"He was once a rival to Senju Hashirama. With his backing, who would dare resist?"
The young man's words were bold. For a moment, the entire clan shrine fell silent.
It wasn't that they hadn't considered this possibility before, but for him to speak it aloud so plainly...
He was clearly suggesting that the Uchiha should leverage Madara's return.
Even though Madara had left Konoha long ago, he was still part of their bloodline—still the ultimate power behind the Uchiha name.
"Using Madara… are you serious?"
The old clan head's expression darkened. "He's a traitor to the village."
But the young man didn't flinch. "And what has this village ever done for us?"
"Have they ever given the Uchiha a fair chance?"
"They treat us as a threat, no matter what we do."
"Then perhaps we should become one."
His words caused an uproar.
Fugaku didn't speak. He simply sat in silence, eyes half-lidded, unreadable.
There was something in his heart—a conflict between responsibility to his clan and his own misgivings.
He wasn't sure which path to take. On one hand, he didn't believe Madara would support the clan now. On the other, the temptation was great. If the Uchiha ever had a shot at the Hokage seat—it was now.
"Let's hold a vote."
One of the elders stepped forward, seeing the split in the room. "Let everyone decide whether to support this plan or not."
"Very well."
Fugaku finally spoke.
"But know this—if we do this, there's no turning back."
"Once we make this move, we sever any remaining goodwill with the rest of Konoha."
"If we back Madara now, we're declaring ourselves his allies."
The crowd was quiet.
Then one by one, hands began to rise.
The vote was cast.
The decision was made.
And so, the Uchiha clan chose their path.
Meanwhile, in a distant forest…
The chilling wind blew through the trees, causing leaves to fall like bloodied petals onto the forest floor. Hatake Keiji stood at the edge of a deep ravine, staring at the ancient stone beneath his feet.
He could feel it—the chakra.
This place had once been sacred to the Senju.
But now, it was tainted.
Behind him, Senju Yukika emerged silently, his face calm but solemn.
"You came," Keiji said without turning.
"You called me," Yukika replied. "Of course I came."
"Then you know what's happening?"
Yukika nodded. "The Uchiha have made their move. They're preparing to claim the Hokage seat."
"And Madara?"
"Still hidden. Watching."
"But he's not the only one preparing."
Keiji turned around slowly. "You think they'll side with him?"
Yukika was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I think they already have."
The silence between them stretched for a long time.
Finally, Yukika said, "So what now?"
Keiji stared up at the moon, half-hidden behind dark clouds.
"We remind them what real power is."
"Not just Madara's strength."
"But our will."
Yukika stepped beside him, eyes narrowed.
"Are you ready?"
"Because once this starts, there's no going back."
Keiji's eyes hardened.
"I was born ready."
Elsewhere—in the ruins of an ancient battlefield...
Lightning cracked across the sky as dark figures assembled around a central pillar of stone.
Their chakra signatures distorted space itself—these were not ordinary shinobi.
Madara stood at the center, cloak billowing, eyes glowing red with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"They move faster than I expected," he said.
A masked figure beside him chuckled.
"They're afraid."
"They should be," Madara replied coldly.
The Jinchūriki stood behind him, silent but radiating terrifying chakra.
"Begin the convergence."
Madara's voice was soft, but it carried like thunder.
"The final phase starts now."