Chapter 6
"I want to ask you something about the village and our Uchiha clan."
In the quiet room of the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Makoto and Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the clan, sat opposite each other.
Fugaku was silent for a moment, his expression stern, "Oh, why do you ask this question?"
"As one of the oldest and most famous clans of Konoha, the Uchiha should be respected. But today, I discovered that many people in the village are afraid of us." Uchiha Makoto replied seriously.
This was indeed something Makoto Uchiha could feel. The students who had just entered the Ninja Academy may not understand it very well, but most of the civilian ninjas who brought their children to school deliberately avoided Makoto once they noticed the Uchiha fan crest on his back.
"Our Uchiha are in charge of Konoha's Police Force, a duty entrusted to us by the Second Hokage. We maintain law and order within the village. It is natural for people to be wary of authority, perhaps even fearful. But it is still the same question—why do you ask this?" Fugaku's tone carried the weight of experience.
Uchiha Makoto lowered his head. He did not notice that the expression on Fugaku's face at this time was subtly meaningful, as though he were gauging Makoto's heart.
"The existence of the Police Force alone cannot explain the distance people keep from us. Our clan's residence was moved to the edge of Konoha after the Nine-Tails attack. That kind of isolation is not just about duty or authority—it feels more like suspicion."
Fugaku did not answer directly. Instead, he asked with a deliberate calmness, "Makoto, how do you truly view the village and the clan?"
Here came the question, one that could decide Uchiha Makoto's place in Fugaku's eyes. This answer would affect not only his image but also how the patriarch might regard his potential within the clan.
Although Makoto felt it was pointless to care too much about the opinions of a clan destined for destruction in the near future, he still chose to answer sincerely.
"Master Patriarch, I may not have great ability. But in my view, I only owe loyalty to those who are good to me. The clan has raised me, and I will naturally repay the clan."
"I am a member of the Uchiha clan. Likewise, the Uchiha are part of Konoha. If the village treats our family with respect, then our family will serve Konoha with loyalty."
"Then tell me," Fugaku pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly, "if there was a conflict between the village and the clan, which side would you choose?"
"Naturally, I would seek to resolve the conflict," Makoto replied without hesitation.
At that moment, Uchiha Makoto felt as if lightning had struck through his heart, and the unspoken truth became clear. He finally understood the reason behind the Uchiha massacre.
Going back to Fugaku's question—if conflict broke out between the village and the clan, most would want reconciliation. But when contradictions intensified to the point of no return, choosing sides became unavoidable. Uchiha Itachi had chosen the village, sacrificing even his parents, in order to prevent a coup that could lead to another Great Ninja War.
Makoto could not accept it at once. Was Itachi's act truly the righteousness of killing his own kin for the sake of the greater peace? He gave up his family for Konoha, but Makoto could not see justice in it.
Moreover, such "righteousness" depended on whether Konoha itself was truly righteous. From the way the village treated the Uchiha after the Nine-Tails attack, isolating and distrusting them, Makoto doubted it. At present, neither Konoha nor the shinobi world showed such righteousness. Why should he be bound blindly to clan or village, when the system itself was flawed?
Fugaku did not ask again. Perhaps he thought Makoto had glimpsed the truth, or perhaps he believed there was no point in further explanation.
He rose to his feet, walked toward the corridor, and spoke with his back to Makoto while gazing at the yard outside.
"Makoto, if you truly wish to understand, then use your Sharingan to find the answer for yourself."
Makoto said nothing more. For now, he knew he had to follow one condition to survive—abide by Konoha's rules and remain cautious of those in the village who harbored malice toward the Uchiha.
He bid farewell to Fugaku. Now that he understood the reason for the impending massacre, he knew he needed greater strength.
Makoto did not concern himself with Sasuke. After all, Sasuke was destined to become one of the main actors in this story. Instead of wasting time playing at friendship with children, Makoto decided to pursue his own path to power first.
This method was nothing but a kind of strategy—playing hard to get, as a cunning manipulator might.
Makoto smiled sincerely and left Fugaku's house.
"Dad! Where did he really go? Wasn't he still talking to you just now?"
Sasuke ran into the yard, eyes shining with excitement, but he did not see Uchiha Makoto's figure and turned to question Fugaku.
"Sasuke, when will you learn to be as composed as your brother Itachi?" Fugaku's voice was calm but firm.
Sasuke's face darkened in frustration. Fugaku added, "He went ahead to train. Next time, he will meet you properly."
"I knew it! He called me a friend but didn't even say goodbye. He just went off to train secretly. He's probably afraid I'll surpass him…" Sasuke muttered as he ran off, his small fists clenched.
Meanwhile, in the steamy Konoha bathhouse, several silhouettes flickered in the mist.
Sarutobi Hiruzen dabbed his nosebleed with a handkerchief, coughing awkwardly. "Cough, cough… the youth of Konoha really are growing strong…"
Even as he muttered, the Third Hokage's eyes remained fixed on his crystal ball.
Suddenly, a masked ANBU operative appeared in the Hokage's office with the sound of a low shunshin.
The operative knelt with head bowed. "Lord Third! We have gathered intelligence on Uchiha Makoto."
Cough! The bathhouse image on the crystal ball vanished in an instant.
Sarutobi's expression shifted to solemnity. Though past sixty, his gaze carried the same sharp authority he once held in the Second and Third Shinobi Wars.
"Proceed. What do we know of this Uchiha?"
The ANBU presented a file. Sarutobi studied the portrait while listening carefully to the report.
The drawing showed a boy with neatly cropped dark hair, already handsome despite his youth, his smile bright with confidence—Uchiha Makoto.
"Uchiha Makoto. Both parents perished on missions—his father was a jōnin, his mother a chūnin. Since childhood, he lived under his grandmother's care."
"Not long ago, after his grandmother's death, he awakened the Sharingan. At the Academy, he declared his dream: to become Hokage and master all ninjutsu."
"Furthermore, he has recently grown close to Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest son of Patriarch Fugaku. The clan seems to have entrusted Uchiha Shisui, famed for Kotoamatsukami, with mentoring him."
The ANBU fell silent. Only the soft crackle of Sarutobi's pipe filled the Hokage's office.
"To become Hokage?" Hiruzen murmured, his voice distant. "Once, there was another Uchiha who dreamed the same…"
Awakening the Sharingan at six years old—this talent was extraordinary. Even as Hokage, he was compelled to acknowledge the brilliance of Uchiha blood.
Shisui as his guide… and such ambition… could this young one stand at a dangerous crossroads?
Ash slipped from his pipe onto the desk. The ANBU still waited for his orders.
"End direct surveillance of Uchiha Makoto. But increase the units monitoring the Uchiha compound. One more squad, effective immediately."
"Understood!" The ANBU's voice was crisp, and in a breath, the masked shinobi vanished from sight.
Left alone, Hiruzen stared at an old photo album resting at his desk. "Kagami… how should I face the Uchiha now?" he whispered.
On the photo's page stood seven shinobi of different ages. In the center was a silver-haired man in the Hokage's robe—Sarutobi's teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.