**Chapter 24: Truly Embarrassing**

The forest returned to its previous silence as Reijin glanced around and left.

Not far away, Obito's figure reappeared on a tall tree.

"Obito, did that guy figure out your identity?" 

Black Zetsu asked as he watched Reijin's back. By the time he arrived, the two had already parted ways. He was worried that Obito might have exposed himself, and to his dismay, it seemed the fool really had.

Damn it! 

Madara-sama, that old man with failing eyesight, how could he have chosen such an idiot to carry out the plan?

Sigh.

But then again, if Obito wasn't so foolish, he wouldn't have been so easily manipulated by Madara.

Black Zetsu sighed inwardly. Obito was a constant source of stress, always on edge, fearing he might slip up at any moment.

"He had a close relationship with Kakashi before, so he's probably familiar with some of my traits. I just didn't expect him to recognize me so quickly."

Obito responded coldly, feeling slightly wary of Black Zetsu. He knew Zetsu was sent by Madara to monitor him, so he wouldn't reveal everything on his mind.

"???"

Black Zetsu was confused. What traits could he possibly recognize? You're wearing a black cloak and mask, even your hair is longer now. Sometimes, Tobi speaks on your behalf. As long as you don't remove your mask, hardly anyone would recognize you.

You mess up and still blame others.

But since things had already come to this, Black Zetsu didn't bother arguing.

"In that case, you should kill him. Your identity can't be exposed."

"If this gets out, it could bring trouble to the Akatsuki, and Nagato might start questioning your identity."

Black Zetsu's voice was ominous. The plan hadn't begun yet, and Obito couldn't afford to be revealed.

"No need! The Uchiha clan plans to stage a coup, which will weaken Konoha's strength."

"I plan to join forces with the Uchiha clan and spark another Nine-Tails incident."

"I want Konoha to truly understand what pain is."

Obito's Sharingan spun as he spoke. Ever since he had fallen into the abyss, Konoha had become irrelevant to him. If he could deal a significant blow, he wouldn't hesitate.

"Help the Uchiha? Obito, the Uchiha are too powerful. They could create instability in our later plans."

Black Zetsu hesitated. From his perspective, aiding Konoha in completely destroying the Uchiha would be ideal. He knew the Uchiha's situation all too well. In every era, the Uchiha produced several geniuses. Not to mention Indra's reincarnation—he wasn't sure if Indra had reincarnated yet. He feared the next reincarnation might disrupt his plans.

"I am Madara, Black Zetsu. Execute my plan."

Obito's gaze turned cold as he looked at Black Zetsu.

"Yes!"

Black Zetsu was silent for a moment before nodding.

"And, send Madara's fan to that guy. Hang it in his room."

Obito's figure began to fade. Hanging it in his room would serve as a warning to Reijin.

Now, he planned to visit the memorial stone. Kakashi had no right to mourn Rin.

"What?"

Black Zetsu looked up in shock. You're really not attached to it, huh? That fan is made from the God Tree's branch.

But Obito didn't give him a chance to speak, disappearing with Kamui.

"What should we do? Obito seems to be getting used as a tool."

"No matter. The Uchiha clan won't have a major impact on our plan. In the meantime, send White Zetsu to investigate if anyone in the Uchiha clan has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

A few days later, Reijin received a package from White Zetsu. 

As he gazed at the weathered flame fan in his hand, Reijin couldn't help but feel delighted. 

This flame fan resembled the Uchiha clan's crest and had many uses, including the ability to deflect any attack.

"Lord Reijin!"

A figure lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Reijin continued admiring the fan in his hand. The system had only given him a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan and then gone silent. If he wanted anything good, he'd have to find it himself.

Uchiha Tekka pushed the door open and entered. When he saw the flame fan in Reijin's hand, his pupils shrank in shock.

That's the flame fan!

It felt strangely familiar, but after a moment, I remembered.

Isn't this the Flame Fan that was once written about in the ancient texts, the one that Uchiha Madara took away?

This is a sacred relic of the Uchiha clan. I wonder how Lord Reijin managed to find it.

"This is a secret letter from Elder Setsuna!"

Uchiha Tetsuha quickly bowed his head and handed over the secret letter in his hand.

Elder Setsuna had taken people out for some time, and only today did they receive news.

"Setsuna?"

Reijin paused. If he remembered correctly...

It seemed that after rescuing people from the ANBU, Elder Setsuna had been searching the ninja world for Tsunade's whereabouts.

Could it be that they had captured Tsunade?

Reijin hoped for good news.

He took Tetsuha's secret letter and used a seal to open it.

The handwriting on the letter made Reijin's face turn a bit grim.

He hadn't expected Elder Setsuna to fail!

Even though he possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan, he was seriously injured in the battle against Tsunade.

If it weren't for Tsunade's hemophobia acting up, they might have all perished there.

"What a useless fool."

Reijin's face remained extremely calm, but his chakra flared up in his hand, turning the secret letter into fragments.

He knew the Uchiha clan was in decline, but he hadn't expected that there wouldn't be a single competent person left.

Uchiha Tetsuha knelt before him, not daring to utter a word.

"Let's go. Let's see what Elder Setsuna is up to now!"

"He can't even handle the most basic tasks."

Reijin stood up. It seemed he would have to personally take care of things.

After changing into a different outfit, he slung the Flame Fan over his back.

With Tetsuha in tow, Reijin left Konoha through the Uchiha clan's secret passage.

He left behind a shadow clone in Konoha to deal with any potential issues that might arise.

For ordinary matters, a single shadow clone should be more than sufficient.

In a mountain cave within a dense forest near the capital of the Land of Fire.

Two Uchiha were hiding in the shadows on guard, while the others stayed inside the cave, guarding Setsuna.

"I didn't expect Tsunade to have mastered a ninjutsu developed by Tobirama Senju."

"Those wicked Senju... They deserve to be wiped out."

Uchiha Setsuna, lying on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood.

His face had grown even paler.

This time, he had made a serious mistake and had to rely on Reijin to clean up the mess.

This was a major embarrassment for him, and his importance in Reijin's eyes was likely to decrease significantly.

The future...

Uchiha Setsuna's face showed a trace of unwillingness.

They were so close to seeing the Uchiha clan restored to its former glory, only for it to be ruined by his own hands.

A loss is a loss, and Uchiha Setsuna didn't intend to make any excuses for himself.

"Lord Setsuna, please don't get worked up."

The Uchiha ninja who was giving Uchiha Setsuna basic treatment quickly said, noticing that the chakra in Setsuna's body had weakened even further.

"Whoosh!"

Two figures suddenly appeared inside the cave.

The Uchiha around them began to sweat nervously.

None of them had noticed anyone entering the cave.

They all looked warily at the newcomers, only to breathe a sigh of relief once they recognized who it was.

"What a disgrace, Elder Setsuna."

Uchiha Reijin looked down at Elder Setsuna, smirking.

Earlier, he had been making bold promises, and now he was in such a sorry state.

(End of the chapter)