Who Has a Narrow Mind?

Fugaku Uchiha couldn't believe he was crying.

He instinctively reached up and wiped his eyes. The wetness confirmed he was indeed shedding tears.

This made him lose himself for a moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, this man had calculated so much just by allowing the Uchiha Clan to return to their ancestral lands.

When he was Clan Head, how many traps had he fallen into set by Hiruzen Sarutobi?

He dared not imagine.

All this time...

He had thought his Mangekyo was inferior, that Shisui Uchiha was more suited to be Clan Head;

He had thought the conflict was between the Uchiha and the village, not his own fault;

He had thought he was a qualified Clan Head for the Uchiha.

But now, his soul felt frozen, his insides chilled with despair.

It wasn't the Mangekyo's fault!

It was his awareness!

His thinking!

His grasp of the bigger picture!

He was completely unfit to be the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan!

The gap was too vast!

He had only seen a sliver of the sky from the mouth of a well, and thought it was the entire world.

While the other man could see countless frogs at the bottom of wells, standing above and acting with impunity.

Only now did he finally understand where that sense of powerlessness came from during his time as Uchiha Clan Head.

He clenched his fists, filled with unwillingness.

Damn it!

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!

"Why couldn't I see through it!!!" He was filled with sorrow and utter powerlessness.

He had led the Uchiha Clan to that point;

He had caused the Uchiha Clan to be nearly annihilated;

He had caused his clansmen to be the subject of gossip;

He had caused the Uchiha's reputation to be in tatters;

He...

He...

"I am a sinner of the Uchiha Clan!!!"

Beside Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha's face was also filled with sorrow and self-blame.

He had been quite happy initially.

Happy about Hiruzen Sarutobi's concession;

Happy about the acceptance from his clansmen;

Happy about the bright future the Uchiha and the village could share.

But now, after Shisui Uchiha revealed the calculations involved, he realized that what was called "capacity" was merely a weapon for others to exploit.

Then what was the "capacity" he had always spoken of?

When he called others narrow-minded, wasn't he himself the same?

He had only seen his own small patch of land, failing to see the schemes and tricks behind it.

He felt his heart ache as if being stabbed, one knife after another.

He could understand why Shisui Uchiha felt so much self-blame.

It was because they had handed the Uchiha Clan's intelligence to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi to control the situation.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi truly didn't want the Uchiha Clan to stage a coup, then he...

Itachi Uchiha didn't know what Hiruzen Sarutobi could do, but he was sure he had a way, just like Jinghuo Uchiha.

It was just that due to the pros and cons, he was unwilling to choose that path, and instead chose to annihilate the Uchiha Clan.

Therefore, he, who had always worked for the village, ended up abetting the wicked.

With such "capacity," he constantly looked down on his clansmen, looked down on the Hyuga Clan...

"Nii-san, what's wrong?" Uchiha Sasuke didn't understand why his usually stern father was like this, and even his handsome Nii-san was the same.

Uchiha Itachi shed tears of pain, filled with unwillingness and helplessness.

He finally understood Jinghuo Uchiha's words—"You lack ability, you can't see hope, you can't see choices, I don't blame you."

Now that he could see clearly, he realized he had been standing opposite the Uchiha, abetting the wicked.

Someone like him, everyone would hate him!

Especially...

When he thought about how he had once resolved to annihilate the clan, and then looked at his parents, younger brother, best friend, the girl he cared about, and his clan members before him...

The future he chose, his blood-stained hands, a world where only he remained...

He was grateful for Shizuka's intervention;

He regretted his past arrogance;

He hated his own stupidity;

He detested Sarutobi Hiruzen's character!

That night, the Uchiha Clan Land was brightly lit, standing out conspicuously in the dark Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen saw it and narrowed his eyes.

"It seems the Uchiha Clan is celebrating."

He revealed a smile.

He could feel that everything that had slipped from his control was about to return to his hands.

Thus, he happily urged the tidying and relocation to the old Uchiha Clan Land, showing his deep concern for the Uchiha Clan, while also hiding his eagerness.

However...

After the old Uchiha Clan Land was organized, not a single Uchiha moved in.

For the first three days, he couldn't rush them.

But on the fourth day, he couldn't help himself and wanted to ask Uchiha Shisui.

However, Uchiha Shisui was very wary of the village, so he first summoned Uchiha Itachi.

Although Uchiha Itachi had a neutral stance, his starting point was for the village, so he could be considered half an insider.

Yet, this time, an invitation that had always been successful met with an unexpected situation.

Uchiha Itachi refused due to being busy.

Busy?

Could Root, which he had controlled, still be busy?

This appearance of avoiding him, of not wanting to interact with him, made Sarutobi Hiruzen uneasy.

Without any Anbu monitoring the Uchiha Clan now, his ignorance of the changing situation made him even more uneasy.

He thought and thought, and when he had no other choice, he directly summoned Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui arrived.

His expression was as usual, but he seemed more relaxed and at ease than the last time.

This truly baffled Sarutobi Hiruzen.

So, with a kind but chiding expression, he questioned, "Shisui, I've been watching the manpower, and I've eagerly prepared the Uchiha Clan Land in the village center for you in advance. As the Clan Head, why aren't you leading the Uchiha Clan to move in? Are you afraid I've hidden something bad?"

Uchiha Shisui's expression remained unchanged, and he shook his head slightly, saying, "I'm not very clear about this matter. Do I need to go back to the Clan Land and ask the clan members what they think?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth gaped open, as if making a sound of confusion, "Ah?"

I asked you why you aren't leading the move, and you're telling me you're not clear?

And why did Uchiha Shisui suddenly seem so cooperative?

Did he trust me again?

"Then ask them?" Sarutobi Hiruzen tried.

"Okay." Uchiha Shisui left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen expected Uchiha Shisui to return quickly.

He waited eagerly all morning, but he didn't come;

He waited eagerly all afternoon, and still, he didn't come.

The next day, he still didn't come.

It wasn't until the seventh day, when he grew impatient, that he summoned Uchiha Shisui.

"Is there something?" Uchiha Shisui asked him, confused.

This made Sarutobi Hiruzen somewhat angry.

"Shisui! Did you forget what you promised me!"

"Oh." Uchiha Shisui said with a flat, sudden realization, "The investigation into why the clan members aren't moving the clan land will likely take another month."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned, anger still etched on his face.

He didn't understand.

Couldn't he just call the clan members over and ask them all at once?

"Why does it need so much time?"

Due to popular demand from our readers, we are now introducing a VIP Member ad-free feature.

Click to view.