"Shuoye, what do we do next?"
Fugaku Uchiha stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shuoye Uchiha.
Shuoye was about to respond—
When his expression changed.
His brows tightened.
In the next instant, he vanished.
A silver arc tore through the air as his blade shot toward the collapsed Raikage.
The shift was so abrupt that even the Uchiha were caught off guard.
"Shuoye-sama, what—?!"
Fugaku's voice broke off.
Shuoye's eyes were colder than before.
Just as the blade was about to reach its target—
A shadow appeared.
It materialized in front of the Raikage without warning, evaded the strike effortlessly, and carried him away in the same motion.
The figure's body seemed unreal, phasing like a ghost.
A Mangekyō Sharingan spun behind a mask.
Obito.
His space–time intangibility had brought him onto the battlefield.
"Who's there?!"
The Uchiha clan erupted in anger.
To intervene now—when victory was already secured—was nothing short of provocation.
"The power of the Uchiha…"
Obito's voice was low, emotionless.
"…truly impressive."
He turned slowly.
His masked face hid everything but those twin Mangekyō Sharingan, glowing like distant stars.
His gaze locked with Shuoye's.
The air sparked.
"So the rat in the shadows finally dares to show himself."
Shuoye's grip tightened on his blade.
Obito chuckled faintly.
"It was only ever a game."
"But your performance… exceeded expectations."
His tone shifted, sharpening.
"However—the Two-Tails is not something I'll hand over."
Before the final word fell, he moved.
Darkness folded around him as he lunged toward Shuoye.
Their clash ignited instantly.
The speed.
The precision.
The sheer density of power—
Even seasoned shinobi found it difficult to breathe.
"What is happening…?"
At the battlefield's edge, both Konoha observers and the remnants of the Hidden Cloud stood frozen.
They had never seen someone stand before Shuoye with such composure.
"He… he has a Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Shock rippled through the Uchiha ranks.
Obito halted at a distance, eyes fixed on Shuoye.
"As expected of the strongest Uchiha prodigy."
His voice carried clearly despite its calm volume.
"Shuoye, your strength is remarkable."
Praise?
Or challenge?
Perhaps both.
Shuoye stepped forward slowly.
His eyes were sharp.
"Your tricks won't work on me."
Obito paused for half a heartbeat—then laughed.
"So you've recognized me."
He tilted his head slightly.
"It doesn't matter."
"What matters is this—"
His voice deepened.
"Under the name of Madara Uchiha… I demand that the Uchiha clan surrender the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails."
The battlefield erupted.
Fugaku stepped forward immediately.
"That's impossible!"
"You're Madara? Madara is long dead—!"
"Dead?"
Obito cut him off smoothly.
"In this world, some truths are never buried."
"I—Madara Uchiha—have returned."
"Ridiculous!"
Fugaku's voice thundered.
Around him, the Uchiha formed up without hesitation. Whether this masked man was Madara or not did not matter.
No one would take the Tailed Beasts from them.
"Fools."
Obito's tone hardened.
"Do you truly believe you can stop me?"
"When Madara desires something… it is already his."
Black chakra began to seep outward from his body.
The Mangekyō Sharingan beneath the mask rotated slowly.
"Enough."
Shuoye's voice cut through the tension like steel.
He vanished.
Reappearing directly before Obito, blade poised at his throat.
"You dare speak Madara's name?"
His tone was ice.
"Today, I'll show you what the Uchiha name truly means."
Obito stood in his black cloak patterned with red clouds, confidence resting at the edge of his smile—
Until it met Shuoye's gaze.
That smile faltered.
Shuoye's eyes were merciless.
They pierced through illusion, pride, and pretense alike.
"Seems I've been gone too long."
Obito's voice lowered.
"You've forgotten the power of Madara Uchiha."
Shuoye's lips curved faintly.
"Forgotten?"
His voice carried quiet contempt.
"A dropout pretending to be a genius."
"Does wearing Madara's name make you feel accomplished, Obito?"
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