Fugaku stared at Natsuki, his gaze burning.
"Natsuki, when do you plan on accepting the position of clan head?"
This wasn't the first time Fugaku had asked the question. But every time before, Natsuki had brushed him off.
Now, however, he already had other plans.
"The clan is stable for the moment. I need to go out for a while."
"For how long?" Fugaku didn't ask where—Natsuki never needed anyone to worry about his destination. He always had his own ideas.
Natsuki shook his head. "I'm not sure. If things go smoothly, half a year to a year. If not… two or three years."
"Is it absolutely necessary?" Fugaku was very satisfied with how the clan was living right now.
Seeing Fugaku's attitude, Natsuki knew this wouldn't do. He needed to hammer the point home.
Putting on a serious expression, he pointed at the sky.
"Clan head, don't let the prosperity before your eyes blind you. Some dangers are always there, even if they haven't yet arrived.
"If you don't have the strength to confront them, then in the end, the Uchiha will still be shattered to pieces!"
"Mm…" Fugaku nodded slightly. Recently, Danzo had vanished without a trace, and Konoha seemed to be coexisting peacefully with the Uchiha.
The Hyūga and Uchiha were practically like family now. Hiashi often invited Fugaku over so the two clans could spar together or carry out joint missions.
On top of that, Natsuki had injected countless resources into the clan. He had even distributed shuriken and kunai to all Uchiha students still in school.
For civilian families, such tools required saving tooth and nail. The Uchiha handed them out freely!
Some clansmen had even opened "Chinese Cuisine" restaurants in the village.
Life was steadily improving for the clan, and Fugaku had become so immersed in this happiness that he had forgotten the apocalyptic scene Natsuki had once shown them.
Fugaku sighed. Growing was easy, preserving was hard.
"Then just be careful. Come back as soon as you can."
Natsuki nodded. He pressed his fingers to his forehead, and waves of ocular power gathered at the seal formed at his fingertips.
"Transcription Seal!?" Fugaku was astonished at Natsuki's proficiency with fūinjutsu.
Natsuki pressed the seal onto Fugaku's eyes. The mark appeared and then slowly faded.
"Hss…" A familiar surge of ocular power filled his sockets, and for the first time in ages Fugaku could see clearly again, though only temporarily.
"Natsuki, if you've poured so much power into me, what will you do if you run into danger?"
Natsuki's power was immense. Even if only a third had been transferred through the seal, that alone was equal to the full power of a Mangekyō Sharingan.
He waved his hand dismissively, admonishing Fugaku.
"Clan head, our current prosperity is like foam on water—beautiful, but fragile. With Itachi and Shisui away, you are the clan's only Kage-level fighter.
"Those who covet the Uchiha have never given up. I don't know when they'll strike. Our changes mean the future has changed as well.
"We must always be ready. I've stored power in you, but my own strength is still sufficient.
"Besides, there's one thing I haven't told you."
He pressed his hand to his forehead and opened his Mangekyō Sharingan. The overwhelming pressure of his gaze stunned Fugaku.
And this was after giving away a portion of his power!
But the crucial detail was…
"Natsuki, the pattern in your eyes…?" Fugaku's heart pounded wildly. Could it be…?
Natsuki nodded. "I already have the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Fugaku shot to his feet. "How is that possible!? Didn't you say it could only be achieved through bloodline fusion?"
And in the era when Natsuki was born—during wartime—forget siblings or parents, even uncles and cousins had all perished. He was truly alone.
Natsuki shook his head. He couldn't exactly explain about the system. "It must be because my ocular technique is unique. My power has been growing constantly. By this year, it naturally evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō."
"Good! Excellent!" Fugaku clapped his shoulder hard.
Even if Natsuki's case couldn't be replicated, at least the Uchiha had gained another supreme powerhouse. Natsuki could truly become the clan's cornerstone.
