Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Zongxuan is now the Hokage.

Who would be so reckless as to use Obito Uchiha as ammunition to fire at Sogen? There are no such audacious guys in Konoha now. The Sarutobi, Shimura and other clans are all behaving themselves. They would never dare to confront Sogen head-on. If they see a patrolling Uchiha on the road, they would either stand aside and wait or take a detour to avoid him.

“Perfect, let’s take this as the first task for the Anbu. Investigate where Obito Uchiha went after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. Asking people is probably impossible, but sending people to investigate the area around Kannabi Bridge might yield some results. According to Kakashi Hatake’s report, Obito Uchiha was seriously injured at the time. Whether he struggled to survive or was rescued, he couldn’t have gone too far from Kannabi Bridge.”

"Also, investigate Obito Uchiha's social circle from back then, including both the dead and the living."

Why did Obito Uchiha go mad?

Zongxian knew perfectly well what was going on.

However, he did not intend to reveal it just like that. It wasn't that he was worried about how to explain the source of the information. He was the Hokage now, and no one would be so blind as to ask him such questions. Even if someone did ask him, he could ignore it. It was just that there was no point in revealing these things at the moment.

Even if we know why Obito Uchiha went mad, what can we do?

Exposing that Madara Uchiha orchestrated this tragedy?

then,

Does this mean that Madara Uchiha was merely a pawn in someone else's game? Is there an even bigger mastermind behind all of this?

Are you playing with nesting dolls?

And how can you gain people's trust with just empty words?

Furthermore, if Black Zetsu cannot be dealt with, then even killing Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha will be useless. In a few decades, a new cycle will begin again, or perhaps the Otsutsuki will destroy the world... In general, Sogen felt that some things were best kept to himself and there was no need to share everything with others.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Rain-Hidden Village.

It was still that inclement weather of continuous rain.

"We meet again, Uchiha Madara." Pain greeted Obito Uchiha, who had appeared in the room, with a blank expression, though the "Uchiha Madara" sounded somewhat mocking.

"Do you already know?"

Obito Uchiha glanced at Pain and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

"Are you referring to the information about the Sixth Hokage's succession?"

"This is one of them."

"Oh? And what's the second one? Uchiha Madara." The one who spoke was Konan, who had come to check after hearing the noise. After hearing Pain and Uchiha Obito's conversation, she couldn't help but chime in.

This time,

It's confirmed.

That shout of "Uchiha Madara" was definitely a taunt.

“I admit that I deceived you back then, but there is not much of a problem with me calling myself Uchiha Madara. Perhaps I am not the Uchiha Madara who founded Konoha with the First Hokage, but I did inherit Uchiha Madara’s ambition, so I call myself Uchiha Madara and use his reputation to make things easier.”

Obito Uchiha explained calmly.

"Your real name?"

Payne asked.

"Uchiha... Obito." Uchiha Obito revealed his real name, and to show his sincerity, he reached out and removed the orange-red vortex mask from his face, revealing a ferocious face that he had been hiding all along. "Pain, with your eyesight, it shouldn't be difficult for you to tell the difference between my real and fake appearance, right?"

The moment he saw Obito Uchiha's true face,

Payne and Konan were both taken aback.

It wasn't that they couldn't accept it, but rather that Obito Uchiha's true appearance was truly unexpected.

The right half of his face was so grotesque it resembled a demon, and the twisted appearance showed that he had suffered a severe injury. In contrast, his left face, which was originally only of average appearance, now had a somewhat handsome look. Of course, if you look closely, Obito Uchiha's appearance was quite unremarkable among the Uchiha clan, which was known for its top-tier looks in the ninja world.

"Uchiha Obito? The hero of the Battle of Kannabi Bridge?"

Xiao Nan suddenly said.

“That’s right, I didn’t expect you to know this name, Konan.” Obito Uchiha looked at Konan with some surprise. To be honest, his title of hero was only posthumously awarded, and there probably weren’t many people in Konoha who could immediately match his name with his past deeds.

In its nearly sixty-year history, Konoha has produced a great many heroes.

Furthermore,

In the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, the world once again learned of the terror of the Yellow Flash, and also learned of a Konoha genius who, despite not being an Uchiha, inherited an Uchiha Sharingan. However, the dead man who contributed that Sharingan... has no value in being understood.

After all, the person is already dead.

"I learned about some of the Fourth Hokage's deeds back then."

Xiao Nan gave a simple explanation.

"Is that so? It doesn't matter. This half of my face was injured by falling rocks during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. At that time, half of my body was crushed by falling rocks, and I thought I was going to die. So I gave my other intact eye to my... former friend, hoping that he could protect the person I cherish."

When Rin was mentioned, Obito Uchiha's cold expression softened slightly, and his voice unconsciously became a little softer.

"But the fact that you're sitting here now means you didn't die back then? It was Madara Uchiha who saved you?"

Pain stared at Obito Uchiha.

