Danzo glanced at the clan heads and gave an almost imperceptible snort through his nose, smugly congratulating himself. Those clan heads had nothing but their status going for them. Shikaku Nara was known as a strategist, but he was nothing special. If they wanted someone to turn the tide, it had to be Danzo.
He was confident his analysis had convinced them. Once his plan worked, he would be the one calling the shots on the Eastern Front.
At that moment, Danzo found himself thinking the same thing as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura: they absolutely could not let Uchiha Kin be transferred to the Eastern Front. But Danzo had an additional plan. Kin himself couldn't come, but when the time was right, his "brains" could.
Danzo nodded. "Leave this matter to me!" He had already enjoyed the thrill of making sweeping moves and getting the enemy to follow his plans once. Now he couldn't help anticipating the feeling of handling things on his own and making the shinobi world move according to his will.
A true man... should be like this!
That taste of casually turning the world upside down was like a drug. It had hooked Danzo, who had long embraced hardship and self-denial as virtues.
After speaking, Danzo left with his subordinates. Shikaku Nara took out a cigarette and a lighter, then paused after lighting it. Seeming to decide that smoking in the command tent wasn't appropriate, he walked outside.
Inoichi Yamanaka followed him out of the tent.
Choza Akimichi looked around, bewildered. "Wait for me," he said, then hurried out too.
Fugaku, Hiashi, and the others smiled. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had always been like this, and they were used to it. They had seen this scene countless times: Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi even went to the bathroom together.
At last, with a little free time, Fugaku turned around and looked down at a tiny child. The boy wasn't even as tall as the table, and the crowd had completely obscured him during the discussion.
The little boy was his son, Itachi Uchiha.
Fugaku had high hopes for his son. The previous year, he had taken him to the battlefield, when Itachi was only four years old.
Fugaku's official explanation was that he wanted Itachi to witness the cruelty of war. In truth, he had no choice. He was on the battlefield, and so was his wife. The fighting was so intense that everyone capable of fighting had been sent to the front, children included.
There were only two options for Itachi's care. One was to have a clan member look after him... But Kikyo Castle was like a thin membrane, liable to break at any moment.
And in the Hidden Leaf Village, aside from the Hokage and the two advisors holding down the fort, there were no shinobi left who could fight. The Uchiha Clan was no different. Everyone who could fight—even those still attending the Academy who could throw a kunai—had been sent to the battlefield.
So Fugaku and Mikoto had no choice but to pick the second option...
Mikoto brought their four-year-old son to the battlefield and kept him by his father's side. After all, as the commander of the Eastern Front, Fugaku spent most of his time directing the fighting, which was relatively safe. Mikoto, on the other hand, had to fight.
In the end, it was simply a way to keep their child in as safe an environment as possible.
Looking back at the situation from the perspective of later generations, one might call it needless worry. The Hidden Leaf Village remained safe, Kikyo Castle never fell, and the Sand Ninja never invaded the village. But at the time, no one could predict the future.
Still, Fugaku Uchiha couldn't say something so selfish aloud. Every clan had children.
So he could only say that he wanted Itachi to witness the cruelty of war.
Fugaku kept Itachi by his side at all times. He explained everything to him in detail, wishing he could pass on everything he knew.
Just like now. With the meeting over and some time to spare, he began teaching Itachi. He asked how much of the discussion he had understood, what he hadn't understood, and what he thought about it. After Itachi answered, Fugaku filled in the gaps, analyzed the situation, and patiently explained it piece by piece. It was hard to call him an unfit father. At that moment, he was doing a fine job.
Hiashi watched in silence. He didn't have much to say to the Uchiha, after all. But he very much approved of Fugaku Uchiha's way of teaching.
He taught by word and example, setting a good example himself. Their discussion showed no rigid distinction between father and son, and Fugaku didn't put on a show of parental authority.
He thought, I should learn from this. When I have children of my own...
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio found a relatively quiet spot and sat down wherever they pleased. Shikaku Nara said, "Inoichi, why wouldn't you let me speak earlier? Danzo... What kind of nonsense was that analysis? Was he right?"
"But what good would it have done if you'd spoken up? If he succeeds, you'll look petty. If he fails, he'll hold a grudge against you."
"Shikaku, I understand Danzo better than you do!" Inoichi Yamanaka exhaled a ring of smoke, looking utterly relaxed.
Shikaku Nara blinked and took a deep drag on his cigarette... It was hard to argue with what Inoichi Yamanaka had said, because it was true.
Ever since Danzo took over the Anbu training base and scraped together enough resources through his penny-pinching to establish Root, the Yamanaka Clan and the Aburame Clan had invested in it. Root was really founded jointly by Danzo, a loner, and the Yamanaka and Aburame Clans.
A few years later, when Danzo grew old and could no longer manage, Root would naturally become the private domain of the Yamanaka and Aburame Clans.
Choza Akimichi pulled a wild boar leg out of his clothes and gnawed on it as he mumbled, "What do you think that old bastard Danzo is after?
"His clan? They all died in the Second Shinobi World War. He doesn't get married, has no children—he's all alone. What's the point of all this scheming...?"
Inoichi Yamanaka said, "Well, he still has his ideals and obsessions, doesn't he?" If he didn't scheme and chase after something, how would our clan get its hands on Root?
As for how Danzo's original, tiny bit of resentment had turned into the obsession that drove him to work so hard, Inoichi Yamanaka kept that to himself.
When it came to the professional study of human psychology and behavior, the Yamanaka Clan was unquestionably at the top of the shinobi world.
Shikaku Nara smiled and didn't expose his old friend's true motives. They had at least that much understanding between them.
A tall, powerful figure raced through the vast forest. Suddenly, he stopped. Someone stood on a tree ahead—a boy, to be precise. His hair was tied up like a pineapple, and he had single-lidded eyes. One hand rested against the trunk as he watched the man.
"Suikazan Fuguki?" the man said, recognizing him. The burly man's features were far too distinctive to mistake.
He stood a full two and a half meters tall, wore a Mist Ninja forehead protector, had orange-red hair, and carried a greatsword called Samehada on his back.
There was no way to mistake him!
And the boy was none other than the "brain" Danzo had been longing for—the other half, Nara Tama. He really had come, just in a way Danzo could never have imagined!
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