How to Survive as an Uchiha

Seeing Black Zetsu ask such a serious question, Masashi reminded himself once again to maintain his composure.

Take the gamble—turn a bicycle into a motorbike.

If it failed, then Plan B was the only option.

"Indra's Eye?" Masashi wore an expression that was unmistakably Uchiha. "Isn't that just the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"Ridiculous." Black Zetsu scoffed. "That is merely a desperate attempt by the Uchiha to compensate for their degraded ocular techniques."

Having spun tales for a thousand years, he was quite adept at delivering thrilling narratives.

If he lived on Earth, he would definitely be a web novel legend or a politician.

"Indra was born with the Sharingan. To use your words, his entire life was in the form of the three-tomoe."

"His entire life?" Masashi looked at Black Zetsu. "Not that I doubt you, but even Madara wouldn't know the events of a thousand years ago."

"It's true. His Sharingan remained constant throughout his life," Black Zetsu said with satisfaction, enjoying the atmosphere of the discussion. "Aren't you pursuing the same level of power?"

He fixed his gaze on Masashi, studying every minute reaction.

Any Uchiha who understood the Mangekyō Sharingan would naturally have questions about it. After all, the Mangekyō seemed almost like an entirely different entity compared to the original Sharingan.

As an exemplary Uchiha, Masashi was no exception. He would undoubtedly have his doubts.

The Sharingan began reflecting one's innermost thoughts the moment it was awakened. The Mangekyō merely represented the culmination of that process.

There was a reason Black Zetsu had spent millennia targeting the Uchiha.

Words, actions, and expressions could deceive him, but the Sharingan could not.

What's more, it needed a pair of Rinnegan.

The Uchiha were the perfect pawns—indeed, the only ones.

"As expected of the embodiment of the Will of Madara," Masashi admitted generously. "Yes, I've gone through all the clan's records regarding our ancestor Indra and found nothing mentioning the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Black Zetsu nodded, satisfied that everything was progressing as planned, when a sudden rumbling interrupted them.

It was Masashi's shadow clone rampaging nearby, causing continuous explosions.

He froze.

"Why is your shadow clone still active?"

"Why would it disappear?" Masashi asked, genuinely puzzled.

Having been engrossed in the conversation, he hadn't paid it much attention.

He dispelled the shadow clone. This time, not only did he receive its memories, but he also felt its fatigue.

The clone had been enjoying itself a little too much...

"Your chakra reserves seem excessive," Black Zetsu observed.This endurance was extraordinary.

He began to feel hopeful.

The Rinnegan had already been created. The greatest obstacle to resurrecting his mother had been removed. Now, he only needed to gather the tailed beasts and revive Madara to perform the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

A powerful ally would certainly be helpful.

Obito's antics in Konoha had nearly given him a heart attack, figuratively speaking.

The Nine-Tails had been within his grasp... And then, gone.

But no matter. Masashi, as a backup, seemed even better.

"You've made the right choice, but your current approach won't suffice," he said.

The Eye of Indra could not be replicated. It was merely a projection of Indra's chakra, which no one else in existence could possess.

"No matter how hard you try, you can't overcome the chakra gap. You must take a different path." He glanced behind Masashi, where shadows shifted, and several White Zetsu emerged from the darkness like pale ghosts.

These were the ones who had been battling Masashi's shadow clone.

Turning to look, Masashi saw these former victims of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, now soldiers of Kaguya.

"You hit me pretty hard," said one unusually distinctive White Zetsu, rubbing its shoulder with an almost childlike motion. "If you tell me what it's like to poop, I'll forgive you."

"That's easy." Masashi's face remained impassive as he launched into a detailed explanation. "First, the digestive enzymes break down the food into simple molecules. These travel through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. What's left moves through the large intestine, where water is absorbed. The remaining waste products are then compacted and—"

The White Zetsu had actually leaned forward with interest during the explanation.

"Masashi, don't take it too seriously," Black Zetsu hastily interjected. "This guy's brain is defective. After all, it was cultivated from Hashirama's cells."

Hmm? Did you just call Hashirama an idiot? That... actually sounded quite like something Madara would say.

Two can play at this game of theatrics.

"Is that the Madara's view of the First Hokage?"

