Man proposes, God disposes. Perhaps even Hyūga Shinichi himself would not have thought that by revealing Obito's identity, he still wouldn't cause Konoha to treat the man with sufficient seriousness. After all, Namikaze Minato and Sarutobi Hiruzen were not omniscient gods; how could they possibly know the magnitude of the chaos Uchiha Obito was capable of creating?!
Hyūga Shinichi treated Obito as a super-boss, but in the ingrained perception of Minato and Hiruzen, Uchiha Obito was simply a former Chūnin, wasn't he?! Minato had met Obito personally and might have given his Space-Time Ninjutsu a second thought, but that was all.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he didn't put Uchiha Obito in his mind at all. Compared to Uchiha Obito as an individual, his real concern was the Uchiha Clan!
...
That night, Namikaze Minato and Sarutobi Hiruzen visited the Uchiha compound.
Before the Nine-Tails' Attack, the Uchiha, as one of Konoha's noble clans and founding families, were located in the central region of Konoha.
Their compound backed onto Konoha Training Ground One, which was essentially the Uchiha's private training ground—outsiders who trespassed would be chased away by Uchiha members. While this had caused some resentment, it was tacitly allowed by the Hokage and other ninja clans.
Hiruzen and Minato's visit was somewhat sudden.
The Fugaku family had no time to prepare, yet they welcomed the two Hokage into the compound. Not long ago, Fugaku's wife had given birth to their second child. With Sarutobi Hiruzen's consent, Fugaku named his second son Sasuke.
This name was adopted from the name of Sarutobi Hiruzen's father, expressing Fugaku's respect for Hiruzen's father in ninja clan culture, and also expressing the hope that his son Sasuke would become an excellent ninja, just like Hiruzen's father. This was Uchiha Fugaku actively conveying his intention of closeness to the Third Hokage. It was not the abstract notion of "my son is your dad" as proposed by some.
With this layer of relationship, Hiruzen and Minato's sudden visit was not considered impolite.
As clans that had been passed down for a thousand years, the Uchiha Clan's system was not as rigid as the Hyūga's, meaning the Uchiha did not project the same strict hierarchy in their interactions with outsiders as the Hyūga did.
After Fugaku led Hiruzen and Minato into the living room, Mikoto served tea and refreshments to the guests before quietly leaving. As for Uchiha Fugaku's son, Uchiha Itachi, after bringing the newborn Sasuke to greet the two Hokage, he also left and did not stay to accompany them.
In the spacious living room, only three adults remained to discuss business.
Fugaku was unaware of the two Hokage's intent, so he merely invited them to drink tea after they sat down, saying little else. The Third Hokage, whose primary purpose was accompaniment, also drank his tea silently.
Minato, however, after courteously drinking a few sips of tea, got straight to the point:
"Clan Head Fugaku, the reason the Third Hokage and I are here is to ask you about Uchiha Obito."
"Do you know... that Uchiha Obito is still alive?"
A name that had long disappeared from Fugaku's memory was brought up again.
"Uchiha Obito?"
"Still alive?"
"Fourth Hokage, what do you mean?"
Fugaku was also familiar with the name Obito. He was the one who decided to allow Kakashi to keep the Sharingan at the time.
After all, that was during the Third Great War, and Konoha had suffered heavy losses. Even the Uchiha, who served as the Military Police Force guarding Konoha, faced severe trials. To maintain unity within the Village against external threats, Fugaku showed leadership and overruled dissenting opinions.
Hearing Minato suddenly mention Obito's name now, Fugaku's expression darkened slightly. Was this a pretext? Or something else?
Minato pretended not to notice the change in Fugaku's expression and began detailing how he detected Uchiha Obito's traces and set a trap to "catch" him in the act. However, this version was different from the one he told the Third Hokage, as he deliberately omitted Hyūga Shinichi's existence.
Fugaku, however, paid no attention to these minor details. His focus was on Uchiha Obito, who had supposedly died years ago, returning to Konoha. His thoughts were the same as the Third Hokage's: deliberately hiding the fact that he was alive, only to appear before Minato in that attire, meant he was clearly up to no good.
If Uchiha Obito merely represented himself as an individual, it might be fine, but Fugaku knew that was impossible. The Uchiha Clan had historically faced suspicion in Konoha. If another rogue ninja emerged from the clan, it would only give others more ammunition to exploit. Similar incidents had happened before!
"Third Hokage, Fourth Hokage."
"I am truly unaware of the matter concerning Uchiha Obito."
"I ask that the Third and Fourth Hokage allow us, the Uchiha Clan, to personally investigate this matter!"
"I will arrange for the Uchiha elite to thoroughly search for Uchiha Obito's whereabouts!"
"Regardless of his motive, we will absolutely not allow him to pose a threat to Konoha!"
The best way to deal with a Sharingan was with a Sharingan. Fugaku, hearing Minato say that Obito had mastered some kind of profound Space-Time Ninjutsu, had already subtly realized that the opponent might have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
After all, Space-Time Ninjutsu was not an ordinary Ninjutsu that one could simply learn. If Obito truly had the talent for it, he might have mastered the Flying Thunder God during his years with Minato. So what could cause a former dead last to suddenly master a technique of that caliber? The answer was obvious, wasn't it?
Moreover, judging by Obito's words and mannerisms, Fugaku could already conclude that the opponent harbored extremely intense emotions and attachments. Such a person was more likely to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Unlike Minato and Hiruzen, Fugaku now deeply understood the potential threat posed by that man's existence.
However, he did not share this information with the Fourth and Third Hokage. After all, he didn't want the two Hokage to know too much. More knowledge would lead to more caution toward the Uchiha Clan, which was not what he wanted.
Fugaku planned to quietly resolve the matter before Uchiha Obito could make any major moves. He was fully confident in his ability to do so! Even if Obito had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, so what? Was Uchiha Obito the only person in the Uchiha Clan with the Mangekyō Sharingan?!
Fugaku's sincere attitude earned the trust of the Third and Fourth Hokage. After a brief discussion, the group reached an agreement.
Following this, Hiruzen and Minato stood up to leave. Fugaku enthusiastically escorted the two men to the compound gate. Watching the two Hokage disappear into the dark street, Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan eyes spun, and the comma-shaped pupils instantly merged into a pinwheel shape.
"Uchiha Obito...."
"I will not allow you to jeopardize the Uchiha Clan's living environment in the Village!"
"We Uchiha... are already walking on thin ice!"
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