In the early morning at the Valley of the End, dew clung to his clothes along the way.
Fortunately, this was a Shadow Clone.
The disguised Shadow Clone arrived at another angle of the stone statues in the Valley of the End—
This was exactly where the crow had been earlier.
He looked around.
After a moment... "Caw!"
The sound of a crow came from not far away.
The Black-Robed Man looked towards the sound; two crows took flight from a nearby tree and flew toward him.
A few seconds later, they landed on a tree three steps in front of him.
Then—
"Caw!"
With a cry, the crow opened its beak and spat out a scroll.
The Black-Robed Man took it.
This was a sealing scroll, through which the Sharingan had been stored previously.
Although he didn't know Sealing Jutsu, he still knew how to unseal a scroll.
Forming hand signs, he unsealed it.
The next second, a Shadow Clone appeared from within.
Shisui looked up and slowly exhaled:
"It seems you succeeded. I didn't expect you to actually find it. Your intelligence gathering is indeed impressive; I'm even starting to suspect if you're working with him."
"Just some trivial information."
The Black-Robed Man smiled and didn't explain his source of information.
"Aren't you surprised by my decision?"
Shisui asked.
The Black-Robed Man said, "Given the situation between you and him, you would definitely choose this after knowing the truth, so why would I be surprised?"
Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Shisui's eyes: "Including the matter at the Naka River... you know about that too?"
"I know more than you."
The Black-Robed Man remained as calm as ever, "As for the specifics, it's not good for you to know right now, but I can tell you that what the man impersonating Madara said was partially true."
"Partially true..."
Shisui pondered this, his brow furrowing slightly.
Then he asked, "Do you know his identity?"
"I have some guesses, but I can't tell you."
A slight chuckle came from under the mask of the Black-Robed Man, "As I said, knowing too much won't do you any good for now."
Shisui was silent, but he knew that knowing certain information would inevitably lead to slips in daily life, so he didn't press further.
Just as he was thinking of what to say... "I have some good news for you."
The Black-Robed Man's voice was low, "Itachi went to see the Hokage. According to my information, the Hokage's attitude toward the Uchiha has changed. He might adopt a method similar to the era of Uchiha Setsuna."
Shisui was initially joyful, but his expression quickly dimmed.
"It's useless. What determines the survival of the Uchiha has never been the Hokage, but the attitudes of Danzo, the Village, and the Uchiha Clan."
He looked toward the Village.
"Sir, I have awakened and will not turn back."
"So, you're going to choose his path?"
"No."
Shisui shook his head.
Looking down at the river valley, he replied, "I don't trust him, so I want to hear your thoughts, sir."
"There are no fixed rules in the world. Since you have made such a choice, everything should change accordingly."
The Black-Robed Man replied indifferently:
"Since he has such a plan, why not go with the flow and use him for the time being? His Space-Time Dojutsu is perfect for helping you relocate the clansmen amidst the chaos."
"Use him..."
Shisui pondered and nodded gently.
Right.
The current situation was indeed suitable for using 'Madara' to fulfill his wishes.
He looked at the Black-Robed Man, hesitating to speak.
The Black-Robed Man said, "Aside from his side, I will also help you relocate a small portion. However, once they leave, there's a high probability they can no longer be Ninjas."
"Can no longer be Ninjas..."
Shisui looked at the distant mountains and rivers and couldn't help but smile, "That's actually quite good. Life might be a bit harder and more chaotic, but it's better than now."
He looked at the Black-Robed Man.
"Is this your plan?"
"In the chaos, a large group of people certainly can't be saved, but a few infants who don't remember anything missing during a fire won't likely be noticed."
The Black-Robed Man said, "Of course, the premise is that they don't awaken their Bloodline Limit. Once they do, they will be far from ordinary people."
Shisui pondered for a moment, then bowed slightly: "I'll trouble you to help take some away as well."
"Cooperation is mutual."
The Black-Robed Man chuckled lowly.
He didn't finish, but Shisui understood his meaning—
Having accepted help, he must remember this relationship.
"I understand."
Shisui hesitated for a moment and said, "Additionally, how should I contact you?"
"Don't contact me unless it's necessary."
The Black-Robed Man said, "He has a group of subordinates who are very good at hiding, reconnaissance, and disguise. You must be careful with everything on that side."
Shisui was slightly startled, then nodded:
"I understand."
... "Success."
Masahiko let out a breath.
He had made many contingency plans, but things went smoother than he expected.
Shisui trusted him completely.
This made many explanations unnecessary; he could just leave things unsaid, avoiding the risk of saying too much and making mistakes.
Everything is going smoothly!
He continued running, thinking of a plan based on what he had proposed, and an idea slowly formed in his mind.
After running for another stretch, an insect stopped in front of him.
Masahiko hurried toward Danzo's base.
Halfway there, he encountered a Root squad Ninja codenamed "Toge."
"Senior."
"The Lord has instructed that the mission to investigate Shisui has changed. You are to find a way to make contact with Orochimaru, but the mission is now to investigate Orochimaru."
Toge's voice was cold, "This is a long-term mission. Do not disappoint the Lord."
"Yes!"
Masahiko nodded and accepted.
Toge stared deeply and said, "How is your relationship with Uchiha Itachi now?"
"We haven't talked much; he's hard to approach. I can only say it's better than before. However, he gave me a notebook of Shisui's and told me to give it to Sasuke in the future."
Masahiko replied, "I was planning to find an opportunity to report this in the next day or two."
Toge nodded, didn't ask further, but said, "Remember to report promptly next time."
"Yes."
Masahiko nodded.
Then, Toge turned into insects and disappeared from the spot.
After watching him disappear, Masahiko returned to his original path.
Going to Orochimaru's side... that's just perfect.
As he ran half a lap, he gradually figured it out—
Danzo's contact with Orochimaru, could it be for the arm modification?
Before collecting the raw materials, he's pre-ordering the manufacturer?
That's a bit hellish.
Masahiko suppressed a smile and continued running forward. He glanced at Kurenai Yuhi's house from a distance and saw her watering flowers, so he stopped and waved from afar.
Kurenai Yuhi smiled back and waved.
This wasn't a chance encounter.
Every time Masahiko passed by this morning, he checked if Kurenai Yuhi was up. Only after seeing her up and dressed did he walk to the front door.
Kurenai Yuhi welcomed him into the courtyard. He didn't go inside but asked her in the yard about the direction of his Genjutsu—
Senju Tobirama, Shisui, and Maruboshi Kosuke corresponded to three different directions.
Last night, he had read through Shisui's notebook.
The content was vast and disorganized, requiring a lot of organization and thought. Many parts also required the Sharingan and couldn't be used in the short term.
Senju Tobirama... was probably more of a theorist, and Tobirama might have only had ideas without actual plans.
Masahiko intended to choose Maruboshi Kosuke; his abilities were the most suitable and could be used immediately.
But.
To build a solid theoretical foundation, he wanted to "rehearse" with Kurenai Yuhi first.
An hour later, he took the opportunity to ask Kurenai Yuhi out for a meal, and while eating, they continued to exchange ideas and insights on combining Taijutsu and Genjutsu.
Why spend a Salary Card when you can discuss it in reality?