The So-Called Public Opinion War

The night deepened, and the clamor of the barbecue restaurant was left behind.

Inside Nishikawa Tetsu's apartment, the scattered blueprints and parts were temporarily pushed to a corner, clearing space for a not-so-spacious square table.

Under the dim desk lamp, the atmosphere was much more somber than at the previous barbecue gathering.

"The current situation is very clear."

Nishikawa Tetsu slapped a copy of Hanzō's notice onto the table, his fingertip tapping heavily on the words "Asura."

"Hanzō's label for you is 'power' and 'fear.' The villagers fear you, the higher-ups are wary of you, and within the clan, they want to use you. These three pressures converging is a dead end."

Uchiha Fugaku sat cross-legged on the tatami, his expression grim, offering no rebuttal.

"So, we need a counterattack," Nishikawa Tetsu took a stack of blank manuscript paper and ink from a drawer. "I call it... the 'Star Creation Plan'."

"Star Creation?" Namikaze Minato blinked in confusion. "Are you trying to make Senior Fugaku famous like the divas in the Daimyo's court?"

"Something like that, but the method is different."

Nishikawa Tetsu unscrewed his fountain pen, his eyes as calm as if he were dissecting a frog. "We need to reshape Uchiha Fugaku's image. Turn the 'monster with the power to destroy the world' into a 'tragic hero who would sacrifice himself to protect his comrades'."

He raised a finger. "Step one: Acknowledge the power, but emphasize the cost."

"We need to let everyone know that you activated those eyes not for slaughter, but to save Minato and me. And the cost was extremely heavy."

Speaking of which, Nishikawa Tetsu looked at Fugaku, his tone becoming playful. "In other words, the common saying is – playing the victim."

"No."

Uchiha Fugaku flatly refused, his brows knitting into a frown. It was the pride of the Uchiha clan, etched into their bones, acting up.

"The Uchiha can die in battle, can be feared, but never pitied. You want me to show my wounds to those commoners to gain sympathy? That's worse than killing me."

"Senior Fugaku, how much does face cost per pound?"

Nishikawa Tetsu retorted unceremoniously, "In political struggles, the weak talk about dignity; the victors only look at the results."

"And this isn't just for you."

Nishikawa Tetsu leaned forward, his eyes behind the plain glasses fixed on Fugaku, throwing out his trump card:

"You don't want to be marginalized because the higher-ups are suspicious of you, leading to the Uchiha having to resort to a coup, and then Sister Mikoto having to live as a widow at such a young age, or visiting you in prison, do you?"

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku's expression froze.

The barbecue he had just eaten seemed to be churning in his stomach, and Mikoto's gentle smile flashed in his mind.

A deathly silence fell upon the room.

After a long while, Fugaku seemed to deflate like a balloon, his previously straight spine slumping slightly.

He irritably ran a hand through his hair, turned his head away, and said in a muffled voice:

"...Write whatever you want, but don't make it too sappy. I can't stand it."

"Deal."

A triumphant smile curved Nishikawa Tetsu's lips, and he immediately lowered his head, diligently writing.

"Tonight, we need to produce the first batch of 'Battlefield Records'."

For the next two hours, the only sound in the room was the rustling of a pen across paper.

Nishikawa Tetsu fully utilized his past life's rigor as a researcher writing papers and his skill in sensationalism honed by reading countless cheap novels.

Bloody Rainy Night: The Young Uchiha Clan Head's Swan Song!

For Protection! Konoha's Swiftness and the Uchiha's Lifelong Bond!

Shocking! The Price of Awakening the God's Eye is Blindness? Exclusive Reveal of Team Five's Bloody Tears History!

One sensational headline after another leaped onto the paper.

The content went to great lengths to embellish: describing Fugaku as outwardly cold but inwardly warm, a great ninja who would exhaust his life for his teammates, even bleeding from his eyes to shield them from enemies.

The text heavily emphasized phrases like "declining vision," "physical exhaustion," and "possibly unable to fight on the battlefield for life."

