Naruto: The Rise Of Uchiha

After attending the Akatsuki meeting, Zetsu, with his distinctive yin-yang face, descended into an underground chamber. There, he met a man wearing a spiral mask.

This man was "Uchiha Madara," someone even Nagato feared. However, his true identity was Uchiha Obito, the supposed dead spirit of the Uchiha clan, a man who had survived the events that should have claimed his life.

"The Akatsuki has lost one of its members—Kakuzu has been killed," said the black half of Zetsu's face upon seeing Uchiha Obito.

"Who killed him?" Uchiha Obito asked in a cold voice.

Though Nagato was the public leader of the Akatsuki, Uchiha Obito was the true mastermind behind the organization. Every member was carefully selected by him, each with strength surpassing that of elite Jonin. The loss of any member was significant.

"It's likely Uchiha Fugaku, but I can't be certain," said the white half of Zetsu.

"Uchiha Fugaku?" Obito muttered. As a former member of the Uchiha clan, he knew of Fugaku. Fugaku was powerful, but as far as Obito knew, Fugaku had only awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan and was considered an elite Jonin. Someone of that strength shouldn't have been able to defeat Kakuzu.

"Could it be that he's awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Obito speculated. Having experienced the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan firsthand, he knew how significantly it could elevate an Uchiha's strength.

"If he did kill Kakuzu, it's highly possible," said the white half of Zetsu.

"This could affect our plans. We need to investigate this matter thoroughly," Obito decided.

"I've already sent out several White Zetsu clones to investigate. We should have results soon," Zetsu responded.

"How is Nagato? Is he still following the plan?" Obito asked.

"Yes, he's proceeding according to the plan. No deviations," said the black half of Zetsu.

"Good. Keep an eye on him. If anything changes, notify me immediately," Obito ordered.

...

Whoosh—

Uchiha Fugaku raced through the forest, heading back to Konoha. Suddenly, he felt a terrifying presence rapidly approaching. Ever since he had absorbed the abilities of the Yamanaka clan through his unique corpse-melting technique, his perception skills had sharpened. His heart pounded, sensing the impending danger.

The approaching aura was overwhelming. Fugaku instinctively concealed himself, suppressing his chakra and aura completely. He became like a lifeless stone, careful not to let even a trace of his presence be detected.

Moments later, a figure clad in the signature Akatsuki black cloak with red clouds, sporting orange hair, flew overhead, hovering at a low altitude while scanning the area.

"Nagato's Deva Path!" Fugaku's pupils narrowed in shock.

Few could recognize this figure, but Fugaku knew. This was Nagato's most powerful body, the Deva Path, one of the six paths of Pain.

With his current strength, Fugaku knew he stood no chance against this formidable foe. "They sent him after me?" he thought in disbelief.

After killing Kakuzu, Fugaku hadn't expected the Akatsuki to send their leader's most powerful path after him. "Luckily, I acquired the Yamanaka clan's perception ability," he thought, feeling a surge of relief.

If it weren't for that sharp sense of danger, he would have likely been caught by the Deva Path. This reaffirmed Fugaku's belief that the Uchiha's abilities, while formidable, could be further enhanced by incorporating the bloodlines and abilities of other clans.

After lying low for about an hour, Fugaku continued his journey, taking a long detour to avoid detection. It took him several days to safely return to Konoha.

When he finally reached the village gates, Fugaku was greeted by the guards from the Uchiha Clan's police force.

"Captain!" they addressed him respectfully.

"Did anything happen in the village while I was away?" Fugaku asked.

"Not much, but a few days ago, a team of elite Root members went missing," replied one of the guards, Uchiha Nozomi.

"Root lost a team?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow. He had killed one of Danzo's men during his mission, but he hadn't expected an entire team to go missing.

"Yes," Nozomi said with some satisfaction, given the Uchiha Clan's animosity towards Danzo and Root. "They encountered a mysterious enemy. This person was extremely powerful, likely on the level of a Kage, and had the ability to fly. All but one Root member, who was particularly skilled at hiding his presence, were killed without being able to put up any resistance."

"A Kage-level opponent with the ability to fly?" Fugaku immediately thought of Nagato's Deva Path.

Could it really be a coincidence? Fugaku wondered.

Given the timing, it seemed likely that the Root members had crossed paths with the Deva Path while searching for the team that had been monitoring him. If Nagato had run into Root members, Fugaku knew he would have struck them down immediately. After all, Danzo and Hanzo had betrayed the Akatsuki years ago, causing great loss to Nagato and his companions.

In a twisted way, Root may have taken the blame for Kakuzu's death, Fugaku realized, possibly making them the new targets of the Akatsuki.

(End of chapter).

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