Black Zetsu slowly watched Uchiha Akira from the shadows.
The forged letter from before had already been successfully delivered to Konoha, and Tobirama had clearly believed at least part of it.
Otherwise, those Anbu would not have appeared in the Nine-Tails' activity area ahead of time.
Now, all he needed to do was leave the "evidence" for Madara to discover himself.
Black Zetsu did not rush closer.
He patiently waited for an entire afternoon. Only after confirming that Akira was completely immersed in cultivation did he silently slip into the cave.
The boy's small pack was placed in the corner. Inside were only a few changes of clothes, some simple dry rations, and a blank ninja tool scroll.
Black Zetsu took out the "draft" he had prepared beforehand.
It was another copy of the letter, written in simulated handwriting. Its contents were almost identical to the official letter sent to Konoha, except that it had several corrections and traces of hesitation, making it look more like the genuine state of a boy gathering his courage to write a letter.
He carefully tucked the draft into the inner layer of the scroll. It was neither too deep nor too shallow, just deep enough to be discovered when the scroll was handled, while not looking too deliberate.
After finishing all this, Black Zetsu retreated into the shadows.
He did not leave immediately, but continued observing from a distance.
The commotion caused by Madara capturing the Nine-Tails was too great. He would return sooner or later. When that happened, as long as Madara developed even the slightest suspicion toward Akira, and then "happened" to find this draft…
"Perfect." Black Zetsu muttered to himself.
He had completed the system's mission without having to get his own hands bloody, and could even deepen Madara's hatred of Konoha in the process.
It achieved several things at once.
——
When night fell, Madara returned.
He did not enter the cave directly. Instead, he first circled around the area. Only after confirming there were no other pursuers did he appear at the cave entrance with the completely suppressed Nine-Tails.
Akira immediately stood up, clear surprise and nervousness in his eyes.
"Lord Madara! You… succeeded?"
Madara nodded, his voice flat. "The Nine-Tails is under my control."
Akira's eyes fell on the enormous red fox, and his heart jolted. A scene he had only seen in the manga and anime in his previous life was now appearing vividly before his eyes.
The Nine-Tails' eyes were half-closed, clearly still under the forced suppression of the genjutsu, yet it could still give off that suffocating pressure.
"Akira." Madara suddenly spoke.
"Yes."
"Did you notice anything unusual here?"
Akira froze for a moment, then shook his head. "No. It's been very quiet."
Madara said nothing more. He simply walked into the cave, settled the Nine-Tails in an open area farther outside the cave, and then sat at the entrance, closing his eyes to rest.
Akira carefully sat a little farther away, not daring to disturb him.
The night was very quiet.
But Madara's Sharingan moved slightly in the darkness.
He was thinking back over everything that had happened that afternoon.
The Anbu's appearance had been too precise. They had not tracked him afterward. They had set up a warning network in advance. This meant someone had already sent the information back to Konoha before he approached the Nine-Tails.
'Who?'
Akira was the only person who knew he was going to capture the Nine-Tails.
Madara's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment.
The boy's expression was sincere, his gaze firm, without the slightest attempt to avoid his eyes. But precisely because of this, it was even harder to judge.
He did not question him immediately.
Instead, he decided to observe him for a while longer.
After all, this person was currently his only follower.
He might even be useful as a pawn in the future. Uchiha Madara did not want to simply throw him away.
"Lord Madara!"
Suddenly, Uchiha Akira spoke and walked over.
"Lord Madara, right now… we're severely outnumbered.", Uchiha Akira said.
Madara turned his head slightly, his Sharingan falling on the boy's face. He did not speak immediately.
Akira took a deep breath and continued, "I know someone who can become our companion."
Madara's brow moved almost imperceptibly.
"Who?"
Akira asked without the slightest hesitation, "Lord Madara, do you know about 'Nameless'? The weapon that the Uchiha clan used for war in history?"
Madara frowned.
He had indeed read the clan history.
The ancient scrolls locked away deep inside the Uchiha shrine recorded many events from the past that had long since been forgotten by the world.
Among them was a passage that vaguely mentioned a weapon called "Nameless." It was said that in an extremely distant era, the Uchiha had used it to sweep across the battlefield, but for some reason it had completely disappeared, to the point that even its specific form was unclear.
Only a few vague records remained in the clan history. The era was too distant, and even he had only briefly glanced over it when reading the records in his youth.
But how could an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy know about this?
Madara slowly turned around, his gaze lingering on Akira's face for a moment. There was genuine confusion in his voice. "How… do you know about this?"
Akira's heart sank.
He knew he had spoken too quickly.
In the memories of his previous life, he knew many of the Uchiha clan's secrets like the back of his hand. But in this world, such knowledge should never have come from the mouth of an orphan.
Especially something like "Nameless," which had almost been completely buried by history.
He could only force himself to quickly come up with an excuse.
"My… father told me about it before."
"He would occasionally mention some old matters from the clan while he was alive. Although he didn't go into much detail, I remember the name 'Nameless' very clearly. He said it was once the sharpest blade of the Uchiha, but later, no one knew where it had been hidden."
Akira's voice tightened slightly, but he tried to remain calm.
Madara quietly looked at him.
His Sharingan was not activated, yet it still gave off an invisible pressure.
Uchiha Madara could sense that something was wrong with the boy.
How could Uchiha Madara possibly fail to see it?
Akira's heart was beating fast. He forced himself to raise his head and meet Madara's gaze, not daring to look away.
After a moment, Madara finally spoke calmly. "Hikaku… told you these things too?"
"Yes."
Akira nodded, keeping his voice as steady as possible.
Madara did not ask any further questions.
———
Konoha, the secret room behind the Hokage's office cabin.
On the table in front of Senju Tobirama, besides the letter sent under the name "Uchiha Akira," there was now another Anbu report.
The report described everything that had happened in the Nine-Tails' activity area that afternoon in detail, including Uchiha Madara's chakra, traces of the Nine-Tails being successfully suppressed, and the brief encounter between the Anbu and Madara.
Tobirama lightly tapped his fingers on the table.
"The letter was right." He muttered to himself. "Madara really did go to capture the Nine-Tails."
And he had succeeded.
This meant that at least part of the letter's contents was true.
But was Uchiha Akira sincerely defecting to their side, or did he have another purpose?
Tobirama still could not reach a conclusion.
He simply issued a new order: continue strengthening surveillance of the routes the Nine-Tails might take, while secretly investigating all of Uchiha Akira's movements and personal relationships before he left Konoha.
"If this child really is my informant…" Tobirama's lips tightened slightly. "Then continue using him. If not…"
Then he would wait for Madara to deal with him himself.
Either outcome would not be bad for Konoha.