"This is too..."

Namikaze Minato looked at the manuscript, and when he read the part about "Fugaku fumbling for his teammate's hand in the darkness," he couldn't help but get goosebumps. "Senior Fugaku could clearly still stand up and fight then..."

"Art originates from life but is higher than life," Nishikawa Tetsu blew on the ink. "This is called 'Spring and Autumn Annals' writing."

Uchiha Fugaku glanced at it with a dark expression, his eye twitching, but he chose to remain silent.

For Mikoto's sake, he'd endure it.

The next morning, Konoha Hospital.

The early morning hospital was the busiest, with not only the wounded but also families from various ninja clans and civilians coming and going.

Yakushi Nonō, having just finished her rounds, was walking down the corridor carrying a medical record book when a hand pulled her into a storage room in a corner.

"Nishikawa-kun?"

Nonō adjusted her glasses and looked at the mysterious young man in front of her. "This is next to the women's locker room. You'll be mistaken for a pervert."

"Time is of the essence, Nonō."

Nishikawa Tetsu didn't waste words and shoved a hastily prepared "Internal Injury Report" from last night into her hands.

"Do me a favor," Nishikawa Tetsu lowered his voice. "You're a Medical Ninja and often deal with the wounded and their families from the major clans. I need you to casually leak the contents of this report."

Nonō glanced down.

The report clearly stated: Uchiha Fugaku, severe damage to both optic nerves, chakra pathways depleted, suspected risk of permanent blindness.

"This... is fake, right?" Although Nonō didn't participate in the final battle, she knew Fugaku could walk on his own when he returned.

"Half-true, half-false."

Nishikawa Tetsu leaned against the doorframe, observing the hallway through the gap. "He indeed fought desperately on the battlefield, and his eyes were indeed injured. We just 'exaggerated' the consequences a tiny bit."

Nonō was a smart girl. Having grown up in an orphanage, she had a natural sensitivity to social dynamics and quickly grasped the key point.

"You want to use 'weakness' to offset 'fear'?"

Nonō closed the report, a glint flashing behind her lenses. "If everyone knows that 'Asura' is actually a patient on the verge of blindness, they won't be as scared. Instead, they'll feel pity for him."

"It's convenient talking to someone smart," Nishikawa Tetsu pulled an envelope from his pocket. "This is your payment. I know you're raising funds for the orphanage's repairs."

Nishikawa Tetsu knew from their previous conversation that this future orphanage director was already saving money for renovations. As a fellow orphan in this life, he felt he could help a "comrade" if it was within his power.

Moreover, this money was from the Uchiha clan. He wouldn't feel even a shred of guilt for using someone else's money to be generous to himself.

Nonō didn't refuse and accepted it openly.

"Deal. Gossip like this spreads fastest at the nurses' station and in the patient rooms."

A few days later.

An undercurrent named "Truth" began to surge through the streets and alleys of Konoha.

At first, it was just a few aunties chatting while grocery shopping, then the drunks in the izakayas, and finally, even the students at the ninja academy were discussing it.

"Hey, did you guys hear? Uchiha Fugaku might not be as terrifying as they say."

"My second uncle works as a caregiver at the hospital. He said he saw Tsunade-sama sighing, saying that if Captain Fugaku's eyes were used one more time, he'd go completely blind!"

"Really? Didn't Hanzō say he was an Asura?"

"What Asura! He did it to save his teammates! I heard he pushed his life force to the limit to cover for that civilian, Namikaze Minato, which is how he opened his eyes."

"So... he's a man of loyalty and righteousness too."

"Exactly! He went blind for his comrades. The Uchiha clan isn't that cold-blooded after all..."

The tide had turned.

Inside the Hokage's office building, Danzō listened to the report from a Root ninja, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his cane.

"Playing the victim? A foolish tactic."

Danzō snorted, his single eye filled with gloom. "But it's effective for those ignorant masses... Since when did the Uchiha resort to such methods?"