When Fugaku had calmed down, Natsuki continued. "Since I'll be gone for an unknown length of time, we must keep a low profile. Hide our wealth as long as possible.
"The police force is under Hyūga Hizashi, of the branch family. But wealth tempts the heart—one day the Hyūga main family may try to bypass him. Be ready for that."
Fugaku, with his years as clan head, of course understood: there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. He nodded.
Natsuki added, "And if mysterious enemies move against us, it will certainly be that man."
"Who?" Fugaku asked gravely.
"The one who controlled the Nine Tails during the disaster."
Fugaku shot up in alarm. "Natsuki, you know his identity?"
He had waited so long. Because of the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Uchiha had borne decades of unjust blame, nearly leading to their extinction!
Natsuki nodded. After so much development, it was time to reveal some truths.
"It's our clan's so-called hero—Uchiha Obito!"
"What!?" Fugaku was shaken to the core.
Slowly, he sank back into his seat. Across the Shinobi World Wars, countless Uchiha had fallen, but Obito was relatively well known—mostly because one of his eyes had gone missing.
Even though Obito had voluntarily given it to Kakashi, a Sharingan was still the clan's treasure. At the time, Hiruzen had exerted pressure and offered compensation to settle the matter.
"But Obito was only the executor. Behind him stood another—Uchiha Madara!" Natsuki dropped another bomb.
Fugaku's brow furrowed deeply. "Madara is still alive?"
Natsuki shook his head. "Not anymore."
He then explained how Obito had been saved by Madara, and turned into the vessel of Madara's will.
He recounted the stories of Kakashi, Obito, Rin—all of it.
"And so, Obito's heart fell into darkness. He wishes to realize Madara's dream, to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi and create a perfect world."
Fugaku did not mock Obito's obsessive view of love. After all, he too was Uchiha—no kind of Uchiha ever truly surprised him.
Instead, he only sighed. Why had no one seen Obito's talent earlier? From two-tomoe directly to Mangekyō Sharingan—astonishing.
Then again, Fugaku glanced at Natsuki. Back then, he too had seemed no more than ordinary. It was only two years ago that his transformation began.
It seemed every Uchiha's potential was immeasurable.
Through the night, Natsuki laid everything bare about Obito.
Then he moved on to the strongest group—the Akatsuki.
He introduced every member he could remember, especially their leader, Nagato.
Nagato viewed all powerful organizations as thorns in his side. The stronger they were, the more he believed they would cause war.
In the previous timeline, Konoha had been the strongest village, with the Nine Tails within it.
That was why Nagato had attacked. Now, with the Uchiha's rapid rise, Natsuki worried he might decide to destroy them as well.
The two spoke through the night. Natsuki even explained Madara giving Nagato the Rinnegan, and how, should Nagato come to Konoha, Uchiha civilians should evacuate.
The future held too many uncertainties. All Natsuki could do was pass on what he remembered of dangerous people.
If Konoha couldn't withstand the threat, then the Uchiha should run. He had already prepared a fallback in the Land of Rice Fields.
"Creak…" The conference room door opened.
It was Uchiha Mikoto, carrying a tray of food.
Natsuki nodded to her. "Mikoto-san."
Fugaku scolded her lightly. "Why did you come?"
Mikoto first smiled at Natsuki, then set down the tray.
"You two… don't even watch the time when you talk. It's nearly dawn. Haven't you realized you're hungry?"
Natsuki scratched his head. He would be gone for a long time, and worried for the clan's safety. That was why he had been so long-winded. Without realizing it, he had spent the whole night talking with Fugaku.
"Sorry, Mikoto-san. I'll watch the time better next time."
She shook her head. "You're the vice clan head. If you're talking with Fugaku, it must be important. But you still need to take care of your health. Eat something first."
Fugaku and Natsuki, both hungry, picked up the food Mikoto had prepared.
In his heart, Natsuki sighed. If he hadn't come here, Fugaku and Mikoto would already have died at Itachi's hands.
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