"Hashirama's methods were flawed. Isn't that obvious now?" Black Zetsu said in a tone of a sage imparting wisdom. "But discussing this now won't help you. You need to focus on increasing your power."

Curious, aren't you? He waited eagerly.

"Good point. In that case, I won't ask," Masashi said, feigning compliance. "As long as I'm strong enough, nothing else matters."

Black Zetsu nearly stumbled.

Resigned but still considering this a positive development—better than dealing with Obito—he signaled for him to follow.

"Come with me," he said, leading Masashi further inside.

Masashi followed, eager to see what Black Zetsu had in store.

Carrying an oil lamp, they walked through a long corridor—evidence of battle everywhere from where the shadow clone had rampaged.

Through a smashed wall, light seeped into the passage, revealing a vast space beyond.

The answer soon became clear.

When Black Zetsu led him around a final corner, they entered an enormous chamber filled with incubation pods.

Each pod contained a White Zetsu.

This was a cloning facility for these creatures.

But Masashi, uninterested in Hashirama cells, remained entirely unmoved.

Until he saw a coffin.

His eyes widened.

"Yes, this is... Madara's body," Black Zetsu noted, observing Masashi's gaze.

While Masashi's lack of interest in the White Zetsu seemed like a case of not recognizing their value, his reaction to the coffin further confirmed his professed admiration for Madara.

Admiring Madara made things easier.

"Madara's body cannot fall into anyone else's hands. Before his death, he created me, and I hid his body here," he explained seriously before adding, "But seeing as you revere him so much, I can let you pay your respects to his remains."

"Please let me pay my respects!" Masashi exclaimed dramatically. "A hero like him, denied burial in the clan's grounds—I shall never forgive the Senju!"

"Calm down, calm down," Black Zetsu consoled him. "Madara himself didn't care much for such formalities. What matters is carrying on his will."

It was thrilled.

Leaving Madara's body intact had proven to be the right choice after all.

Under Masashi's expectant gaze, two White Zetsu stepped forward and opened the coffin.

"Huh?" He was slightly surprised.

When the coffin was opened, he found none of the stink he'd expect from a body that had been dead for ages.

Preservation jutsu? No... something more complex.

"You can take a closer look," Black Zetsu said. "Don't be surprised. Of course, I wouldn't let Madara's body decay—I've taken measures."

Masashi gave White Zetsu's main body a thoughtful glance, studying the cellular structure that might explain the preservation.

Then, suppressing his excitement, he stepped closer.

Finally, he saw it.

Inside the coffin lay an old man. With just one look, he confirmed it.

This was indeed Madara.

Before his death, he had grown frail and aged.

The once jet-black hair was now completely white, and his once-handsome face was full of wrinkles.

The strongest figure of the Uchiha clan was now lying quietly here.

Even with such an aged and decayed body, there was still a lingering killing intent, as if it was trying to break free.

His lips carried a faint smile—whether it was because he had accomplished his plans before his death, or because he was mocking this irredeemably miserable world in his eyes, no one could tell.

Looking at such a Madara, though aware that this man was currently waiting in the Pure Land for his pawns to open the way to his second life, Masashi still thought... This guy is incredible!

Even as a corpse, he lay differently from others.

Madara's body was covered in dense sealing techniques to ensure that it wouldn't decay. Masashi's trained eye could spot at least three distinct layers of preservation jutsu working in concert.

He suddenly felt disappointed. How could he proceed with this?

However, he also felt a bit curious.

"Is the body just going to be left here?"

"Of course not," Black Zetsu replied. "This is simply following Madara's wishes. When I find a better place, I'll transfer it. "

"All right, let's discuss your eyes now."

"Sure," Masashi took one last look at the coffin but refrained from doing anything unnecessary.

Black Zetsu observed this, satisfied that Masashi didn't seem to harbor any suspicion-worthy intentions.

"You're familiar with Yin-Yang Release, correct?" he asked, his tone shifting to something more analytical.

"Yes." Finally, getting to the real purpose of this meeting.

"That's good. It saves us time." Black Zetsu nodded, then asked again, "To prevent accidents, I want to know—what's your dream?"

"Dream?" Masashi looked at the creature in front of him.

Come to think of it, Black Zetsu could be considered one of the only two individuals in the shinobi world who unwaveringly stuck to his own ideals.

