A few days later, inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, slowly exhaling a plume of smoke. Only a thin stack of files remained in front of him.
He glanced to his left. Tejima Shinichi sat at a newly added desk, rapidly sorting through documents. The stack of finished paperwork beside the young man was already impressively high.
Hiruzen savored the rare moment of peace. Normally, he would be buried under a mountain of mission reports by this time of day, stamping forms until his hand cramped.
Now, more than half of that tedious work sat on Shinichi's desk. Better yet, the boy handled it perfectly. His logic was flawless, his decisions quick, and his fresh ideas genuinely impressed the Third Hokage.
The corners of Hiruzen's mouth twitched up. Being Hokage suddenly felt easy. He almost laughed at the thought, but caught himself. He took another puff of his pipe to hide his smile behind a veil of smoke.
Knock! Knock!
The sudden sound broke the quiet room.
"Come in," Hiruzen called out.
The door swung open. Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara walked in, but neither man had their usual calm composure. Dark bags hung heavily under Inoichi's eyes. Shikaku's brows were knit together, his lips pressed into a grim line.
Hiruzen set down his pipe. A knot formed in his stomach. "What happened?"
Shikaku took a deep breath and placed a sealed scroll on the desk. "The intel analysis from the severed head of Kisame Hoshigaki," he said, his voice tense. "After multiple checks... we've fully confirmed it."
Normally, extracting memories from a corpse didn't take this long. But the intel they found was so absurd that the sensory division spent days just verifying it to be sure.
Hiruzen stared at the scroll. "The result?"
"It's bad," Inoichi replied softly. "So bad that... we still can't quite believe it's real."
Hiruzen stayed silent, waiting for them to explain. At the other desk, Shinichi—who already knew the truth—just kept doing his paperwork, completely unfazed.
Shikaku unrolled the document and read the conclusion. "The intel shows that the Akatsuki's ultimate goal is to capture all nine Tailed Beasts."
He paused, his expression growing darker.
"But their true objective is to use the beasts' chakra to cast a global genjutsu. An illusion that will trap the entire world forever. They call it... the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Hiruzen's eyes widened in horror.
"Additionally," Shikaku continued, "Kisame's memories show that the mastermind behind the Akatsuki calls himself..."
He hesitated for a split second.
"...Uchiha Madara."
Clatter!
The pipe slipped from Hiruzen's fingers, hitting the desk and rolling away. Glowing embers scattered across the wood, scorching the files. Hiruzen didn't even try to pick it up. He just stared blankly at Shikaku.
"You said... who?"
"Uchiha Madara," Inoichi repeated. The name hung heavy in the room.
Hiruzen froze. All the color drained from his face. He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"How is that possible?" he whispered, his eyes filled with disbelief. "He died at the Valley of the End decades ago. The First Hokage confirmed it himself!"
"But Kisame's memories don't lie," Shikaku said grimly. "He saw the man with his own eyes. Heard his voice. Received direct orders from him."
"More importantly," Inoichi added, "the man has the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Hiruzen's fingers twitched. The Mangekyo Sharingan. It was damning proof. His breathing grew ragged as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
"It can't be Uchiha Madara."
Shinichi's calm voice suddenly cut through the heavy tension.
Hiruzen's head snapped up. Shikaku and Inoichi both turned around, their bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyes locking onto the young man at the other desk.
Shinichi set his pen down and met their stares. "I'm not doubting the intel in Kisame's head," he clarified. "I'm only doubting the identity of the 'Uchiha Madara' in those memories."
Shikaku frowned. "What's your point, Shinichi?"
Shinichi joined his fingers and rested his chin on his hands. "Strength," he answered simply.
The office fell dead silent...
"Strength?" Shikaku repeated, completely confused.
"Yes, strength." Shinichi nodded. "None of you truly understand the level of power Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara possessed."
Hiruzen's eyes flickered. The panic in his gaze slowly faded, replaced by a cautious intrigue.
"If that man were truly Uchiha Madara," Shinichi continued, "he wouldn't bother making an organization like the Akatsuki. He wouldn't play with petty conspiracies. And he definitely wouldn't hide in the shadows to collect the Tailed Beasts."
He leaned forward.
"If it were really him... he would march out alone, challenge the entire ninja world, and take the Tailed Beasts by brute force."
The sheer weight of his words hit the room like a physical blow.
Shikaku and Inoichi's bloodshot eyes widened in pure disbelief. One man challenging the entire ninja world? The very idea shattered everything they knew about tactics.
To them, war meant logistics, alliances, and careful strategy. Opposing the world alone was a myth, not reality.
"That's absurd," Inoichi muttered, shaking his head. "It's impossible."
"No, Inoichi. You're wrong," Hiruzen said softly. "What Shinichi just said is entirely possible."
His voice wasn't loud, but it commanded the room. Both jonin snapped their heads toward the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen didn't look at them. He stared blankly at his desk, his eyes unfocused, as if peering back through time to a memory from long ago.
"Shikaku... Inoichi," he said slowly. "You didn't live through that era."
He raised a trembling hand and pointed to his own eyes.
"I saw the First Hokage fight with my own two eyes.... I saw Uchiha Madara....Shinichi is right. The power they wielded is on a completely different level from what we call 'strength' today."
Shikaku opened his mouth to speak, but found no words. Inoichi took a deep breath, forcing his racing heart to calm down.
"So," Inoichi turned back to Shinichi. "You think the man calling himself Uchiha Madara..."
"...Is a fake," Shinichi finished for him.
"But make no mistake. He has the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he knows an incredible amount about Uchiha Madara. He is simply using the ghost of that name to control the Akatsuki and launch the Eye of the Moon Plan."
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