More than fifty Uchiha clan members remained at the secret base, training in barrier ninjutsu and coordinated attack formations. Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku returned to Konoha.
Neither of these techniques required his direct involvement. His role was simple—he would act as the primary force in the ambush against Uchiha Shisui and ensure his death.
The barrier and coordinated attack formations were merely precautions to increase the success rate and prevent Shisui from escaping.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! He moved swiftly through the dense forest, carefully erasing any traces of his passage.
After traversing the vast expanse where the Uchiha clan's secret base was hidden, he emerged from the thick woods and confirmed his bearings. With Konoha in sight, he accelerated toward the village.
Suddenly, his sharp senses tingled.
His perception, enhanced by the techniques of the Yamanaka clan, alerted him to a presence nearby—faint chakra fluctuations, almost imperceptible.
If not for his Kage-level awareness and the heightened sensitivity granted by Yamanaka techniques, he might have overlooked it entirely.
"Perception—" He extended his senses to their limit, carefully pinpointing the source.
The disturbance came from more than a hundred meters to his left.
Instead of altering his course, which might alert the intruder, he maintained his trajectory as if unaware.
As he approached a massive boulder, he swiftly took action.
A shadow clone surged forward in his place while he concealed his presence, activating the Mayfly Technique to erase his chakra signature. Silently, he burrowed underground, moving toward the hidden presence.
Beneath the surface, within a hollowed-out section of rock, a White Zetsu clone observed.
Uchiha Obito had ordered an investigation to determine whether Uchiha Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. To that end, several White Zetsu clones had infiltrated the Land of Fire.
This particular clone was among them.
"It's Uchiha Fugaku. He emerged from that forest. What could be inside?" the clone muttered to itself.
Its instincts warned that the forest held a secret.
However, instead of pursuing Fugaku, it chose to investigate the area. Fugaku's movements suggested he was heading back to Konoha, offering little of immediate interest.
Silently, the White Zetsu clone activated the Mayfly Technique, merging with the earth and slipping underground, intending to infiltrate the forest unnoticed.
Then—suddenly.
"Ugh—!" A powerful grip seized its throat.
Its body froze. It couldn't speak, couldn't resist.
An ambush!
Panic surged. Even while using the Mayfly Technique to completely erase its presence, it had been discovered—and worse, its attacker had concealed their own presence so effectively that it had never sensed them coming.
Whoosh—!
The next moment, White Zetsu was yanked from the soil, forcibly dragged to the surface.
Now above ground, its wide, startled eyes locked onto its captor.
"Uchiha Fugaku…!" it gasped in disbelief.
It had been caught—by none other than its target.
Memories from the Land of Rivers resurfaced. Some time ago, several White Zetsu clones had been discovered and hypnotized by Fugaku's group.
Back then, it had assumed there was someone with extraordinary sensory abilities among them.
Now, it realized the truth.
The one with the exceptional perception… was Uchiha Fugaku himself.
"Hypnosis—"
Fugaku's Sharingan spun.
Instantly, the White Zetsu clone fell under his genjutsu.
"Why are you here?" Fugaku asked.
Under the influence of the illusion, the clone confessed everything.
It revealed Obito's suspicions—that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—and that Akatsuki had sent numerous White Zetsu clones into the Land of Fire to verify this.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes.
"That was close."
Although the Uchiha secret base was concealed behind an illusion barrier, it wouldn't have prevented infiltration from underground.
Had this White Zetsu clone succeeded in sneaking in, it could have relayed crucial information back to Akatsuki.
Fugaku's expression darkened.
"Akatsuki suspects I have Kage-level strength," he mused. "It must be because I killed those two elite jonin members of theirs."
That was the only reasonable explanation.
Then, another detail from the confession caught his attention.
"Obito suspects I've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
His brows furrowed.
If Obito was already investigating him, that was a serious concern.
"They've sent multiple White Zetsu clones to infiltrate the Fire Nation."
His frown deepened.
The ambush on Uchiha Shisui was set to take place within the next few days. If White Zetsu's clones were scattered throughout the country, they might stumble upon the operation and expose his true strength.
"Although my power will be revealed eventually, it's best to delay that moment as much as possible."
Fugaku knew that, sooner or later, he and Akatsuki would become enemies.
The longer he remained unnoticed, the more prepared he would be when the inevitable confrontation arrived.
Pushing aside his thoughts, he turned his gaze back to the captive White Zetsu.
"I can't kill it here. If its body is found, it could expose the secret base."
Gripping the limp clone in one hand, he moved swiftly, putting as much distance between himself and the forest as possible.
Once he reached a secure location, he drew a kunai and drove it deep into the White Zetsu's chest, ending its existence.
Then, retrieving a sealing scroll, he stored the body within.
White Zetsu clones were valuable research material.
Previously, in the Land of Rivers, he had been forced to let their bodies go to avoid alerting Nagato. But this time, he wouldn't waste the opportunity.
After completing the task, he resumed his journey.
At last, he arrived at Konoha.
Everything within the village appeared normal.
Despite the fact that more than fifty elite Uchiha clan members had secretly left, the Anbu tasked with monitoring the clan remained unaware.
Fugaku smirked.
The spore clones had flawlessly maintained their disguises.
The Third Hokage and his Anbu had no idea.
More than half of the Uchiha clan's elites had quietly vanished from Konoha.
(End of this chapter)
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