"That's right, it was Uchiha Madara who saved me. When I opened my eyes and saw an old man with white hair, I thought I had arrived in the underworld. At first, I didn't believe that the old man was Uchiha Madara at all. I just thought he was an old man who liked to talk nonsense. At that time, I was only thinking about recovering from my injuries and then returning to Konoha."

"Then why are you sitting here?"

"・・・"

This time,

Obito Uchiha did not answer immediately.

He kept his mouth tightly shut and remained silent for a long time. His expression gradually twisted, and it seemed as if magma was erupting from his single crimson eye. At this moment, Pain and Konan clearly felt the fury in Obito Uchiha's chest that seemed capable of burning mountains and rivers dry.

"Because my teacher, whom I once thought was omnipotent, and my friends, whom I thought were far more talented than me and whom I could never catch up with—they destroyed my hope! They were the only ray of light in my heart after my grandmother passed away, and they failed to protect her!!!"

A deep roar echoed in the room.

That suppressed rage silenced both Payne and Konan. They had felt such despair and anger before. No, that despair and anger had not faded away; it remained in their hearts and was now being awakened.

The hostility that had been built up by Obito Uchiha's deception had quietly diminished considerably at this moment.

"On that day, I saw hell."

Obito Uchiha closed his eyes. "I realize that this world... has broken! Madara Uchiha was right. People who have not experienced this pain cannot understand the true meaning of peace. Only by truly experiencing this pain can peace be born in this cursed world. I inherited Madara Uchiha's appearance... so I am Obito Uchiha, and I am Madara Uchiha. This is my story."

finished,

He looked at Payne and Konan opposite him, waiting for their response.

"If your identity hadn't been exposed, were you planning to continue deceiving us under the name of Uchiha Madara?" Pain asked another question.

"of course."

Obito Uchiha nodded as if it were a matter of course. "Madara Uchiha's reputation is a very useful tool. If it can be used, I am prepared to use it indefinitely. Unfortunately... I underestimated Mugen Uchiha. I have been defeated by him time and time again. This time, I was defeated even more severely. My identity may have already been discovered by now, and this reputation can no longer be maintained."

"Humph!"

Payne snorted coldly.

"I hope this is the whole truth. If I find out you're still lying, you won't have a second chance to live." After much deliberation, he decided not to break with Obito Uchiha for the time being. Being deceived was infuriating, but Obito Uchiha and Absolute were still of use to the Akatsuki organization.

Let's set aside what kind of scheme Obito Uchiha was plotting.

Currently,

Their interests are aligned: to collect the nine tailed beasts and forge tailed beast weapons... To accomplish these things, they would need the combined power of Obito Uchiha and Zetsu.

[Chapter 327. Outwardly Harmonious, Inwardly Divided]

"Pain, do you really believe what that Uchiha... Obito said?"

“Trust? I’ve never trusted those cowardly guys.” Obito Uchiha had already left, leaving only Pain and Konan in the large room. Hearing Konan’s question, he replied, “I know very well that we’ve only ever had a cooperative relationship. We’ve only worked together temporarily because we share the same goal.”

"No matter how nice their words are, I know they definitely have their own wicked schemes. However... in front of these eyes, even the real Uchiha Madara wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Therefore, continuing this cooperative relationship is the best option for now."

The confidence in his words was so obvious.

For this,

Xiao Nan nodded in agreement.

She shared the same view that the power of the Rinnegan was unmatched.

However, it is precisely because this power is so strong that it is difficult to control that it takes a long time to tame it. If it were just about destruction and annihilation, that would be enough. But what it wants is to nurture true peace from suffering, rather than simply inflicting pain on the world.

Therefore,

Over the years, he has been dedicated to exploring the power of the Rinnegan, researching and exploring the technology of sealing tailed beasts and creating tailed beast weapons. Although Obito Uchiha once said that he could provide help, he did not trust that guy. He was doing all of this by himself.

Konan, on the other hand, was willing but unable to do so, and could only share the responsibilities of managing Amegakure in the past.

Therefore,

Today it is today.

The plan remains just a plan, sitting on paper, and has never been put into action.

Because he had not yet perfected the technology to manufacture tailed beast weapons.

"What preparations need to be made in Konoha?"

Xiao Nan asked.

"You mean the Sixth Hokage?"

“That’s right. Even if Obito Uchiha isn’t Madara Uchiha, his space-time techniques are still quite troublesome, that’s an undeniable fact. And this time he suffered such a big loss in Konoha. Considering his previous defeats, Konoha… no, that Sixth Hokage feels like an insurmountable obstacle for us to advance our plans in the future. Moreover, according to Orochimaru’s words, that Sixth Hokage knew of Pain’s existence.”

Xiao Nan said seriously.

“Don’t worry about it,” Payne said decisively.

"Don't... worry about it?"

Xiao Nan looked puzzled.

“Some people are more anxious than we are.”

You mean?

“There’s no need to rush. Obito Uchiha… If he truly inherited Madara Uchiha’s will, he might still have some powerful methods he’s hiding. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to force him to reveal some of his trump cards during this opportunity,” Pain said slowly.

He was confident that the power of the Rinnegan could eliminate all trouble.