Uchiha Fugaku's Arrival

Konoha border.

On his way back, Uchiha Yoru met with Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku. This time, the clan head had come both to let his eldest son experience war and to bring the clan's elite with him.

Inside the dim tent, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yoru sat facing each other in formal kneeling posture. Across the Land of Neon, the rules of rank and etiquette had practically been carved into people's bones.

The various formalities had reached exacting standards, especially among the Noble Houses, where not the slightest mistake was tolerated.

Formal kneeling posture meant kneeling on the floor with one's buttocks resting on one's heels, feet extended flat beneath the body and heels tucked under the hips. Hands rested on the knees or thighs, the back remained straight. Men kept their knees slightly apart, while women knelt with their knees together.

Put simply, it was kneeling.

"Clan Head."

Under the dim candlelight, Uchiha Yoru deliberately put on a weary look as though he were forcing himself to stay alert. Seeing this, Uchiha Fugaku frowned and asked in a low voice, "Yoru, have you made any progress?"

In just three months, the Uchiha Clan had already invested a considerable sum. Things had been going well, especially after Orochimaru took Uchiha Yoru as his disciple, which signaled a certain shift in the winds. But there had been no further developments lately, and Fugaku could not help wanting to know what the future Hokage was thinking.

Seeing Fugaku's grave expression, Uchiha Yoru let out a faint sigh. "Although Teacher Orochimaru is publicly the front line's supreme commander, he is secretly carrying out a Human Experimentation research mission. This is practically top secret, and more importantly—"

Seeing Uchiha Yoru hesitate, Uchiha Fugaku said in a deep voice, "Rest assured. The clan has no intention of involving itself in the village's classified mission this time, as you know. Even within the clan, only the elders, you, me, and Shisui know about it. It is equally classified there."

That was the truth. The Uchiha had no interest in some secret mission now. What they cared most about was the hope of returning to the center of Konoha's power.

Seeing the clan head like this, Uchiha Yoru hesitated before letting out a deep sigh. "Clan Head, based on the clues Teacher Orochimaru revealed, the village's upper ranks are extremely wary of the Uchiha Clan, especially Root's leader Danzo and the Third."

"Teacher Orochimaru said that, fearing a second Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Third is publicly placating us while Danzo is secretly wary of and excluding the Uchiha Clan. To guard against the Sharingan controlling the Nine-Tails again, the village has even secretly planned to restart the Wood Release Project."

"What?!" Uchiha Fugaku's face was full of shock, and a trace of fury showed between his brows. Damn it! They still did not trust the Uchiha Clan. Even at a time like this, they were still thinking about guarding against the Uchiha.

The Wood Release Project was meant to guard against them. After all, everyone knew that the Sharingan and Wood Release were the most effective means of restraining tailed beasts, and while the Sharingan was powerful, it had always been restrained by Wood Release.

Clearly, the village was restarting Wood Release research to restrain and guard against the Uchiha.

Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's anger, Uchiha Yoru secretly sighed in relief. Though he was deceiving both sides, his intentions were good. It was all for the clan.

"Ever since I became Teacher Orochimaru's disciple, it seems the village higher-ups have put considerable pressure on him and issued many warnings. They have even cut the research funding again."

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku nodded gravely. He believed that. He could not see through what the Third was thinking, but Danzo would absolutely do something like this.

Danzo loved coercing people, especially now that someone from the Uchiha Clan had become Orochimaru's disciple. How could Danzo possibly like that? He would definitely trip Orochimaru up.

With that in mind, Uchiha Fugaku said firmly, "When you return, tell Lord Orochimaru not to worry about funding. The Uchiha are willing to triple our contribution!"

Hearing that it would be tripled, Uchiha Yoru was instantly thrilled. Had he not taken such a huge risk to play both sides for exactly this?

"Rest assured, Clan Head. Teacher Orochimaru said he trusts the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Yoru felt not the slightest shame as he spoke such insincere words. Instead, he looked utterly composed. This was all to save the clan. Rather than let it all end up benefiting the village for nothing, it was better to spend the money early.

As the old saying went, when the person was gone but the money remained, that was the greatest tragedy. More importantly, this concerned the Uchiha's future.

Having learned what he wanted to know, Uchiha Fugaku immediately smiled in satisfaction. This was a good beginning. They only needed to wait for Orochimaru to take the position.

"Yoru, the clan will remember everything you have done. This time, the clan's elite have joined the front line and are willing to obey Lord Orochimaru's command in all matters. Tekka is here as well. If you have any problems in the future, remember to contact Tekka and Shisui in secret."

Uchiha Tekka! He could be considered one of the clan's Elite Jonin. More importantly, he seemed to be related to the clan head, considering they both had square faces.

After Uchiha Tekka's appearance surfaced in his mind, Uchiha Yoru showed a respectful expression and nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Clan Head. For the clan!"

After saying that, Uchiha Yoru's expression grew grave. He then lowered his voice and said, "Clan Head, according to Teacher Orochimaru, Lord Danzo, Root's leader, seems deeply dissatisfied with how close the Uchiha, the Hyuga, and Teacher Orochimaru have become. It seems he is planning something in secret."

Hearing that, Fugaku merely snorted. "Rats that like hiding in the shadows will always be like this."

There were quite a few clans in Konoha that were close to Orochimaru, and the Hyuga and Uchiha were clearly the leading ones among them.

After all, Orochimaru had also come from a civilian background. The people supporting him were those he had accumulated over many years. But after he failed to become the Fourth Hokage a year ago, many clans that had once supported him gradually began to distance themselves. Then, in less than a year, no one had expected this to happen, nor had anyone expected the Fourth Hokage to be so short-lived.

"Oh, right. This time, I brought the clan's elite here, and I plan to return in a few days. As for Itachi, I will have to entrust him to you and Shisui for proper instruction."

"Yes, Clan Head, rest assured!" Hearing that, Uchiha Yoru immediately patted his chest in earnest, his eyes filled with determination.

This time, he was not deceiving the clan head. He was completely sincere.

How old was Itachi now? Five? No! He had been five during last year's Nine-Tails' Rampage. This year, he was six.

Yoru clearly remembered that in the original story, Uchiha Itachi had witnessed the horrors of the battlefield at four, experienced the Nine-Tails' Rampage at five, and only entered the Ninja Academy at six.

Since Itachi had not yet gone to school, he naturally had not become a fervent supporter of the Will of Fire. The young Itachi should still be in a confused stage, which made this the perfect time to guide him properly. At the very least, Yoru had to lead him onto the right path of values.

Seeing how Uchiha Yoru was working himself so hard for the clan, Uchiha Fugaku could not help but look moved. "Yoru, rest assured, the clan will not treat you unfairly. If this succeeds, then it succeeds. If it does not, you will still have your place."

Clearly, whether as a father or as the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku still hoped that his eldest son could become the future Hokage's disciple.

Even if that did not work out, would he not still have gotten acquainted with the clan's future elites, such as Yoru and Shisui? Uchiha Yoru secretly muttered to himself that no one could be underestimated. This clan head truly had a fine plan—no matter what happened, he would not lose out.

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