As a villain, he was certainly qualified.

Those who kept flip-flopping were just exasperating.

"Peace." After some thought, he gave Black Zetsu an honest answer, watching for its reaction. "If it weren't for this chaotic world, I wouldn't have become a ninja."

"How do you think peace can be achieved?"

"Simple. Everyone gets a Big Ivan. Whoever causes trouble, we bomb them." Damn, spoke without thinking again.

"Huh? Big Ivan?" Black Zetsu was confused. What kind of nonsense is that?

"Oh... sorry, slipped my tongue..." Masashi said, quickly recovering. "What I mean is, peace can only be achieved through power."

"Can't it be achieved through love?"

"I've never seen mere words resolve anything," Masashi said candidly.

Love? Who's going to love strangers anyway?

You're a villain; stop borrowing cheesy lines from the hot-blooded protagonist. It's weird.

"Good!" For once, Black Zetsu was genuinely pleased. This Uchiha was pure.

Obito was pure too, just… a bit too pure.

"Let's return to your eyes," he said, earnestly considering how to enhance Masashi's power. "Your Sharingan is very stable right now. However, this stability means that the path to awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan is blocked for you. You'll have to take a different route."

"That's even possible?" Masashi was skeptical. 

While he had always been wary of the Mangekyō's side effects, he definitely wanted its power. Hearing such a definitive statement from Black Zetsu annoyed him.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan is awakened by maximizing spiritual energy, which then interacts with physical energy to produce it," Black Zetsu explained seriously.

He was indeed a historian of sorts, but this theory about the Mangekyō was purely his own judgment.

Masashi often doubting his explanations was starting to get on his nerves.

Today was probably the one day he was telling the complete truth, for once!

"When you awakened your Sharingan, you focused more on physical energy. I don't know how you managed that, but the gap between your spiritual and physical energy is much smaller than for other Uchihas. Because of this, it's impossible for your spiritual energy to completely dominate and trigger the Mangekyō."

"What about the Indra's Eye? Didn't you say during our first meeting that Indra had the Mangekyō? Now you're talking about chakra. I'm not accusing you or anything, but your explanations keep changing." Masashi decided to call him out.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Black Zetsu's reaction. Who knew if he would just start making up stories again.

Masashi didn't want stories—he wanted results.

"The part about Indra having the Mangekyō was indeed a lie. But the chakra part is true. Even if you possess Indra's chakra, you can't have the 'Eyes of Indra.' His descendants lack both his spiritual and physical energy," Black Zetsu explained patiently.

"But don't lose hope. I already told you—there's another path for you. With your abilities, if you succeed, you'll be stronger than any current ninja. Your eyes could become another form of Indra's Eyes. But don't count on the Rinnegan."

"What kind of path?" Masashi didn't care about the Rinnegan. His goals weren't that lofty—it was Yin-Yang Release that he was after.

"Of course, it's Yin-Yang Release," Black Zetsu replied. "But mastering all seven nature transformations doesn't guarantee you'll master Yin-Yang Release. You must fuse the seven natures into one to create this new power…" He stared at Masashi, his gaze seeming to pierce through him.

"I'm not trying to discourage you, but the limits of the Yin and Yang natures are determined at birth. As an Uchiha, this isn't something you can achieve on your own."

But that is discouraging!

"So, there's a solution, right?"

"Of course. All the White Zetsu here were cultivated using the cells of Hashirama. Their bodies contain his power." Black Zetsu gestured to the white figures surrounding them.

"Wait a second." Masashi quickly interrupted. "Let me be clear—I'm not doing any cell transplants."

Hashirama cell transplants? That's a trap. I've seen how that story ends too many times.

"Relax. We won't make you undergo any transplants," Black Zetsu assured him, raising what passed for his hands in a placating gesture.

As if I'd even want you to. What if it exposes me later? Thinking this, he continued, "Your physical energy has already reached the Uchiha's limit, and your chakra perception is very strong. I'll have the White Zetsu here help you train in Yang chakra. But before that…"

He sat down on the ground.

"I'll first tell you the history of Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha, and Asura, the ancestor of the Senju. That way, you'll understand how to use White Zetsu's chakra to train your Yang chakra."

Another story?

Masashi sighed and sat down opposite Black Zetsu.

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[email protected]/Malphegor

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