Chapter 18: The Man in the Mask

"That's right."

Fugaku looked at Dan approvingly, nodding as he recalled, "Three years ago, the Hidden Cloud Village kidnapped Hinata Hyuga first. Hiashi Hyuga, in an attempt to save his daughter, killed the Hidden Cloud's envoy. However, under the pressure of the Fourth Raikage, the Third Hokage, in order to appease the Hidden Cloud's anger, still had the Hyuga clan hand over Hiashi's body."

Dan seemed thoughtful, continuing along the lines of Fugaku's words:

"The Leaf Village's higher-ups oppress the Uchiha clan, ten times worse than the Hyuga clan. If history repeats itself, faced with the pressure from the Hidden Cloud Village, the Leaf Village's higher-ups would not only fail to stand by the Uchiha clan, they might even be overjoyed, taking the opportunity to oppress the Uchiha clan even more. By then, the Uchiha clan would have no choice but to hand over their own 'Hiashi', or even the heads of more clan members."

A lesson from the past can guide future actions.

"Dan, you really understand me, saying what I wanted to say."

Fugaku laughed, his eyes filled with even more approval.

He had just criticized Dan's position as "too mild" earlier in the day, but he didn't expect his brother-in-law to correct himself so quickly, learning to consider the interests of the Uchiha clan.

In Fugaku's view, Dan's vision had already surpassed most of the clan members. He could look at and think about problems from a higher perspective, which was truly rare.

After this exchange.

He was even more determined to cultivate Dan, to make his brother-in-law his right-hand man.

But before that.

"So, my suggestion to you is, after you go home tonight, immediately fire this woman and don't associate with her anymore. Dan, can you do that?"

Fugaku stared at Dan, waiting for his answer.

"Who else knows about Samui?" Dan asked before giving an answer.

"I personally investigated this matter, even Mikoto and Itachi are completely unaware."

Fugaku signaled to Dan not to worry, the information would not leak.

Dan nodded, then calmly said, "Then, I want to keep Samui."

What?

Fugaku thought he had heard wrong, his brows furrowed again, a look of displeasure on his face, "Dan, do you like this woman that much?"

Yes.

Samui was very beautiful.

In Fugaku's memory, a blonde, big-chested, fair-skinned beauty like her, he had only seen one in all these years, and that was the legendary Sannin, the princess of the Leaf Village, Tsunade.

So, was that why Dan was so reluctant to let this woman go?

"That's not the reason."

Facing his brother-in-law's questioning, Dan shook his head and revealed the truth, "From the beginning, I knew Samui was a spy."

As he spoke, he gently stroked Samui's hair in his arms, as if petting a cat.

What??

Fugaku was shocked again.

No wonder.

When he told Dan that Samui was a spy, Dan wasn't surprised at all. So he knew all along?

"Then, why do you keep her by your side?"

Fugaku asked after regaining his senses.

Because she's useful, she can be an employee and a nanny.

Dan thought to himself, it was that simple.

But he also knew that this reason wouldn't satisfy Fugaku, so after a few seconds of contemplation, he gave another answer:

"Brother-in-law, since the higher-ups of the Leaf Village are so afraid of the Hidden Cloud, why can't we use this to our advantage? Through Samui, we could establish some sort of connection with the Raikage, or even use their power for the benefit of the Uchiha clan."

Upon hearing this.

Fugaku was taken aback, his pupils dilating, revealing a look of sudden realization.

Like a sudden enlightenment.

"I understand, Dan. You mean to use this woman as a pawn, to..."

"Something like that."

Dan interrupted, although he wasn't sure what Fugaku had understood, he still nodded in agreement as always.

"In that case, you handle this woman."

Fugaku stood up confidently, picking up the file as a flame erupted from his palm.

In front of Dan, he burned the information about Samui to ashes.

"I'll be going then."

Dan casually picked up Samui in a princess carry and bid Fugaku farewell.

The moon hung high in the sky.

The Nara River quietly flowed through the Uchiha clan's forest.

By the riverbank stood the ancestral temple of the clan - the Nara Shrine.

Under the cold moonlight, Uchiha Hachidai came to the main hall of the shrine alone. He looked around to make sure no one was following before entering.

Inside the shrine, under the seventh tatami mat from the right, there was a hidden room.

This was the secret meeting place of the Uchiha clan.

Creak.

Hachidai entered to find the torches on both sides of the secret room already lit, and a figure standing in front of the Uchiha clan's stone monument with his back to him.

"You're here."

The man slowly turned around.

"Greetings, Lord Madara." Hachidai bowed deeply to the man in front of him.

This man.

Dressed in black, with wild black hair, and an orange tiger-striped mask on his face, revealing only one eye.

His first impression was cold and eerie.

No one would have thought.

This mysterious masked man was once the head of the Uchiha clan, a legendary ninja who shook the ninja world, believed to be long dead—

Uchiha Madara.

When Hachidai first saw the masked man, he thought he was just a charlatan, until he was defeated by him.

The masked man claimed to be Uchiha Madara.

Not only did he show Hachidai the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan, but he also revealed many secrets of the Uchiha clan that even Hachidai had never heard of.

The masked man said he approached Hachidai to support the radical faction of the Uchiha clan.

To take revenge on the Leaf Village.

Hachidai believed him.

"Has there been any movement in the clan recently? Is the plan going smoothly?" The masked man glanced at Hachidai and asked casually.

Hachidai hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke about Uchiha Dan.

"Oh?"

After hearing Hachidai's report, the masked man became interested in Dan.

He incited Hachidai and others to rebel against the Leaf Village, not to let the Uchiha clan successfully seize power and become Hokage or anything like that.

On the contrary.

He hoped to use the power of the Leaf Village to eliminate the Uchiha clan.

Now.

Dan's "death-or-glory" idea coincided perfectly with the masked man's, because the Uchiha clan and the Leaf Village going down together was the scene he most wanted to see.

With that in mind.

"I will personally approach Uchiha Dan and bring him over."

After the masked man dropped this sentence, a vortex-like spatial distortion occurred around his right eye, sucking him in completely.

He disappeared.

Hachidai looked puzzled.

Even though it wasn't his first time witnessing Madara's abilities, this casual manipulation of space still left him in awe.

Is this the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan?

Inside the Leaf Village.

The masked man, like a ghost, easily found the gym in the alley.

"Physical Enhancement Department."

He read the words on the sign, chuckled, and walked forward. His entire body passed through the closed door without any hindrance.

Hmm, no one's home?

He entered the gym, looked around, and didn't find Dan.

Well... I'll wait then.

So.

The masked man wandered around, finally pushing open the door to the meditation room, and sat down on the cushion, resting with his eyes closed.

Half an hour later.

Just as the masked man was getting impatient, the owner of the gym finally returned.