Night
Uchiha Nan returned to his residence. The moment his exhausted body sank into the soft mattress, both mind and spirit were instantly soothed.
"Genji—right there!"
"Harder!!"
"Don't hold back!!!"
Genji was working diligently, massaging Nan with practiced precision. Once he found the right pressure point, he launched a fierce assault. His technique was smooth and familiar—by now, he was every bit a professional masseur.
Soft pads kneaded steadily over Nan's body, easing muscles that had been tense all day. It was nothing short of a top-tier indulgence.
And the price was absurdly cheap—just one bottle of catnip.
Half-asleep, Nan began replaying the day's events in his mind.
After accepting the magatama and officially becoming clan head, the Uchiha elders had wasted no time. Almost as if afraid he might suddenly change his mind, they hurriedly held a grand inauguration ceremony for him.
The location, naturally, was still Naka Shrine.
Only this time, the small inner chamber was packed to the brim. In the end, there wasn't even enough room for everyone—some had to stand outside to observe the ceremony.
The succession process itself was, of course, long and tedious. But that wasn't important.
Since they were already there, they might as well go through with it.
What truly caught Nan's attention—
Was the stone tablet.
The very stone tablet that had once led Uchiha Madara astray.
Even though Nan already knew the truth—that the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan was nothing more than a pyramid scheme wrapped in lofty ideals—
A scheme using Madara's body as a vessel to resurrect Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—
He still wanted to see exactly how Black Zetsu had written it.
"On this continent, there was once born a beautiful goddess—the Goddess of the Rabbit, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
"Before the goddess appeared, the land was consumed by endless war. Every day, countless people died in ceaseless conflict."
"The benevolent goddess could not bear humanity's suffering. Using her wisdom and power, she established a great nation."
"An era of long peace followed. The goddess bore two sons, named Hagoromo and Hamura. I, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, was one of them. In that age, people called me the Sage of Six Paths."
"Yet good times did not last. Even the perfect nation my mother created could not bring eternal peace. Ambition rose once more, and war swept across the land again."
"Mother stepped forward yet again, suppressing the conflict with overwhelming power and punishing those responsible."
"Peace returned—only to collapse once more."
"Thus, Mother pondered how true peace might be achieved in the shinobi world. Not long after, she conceived an unprecedented technique. Sadly, before she could realize it, she vanished without a trace."
"I inherited my mother's will and sought eternal peace for the world. But I rejected her method—I believed it far too extreme."
"I traveled the land, wielding the power I inherited, eradicating monsters and evils while contemplating peace."
"Through long practice, I discovered that my mother's power could be condensed into seeds of chakra and passed on to others. Those who possessed chakra could resonate with one another, understanding each other instantly through it."
"I believed that tolerance and love would allow people to understand one another. And once understanding existed, peace would follow."
"I believed the last obstacle had been overcome, and eternal peace was close at hand."
"But I was wrong. Completely, utterly wrong."
"Those who gained chakra also gained power beyond ordinary humans. They created ninjutsu—and wars on an even greater scale were born."
"The wars lasted for a very long time."
"After deep reflection, I returned to my mother's path. At last, following her ideas, I created a technique capable of enveloping the entire shinobi world—a jutsu that could bring eternal peace."
"But my time was running out. I was old and frail, no longer capable of activating it myself."
"All I could do was place my hopes in future generations."
"The conditions required to activate the jutsu are—"
From that point on, the text became blurred—only readable through the ocular power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Objectively speaking, Black Zetsu had spun a masterful tale.
Madara, hardened by endless war, had once used sheer strength alongside Hashirama to force a brief peace upon the shinobi world. Yet beneath the surface, tension and conflict never ceased.
Madara understood it all too well.
Once he and Hashirama were gone, the world would inevitably return to war. And with all clans unified into villages, future conflicts would be even more brutal than those of the Warring States Era.
Before, wars were fought between clans.
Now, they would be fought between villages.
The scale—and the bloodshed—would be far greater.
Madara knew this.
And his mental journey was eerily similar to that of the ancient Goddess of the Rabbit and the Sage of Six Paths.
Hashirama's idealism was fundamentally flawed.
Disillusioned, Madara left Konoha and chose to walk the Sage's path instead.
Pitiful. Truly pitiful.
So what was Uchiha Madara doing now?
Probably clinging to life somewhere underground, desperately experimenting with ways to awaken the Rinnegan.
Nan silently observed a three-second moment of mourning for him.
Black Zetsu's scheme had been tailor-made to rub against every raw nerve of the Uchiha psyche.
Any Uchiha who awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had endured profound darkness. Disappointment in the world was practically guaranteed.
The Eye of the Moon Plan was a blazing beacon—guiding Madara straight into the trap.
But that kind of thing wouldn't fool me.
Nan felt a bit smug. His thoughts drifted, imagination running wild—what if one day his luck finally turned, and he pulled a gold-tier reward? A chakra fruit?
That would be bliss.
If he ever ran into Black Zetsu then, he'd make him call him father.
His thoughts wandered further, toward Kaguya herself—her aloof temperament, pale skin, the horns atop her head…
Convenient, in its own way.
Just imagining it—
Tch. Tch. Tch.
Genji's massage left Nan utterly limp, his mind drifting into inappropriate territory as he comfortably fell asleep.
Nan slept soundly.
But on the opposite end of Konoha, the Hyūga clan head's chamber was still brightly lit.
Hyūga Takuma couldn't sleep.
He was genuinely panicking.
The news of Hokage Senju Tobirama's death had been fully confirmed. As soon as the six—Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Akimichi Torifu, Shimura Danzō, and the others—returned home, they'd been surrounded by their clans. Whatever intelligence they carried had already been extracted.
Takuma had easily gathered all of it.
And before one wave had even settled, another crisis arose.
Quietly—without warning—the Uchiha clan head had been replaced.
The new head, Uchiha Nan, had awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.
The power of the great demon Uchiha Madara had resurfaced in Konoha.
Takuma felt as if Konoha had become a powder keg. One stray spark could blow everything sky-high—Hyūga clan included.
Yet within danger lay opportunity.
Takuma refused to drift helplessly with the tide.
"How is Lady Mito's situation?" he asked.
"The last time I visited, she claimed to be unwell. Any news since then?"
Standing to the side, Hyūga Kunihiko answered respectfully, "None yet, Clan Head."
"Lady Mito remains in seclusion. The Senju haven't released any information."
Takuma sighed.
He had hoped to meet Uzumaki Mito—to discuss Konoha's future, and the selection of the Third Hokage. Yet she had given him no opening at all.
Now that the Uchiha had produced a Mangekyō Sharingan user, her continued silence was even more puzzling.
Takuma frowned deeply. After a long pause, resolve finally hardened his expression.
"Prepare things tomorrow."
"I will meet the Uchiha's new clan head."
"Make sure it draws no attention."
"Yes."
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