"Someone from the Uchiha Clan." Minato Namikaze and Shikaku Nara paused simultaneously, their tea cups hovering mid-air.
It really was an Uchiha, but who could it be? No one knew of any Uchiha who currently possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. And if someone did, why would the clan keep it a secret?
Countless theories swirled through Minato's mind.
Seeing the shifting expressions on their faces, Tianyuan smiled faintly and continued, "Furthermore, this person is someone you all know. He has quite a reputation within Konoha."
"Someone we know? With a high reputation in the village?" Minato blinked. If that was the case, then this Uchiha was definitely an active member of the village.
But why would such a person come into conflict with Tianyuan?
Minato couldn't wrap his head around it. Moreover, given that they were currently in the middle of a war, what exactly was the Uchiha Clan trying to achieve?
Even the brilliant Shikaku was considering every possibility, yet neither of them even entertained the thought of Madara Uchiha. After all, it was a settled fact that Madara Uchiha had died years ago following his battle with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End.
The fact of Madara's death had been established for decades. Furthermore, when Tianyuan had previously impersonated Madara, the Uchiha Clan had kept the incident strictly under wraps. The rest of Konoha remained entirely in the dark about that particular event.
Naturally, they had no reason to suspect a dead man.
"Is it Fugaku Uchiha, or perhaps..." Minato ventured a guess. Among the well-known figures of the Uchiha, Fugaku was one of the few ninjas possessing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Could it be Shisui Uchiha?" Kushina Uzumaki chimed in from the side.
Shisui Uchiha was currently performing exceptionally well on the battlefield against the Mist Ninja. Despite his young age, he had already earned the title 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' due to his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, Kenjutsu, and Taijutsu.
Of course, in terms of sheer speed, he still couldn't be compared to the legendary Yellow Flash. Minato's presence on the battlefield carried a far greater level of deterrence.
"You're all wrong. It's not them," Tianyuan said, shaking his head.
"If it's not them, then who else could it be? And someone we know, no less..." Minato frowned. In his mind, the powerful members of the Uchiha were limited to a select few.
As for the rest of the clan, they were mostly strangers to him. Tianyuan had explicitly stated it was someone they knewit couldn't be some obscure clansman whose name they had only heard in passing.
Otherwise, the scope would be far too broad. Even Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head, would find it difficult to recall the name of every single clan member on the spot.
"Stop thinking about the current Uchiha members. Think about those from the past," Tianyuan said, taking a slow sip of his tea.
"The Uchiha from the past?" Minato was taken aback.
"That can't be right..." Shikaku stared at the smiling Tianyuan as a wild thought surfaced in his mind. But surely that was impossible?
That man had been dead for ages. Even if he had somehow survived, he would be ancient by now. Whether he could even still fight was a question in itself, and there was no logical reason for him to suddenly appear here on the battlefield between Konoha and the Mist Ninja.
"Perhaps Shikaku has already guessed it. That person is Madara Uchiha," Tianyuan announced.
"Madara Uchiha!" Aside from Tianyuan, the other three were stunned into silence.
Madara Uchiha's fame was on par with that of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. His name wasn't just spoken of within his own clan; statues of Hashirama and Madara still stood at the Valley of the End, marking their final confrontation.
Konoha had been built by the two of them together. Every ninja in the village knew who he was.
But wasn't Madara Uchiha dead? He was supposed to have perished after his fight with the First Hokage.
If he truly were alive, how could there have been no news of him throughout the shinobi world for all these years? Based on what was known of Madara Uchiha's personality, he wasn't the type to live a life of silent obscurity.
Minato and the others had no way of knowing that Madara had been biding his time, waiting for the power of the Rinnegan to manifest. It was only because that power appeared so late that Madara was forced to set new plans in motion.
"The Madara Uchiha? The one from the same era as the First Hokage?" Minato asked, still struggling to accept the fact. How could a man like Madara suddenly pop up out of nowhere? Could it be someone else sharing the same name?
In truth, no matter how the Uchiha named their children, no one would dare use the name 'Madara.' That name held a very specific and weighted position within Konoha's history.
"Yes, that Madara Uchiha. The one from the era of the First Hokage," Tianyuan confirmed.
"How is this possible? How can he still be alive? And why would he appear here?" Minato pressed.
"I'm not entirely sure about the details myself," Tianyuan replied with a shake of his head. However, if his intuition was correct, the Mist Ninja were likely being manipulated by Madara from the shadows.
It was probably all for the sake of his pawnObito Uchiha.
"I can't believe it," Minato said, trying to calm his racing heart. Beside him, Shikaku's eyes were still filled with lingering shock.
The news was simply too staggering. Why was Madara Uchiha revealing himself now? Did he have some design for Konoha?
"What is the current status of this Madara Uchiha?" Minato asked.
"The one I fought was merely a clone. As for where his true body is located, I am not certain," Tianyuan explained.
"I see," Minato nodded.
Afterward, Minato and the others discussed the situation with Tianyuan, deciding on a strategy to remain flexible. Even though Madara Uchiha had appeared, the ongoing Shinobi World War remained their top priority.
A short while later, Minato and his group departed.
Once the others had left, Tianyuan set up a barrier around his tent. He wanted to see exactly what kind of video signal he had received this time.
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