Over fifty Uchiha clansmen remained at the secret base to train in barrier ninjutsu and coordinated combat techniques, while Uchiha Fugaku returned to Konoha alone.
Neither barrier ninjutsu nor coordinated attacks required his involvement. His task was far simpler:
To serve as the main combatant against Uchiha Shisui—and to kill him.
The purpose of the barrier techniques and formation tactics was solely to ensure success and prevent Shisui's escape.
Swish, swish, swish—
He darted through the forest, erasing any traces of his passage.
After a considerable time, he exited the vast forest that concealed the Uchiha clan's hidden stronghold and emerged at its outskirts.
Once he confirmed Konoha's direction, he sped toward the village.
Suddenly, his brow twitched subtly.
Thanks to the sensory prowess inherited from the Yamanaka clan, he had a keen perception—he sensed someone nearby. Or more accurately, the faintest trace of chakra.
It was barely noticeable.
Were he not already at Kage-level strength and blessed with the Yamanaka's innate sensory skills, he might not have detected it at all.
"Perception—"
He pushed his sensing abilities to the limit, carefully pinpointing the location.
Before long, he detected the presence—about a hundred meters to his left.
He didn't change direction, avoiding any sudden moves that might alert the target.
Maintaining a calm demeanor, Fugaku continued on his path.
When he passed a large boulder, he suddenly made his move.
Using a Shadow Clone Jutsu, he left a clone to continue ahead while he concealed himself behind the boulder. Employing the Mayfly Technique, he erased his chakra signature and stealthily made his way toward the chakra fluctuation he'd sensed earlier.
A White Zetsu clone was hidden within a rock, with only its eyes exposed.
Under Obito's orders to confirm whether Uchiha Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, numerous White Zetsu clones had infiltrated the Land of Fire—this one included.
"That's Uchiha Fugaku... emerging from that forest. What could be hidden in there? "
He stared in the direction Fugaku had gone, a sense of unease rising within him. His instincts told him there must be some secret concealed within that forest.
He didn't follow Fugaku; he had already deduced that Fugaku was heading back to Konoha. There would be no value in tailing him.
Instead, still using the Mayfly Technique, he began tunneling underground toward the forest, intending to investigate and report back if he found anything.
But just then—
"Urk—"
He felt a sharp pressure around his neck—someone had grabbed his throat. He couldn't make a sound.
He had been ambushed!
He was stunned. Even though he was hidden underground with his chakra completely suppressed via the Mayfly Technique, he'd still been detected and attacked.
His attacker not only discovered him despite his concealment but also approached silently underground without triggering any alarms.
Shff—
Fugaku surfaced, lifting the White Zetsu clone out of the earth with one hand and bringing him to the surface.
"Uchiha... Fugaku…"
The White Zetsu clone finally saw who had ambushed him—and was shocked.
It was Uchiha Fugaku.
Then he suddenly recalled a recent incident in the Land of Rivers.
Several White Zetsu clones had tracked Fugaku's team but had been discovered and hypnotized. At the time, they'd suspected there was someone in Fugaku's group with extremely powerful sensory abilities.
Now it was clear—that person was Fugaku himself.
"Genjutsu—"
Without a word, Fugaku activated his Sharingan and cast a hypnosis genjutsu.
The White Zetsu clone immediately fell under its spell.
"Why are you here? "
Under hypnosis, the clone confessed everything he knew, including his suspicions about the forest stronghold.
"Good thing I caught him in time," Fugaku muttered to himself.
Although the stronghold was protected by a genjutsu barrier, it offered no defense against infiltration from underground. If this clone had managed to sneak in, the secret Uchiha base could've been exposed to the Akatsuki.
"Has the Akatsuki already begun to suspect I'm Kage-level? Must be because of the two elite Jonin-level members I killed..."
Fugaku speculated silently.
The only thing that could've triggered such suspicion from the Akatsuki was the death of those two elite operatives.
"So Obito suspects I've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan…"
Fugaku's brows furrowed slightly.
This was not good.
Obito deploying numerous Zetsu clones into the Land of Fire meant they were actively monitoring him.
Even worse, he was just days away from launching the ambush on Shisui. If any of the clones witnessed that battle, his true strength would be exposed.
"Though it's inevitable that they'll find out eventually, the longer I can delay it, the better."
From the Akatsuki's actions, it was clear they were destined to become enemies. Sooner or later, they would clash.
Fugaku hoped to buy as much time as possible before becoming their focus—time to prepare.
Pulling himself from his thoughts, Fugaku looked down at the entranced White Zetsu.
"Can't kill him here… it might alert others and expose the hidden base."
Lifting the clone with one hand, he continued his journey.
Only after traveling a long distance and ensuring he was far from the forest did he finally take out a kunai and drive it through the Zetsu's chest, killing him.
Then, he retrieved a sealing scroll and stored the body inside.
After all, White Zetsu clones made excellent material for refining special corpses.
Back in the Land of Rivers, he'd been forced to abandon other Zetsu corpses to misdirect Pain's attention—something he'd regretted. Now, he had at least made up for part of that loss.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. Uchiha Fugaku returned to Konoha without incident.
Within the village, everything seemed normal.
Though over fifty elite Uchiha clansmen had secretly disappeared from Konoha, thanks to the Spore Clone's near-perfect impersonation abilities, the ANBU tasked with monitoring the Uchiha hadn't noticed anything unusual.
They had no idea that more than half of the Uchiha Clan's core combat force had already slipped away—without leaving a trace.