The Arrival of Uchiha Fugaku

Konoha's border.

Returning all the way back, Uchiha Yoruro met with clan leader Uchiha Fugaku. This time, the clan leader had come for two reasons: one was to let his eldest son experience war, and the other was to bring the clan's elite along.

Inside the dim tent, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yoruro sat facing each other in seiza. The people of this country had etiquette and hierarchy carved into their very bones.

Various formalities reached exacting standards, especially among noble houses, where every move had to be precise without the slightest error.

Seiza meant kneeling on the floor with both knees, resting the buttocks on the heels, then extending the feet flat and moving the heels under the buttocks. Hands rested on the knees or thighs, with the back kept straight. Men kept their knees slightly apart, while women knelt with knees together.

In simple terms, it was kneeling.

"Clan leader."

Under the dim candlelight, Uchiha Yoruro deliberately put on a weary expression, forcing himself to look alert. Seeing this, Uchiha Fugaku frowned and said in a low voice, "Yoruro, any progress?"

In just three months, the Uchiha Clan had poured in no small amount of funds. Things were going well now, especially since Lord Orochimaru taking Uchiha Yoruro as a disciple signaled a certain shift in direction. But lately, there had been no other developments, and he couldn't help wanting to know what the future Hokage was thinking.

Seeing Fugaku's grave expression, Uchiha Yoruro let out a faint sigh. "On the surface, Teacher Orochimaru is the frontline commander, but in secret, he's carrying out a classified human experimentation research mission. It's practically top secret. And more importantly—"

Seeing Uchiha Yoruro hesitate, Uchiha Fugaku said in a low voice, "Rest assured, the clan has no intention of interfering with the village's classified mission. You know this. Only the elders, you, me, and Shisui are aware of it within the clan. It's also top secret within the family."

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

Seeing the clan leader like this, Uchiha Yoruro hesitated, then sighed deeply. "Clan leader, according to clues Teacher Orochimaru let slip, the village's higher-ups are extremely wary of the Uchiha Clan, especially Root's leader, Danzo, and the Third Hokage."

"Teacher Orochimaru said that, fearing a second Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Third is placating us openly while Danzo is pushing the Uchiha aside in the shadows. To prevent the Sharingan from controlling the Nine-Tails again, the village has even secretly planned to restart the Wood Style Ninja project."

"What!" Uchiha Fugaku's face showed shock at these words, and a hint of anger crept into his brow. Damn it! They still didn't trust the Uchiha Clan. Even now, they were thinking of guarding against them.

The Wood Release Project was meant to counter the Uchiha. Everyone knew that the strongest ways to restrain tailed beasts were the Sharingan and Wood Style, and while the Sharingan was formidable, it had always been suppressed by Wood Style.

Clearly, restarting Wood Style research was to guard against the Uchiha.

Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's anger, Uchiha Yoruro breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He was playing both sides, but his intentions were good—all for the clan.

"Recently, because I became Teacher Orochimaru's disciple, it seems the village higher-ups have been putting pressure and warnings on him. They've even cut the research funding again."

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku nodded gravely. He believed it. He couldn't see through the Third's thoughts, but Danzo would definitely do something like this.

Danzo's favorite tactic was coercion. Especially now that someone from the Uchiha Clan had become Orochimaru's disciple, there was no way he'd be happy about it. He'd definitely throw obstacles in Orochimaru's way.

Thinking this over, Uchiha Fugaku said directly in a low voice, "Go back and tell Lord Orochimaru not to worry about funding. The Uchiha are willing to triple the amount we provide!"

Hearing it was tripled, Uchiha Yoruro's heart surged with excitement. He'd taken such a big risk playing both sides—wasn't this exactly what he was after?

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

Speaking these insincere words, Uchiha Yoruro felt no shame at all. Instead, he showed a calm expression. All of this was to save the clan. In the end, letting the village have it for free would be worse than spending it now.

As the old saying goes, when a man's gone, his money's still there. Isn't that the greatest tragedy? More importantly, this was the Uchiha's future.

Getting the information he wanted, Uchiha Fugaku showed a satisfied smile. This was a good start. They just had to wait for Orochimaru to take power.

"Yoruro, the clan will remember everything you've done. This time, the clan's elite will join the front lines and follow Lord Orochimaru's orders. Tekka is also here. If you have any problems in the future, contact him or Shisui in secret."

Uchiha Tekka. He could be called the clan's Elite Jonin. More importantly, he seemed to be related to the clan leader—both of them had square faces.

The image of Uchiha Tekka's face came to mind, and Uchiha Yoruro showed a respectful expression, nodding solemnly. "Clan Leader, rest assured. For the clan!"

After saying this, Uchiha Yoruro's expression grew serious, and he lowered his voice. "Clan Leader, according to Teacher Orochimaru, Lord Danzo of Root is very displeased that the Uchiha and Hyuga have gotten too close to Orochimaru. It seems he's planning something in the shadows."

Hearing this, Fugaku snorted coldly. "A rat that loves the shadows. Always the same."

Quite a few clans in Konoha were close to Orochimaru, with the Hyuga and Uchiha leading the way.

After all, Orochimaru came from a civilian background, and his supporters were built up over many years. But after the Fourth Hokage lost the election a year ago, many former clans began to drift away. No one expected what would happen less than a year later, and no one thought the Fourth Hokage would be so short-lived.

"By the way, I'll be bringing the clan's elite here and returning in a few days. I'll leave Itachi in your and Shisui's care for proper guidance."

"Yes, Clan Leader, rest assured!" Uchiha Yoruro said this while earnestly patting his chest, his eyes full of determination.

This time, he wasn't fooling the clan leader. He meant it sincerely.

How old was Itachi now? Five? No, he was five during last year's Nine-Tails' Rampage, so he was six this year.

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

Itachi hadn't gone to school yet, so he wasn't a fervent follower of the Will of Fire. At this young age, he should still be in a state of confusion. This was the perfect chance to correct his teachings, at least to steer him onto the right path of values.

Seeing Uchiha Yoruro working so hard for the clan, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help showing a moved expression. "Yoruro, rest assured. The clan won't treat you unfairly. Whether this succeeds or not, you'll have your place."

Clearly, whether as a father or a clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku still hoped his eldest son would become a disciple of the future Hokage.

Even if it didn't work out, at least he'd get to know the future elites of the clan, like him and Shisui. Uchiha Yoruro muttered inwardly. He really couldn't underestimate anyone. The clan leader had a good plan—no matter what, he wouldn't lose out.

Please support.