Fugaku, You Wouldn't Want This Either (Please Keep Reading)

Fugaku, You Wouldn't Want This Either... (Please Keep Reading)

Three days had passed since Namikaze Mirai's battle with Obito, yet discussions of that fight throughout Konoha had never stopped.

The entire village was filled with excitement.

That battle had simply been too shocking! From a third of Konoha, one only had to look up to see the purple Lightning Sea in the southeast.

The raging, violent currents of electricity seemed like divine punishment descending from the heavens.

After the battle, the once-dense forest had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a massive basin several meters deep.

Over the past few days of discussion, the Villagers had roughly figured out the identities of both combatants.

The one who had unleashed that terrifying attack was Naruto's Uncle, the Blue Flash, Namikaze Mirai.

This powerful man, who had lain dormant for three years, had once again revealed his savage side to the world.

The other was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Attack! After learning the details of the battle, the vast majority of Villagers trembled with excitement.

The pain left behind by the Nine-Tails Attack had yet to fully fade. It had not only claimed the lives of shinobi that night, but also countless Villagers in their sleep.

After this battle, Namikaze Mirai's reputation in the village soared.

Some Villagers even began comparing him to the First Hokage.

In contrast, Danzo's reputation plummeted to rock bottom. Infamous and reviled, he had practically become a rat everyone wanted to beat.

Before that battle broke out, there had been rumors in the village that the mastermind was one of Danzo's test subjects.

This battle, coincidental to an absurd degree, pushed Danzo's infamy to new heights.

He became an object of universal scorn.

Danzo felt exceptionally aggrieved about this.

It was utterly infuriating!

He had clearly done nothing, yet the scapegoat on his back only grew shinier and shinier.

Does the entire world's blame have to fall on me? As the outside discussions grew ever more heated, within the Uchiha Clan Compound—

At the Clan Leader's Residence.

The central figure of the incident, Namikaze Mirai, sat cross-legged across a low table from Fugaku, leisurely sipping tea.

The fragrance of steeped tea drifted through the room, lending it an elegant air.

"Mirai, about Itachi becoming your disciple..."

Uchiha Fugaku set down his teacup. The words reached his lips, but he did not know how to continue.

The battle a few days ago had already displayed Namikaze Mirai's strength.

Even if Minato came back to life, he probably would not measure up to his younger brother.

In terms of strength, he was more than qualified to be Itachi's teacher.

But...

A trace of conflict appeared in his eyes.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen came to see you, didn't he?"

Namikaze Mirai took a sip of tea and spoke casually.

"Yes. Nothing can be hidden from you."

Seeing Namikaze Mirai bring it up himself, Fugaku seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded.

Just two days ago, Sarutobi Hiruzen had come to see him as well.

They had spoken at length about Itachi entering the Anbu.

Once Itachi joined the Anbu, he would effectively become Sarutobi Hiruzen's direct subordinate. Naturally, he could no longer become Namikaze Mirai's disciple.

Uchiha Fugaku fell into deep conflict.

On one hand, having Itachi become Namikaze Mirai's disciple would undoubtedly be highly beneficial. With Mirai's strength, guiding Itachi would be effortless.

But having Itachi join the Anbu also seemed like a good choice.

For one, it could ease the increasingly tense relationship between the Uchiha and the village.

For another, Itachi could serve as the spy he planted at Sarutobi Hiruzen's side, passing the village leadership's Intelligence back to the clan.

The two choices led in almost completely opposite directions.

Uchiha Fugaku found it difficult to make up his mind.

Namikaze Mirai took in Fugaku's hesitant appearance.

He set down his tea.

"Fugaku, you probably want Itachi to serve as the Uchiha's spy within the village leadership, don't you?"

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Uchiha Fugaku's mouth.

"As expected, I still can't hide it from you."

In front of Namikaze Mirai, he was practically transparent.

"Fugaku, have you ever considered whether Itachi would really act according to your wishes?"

Namikaze Mirai's expression grew serious.

"Hm? Why do you ask?"

Uchiha Fugaku did not understand. He was Itachi's father; Itachi should naturally act according to his wishes.

Wasn't that perfectly normal? Seeing Fugaku's expression, Namikaze Mirai knew he had not realized the severity of the problem at all.

So he changed his approach.

"Or rather, do you truly understand your son?"

Fugaku was even more baffled. Itachi was his son, and he had watched him grow up with his own hands.

Of course he understood him.

"Mirai, I don't understand what you mean."

"Then I'll be blunt!"

"Itachi has thoughts of his own. You place him among the upper ranks as a spy, and the upper ranks will also have him serve as a spy planted within the Uchiha. Tell me, what choice will he make in the end?"

Fugaku's expression turned grave.

"Itachi is my eldest son. Even if he truly faced such a choice, he should choose the clan."

A double agent—Fugaku had already considered that possibility.

A choice between the clan and the village.

Having grown up among the Uchiha since childhood, he should choose the clan without hesitation.

"I'm not so sure."

Namikaze Mirai shook his head.

"Why?"

"In Itachi's eyes, I saw profound confusion. Like a ship sailing across a black sea at night, having him serve as a double agent would only greatly deepen that confusion."

"In such a desperate situation, once Itachi finds even the slightest sense of direction, even one so utterly wrong it defies reason, he will treat it as his last hope and follow it without regard for the consequences."

"Fugaku, you don't want Itachi to cause consequences that can never be undone either, do you?"

Namikaze Mirai looked deeply at him.

A chill ran down Fugaku's spine.

He suddenly felt that he understood far too little about Itachi.

Was his eldest son, who had always been sensible and obedient, lost and suffering? As his father, he had not noticed at all.

Outside the door, Itachi stood silently with freshly brewed hot tea in his hands, intending to replace their tea as he quietly listened to their conversation.

"Itachi is a precocious and sensitive child. The depth of his thoughts far exceeds that of children his age."

"What is a clan? What is a village? What is capacity? I imagine Itachi thinks about such things every moment of every day."

"That is precisely why he needs someone to guide him, like a candle lit in the darkness, helping him find the right path."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen cannot do that. He is a politician, a schemer. His position is based solely on his own interests."

"I believe I can."

Namikaze Mirai looked solemnly at Fugaku across from him.

Crash!

The wooden sliding door was yanked open.

Fugaku turned in astonishment.

There stood Uchiha Itachi, holding the hot tea. His black eyes had long since turned red and wet.

Clatter!

The tea he held fell to the floor, and steaming liquid spilled from the shattered teapot across the ground.

Itachi suddenly dropped to his knees, pressing his face deeply against the floor.

His voice trembled with earnest desperation.

"Mirai-sama, please accept me as your disciple!"

A faint smile appeared in Namikaze Mirai's azure eyes as he watched the scene unfold.

With his Biological Magnetic Field perception, he had noticed Itachi approaching long ago.

Everything he had just said had been deliberately meant for Itachi to hear.

Just as smoothly as he had expected.