Good Son

"Brother Siming!"

Just as he stepped into the Uchiha Clan grounds, Uchiha Itachi hurried over, his face even more troubled than before: "Maybe it's because Shisui is gone, but the voices of dissent within the clan have actually quieted down a bit. However, their opposition and hatred toward the village have only grown worse."

"At this rate, I'm afraid it'll become hard to control."

Good news: The Uchiha Clan isn't rebelling for now.

Bad news: It's only a matter of time.

These past few days, he'd been so worried he couldn't even eat.

But thanks to Brother Siming's earlier help in clearing him of suspicion for Shisui's murder, he wasn't being interrogated daily by the trio of Uchiha Yashiro and the others—or worse, facing physical force!

"It's not just the radicals. Even Yashiro, the elder of the moderate faction, has been going a bit crazy these past two days trying to find the killer."

His expression twisted.

He felt the current Uchiha Clan was too fractured.

"That's normal. After all, in Yashiro's eyes, if the killer of Shisui isn't found, the Uchiha Clan could rebel at any moment."

Uchiha Siming shrugged, unconcerned:

"As a moderate who advocates peaceful coexistence with the village, he naturally won't sit idly by. That's why he's desperately searching for the killer. No need to worry—that old geezer Yashiro just loves fretting over nothing."

A man already in his forties.

Day in and day out, never tired of it.

Suddenly.

Uchiha Itachi's expression shifted: "Brother Siming, isn't it a bit inappropriate to speak of Elder Yashiro like that?"

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Siming waved a hand, his complaints growing sharper.

"At his age, why bother with so much? Look at Jiraiya, one of the Three Ninja—he visits the pleasure quarters every day, living life to the fullest!"

"And then there's Uchiha Uehaya, his old friend—already holding his grandkids. But Yashiro's still stuck on these trivial matters. No wonder his hair's gone white!"

"Especially how he comes to my house every single day to drag me out of bed. Is that something a person should do?!"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he got.

But somehow, Siming felt the sky had darkened.

He turned to look up—clear skies, a vast, azure blue: "The sky isn't dark, so why does it feel like there's a shadow?"

He turned his head again, and his face suddenly froze.

Squinty eyes, lean and wiry, with spiky hair like Sasuke's.

Siming let out a dry laugh: "Uncle Yashiro, what are you doing here? Is there no lead on Shisui's case? Do you need my help?"

"Uchiha Siming!"

Yashiro roared: "You remember this, you brat—the Senju Clan isn't your home! The Uchiha Clan is!!!"

"Yes, yes, you're right."

Siming nodded repeatedly, offering no rebuttal.

Beside him, Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but smile. In all of Konoha, only Elder Yashiro could make Brother Siming bow his head like this. But he knew the reason well—back when Brother Siming was still "mediocre,"

it was Elder Yashiro who never gave up on him, providing money, education, and companionship.

You could even call him a father.

"Siming, you remember this!"

Uchiha Yashiro's face was red with anger, and he left with one final word:

"If I ever hear you mention the Senju Clan again, I'll break your dog legs!"

Well.

Siming got it now. He'd cursed that old geezer Yashiro up and down, and the man didn't care about any of it—only about where his heart belonged.

Loyalty!

"That old geezer sure has a lot of concerns."

Watching Yashiro leave, Uchiha Siming clicked his tongue: "Itachi, I'm giving you a task. Starting now, spread these messages throughout the entire village. Use any method you can. I want this information to reach every corner of Konoha."

With that, he handed a sheet of paper to Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi took it and read it. In an instant, his pupils shrank sharply, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Brother Siming, these... are these real or fake?"

His throat bobbed silently, his voice stammering.

He felt the thin paper in his hands weigh a thousand pounds. He was certain that if the information in his hands got out, the entire Konoha would be thrown into upheaval!

"No one cares if they're real or fake."

Uchiha Siming's gaze was profound as he glanced at Itachi.

"Only when victory or defeat is decided can that paper determine truth from falsehood."

Itachi's expression was dazed, as if he understood something: "I understand, Brother Siming. I will make sure everything is done!"

So that was it.

So that was how it was!

The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village was impossible to resolve, so Brother Siming had found a breakthrough point.

That was Shimura Danzō!

Perhaps Brother Siming had investigated something!

Thinking this, He looked at Uchiha Siming, his eyes filled with even more admiration. Every time he followed Brother Siming, he felt an indescribable sense of growth—not in strength, but in the way he thought.

As he saw it now, The version of himself from a month ago was as naive as a child!

With that, he strode away quickly, a faint, inexplicable excitement stirring in his heart.

But just as he returned home, A voice, authoritative yet trying to be gentle, reached his ears: "Itachi, has the Hokage said anything to you lately about the Uchiha Clan?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked in a low voice.

A sharp glint flickered in his eyes. His subordinates had already informed him that Itachi had just spoken at length with Uchiha Siming, and he wanted to see if Itachi had changed recently.

"Father."

Itachi stopped, his mind calm.

If this had been the old him, though his face would have been calm, he would have loathed his father's prying behavior. Now, he found it utterly normal.

What clan leader wouldn't care about his clansmen?

Besides, he himself was an Uchiha!

"The Hokage hasn't made any unusual moves recently."

Uchiha Itachi said solemnly: "However, Danzō has been visiting the Hokage very frequently, and he has targeted our Uchiha Clan more than once. Based on these actions, it's certain that he is a member of the Konoha High Command opposed to the Uchiha."

"It's even possible that he had a hand in the Uchiha Clan being pushed out of the village back then!"

"If possible, Father, you might consider finding the key to breaking the deadlock through Danzō."

Brother Siming's words just now had opened his eyes.

Since they couldn't solve it head-on, Then break through at a single point!

Take out Shimura Danzō first!

That was the answer Brother Siming had given for the Uchiha Clan's predicament!

"What?!"

Uchiha Fugaku gaped in shock, as if seeing his eldest son for the first time, his eyes bursting with disbelief and delight!

In the past, his eldest son had always been evasive and vague when it came to probing the Konoha High Command.

Today, he had said so much, And even offered confidential information and advice!

"Itachi, Itachi, did you figure all this out yourself?"

Fugaku's heart pounded with excitement, joy nearly spilling from his eyes, his voice beginning to tremble.

His eldest son hadn't been raised for nothing!

"Brother Siming came up with it."

Uchiha Itachi frowned, explaining:

"I could never have thought of this before, but because of Brother Siming, I was able to understand these things. I've thought about it for a long time. While the Uchiha Clan's current predicament is partly due to our own self-imposed constraints,"

"Father's initiative to befriend Minato Namikaze back then was sincere."

He spoke with complete honesty: "The fault has nothing to do with you, Father."