Hiss! Hiss!
Orochimaru wore a pained expression, a flame-shaped burn mark scorched onto his chest.
Madara Uchiha did the same to Danzo, imprinting an identical flaming symbol on his chest and awakening him from unconsciousness through searing pain.
This flame marked Madara's method of binding subordinates to her will—an ocular technique she could activate remotely.
Back then, upon sensing Kurokawa's death, she had remotely activated her Mangekyou Sharingan, incinerating the corpse entirely.
"Starting today, you both belong to me."
Madara gazed coldly down at the two men. "Don't even attempt resistance. No matter how far apart we are, I can end your lives anytime."
Danzo and Orochimaru exchanged glances, each seeing bitterness and humiliation in the other's eyes.
Having seen her power firsthand, they had no doubt she would make good on her threats without hesitation.
"From now on, I'll be the one communicating with you two."
Black Zetsu let out a sinister chuckle before laying down several rules—never reveal their undercover identities, always prepare gathered intelligence, and more.
Only after completing all these steps did Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu leave calmly.
Half an hour later.
Downstream of the Naha River, within a clearing deep in the woods.
Fugaku Uchiha knelt on the ground, palms pressed against the earth, breathing heavily. His expression wavered constantly between shock, resentment, and fear.
Before him stood Madara Uchiha, arms crossed over her chest, frowning disapprovingly—it was clear she was displeased with Fugaku's performance.
"Weak. Pathetic."
She remarked coldly.
"Just who exactly... are you?"
Fugaku lifted his head, staring at this unfamiliar blue-haired woman. The swirling Mangekyou patterns in her eyes violently shook his mind and spirit, leaving him unable to calm himself.
Earlier, this woman had suddenly appeared, attacking him without hesitation.
Fugaku was utterly overwhelmed—beaten decisively in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and even Genjutsu.
"Madam, Fugaku Uchiha is still quite young. Please don't be too hard on him."
Black Zetsu stepped forward from behind a tree, offering a defense for Fugaku.
"You again!"
As soon as Fugaku saw this straw-hatted figure, memories surged back—this man had recently visited the [Naka Shrine] (the sacred shrine of the Uchiha), approached him intentionally, and before leaving, had even presented him with a sealing technique scroll known as the Uchiha Flame Formation.
And now, this cloaked figure was addressing the young woman here as… "Madam?"
"Hmph."
Madara Uchiha gave a habitual cold snort, pulled a scroll from her robes, and unfurled it, performing the Summoning Jutsu.
"Puff!"
A puffing sound rang out, followed by a burst of white smoke rising from the scroll. As it cleared, Madara grasped the summoned item—a massive weapon nearly taller than a man.
It was a war fan roughly human-sized, its surface shaped like a gourd with two sets of Six Tomoe patterns engraved upon it. At the end of the fan's handle dangled a chain.
"This is… the Blazing War Fan?!"
Fugaku's pupils constricted sharply, and he couldn't help gasping aloud.
In his memories, the blazing war fan had been the Uchiha clan's most sacred treasure, taken away by Madara Uchiha years ago. After the battle at the Valley of the End, with Madara's death, the war fan had also vanished without a trace.
Many members of the Uchiha clan believed this fan had already been destroyed during that earth-shaking battle back then.
Yet now it appeared in this woman's hand.
Who exactly was she? Could she possibly be Madara Uchiha's descendant, returning to take revenge upon the Uchiha clan?
A flood of thoughts rushed through Fugaku's mind all at once.
"This is not the true blazing war fan."
Madara shook her head slowly and said, "The blazing war fan was crafted from part of the God Tree. There's nothing in this world capable of destroying it. This fan, however, is merely a counterfeit I made using another person's biological material."
"The God Tree? Biological material?"
Fugaku was completely baffled by Madara's words—except for one term he clearly understood: "counterfeit."
"Although it's fake, it'll still be more than sufficient for you."
Madara toyed with the blazing war fan, casually waving it a few times before carelessly tossing it in front of Fugaku.
"This fan can not only enhance your Uchiha clan's signature Fire Release techniques with wind power, but it can also reflect most ninjutsu attacks. Besides that, it also serves as a decent weapon, possessing both toughness and flexibility."
Madara explained calmly.
"If it's such a precious ninja tool, why are you giving it to me?"
Fugaku asked.
"I have only one simple request for you. Listen well."
Madara looked down at Fugaku, her tone turning icy cold. "Two days from now, at the Valley of the End, you must defeat Little Tobirama. No, simply defeating him won't suffice. You must publicly humiliate him thoroughly before executing him on the spot."
"You mean Heiyan?"
Upon hearing this, Fugaku was both shocked and confused. How had Heiyan become involved in this?
From the woman's expression and tone, he could feel the deep hatred she held for Heiyan.
"Do not betray my trust again. My patience has its limits."
Madara didn't intend to explain much further to Fugaku. She cast a glance at him, leaving behind those meaningful words before turning away alongside Black Zetsu.
"What exactly is going on here?"
Fugaku picked up the blazing war fan, frowning so deeply his brows formed a sharp V.
"Fugaku!"
At that moment, several elite ninja from the Uchiha clan rushed hurriedly to the scene.
Earlier, when Madara caused chaos at the police force headquarters, she discovered where Fugaku had gone into seclusion and promptly left. As soon as the Uchiha clan's high-ranking elders learned what had happened, they sent people after her to protect Fugaku.
"I'm fine."
Fugaku joined them, learning the full story from their account.
When they saw the blazing war fan in Fugaku's hand, their shocked gasps echoed in disbelief.
"We'll talk about it later."
Fugaku simply said, then left with the others to return to their clan compound.
One day later.
In Leaf Village, tensions were quietly brewing beneath the surface.
The Hokage office was bustling with constant traffic as the Anbu mobilized entirely. The Third Hokage issued an ironclad order:
Find that mysterious duo that disrupted the Uchiha police force—by any means necessary!
As a result, legions of Konoha ninjas launched an all-out search, tearing through every inch of the village and beyond.
But despite their efforts, they came up empty-handed.
The two mysterious figures appeared to vanish without a trace.
One major reason the investigation hit a dead end was that Danzo and Orochimaru kept their secret meetings with Madara Uchiha under wraps.
After returning to the village, both of them entered Root's secret laboratory.
Danzo had lost several subordinates and his right eye, and had to undergo an eye transplant again while lying in bed recovering.
Orochimaru, after experiencing the first heavy defeat of his life, also needed time to recover.
In stark contrast to these covert tense circumstances—
Meanwhile, the common villagers of Konoha were in high spirits, excitedly looking forward to an upcoming grand event:
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