I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table.

Dawn

A light mist permeated the Uchiha compound. Kagami Uchiha walked slowly, aimlessly, his eyes bloodshot.

After leaving the Senju Clan Land, he had wandered the streets of Konoha until dawn before returning to the clan, his mind a mess.

At first, he desperately wanted to find the person within the Uchiha who leaked the news of Lord Tobirama's death.

But after calming down, Kagami Uchiha felt, what good would it do to catch him? Without the Uchiha clan's help, he couldn't possibly spread the news of Lord Tobirama's death throughout Konoha in an afternoon with his own strength.

What if the mastermind behind spreading the news was Uchiha Tomita? He was the Uchiha Clan Head, and currently, he seemed the most suspicious. Only a few people in the entire Uchiha clan had the power to mobilize the clan's forces so quickly.

Was he going to fall out with the Clan Head for Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Kagami Uchiha felt dizzy. Such a rebellious thought had actually crossed his mind.

But if he just let it go, he would inexplicably be blamed, have nowhere to vent his anger, and still face Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hey, Kagami, you're back."

A few passing Uchiha clan members saw Kagami Uchiha return and greeted him from the side, their eyes darting over him with peculiar expressions.

They had heard the news that Kagami Uchiha and the others had abandoned the Hokage and fled back to Konoha. They never expected that Kagami Uchiha, a genius of the Uchiha, would do such a thing.

"Is it true that Captain Uchiha Nan said you abandoned the Hokage and fled directly back to Konoha?"

"Yeah, you're a genius of the Uchiha, you wouldn't do something like that."

"Captain Nan also said that Hiruzen Sarutobi is going to become Konoha's third Hokage?"

"That's impossible, right?"

"."

It was as if many Uchiha clan members suddenly appeared around Kagami Uchiha, bombarding him with questions, trying to confirm if Uchiha Nan's news was true.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Uchiha Nan??"

Kagami Uchiha's expression was filled with disbelief. The person who leaked the news of Lord Tobirama's death was Uchiha Nan?

How could that be possible?

Uchiha Nan was the clan member he got along with best in the clan. Uchiha Nan was recognized by Teacher Tobirama, an Uchiha who had transcended petty desires and inherited the Will of Fire of Konoha.

If he could do something like this, what was the difference between him and the hawk faction of the Uchiha clan?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!!

Kagami Uchiha felt he was too tired, his ears were hallucinating, or perhaps this was a genjutsu, and someone was trying to set a trap for him!

Release!

I release!!

Kagami Uchiha formed the hand seals specifically for dispelling genjutsu, but found it useless. The Uchiha clan members around him were still chattering incessantly about Uchiha Nan.

"Enough!!"

Kagami Uchiha shouted. He didn't want to waste any more time here. Kagami Uchiha wanted to find Uchiha Nan himself and ask him clearly why he did it.

Did he have no choice? He must have been forced by the Clan Head!

Sixteen years! Uchiha Nan's sixteen years of being a good person in Konoha made Kagami Uchiha unable to accept this reality.

What Uchiha could pretend to be a good person for sixteen years, even deceiving Teacher Tobirama? That was simply terrifying!

Kagami Uchiha was so anxious that he used the Body Flicker Technique, arriving at Uchiha Nan's house in just two or three minutes.

"Uchiha Nan, don't be afraid. Was it the Clan Head who forced you, deliberately making you the vanguard to leak the news of Lord Tobirama's death?"

"."

Uchiha Nan was doing his usual "The Times Are Calling" exercise when he saw Kagami Uchiha with bloodshot eyes and a somewhat crazed expression.

What he said left Uchiha Nan bewildered.

What Clan Head?

Did that guy Uchiha Tomita have the ability to force him?

Is there such a good thing?!

When Tobirama Senju was alive, he still had to maintain his image and hide his true intentions. Now that Tobirama was dead, he was already plotting how to squeeze out Uchiha Tomita and become the Uchiha Clan Head.

Uchiha Nan was determined to become the Third Hokage. He hoped that Uchiha Tomita, the Clan Head, wouldn't compete with him, otherwise, he would have to deal with him first.

"Kagami Uchiha, the news of Tobirama's death was spread throughout Konoha by me through the security force. That guy Uchiha Tomita knows nothing; he doesn't have this information."

"Hehehe!!!"

Uchiha Nan curled his lips into a smile, his words showing no regard for Tobirama or Uchiha Tomita, not even using honorifics. He was going to confront Uchiha Tomita anyway, and he wanted to become Hokage.

He couldn't possibly let Uchiha Tomita remain the Uchiha Clan Head after he became Hokage, could he?

Since they were going to fall out eventually, why pretend anymore? He was already tired of pretending when Tobirama Senju was alive.

Uchiha Nan wanted to climb step by step to the top, become the Uchiha Clan Head, and become the Hokage of Konoha!!

"Uchiha Nan, how did you become like this? You weren't like this before!"

Kagami Uchiha's voice trembled. The Uchiha Nan before him was so unfamiliar, and the unrestrained laughter was so grating. Uchiha Nan was now exactly like the hawks within the clan.

Was Uchiha Nan's past behavior all an act? That's too terrifying. Can someone really pretend to be an inheritor of the Will of Fire for sixteen years?

"Lord Tobirama always placed great hope in you, believing you inherited Konoha's Will of Fire. Was your past behavior all an act?"

"An act?"

Uchiha Nan let out a sneer. Did this need acting?

He wasn't some "nine-leak fish." He had learned the basics, like cherishing comrades and respecting the elderly and young.

It was just that the Uchiha were too arrogant. Uchiha Nan's past actions, which he considered perfectly normal, had already made him an anomaly among the Uchiha.

For example, enthusiastically greeting Konohagakure citizens, helping old ladies cross the street, and using polite words like "please" with merchants – these were just basic university student etiquette.

With these actions, how could the proud Uchiha possibly behave?

It was only later that Uchiha Nan discovered this approach was indeed effective. The essays he wrote about the Will of Fire in the Ninja Academy made even Tobirama Senju believe Uchiha Nan was an Uchiha who had inherited the Will of Fire.

"If that's what you think, then so be it."

Uchiha Nan couldn't be bothered to explain so much to Kagami Uchiha. Was he even worth listening to?

"Why did you run over here so early in the morning, just to tell me this?"

Seeing Uchiha Nan's facade completely stripped away, Kagami Uchiha felt a chill run down his spine. The terrifying nature of the Uchiha Nan before him surpassed his imagination.

Uchiha Nan had truly pretended to be an inheritor of the Will of Fire, only revealing his true colors after Teacher Tobirama died!