Speculation (Please Keep Reading)

Konoha, Military Police Force, third-floor deputy director's office.

Knock, knock, knock. Uchiha Gen calmly raised his hand and knocked three times.

"Come in."

Uchiha Gen pushed the door open, closed it behind him, took a few steps forward, and gave a slight bow. "Young Clan Head."

"Gen, you're here. No need for such formalities. Be more casual from now on. Have a seat."

Uchiha Gen smiled without saying much, then sat opposite Fugaku Uchiha as instructed, his back straight and posture proper.

When someone in a higher position told you to relax, taking it seriously would make you an idiot.

Besides, while the Uchiha Clan was more democratic and less rigid than the Hyuga Clan, they were still the foremost great clan in the shinobi world and placed considerable importance on etiquette.

If you truly acted without regard for rank or propriety, you would only be asking for trouble.

"What did you wish to see me about, Young Clan Head?"

"I already discussed your proposal with Jonin Minato, and today, he gave me his decision."

"Minato-senpai didn't choose me, did he?"

"You already knew?" Fugaku Uchiha asked in surprise.

"I guessed."

"How did you guess?"

"If he had chosen me, Young Clan Head, you would have congratulated me as soon as I entered. Your smile wouldn't have been somewhat forced, either."

"Gen, you're truly observant. No wonder you're such an outstanding ninja."

In truth, Uchiha Gen was talking nonsense. The real reason was that he understood exactly what kind of person Fugaku Uchiha was.

The man had quite a few flaws, one of which was his lack of responsibility.

No matter how it was dressed up, using the Sharingan as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Minato Namikaze still carried an undertone of threat.

If Minato Namikaze refused to make an exchange of interests, refused to compromise, and refused to give the Uchiha Clan face, conflict would inevitably arise. It was only a matter of how serious it would be.

If Minato Namikaze took a hard line and everyone could not come away satisfied, they would certainly offend him, a candidate for Hokage.

Whether for himself or for the clan, Fugaku Uchiha was unlikely to take credit for coming up with the idea. He would honestly reveal that Gen was the one who had proposed it.

Then the blame would fall on Uchiha Gen, having nothing to do with Fugaku Uchiha or the Uchiha Clan.

He had vaguely brought it up once at the Rock battlefield, and now he was using the same trick again. He was so painstakingly devoted to the clan...

Even if Minato Namikaze did not develop a bad impression of him, he would most likely choose Shisui, whose vision was broader.

Furthermore, Fugaku Uchiha had high expectations for his eldest son. Of course he would seize the opportunity to suggest that Itachi Uchiha become Minato Namikaze's disciple.

After all, no matter how close Gen or Shisui might be, neither could compare to Itachi Uchiha. How could clansmen be more dependable than family?

Taking everything into account, it was only natural that he had not been selected.

Still, it did not matter. He had given that suggestion after careful consideration. Compared to Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru was better suited to him.

What he might gain from Orochimaru was more valuable than what he might gain from Minato Namikaze!

With his personality, these Two-Tomoe Sharingan of his would likely find it difficult to evolve through the Sharingan's normal method of evolution.

Although he had the Soul-Soul Fruit and could eventually become a true powerhouse even while retaining the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, who would ever complain about having greater strength?

The normal path of evolution was difficult, and he did not want to evolve through normal means either.

In his spare time, he had wondered whether he could use the Soul-Soul Fruit, his unique advantage, to promote the evolution of the Sharingan.

The essence of Sharingan evolution was that the mind received a powerful stimulus, which in turn stimulated the brain to produce special Chakra, allowing the Sharingan to evolve.

The special Chakra produced in the brain was what the Sharingan called Pupil Power.

The mind was closely connected to the soul, and the Soul-Soul Fruit could freely manipulate souls. Could he use the soul to act upon the mind in reverse, then have the mind act upon the brain to produce special Chakra?

To verify this hypothesis, he could not possibly use himself as an experiment. The brain was far too mysterious and fragile.

Since he could not use himself, he could only experiment on others.

When it came to scientific research, who in the shinobi world could compare to Orochimaru, the future number one scientist of the shinobi world?

Even Tobirama Senju was merely exceptionally gifted in researching various ninjutsu. Scientific research covered many fields, and ninjutsu research was only one of them, though it was the most important one.

He needed to learn research techniques and scientific thinking from Orochimaru. When necessary, he could break his own research project into fragments and seek Orochimaru's guidance on them.

As long as the direction was correct, Uchiha Gen believed that, through his own efforts and Orochimaru's guidance, he would certainly be able to open up an alternative path for Sharingan evolution.

As for whether this path was suitable only for himself and not for others, that did not matter. He was doing this for himself in the first place.

Even if it were suitable for others, he would not easily reveal it. If there were too many Mangekyo, they would no longer be valuable, nor would they highlight his own uniqueness.

It was worth mentioning that Fugaku Uchiha had not awakened the Mangekyo.

Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo was original content added by the anime team, derived from "Itachi Shinden." It did not exist in the "Itachi Shinden" novels, the manga, or the databooks.

The majority ruled, so Fugaku did not possess the Mangekyo in this story.

"Still, Gen, you don't need to be too disappointed. There's also Lord Orochimaru."

"As for who will become Hokage, that remains uncertain..."

Fugaku Uchiha offered words of comfort.

In truth, judging from how Fugaku had introduced his eldest son to Minato, he clearly favored Minato Namikaze more.

It was not that Fugaku looked down on Orochimaru. In fact, he had dealt with Orochimaru before.

Orochimaru's temperament, personality, and methods were not completely opposite to Minato Namikaze's, but they differed greatly.

Minato Namikaze was clearly the type who was more likable and more likely to treat the Uchiha Clan well.

"You're right, Young Clan Head."

"It's fine. We're all members of the Uchiha Clan anyway. Everything is for the good of the clan."

"By the way, Young Clan Head, have you spoken with Lord Orochimaru?"

Hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha felt satisfied and smiled. "Not yet. Lord Orochimaru has only just returned to the village. I planned to send a formal invitation in a few days."

"I think I should represent the clan and speak with Lord Orochimaru about this matter."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't that be too disrespectful?"

"For secrecy. Compared to you, Young Clan Head, I'm a much smaller target."

"Besides, we can't openly have a foot in both camps. It's enough for everyone to understand without saying it aloud."

"What would others think if we put it openly on display?"

Fugaku Uchiha fell into thought, then said, "That makes sense."

First, word getting out that the Uchiha Clan had a foot in both camps would damage their reputation. Second, it might displease both parties involved. Third, some people might not want to see such a situation and could secretly sabotage it.

"Since Minato-senpai's side is out in the open, Lord Orochimaru's side should remain in the shadows."

"Secret support. What do you think, Young Clan Head?"

Recalling the two men's temperaments, personalities, and ways of doing things, Fugaku Uchiha found it quite reasonable.

"We'll do as you say."

"Oh, and be generous with the offer. Don't be stingy, and don't disgrace the Uchiha Clan."

"Our Uchiha Clan has plenty of money!"

Seeing Fugaku Uchiha's confidence, Uchiha Gen immediately felt the aura of a filthy rich man—no, a god-tier tycoon—wash over him.

Luckily, he did not have some cheat ability like a pay-to-win system. Otherwise, he might not have been able to resist becoming a thief in his own household.

"Rest assured, Young Clan Head. I definitely won't disgrace the Uchiha Clan!"

Damn it, who doesn't know how to pretend to be rich?