Itachi was able to enter the Anbu not just because of his own strength, but more importantly because the higher-ups of the village didn't trust the Uchiha.
Even though the Uchiha were keeping a low profile now, the village still remained wary.
The current Uchiha were under Uchiha Fugaku's restraint, quietly minding their own business and not meddling in anything else. Life was a bit easier for them now—yet the village remained uneasy about those red-eyed freaks.
Because they knew all too well—this clan's strength could grow at terrifying speed. If a relative or close friend died, it could trigger the awakening of the Sharingan. That was far too risky.
If even one of them turned against the village, the consequences would be unimaginable.
In short, as long as the Uchiha existed, the village would never feel at ease.
Itachi understood this.
Silently, he chose to become a bridge between the clan and the village—a spy, watching both sides.
"You guys always overcomplicate things."
Kiyosuke muttered.
"Your Uchiha clan is way too troublesome. Too many of you are blinded by power. All it takes is a little nudge and one of you's ready to rebel. If I really wanted to wipe out the Uchiha, it'd be too easy to provoke you into it."
Itachi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He could tell Kiyosuke was being serious. If Kiyosuke really did want to deal with the Uchiha, it would be all too simple to make them rebel, giving the village an excuse to exterminate them legitimately.
But still, with someone like Kiyosuke in the village, why did the higher-ups still fear the Uchiha?
That was what he couldn't understand.
"Why does the village still fear the Uchiha… when we have Kiyosuke-sama?"
"Because they're afraid another Uchiha Madara will rise."
"Uchiha Madara?"
Itachi knew of him—one of the founders of Konoha alongside the First Hokage.
Soon after the village was founded, he had become a missing-nin.
The first missing-nin in Konoha's history—perhaps even the first in the entire shinobi world.
Even the First Hokage had to go all out just to defeat him.
"Itachi, like you said—life ends, and I'll eventually grow old and die.
"Maybe while I'm still alive, the Uchiha will fear my strength enough to avoid rebellion."
"But what happens after I die?"
"You mean…"
"Exactly.
"Those old geezers are afraid that once I'm gone, there'll be no one left to suppress the Uchiha."
"They're thinking way too far ahead—by then, they'll be nothing but dust and bones."
Kiyosuke let out a snort, clearly unimpressed.
Instead of focusing on the present, they were worried about a future they might never live to see.
Ridiculous.
As long as he was around, the Uchiha wouldn't dare make a move.
And in the future, Naruto and Sasuke would be enough to keep the Uchiha in check for at least a hundred years.
If they still chose to rebel after that, then maybe it really was fate. Let them be destroyed.
"Overthinking leads to paranoia."
"Is there any way to resolve the Uchiha crisis?"
Itachi looked to Kiyosuke for help, hoping to find a solution.
"Keep things as they are. If they don't move, neither should you. Don't give the village a reason to act."
"Also, cut down on those clan meetings. If there's something you're unhappy about, write a letter and report it to the Third. He's the Hokage. The village's problems are his responsibility—he'll be thrilled to deal with them."
Having the Uchiha put their grievances in writing would show trust in the village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't ignore that.
He still feared the Uchiha's rebellion, after all. As long as their demands weren't unreasonable, he'd usually agree to them.
Itachi understood now and nodded.
"I get it. That's a good approach."
Kiyosuke nodded as well.
"But don't go overboard with your requests. Have them point out the unfair parts—even the little stuff is fine. What matters is fairness."
"But don't bring up things like 'The Hyūga claim to be Konoha's number one clan.' That's too obvious."
"Understood. I'll report this to my father."
Itachi smiled. It was a solid plan.
He would tell his father right away and help ease tensions between the village and the Uchiha.
...
The next day, Uchiha Fugaku brought a stack of letters to the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent as he looked at them.
Opening them, he saw that they were mostly about minor issues—reasonable, nothing outrageous.
The Uchiha's requests were fairly simple.
It was a good sign.
Fugaku was showing his willingness to trust the village—a signal that the Uchiha could be relied upon. That was great.
But still... why were there so many?!
Staring at the pile, Hiruzen's head started to ache.
If work kept piling up like this, he'd be completely overwhelmed.
"Call Kiyosuke over. I need something from him."
"Yes, sir!"
An Anbu vanished in a flash.
Soon after, Kiyosuke arrived, yawning.
"Old man, what do you want now?"
"Here—help me go through these letters."
"You're the Hokage. Making me handle this stuff is totally against protocol."
"Then I order you, as the Hokage, to deal with them."
"You… You're abusing your power!"
Kiyosuke grabbed a handful of letters and sat down on the couch to go through them.
They were all Uchiha requests.
After reading, he said, "They're all pretty reasonable."
"Indeed. It's the Uchiha's way of showing they trust me."
Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe.
"That's a good thing."
"Exactly. So why are you still suspicious of them? As long as I'm here, they won't get out of hand."
Kiyosuke was as calm and confident as ever.
"But…"
Just as Hiruzen was about to argue, Kiyosuke cut him off.
"Every generation handles its own problems. Once I'm gone, Naruto will still be here.
"He'll eventually master the Nine-Tails and become a perfect Jinchūriki. I had him grow up among the Uchiha so he could become a bridge between them and the village."
"To be honest, the Uchiha now are way more obedient than they were before. Old man, you need to learn to be satisfied."
"If you keep doubting them, you'll only break their hearts."
Push them too hard, and they will rebel.
Right now, they were already doing way better than in the original story.
"I know that, but still…"
"You're afraid of another Uchiha Madara, aren't you?"
"Yes."
They had seen firsthand how terrifying Madara had been.
That was why they remained so cautious.
Kiyosuke let out a cold snort.
"Back then, when Madara rebelled, not a single member of his clan followed him. That already showed where they stood. Isn't that enough? All this paranoia is going to backfire."
"Let's hope you're right."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and said,
"From now on, all the Uchiha's letters are your responsibility. For the sake of the greater good, Kiyosuke… you'll have to make a small sacrifice."
Kiyosuke: "…"
Damn it. I dug my own grave!
"I…"
"This is a direct order from the Hokage. You have to obey. Unless… you'd rather take over as the Fifth Hokage?"
The old man smiled slyly.
Like hell I want that job! It'd be even more exhausting!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