Late at night.
After finishing official business with Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Fugaku returned to his quarters, exhaustion written all over his face.
Inside, several Uchiha Jounin were already kneeling, waiting for him.
The moment he entered, they bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Clan Head!"
"Enough with the formalities," Fugaku said gravely. "Has Uchiha Kai awakened yet?"
Yes—he was anxious. All he was waiting for was Kai to wake, so that he could confirm with his own eyes whether the Mangekyo had truly been opened.
If it had, then Kai must be pulled close at all costs. Otherwise, if time dragged on and the radicals roped him in, things would become troublesome.
"Not yet," one of them replied. "Also, Clan Head, Clan Leader Setsuna has sent word. He hopes Uchiha Kai can be brought back to the clan to recuperate."
"I too believe that Mangekyo is of utmost importance to us. Kai is still unconscious—keeping him here at the front camp is dangerous. We should send him back to the clan grounds as soon as possible to guarantee his safety."
The speaker was Uchiha Tsuru, an elite Jounin and prominent figure among the radicals. With Mangekyo finally emerging in the clan, he was naturally more impatient than anyone. Once Kai recovered, he would become a top-tier force for the clan. That meant everything.
The others also voiced agreement. Whatever their factional leanings, deep down they all thought of the clan's well-being. Mangekyo was too important. Before Kai regains his strength, he should not remain in a dangerous war camp.
Fugaku fell into silence.
He hadn't expected the clan elders to be so well-informed. Barely five hours had passed since the incident, and they already knew. There was no need to guess—the front liners must have used the Cat Clan to pass the news home.
After a moment of thought, he said quietly:
"I understand your concerns. But this is wartime—every clan in Konoha is under the command of the leadership. Without the Hokage's approval, I cannot make such a decision on my own."
"But don't worry. I've already reported the matter through special channels. Within two days at most, we will receive word from the higher-ups on how Kai will be handled."
"Until then, his safety rests in your hands."
Yes—even with Kai having awakened the Mangekyo, Fugaku still never considered openly clashing with the Konoha leadership. He wanted to keep the clan stable, and as for changing their reputation in the village, he pinned his hopes on the next generation's Hokage.
Put bluntly—he was a man of little ability, ill-suited for leadership. When Madara left, the Uchiha chose his branch precisely because it was weak, hoping to coexist peacefully with the village.
Ambitious but short-sighted, stern in appearance but timid in spirit, jealous without authority, divided without unity, proud but with no consistent command…
These words had once been used to describe Yuan Shao. Yet they fit Uchiha Fugaku just as well.
The truth was plain.
When they heard him speak, frustration flickered in everyone's eyes. This was the Mangekyo Sharingan! Its importance to the clan was self-evident. How could such a strategic asset be left for the village to handle?
Konoha's leadership was their enemy!
For trivial matters, deferring to the Hokage was one thing. But something of this magnitude—this was like a nuclear weapon!
All they could do was sigh, exchanging helpless looks.
If they were back home, the elders might have had the authority to object. But here, as mere Jounin, they had no choice but to obey the clan head.
"Very well. We'll protect Kai with our lives."
They bowed and left.
Fugaku remained silent.
He knew perfectly well his clansmen were dissatisfied. He also knew the Hokage's faction would surely make moves once they learned of Mangekyo. But he felt powerless.
The village was already biased against the Uchiha, and this was wartime. If he openly defied the Hokage's authority, the rift between clan and village would only deepen.
So, he chose to take the risk.
In fairness, his reasoning wasn't entirely without merit. But tragically, he failed to see the bigger picture. Even if he played obedient now, Sarutobi Hiruzen would feel no gratitude—only tighten the squeeze.
If, on the other hand, Fugaku had defied them, citing the extraordinary circumstances, the village wouldn't have dared to act rashly. At most, some muttering behind his back. Perhaps even greater caution and hesitation.
But by showing fear, he only revealed weakness, making Hiruzen regard him with even less weight.
To be feared but not respected—that was the bitter truth.
This was also why Uchiha Kai, after crossing into this world, chose to stay low and avoid Fugaku altogether. Walking close to that man would only mean being dragged down.
And this time, he simply had no choice.
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, staring at the letter in his hand, his face dark and uncertain. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.
The thing he most dreaded… had still come to pass.
The Uchiha.
Since the days of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, the Hokage faction could never tolerate them. And this was the reason.
The Sharingan was absurdly unreasonable. Even the weakest Uchiha, once their eyes awakened, could skyrocket in strength overnight.
And worse—their minds were unstable.
Arrogant, aloof—that was tolerable. But once they suffered an emotional shock, their personalities twisted. For most clans, such a change meant little. But for the Uchiha, their power would surge drastically with it.
Take Uchiha Obito. Once the dead last of his class, yet after witnessing Rin's death, he transformed overnight, his strength multiplying countless times. With the broken ability of Kamui, not even the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, could subdue him.
With such an unstable clan, the Senju brothers had not been concerned—they were either strong enough or shrewd enough not to care. But Hiruzen was neither. His power was lacking, and his methods weaker still.
His vaunted "Will of Fire"? A joke to the great clans.
The truth was, he held onto the Hokage's seat mainly because he was willing to share the daimyo's annual funding with the clans.
Yes. The Fire Daimyo provided funds to the village. Hiruzen and his clique—the so-called "Konoha F4"—took the lion's share, but the other clans still got scraps.
Except the Uchiha.
They weren't part of the inner circle, so they weren't trusted enough to share in the spoils. And unlike the Hyuga, who meekly respected the Hokage while keeping to themselves, the Uchiha were neither submissive nor compliant.
So, they had to be crushed.
But no matter how hard he suppressed them, the Sharingan refused to fade. In every war, more of them awakened. It was infuriating.
Now this—
A useless academy dropout, sent to a fodder squad, awakened the Mangekyo in battle?
Did that mean all his years of suppression were in vain?
The Uchiha, unreasonable as ever—
Even saddled with Fugaku, a pathetic clan head, they still grew stronger.
Couldn't he get a break?
"…Uchiha Kai," Hiruzen muttered, voice dripping with malice as his mind spun furiously.
Should he recruit him? Or destroy him? If he tried to eliminate him—could he even guarantee success?
Regret pricked at him. He should never have overlooked Kai. He knew how unreasonable the Uchiha were. Just because Kai was once a weakling, he had neglected to indoctrinate him with the Will of Fire.
It's too late now.
Kai was unlike other Uchiha. Having been cast into a cannon-fodder squad, he had no deep bonds with his teammates. His parents were already dead, and he'd been estranged from the clan for years.ṣ
That meant he was a barefoot rogue in Konoha, unbound by ties. Push him too hard, and he might defect.
And the thought of a Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha lurking in the shadows, watching Konoha with vengeance in his eyes—
Hiss! Hiruzen sucked in a cold breath.
At that very moment, the office doors banged open.
Danzo entered, face grim. He waved his hand sharply.
"Hiruzen, you must have heard the news already."
"That accursed Uchiha clan has birthed another Mangekyo."
"Leave this Uchiha Kai to Root. I'll handle him."
"…."
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