Chapter 111: The Mystery of the Identity
Uchiha Dali's strength was undeniable—everyone had witnessed it firsthand.
Yet, from what he had just said, several key pieces of information could easily be extracted.
First and foremost, this wasn't the Fourth Hokage's first encounter with the enemy.
Back during the mission to Kirigakure, he had already fought this opponent.
It was from that battle that he learned the enemy belonged to an organization known as "Akatsuki," among other crucial details.
However, what shocked everyone was that even during the Kirigakure encounter, Uchiha Dali had failed to capture the enemy.
Then, just now, the same enemy attacked the village and, in front of so many powerful individuals, kidnapped the Three-Tails.
And once again, Uchiha Dali allowed the enemy to escape.
This meant that even if the enemy's strength didn't surpass that of the Fourth Hokage, it likely wasn't far behind.
At the very least, their ability to escape was formidable.
Which led to the pressing question:
What kind of person could possess such overwhelming power?
And what exactly was the Akatsuki organization?
These doubts quickly clouded everyone's minds.
People glanced at one another in uncertainty.
At that moment, Uchiha Dali spoke again.
"There's another crucial piece of information—that man possesses the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. He claims to be Uchiha Madara."
The moment Uchiha Dali uttered those words, the entire conference room erupted.
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief, unable to accept what they'd just heard.
"Uchiha Madara?? That's impossible…"
"Wasn't he supposed to have died back when he fought the First Hokage?"
"I thought he was truly dead. Could he actually still be alive?"
"No way, but he has the Sharingan… there's no way the Fourth Hokage could've been mistaken!"
"No wonder he was able to escape the Fourth Hokage time and again—if it's that man, then it's not surprising at all…"
"..."
The conference room buzzed with hushed whispers and startled murmurs.
Everyone was deeply shaken by the name.
Uchiha Madara—the legendary Shura of the ninja world, an existence that stood on equal footing with the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
After the battle at the Valley of the End, everyone believed he had died.
And now, to hear his name again…
Especially from the mouth of the Fourth Hokage himself…
Naturally, the shock was immense.
However, just as everyone was caught up in their bewilderment, Uchiha Dali spoke once more: "I don't believe he's the real Uchiha Madara."
"But that guy does possess the Mangekyō Sharingan of our clan, and he's extremely powerful."
"If he's the one leading the Akatsuki organization, then they pose a tremendous threat to us. The village must be on high alert from here on out—we cannot allow these people to continue running rampant!"
Uchiha Dali's words silenced the room.
Everyone had assumed that Uchiha Madara was truly alive.
Now, after hearing this, confusion filled their minds.
If the man wasn't Uchiha Madara, then who was he?
"All members of the Uchiha clan are currently accounted for within the village. Aside from those who perished on the battlefield in the past, there are no missing or defected ninja operating outside."
As the current clan head of the Uchiha, Uchiha Fugaku had no choice but to step forward and offer an explanation.
Yet instead of clearing up confusion, his words only deepened it.
"If he's not one of the Uchiha still in the village, then who else could he be?"
"Is there anyone else in the Uchiha clan who possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Koharu Utatane frowned, her tone sharp.
She clearly suspected there was a traitor within the Uchiha clan—she simply wasn't stating it outright.
At this moment, just by looking at the expressions of Homura Mitokado, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the other elite shinobi, it was clear that many of them were thinking the same thing.
On the surface, the Uchiha clan appeared clean.
But who could say for sure that none among them were secretly colluding with an outside organization?
Perhaps it was even a member of the Uchiha clan who was leading the so-called Akatsuki.
Uchiha Fugaku felt the headache coming on.
He glanced over at Uchiha Dali, who gave him a subtle nod.
With that cue, he continued his explanation: "To my knowledge, there are currently three Uchiha who possess the Mangekyō Sharingan. Aside from myself, the other two are the Fourth Hokage and Shisui."
As he spoke, Uchiha Fugaku directly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and displayed it for all to see.
Only then did everyone realize that Fugaku, too, was a wielder of the Mangekyō.
The room stirred.
"So you had the Mangekyō all along, Fugaku!"
"I had no idea…"
"The Uchiha's strongest ocular technique, huh?"
"..."
Amid the murmurs, Uchiha Shisui also stepped forward.
He turned to face Uchiha Dali, the Third Hokage, and the two advisors.
"The Sharingan evolves from a single tomoe to two, then three. Beyond that is the most powerful form—the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Each Mangekyō has a unique shape and unique abilities. Fourth Lord, please compare my Mangekyō to that of Lord Fugaku. Do either of them match the one you saw?"
As he spoke, he, too, activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Both Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui then turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two advisors, allowing them to observe the patterns in their eyes, before turning toward the rest of the shinobi present.
Fugaku's Mangekyō had a windmill-like three-tomoe design, complex in structure—a clear sign of an advanced ocular ability.
Shisui, once hailed as the strongest among the younger generation of the Uchiha, possessed a Mangekyō shaped like a four-bladed shuriken.
Upon seeing the distinct designs of their Mangekyō, everyone exchanged glances and turned to Uchiha Dali.
At that moment, Uchiha Dali also stepped forward.
"There's no need for you two to prove yourselves. I already know it's not either of you."
As he spoke, Uchiha Dali activated his own Mangekyō Sharingan.
His eye pattern was even more intricate—a six-pointed star surrounded by nine tomoe. The moment it appeared, it radiated a chilling and murderous aura.
At the same time, Uchiha Dali revealed footage recorded during his battle with Uchiha Obito, captured using the copying ability of his Sharingan.
"This man's Mangekyō pattern is different from all of ours. It's an inverted sickle design."
He zoomed in on the footage, giving everyone a clear close-up of Obito's Mangekyō.
Seeing this, every ninja in the room furrowed their brows.
Even Minato Namikaze was watching with deep concentration.