Chapter 76: I Am the Real Uchiha Madara
Moonlight spilled onto the road. Two masked figures, nearly identical, stared at each other in silence. The atmosphere was so awkward it could have carved out a three-bedroom apartment.
'Damn! I should have changed my disguise earlier! To run into him like this, is my luck all used up?"
When Haruko saw his 'colleague' opposite him, his heart skipped a beat.
But on the surface, he remained as steady as an old dog, even subconsciously straightening his back a little.
Run? No. Uchiha Obito has Kamui; running is definitely not an option.
Fight? This guy doesn't look like he's in good condition, and I have the advantage of intelligence. I have a chance of winning, but I'd have to risk my life. The 'four laughing lunatics' are no joke.
Besides, there's no reward for winning and no life left if I lose. Not worth it.
Then the only option is... bluster.
Given the idiot's intelligence, Haruko was 80% sure he could talk him into a limp.
Anyway, there's no loss if it fails; at worst, we just fight.
Haruko took the initiative, crossing his arms and assuming an arrogant attitude: 'Look at you now. As pathetic as a stray dog. You truly bring shame to the name Uchiha Madara."
'As long as my presence is imposing enough, you'll have to doubt your own existence!"
Uchiha Obito was indeed caught off guard by this sudden reprimand. He didn't launch an attack but cautiously probed.
'Who are you?"
'And who are you?" Haruko didn't answer directly, asking a question in return.
Uchiha Obito became increasingly nervous. The other party's certain tone was as if he already knew who he was and was intentionally testing his reaction.
'I am..."
" Uchiha Madara?" Haruko interrupted him directly. 'No, you are not Uchiha Madara. Because I am the real Uchiha Madara."
'Stop playing god! In this world, only I am Uchiha Madara!"
Uchiha Obito began to get agitated, whipping out chains from his sleeves with a clatter. 'Why are you impersonating my name!"
Facing the ready-to-strike Uchiha Obito, Haruko remained as immovable as a mountain.
'It seems you are not my colleague... So, you are Uchiha Madara's successor?"
'One last time..." Uchiha Obito was nearing his limit. 'Who, exactly, are you?"
'I am the final contingency left by Uchiha Madara in the Uchiha Clan." Haruko began to talk nonsense with a straight face. 'Before Uchiha Madara left the village back then, he left an embodiment of his will in this clan—which is me."
'Impossible!" Uchiha Obito subconsciously retorted. " Uchiha Madara hated the Uchiha Clan!"
'Yes, Uchiha Madara did indeed hate them."
Haruko's tone carried a hint of vicissitudes, as if recalling the past. 'But Uchiha Madara also promised Uchiha Izuna to protect the Uchiha Clan well. No matter what, he had to preserve the final spark for the Uchiha. And..."
Haruko noticed the hand Uchiha Obito was using to hold the chains tighten and then relax—that was a signal of hesitation.
He felt confident inside and continued in that world-weary tone:
" Uchiha Madara needs the Uchiha Clan to continue producing Sharingan, and he also needs to select and cultivate a successor from the Clan Members. If the Uchiha are wiped out tonight, where are you going to find seedlings capable of awakening the Mangekyo?"
Uchiha Obito's hostility gradually receded.
The logic loop was closed.
Uchiha Madara was indeed protective of his younger brother. And Uchiha Madara's plan did indeed require a large reserve of Sharingan.
Thinking calmly, if the Uchiha were completely wiped out tonight, it would indeed do more harm than good to the 'Eye of the Moon' plan.
If this really was an embodiment of Uchiha Madara's will, then the Uchiha being spared from total annihilation tonight wasn't a coincidence—but this guy manipulating things from the shadows.
More importantly, the person in front of him felt too eerie.
Under Haruko's deliberate concealment using Natural Energy, Uchiha Obito barely sensed any Chakra fluctuations. This was not a state a human should have.
The colleague he mentioned should be Black Zetsu. Since Uchiha Madara could 'create' a Black Zetsu, it was indeed possible he could create others.
'In that case..." Uchiha Obito retracted his chains but remained vigilant. 'Why did you only appear now?"
'It's because you messed up." Haruko adopted an attitude of looking at an 'unpromising junior."
'According to Uchiha Madara's original plan, you were supposed to lead those Uchiha Clan Members who were dissatisfied with Konoha out of the village to become pawns assisting the plan. Instead, you ruined all the fruits that were about to ripen, and you even wanted to pull the tree up by its Roots."
He shook his head, as if he had a headache over Uchiha Obito's recklessness.
'Although implementing that plan isn't my mission, I am, after all, an embodiment of Uchiha Madara's will. I will screen the remaining Uchiha Clan Members, and I will send suitable candidates to you."
The implication was: I'll watch the Uchiha, don't you come here messing things up.
Uchiha Obito's fist tightened slightly, but he didn't object.
'Go do what you need to do. If you have my colleague by your side, discuss it more with him."
Haruko saw that it was time to stop, put on an air of having finished speaking, and turned to leave.
Uchiha Obito just watched Haruko leave, then got up to continue on his way.
...
Haruko walked leisurely until Uchiha Obito had completely disappeared, then quickened his pace to find a hidden spot.
'Phew—"
He let out a long breath and leaned against a tree trunk.
'Good thing the idiot's brain isn't working right, letting me bluff him."
He dug a pit and deftly stripped off the black robe and mask.
'I'm never wearing this shitty disguise again."
Thinking about it, he felt it wasn't safe enough.
He used Earth Release to make a simple incinerator to block the firelight, then burned the " Uchiha Madara " outfit with a fire.
" Uchiha Obito will probably go find Black Zetsu to confirm. What will Black Zetsu say? Since he's also an embodiment of Uchiha Madara's will, he might guess that I'm likely fake too, but he won't dare to bet on it..."
Haruko squatted in front of the furnace, watching " Uchiha Madara " gradually turn to ashes in the flames.
'Whatever, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I won't pretend to be Uchiha Madara again. Let the two of them figure it out themselves."
The ashes curled up in the pit, and the last spark went out.
After cleaning up the traces, Haruko set off again towards Tanzaku Town.
It had only been a few hours since he left Tanzaku Town, but it felt as long as several days.
This night was supposed to be when the Uchiha Clan was sent to the guillotine, with Danzo and Uchiha Obito earning a wall of Sharingan, and Konoha's strength falling to rock bottom.
But now, under Haruko's interference, the script had been changed beyond recognition.
Although the Uchiha paid a painful price, at least they avoided the ending of total annihilation.
Uchiha Obito got beaten up and only earned some medical expenses.
Danzo lost everything, his base was raided, and he was brainwashed by Kotoamatsukami.
Konoha didn't lose the great Uchiha Clan and even cleared out some hidden dangers.
And the culprit, Haruko, although he couldn't fully achieve his initial goal—killing Danzo—this brainwashed Danzo was temporarily not a threat and awaited further observation.
He also raided the Root base and made a huge extra profit; he could be said to be the biggest winner tonight.
The heavy mountain that had been pressing on him was gone, and Haruko felt refreshed, involuntarily quickening his pace.
The chaotic night ended, and now it was time to return to his family, to return to that stable life
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