some major clan's important heir to death?
If they attacked him here, they might as well give up on living in Konoha.
So how could they get rid of me or lure me out?
Seduction? Hostages? Something else?
Watanabe Ichiro watched a restaurant server bring over a bottle of sake with a smile, explaining that it was complimentary and every table received one.
Oh, poison, then?
Without betraying anything, Watanabe Ichiro poured a cup and swirled it in his hand.
The sake looked normal and carried a faint herbal fragrance. Nothing about its appearance seemed strange.
He gave the system a mental poke.
"Little System, can you check what's in this sake?"
"Sure thing!"
The upgraded system eagerly scanned the liquid in the cup and produced a detailed analytical report, complete with extensive data, running to tens of thousands of words.
Watanabe Ichiro scrolled straight to the end, finding the section on the predicted effects different doses would have on his body.
Fatal, disabling, severe injury, minor injury...
Those old bastards really didn't hold back. This one cup is enough to kill someone.
Just then, Kagami Uchiha came over to speak with Watanabe Ichiro. He answered absentmindedly, a couple of words at a time, while carefully calculating the dosage.
He drank a small portion of the sake from several cups to keep up appearances, then used the cups to conceal the rest as he stowed it in his System Inventory.
After that, he slumped over and went straight to sleep, obligingly cooperating with the Uchiha's kidnapping plan.
He understood Kagami Uchiha's hints. The man had always sided with Konoha, yet now he was helping the Uchiha plot against him. Those old bastards probably had some kind of leverage over him.
Rather than believing Kagami Uchiha had willingly joined the plan, Watanabe Ichiro was more inclined to think someone had found his weak spot and forced his hand.
I'll find a way to leave a clone behind and check on things later. He's pretty clever, knowing to tip me off.
Good thing he picked the right side instead of making an enemy of me.
Otherwise...
Was Kagami Uchiha Shisui Uchiha's ancestor or his grandfather? Either way, Shisui Uchiha definitely wouldn't get the chance to be born.
Watanabe Ichiro's been knocked out and hauled away!
Konoha, what the hell are you doing?!
You can't even keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan Head?!
Black Zetsu screamed silently to himself. After watching Watanabe Ichiro arrive safely in Konoha, he had felt reassured enough to head out and look for Uchiha Kagami, to see what progress he had made lately.
After Black Zetsu sent out a message, Uchiha Kagami soon contacted him, excitedly sharing everything he had done during that time.
First, he had gained full control over his Mangekyō Sharingan, becoming highly proficient with the Mangekyo ability that specifically countered Flying Thunder God.
Then, in the Land of Lightning, he had made contact with Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He used his Mangekyo to prove his identity, then convinced them through shared interests and his strength to help him reclaim the position of Uchiha Clan Head.
With support from the Land of Lightning, Uchiha Kagami brimmed with confidence. Believing he now had the power to kill Watanabe Ichiro, he returned to Konoha bent on revenge.
Unfortunately, when he sneaked into the Uchiha District in Konoha, he found only a bunch of shriveled old men. Watanabe Ichiro had gone off to attend something called the "Five Kage Summit."
Frustrated, he used his Mangekyo to beat up the old men, demanding that they find a way to capture Watanabe Ichiro alive or lure him out as soon as he returned.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
That was what Uchiha Kagami thought.
Black Zetsu wholeheartedly agreed.
Next, all I need to do is wait for the Land of Lightning's summit delegation to return to their village and spread the news that Uchiha Ichiro has awakened a powerful Mangekyo.
Then I'll take the opportunity to tell Uchiha Kagami that Ichiro's Mangekyo is strange and unusually powerful, and that he shouldn't attack recklessly before figuring it out.
After that, I'll trick him into going after someone close to Watanabe Ichiro-his only bond in Konoha, Tobirama Senju. He can use those eyes that counter Flying Thunder God to kill Tobirama and get revenge on Watanabe Ichiro.
Excellent, excellent. With my silver tongue, pulling all that off will be a breeze!
Black Zetsu thought gleefully.
After that, I'll find a way to make Watanabe Ichiro witness Tobirama Senju's death and spur his Sharingan to evolve further.
Then I'll bring out the Stone Tablet I've carved all over again.
Heh. There's no way Watanabe Ichiro won't climb aboard my [Infinite Tsukuyomi] pirate ship!
As Black Zetsu's plan gradually took shape in his mind, he felt more and more certain that the success of his Mother-Saving Plan was just around the corner.
But when he returned to Konoha after meeting Uchiha Kagami, he was shocked to discover that the Uchiha had actually knocked Watanabe Ichiro out and taken him somewhere unknown.
You've got to be kidding me!
Uchiha Ichiro, what's wrong with you? Why are you drinking random things in Konoha?
Black Zetsu himself had secretly developed the drug specifically designed to counter the Uchiha. No one knew better than he did how potent it was.
That's a lethal dose!
What the hell are you Uchiha doing?!
You're actually poisoning your own Clan Head to death!
All I can do is hope his Senju Bloodline offsets some of the dose. Don't let my precious Plan B die here.
He chased after them, following the faint traces the group had left behind and struggling to keep up.
He could not help grumbling to himself.
Am I imagining things?
Why does it feel like nothing's been going right lately? The Tailed Beasts are gone, and now Uchiha Ichiro, who might awaken the Rinnegan, is about to die.
Ah, this is agony.
After Black Zetsu left.
An inconspicuous weed in the courtyard swayed, lifted its roots, and moved lightly across the ground.
It was Watanabe Ichiro's Wood Clone in disguise.
Earlier, Watanabe Ichiro had collapsed here, pretending to be gravely wounded and coughing up blood. While everyone scrambled in confusion, he had slipped the Wood Clone out.
It moved quietly into a shadowed corner and settled there, silently watching Kagami Uchiha fight the Elders' guards in the courtyard, ready to intervene and help at any moment.
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