He had thought he would carry his regrets into the grave, descend to Yomi, and repent before Lord Madara Uchiha, who had died decades ago.
What he had never expected was...
Uchiha Setsuna actually met a living "Lord Madara"!
Whether that mysterious Tiger-Skin Masked Man was truly Lord Madara or not.
That pair-er, that single-Mangekyō Sharingan of his absolutely could not be faked!
And the Tiger-Skin Masked Man's voice sounded exactly like Lord Madara's back then.
Uchiha Setsuna couldn't care less about anything else.
The clan had already made its decision.
That Tiger-Skin Masked Man was "Lord Madara"!
Speak of the devil.
A figure seemed to step out of an illusion, arriving at Naka Shrine.
Along with him came an aged, commanding greeting.
"Younger generations of the Uchiha, you've been waiting quite some time!"
The Tiger-Skin Masked Man made his grand entrance!
Seeing this elusive entrance, the senior members of the Uchiha Clan inside Naka Shrine all looked excited.
Uchiha Setsuna in particular had a fanatical gleam in his eyes.
This power!
This Space-Time Ninjutsu that could ignore every barrier in Konoha and travel back and forth at will!
It absolutely had to be "Lord Madara"!
"Lord Madara, you've arrived!"
As clan head, Uchiha Fugaku likewise greeted the Tiger-Skin Masked Man.
To be honest.
As for whether the Tiger-Skin Masked Man was truly Madara Uchiha...
Uchiha Fugaku still harbored some doubts.
The simplest reason was-
If the Tiger-Skin Masked Man was Madara Uchiha, why wouldn't he dare take off his mask?
But his Space-Time Ninjutsu was indeed exceptionally unique and powerful, and that single Mangekyō Sharingan was real too.
Uchiha Fugaku wasn't stubborn enough to insist on unmasking the Tiger-Skin Masked Man.
"At the clan meeting just now."
The Tiger-Skin Masked Man, who was actually Obito Uchiha posing as Madara Uchiha, asked.
"Did you announce that the clan would soon launch a coup?"
The Uchiha Clan was attempting to launch a coup.
Obito Uchiha played a crucial role in this.
In a sense.
Without Obito Uchiha secretly egging them on, the Uchiha Clan could never have mounted a rebellion!
You could say that practically every member of the Uchiha Clan was mentally ill.
But not every member of the Uchiha Clan was an idiot.
A certain "Uchiha Kenji," who preferred to remain anonymous, had long since "died" in the Third Shinobi World War.
The Uchiha could also recognize the gap in strength between their clan and the village.
But.
It didn't matter.
The village had the Hokage behind it.
The Uchiha had Madara Uchiha behind them!
It was precisely the existence of "Madara Uchiha" and the "Mangekyō Sharingan" that gave the Uchiha Clan the confidence to launch a coup.
Other people could sing the praises of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi as the "strongest Hokage in history."
The Uchiha knew exactly what this Third was worth.
Compared to the Kage of other ninja villages from the same era, the likes of Ōnoki, Third Ai, the Third Kazekage, and the Third Mizukage...
Hiruzen Sarutobi was certainly powerful.
You could even say he had the strongest all-around abilities.
But comparing Hiruzen Sarutobi to the ninja of the First Hokage's generation?
They might as well discuss whether monkey brains tasted good.
Madara Uchiha was a legendary ninja who could stand alongside Hashirama Senju, the legendary God of Shinobi.
Although Madara Uchiha had lost to Hashirama Senju.
Hashirama was also the only person Madara Uchiha had ever lost to.
Take Iwagakure's Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales.
In front of Madara Uchiha, he was as feeble as a mischievous child.
How much stronger could the Third Hokage be in front of Madara Uchiha?
Obito Uchiha roughly understood what the clan's senior members were thinking.
But honestly, he didn't care at all.
Obito Uchiha only wanted the Uchiha Clan to launch a coup.
As for how the coup would unfold?
Whether the Uchiha Clan would produce the new Hokage?
Or whether the entire clan would be wiped out?
Obito Uchiha didn't care about any of it.
He only wanted to use the "Uchiha Clan" as a tool to take revenge on Konoha.
As for Rin Nohara's death back then.
Kirigakure's Anbu Ninja were the direct killers.
But in Obito Uchiha's eyes, Konoha was by no means innocent either!
Over the years.
Obito Uchiha had grown tired of playing around in Kirigakure.
A perfectly fine village, one of the five great villages of the Shinobi World, had nearly been ruined by his games.
Now he just happened to have the time and energy to take revenge on Konoha!
In Obito Uchiha's eyes.
Konoha's Uchiha Clan wasn't really all that different from Kirigakure's Kaguya Clan.
Except.
The Kaguya Clan, which had taken part in a rebellion a few years ago, had been exterminated.
Who knew whether the Uchiha could succeed...
Obito Uchiha fully embraced the mindset of a spectator enjoying the show.
But he was disappointed.
"My deepest apologies, Lord Madara."
Uchiha Fugaku lowered his head and briefly recounted what had happened.
"A small conflict broke out during the clan meeting just now, and we didn't get the chance to announce the coup."
Starting with Uchiha Itachi joining the Anbu, they would investigate Hiruzen Sarutobi's exact movements, then seize an opportunity to forcibly kill Konoha's leadership-including Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu-in a single strike.
This was the core of the Uchiha Clan's current coup plan.
Unfortunately, plans couldn't keep up with changes...
"If you don't hurry and announce the coup now..."
Beneath his mask, Obito Uchiha immediately frowned.
"That boy Shisui will be back soon, won't he?"
Everyone present had heard the illustrious name of "Shisui Uchiha."
His reputation as "Body Flicker Shisui" was secondary.
The key was that Shisui Uchiha had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Only a Mangekyō could counter a Mangekyō.
Even Obito Uchiha didn't want to experience Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō ocular technique.
He was here for amusement, not trouble!
Body Flicker Shisui might not measure up to the Yellow Flash.
But what if he did?
Obito Uchiha very much disliked extremely fast ninja like Shisui Uchiha.
"Yes."
Uchiha Fugaku braced himself and answered.
"We previously sent Shisui to the battlefield over in the Land of Lightning. Judging by how much time has passed, he should be returning soon..."
Chapter 22: I Would Call Uchiha Itachi the Strongest! (Please keep reading! Please vote with monthly tickets!)
Ah... the Masked Man is here...
Outside Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Minamoto suddenly stopped and turned to look back.
The solemn, imposing Naka Shrine stood quietly beneath the bright moonlight, with nothing unusual visible from the outside.
But just now.
The Sensory Ninjutsu Uchiha Minamoto had secretly released, [Silent Thunderclap], had detected a figure appearing out of thin air inside Naka Shrine.
An entrance like this, as though traveling through space and time, teleporting instantaneously.
Uchiha Minamoto could think of only three people.
Two were already dead.
Of those still alive, only one suspect remained-
The Masked Man, Konoha's most devoted lover, the dead last with only two points in intelligence, the man behind Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage, the true puppeteer behind the Akatsuki, the man who murdered his teacher and his teacher's wife, a strong contender for first place on the Shinobi World's ranking of scumbags...
Obito Uchiha!
The electromagnetic signals emitted by [Silent Thunderclap] projected every detail of the last person to appear in Naka Shrine into Uchiha Minamoto's mind.
"Watching" the Masked Man discussing matters with the senior members of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Minamoto couldn't help feeling a sense of urgency.
Admittedly.
Uchiha Minamoto knew very well when the "Night of the Massacre" would occur.
Before you continue