Even on the night of the Uchiha Clan's extermination, several major organizations had secretly dispatched people to desecrate the clan's graves, hoping to obtain the Sharingan.
What shocked them all was the same discovery.
Every single deceased Uchiha corpse had empty eye sockets.
Not a single Sharingan remained.
Which meant only one thing.
Their eyes had already been taken.
Grave robbing was never an honorable act, so these discoveries remained an unspoken understanding between the major forces, never discussed openly.
Yet everyone knew the truth.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan had been collected by Konoha's higher ups.
And the person most likely responsible was Danzo Shimura.
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. He had initially planned to deny everything without hesitation.
But once the genjutsu on Mifune was exposed and dispelled, denial was no longer possible.
"Do not touch Danzo!"
"My eyes are on you. If anyone dares to move, I guarantee you will regret it!"
The revelation sent shockwaves through the Land of Iron.
Someone had actually controlled the samurai leader of a neutral nation.
It sounded absurd, almost laughable.
Yet it was real.
In an instant, Danzo Shimura became the focal point of universal condemnation.
Worse still, during the previous war, the Fire Country had reaped considerable benefits.
That alone had already sown dissatisfaction among the other nations.
Now, their resentment surfaced openly.
Danzo maintained a calm expression, but deep inside, his mind was already calculating an escape route.
At that moment, a masked man suddenly appeared.
With a single slash of his blade, he severed the Five Kage banner cleanly in half.
The hall erupted into chaos.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Danzo turned and fled without hesitation.
The samurai of the Land of Iron immediately gave chase.
At the same time, Uchiha Obito appeared openly within the venue.
Cold, indifferent gazes turned toward him.
Darui, subordinate of the Fourth Raikage, narrowed his eyes.
"Big brother, that man is Tobi of the Uchiha."
The Fourth Raikage did not even spare him a glance.
The other Kage looked on with mocking expressions.
Only Mei Terumi acted decisively.
She exhaled sharply, unleashing a torrent of Boil Release toward Obito.
The scalding heat caused the temperature in the entire hall to rise dramatically.
Onoki frowned in displeasure.
"Honestly… are you trying to boil everyone alive? The temperature just shot up."
The Fourth Raikage also roared in anger.
"Damn it. Akatsuki filth like him should be executed by my hands. Who gave you permission to attack first?"
Just as everyone expected Obito to be annihilated by the overwhelming attack, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
The boiling vapor passed straight through Obito's body.
It caused no damage at all.
"What?"
Shock spread through the room.
"Damn it… what did he do?" the Fourth Raikage growled.
"Could this be space time ninjutsu?" Gaara said calmly, narrowing his eyes.
After avoiding the attack, Obito casually sat atop a long table, his posture arrogant and dismissive.
Following Ashveil's instructions, it was time.
Time to announce it to the world.
Obito slowly revealed a Sharingan from beneath his mask.
The room froze.
Uchiha Itachi was dead.
That meant only Sasuke Uchiha remained.
So how could another Uchiha exist?
Obito sat firmly on the table and spoke.
"Listen well."
"I, Uchiha Madara, hereby declare the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War."
"All of your great nations will be conquered by me."
A terrifying aura surged outward.
One man had declared war on all Five Great Nations.
Uchiha Madara.
The name alone stunned everyone present.
If it were not Madara, who else could possess such power, such presence, and still bear the Sharingan?
The silence shattered.
"Uchiha Madara?"
"An ancient relic like you should have died long ago."
"So what if it is Madara?"
"We accept your challenge!"
Rage erupted from every Kage.
The declaration was complete.
The Fourth Shinobi World War had officially begun.
"Then farewell."
"I look forward to your performance."
With that, Obito activated his space time ninjutsu and vanished from sight.
On another mountain far from the summit hall, Danzo Shimura fled desperately.
Unbeknownst to him, someone had already noticed his escape.
Thorne Ashveil.
Ashveil stood calmly, his gaze fixed on Danzo's retreating figure.
To him, Danzo was already a corpse walking.
Elsewhere, upon learning of the Five Kage Summit, Sasuke rushed toward the battlefield at full speed.
Memories of his brother's final moments burned in his mind.
Danzo Shimura.
The man responsible for the destruction of the Uchiha Clan.
Ashveil narrowed his eyes slightly.
Without Obito's interference, could Sasuke defeat Danzo?
Either way, Danzo would not escape his grasp.
Curious, Ashveil concealed his presence and chose to observe.
Sasuke's eyes glowed crimson as Danzo noticed his arrival.
Danzo looked up, his expression calm.
"Hmph. Uchiha Itachi's younger brother?"
"I truly do not understand why someone like Itachi would leave behind such a weak sibling."
Danzo had never understood it.
With Sasuke's strength, killing Itachi should have been impossible.
Itachi had clearly held back.
"Yamanaka Fu, Torune, restrain Sasuke," Danzo ordered calmly.
"I need time to activate the mechanism in my arm."
Yamanaka Fu, clad in yellow, and Torune, masked and gloved, rushed forward.
Sasuke roared in fury.
"Scum, get out of my way. My target is Danzo."
They ignored him and immediately unleashed their jutsu.
From behind, Karin adjusted her glasses, her voice sharp.
"Sasuke, be careful. One of them can control the mind and body. The other's body contains poisonous insects."
Thanks to the warning, Sasuke narrowly avoided the Mind Body Switch Technique.
At the same time, Torune released his insects.
Sasuke slashed forward.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu."
The insects were incinerated instantly.
The three clashed fiercely.
After a prolonged struggle, Sasuke barely managed to defeat them.
He was breathing heavily, exhaustion evident.
Yet his arrogance remained.
Danzo unsealed his arm.
Rows of Sharingan stared back at Sasuke.
The sight sent Sasuke into uncontrollable rage.
"You imposter."
"You do not deserve the Uchiha's Sharingan."
"They all belong to our clan."
He charged forward.
But against Danzo, Sasuke gained no advantage.
Forced into a corner, he activated Susanoo.
Even then, he could not resist boasting.
"See this?"
"This is the true Sharingan."
"The Mangekyo Sharingan."
Danzo's lips twitched.
Compared to Itachi's Susanoo, Sasuke's was clearly inferior.
"You are far behind your brother."
Danzo countered with Wind Release and summoned his monstrous techniques, nearly shattering Susanoo.
Without Obito's support, Sasuke's stamina drained rapidly.
In the end, even as Danzo's arm Sharingan were exhausted, Sasuke himself could no longer continue.
Danzo pinned him down and raised his hand.
"Finish him," Danzo ordered.
"This is the weakest Uchiha I have ever seen."
He was not exaggerating.
Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Itachi.
Both had eclipsed Sasuke completely.
As the subordinates approached, Sasuke lay on the ground, screaming in desperation.
"You commoners."
"I am an Uchiha."
From the shadows, Ashveil's lips twitched.
Without Obito's interference, Sasuke was still far too weak.
If not for the coming war, and the value Sasuke could bring once reaching Six Paths level, Ashveil would not even bother watching further.