Talk Heart-to-Heart with the Clan Head

When Uchiha Fugaku mentioned the clan's current difficulties, Yusuke nodded. "That's right. I know all of this."

"Danzo has always been at odds with the Uchiha Clan. In past internal disputes, the elders have also tended to side with Danzo. And it seems the Third Hokage wants the Uchiha Clan and Danzo to keep each other in check." Uchiha Fugaku sighed.

"Ever since I became clan head, I've been walking on eggshells to maintain relations with all sides. But my abilities are limited. I've tried everything I can think of, yet I still haven't been able to secure the influence our clan deserves. Instead, the conflict between the clan and the village has only grown."

Itachi looked up at his father beside him, his face full of worry. His father had never told him any of this. It was the first time he had heard about the clan's situation.

Itachi was only six years old, but he was far more mature than other children his age. From his father Uchiha Fugaku's words, he could sense the clan's crisis and the heavy burden on his father's shoulders.

Seeing Uchiha Fugaku speak openly about matters that couldn't be mentioned outside, right in front of him, Yusuke realized that the clan's problems had truly become too much for Fugaku to bear.

A clan head as great as he was wouldn't share these private worries with a junior like Yusuke unless he had reached this point.

Perhaps sensing his son's concern, Uchiha Fugaku smiled and patted Itachi on the head, signaling that he shouldn't worry. Then he turned to Yusuke. "There aren't many ninja in the clan who can stand on their own, and among them, I haven't seen a single talent who could truly become a pillar of the clan. That is, until I heard about your outstanding performance in the Third Shinobi World War. I was overjoyed, and I've been keeping an eye on you ever since."

At this, Uchiha Fugaku's expression grew serious. He looked Yusuke straight in the eye. "But judging by your actions, I haven't seen the sense of clan pride an Uchiha should have! Can you tell me what place the clan truly holds in your heart, Uchiha Yusuke?"

Uchiha Fugaku's tone was extremely stern. He put particular emphasis on Yusuke's name at the end.

Faced with Uchiha Fugaku's reproach, Yusuke felt somewhat ashamed. He had focused entirely on training and developing ninjutsu, and had indeed contributed little to the clan.

But Yusuke had no intention of abandoning the clan. After learning that he was an Uchiha, he had already decided to save the clan from its tragic fate! He simply didn't intend to do it through political maneuvering.

"Clan Head, I'm an Uchiha too. But looking at the current situation, can you see a way forward for the clan?" Yusuke asked calmly.

Hearing Yusuke's words, Uchiha Fugaku slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Then he opened them again and fixed Yusuke with a sharp gaze. "Even if we can't see a way forward, the Uchiha Clan must persevere to the end. We can't let the clan be destroyed on our watch! And someone as talented as you should take up this responsibility, not abandon the clan!"

"I haven't abandoned the clan. I've only given up on saving it through political means." In his conversation with Uchiha Fugaku, Yusuke spoke of his true thoughts for the first time.

Uchiha Fugaku furrowed his brow and asked tentatively, "What do you mean?"

"For years, the deliberate exclusion by various factions has steadily shrunk the Uchiha Clan's place in Konoha. There may be ways to turn things around, but I don't believe I have the political acumen for it." Yusuke met Uchiha Fugaku's sharp gaze without flinching.

"So I've devoted all my strength to improving my own abilities. If the clan had a powerhouse like our ancestor Uchiha Madara, all that so-called exclusion and scheming would be insignificant. Every problem troubling the clan would resolve itself!" Yusuke stopped hiding his pursuit of power—or, rather, his ambition.

Uchiha Fugaku stared at Yusuke in disbelief. It had never occurred to him that Yusuke aspired to become a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara.

After the Sage of Six Paths, only two people had truly reached that level: the First, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara.

"That's also why I rarely attend the clan's meetings. While you're all exhausting yourselves scheming and maneuvering against the village's other leaders, I've been working hard to train." Ignoring Uchiha Fugaku's dazed expression, Yusuke matter-of-factly explained why he skipped clan meetings.

The reception room fell silent for a moment. No one spoke. Uchiha Fugaku was considering whether Yusuke's idea was possible, while Yusuke waited quietly.

As far as Yusuke was concerned, his goal would never change. He had skipped the clan meetings before, and he wouldn't attend them in the future, either!

"Perhaps it takes someone with your caliber and ambition to reach the heights of our ancestor Uchiha Madara," Uchiha Fugaku said with a sigh after a long pause. Then he continued, "So, in your view, what should the clan do now?"

Yusuke thought for a moment. "If it were up to me, I might meet the other factions' relentless pressure by taking a step back. Of course, by 'taking a step back,' I mean being prepared to give up everything. But I think the clan could find a way to survive by relinquishing its power, withdrawing from public life, and focusing on strengthening its members."

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head. "How could I not have considered that? Unfortunately, most of the clan members wouldn't agree."

Yusuke nodded and said no more. There was something else he kept to himself: If the clan head's authority were strong enough, he could make the decision with a single word. But there was no need to bring up such an impossible hypothetical.

"For future clan meetings, I'll make it clear that you're excused from attending. But for certain important meetings, I'll have someone notify you personally in advance. You must attend those!" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Yusuke, his gaze fierce and leaving no room for refusal.

Yusuke nodded. "Understood. And thank you for understanding, Clan Head." They had already discussed things this far, and Uchiha Fugaku had made a major concession. It would be unreasonable to push his luck.

They had nearly finished discussing the clan's affairs, and Uchiha Fugaku's expression relaxed. He then revealed another reason he had called Yusuke over. "Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you today."

"Go ahead," Yusuke said.

"What do you think of Itachi?" Uchiha Fugaku asked, lightly patting the boy's shoulder.

Yusuke paused briefly, and he more or less understood why Uchiha Fugaku had brought Itachi along. Fugaku was probably hoping to have Yusuke take Itachi on as a student.

Aside from that, Yusuke couldn't think of any other reason Fugaku would ask. It wasn't as if he wanted to arrange a marriage between their families and was checking whether Yusuke's little sister Izumi would suit Itachi, was it?

"Itachi is six and will be starting at the Ninja Academy soon. I've only recently begun teaching him ninjutsu. You may think I'm exaggerating, but in my view, his talent is every bit as great as yours! I hope you'll become his teacher and guide him in his future training." Uchiha Fugaku spoke earnestly.

In truth, he thought Itachi's talent surpassed Yusuke's. Of course, he had to be a little modest when saying so.

Itachi was very clever, and he had also guessed what his father had in mind. He wanted a suitable teacher to guide him, too, and now he watched Yusuke with an expectant look.

Yusuke smiled and nodded. "I can see that Itachi has extraordinary talent, and I'd be very happy to teach him. But I didn't expect to take on two students in the same day. I'm not sure how to describe the feeling."

Yusuke had already planned to get to know Itachi sooner or later. After all, Itachi was a key figure in the fate of the Uchiha Clan. He hadn't expected Uchiha Fugaku to come directly to him and ask him to teach Itachi. It couldn't have worked out better.

Uchiha Fugaku didn't ask about the other student Yusuke had mentioned. Instead, he instructed Itachi to formally perform the student's bow.

Itachi rose from his cushion, then knelt on the floor beside it and bowed respectfully to Yusuke. "I'm Uchiha Itachi. Please guide me from now on, Teacher."

Yusuke helped Itachi up and officially accepted him as his second student. Looking at the little boy, Yusuke couldn't help thinking of his own little sister, Izumi.

Izumi will be starting at the Ninja Academy soon, and now there's Kabuto and Itachi. Maybe I should just apply to lead a Genin team? Yusuke thought to himself.

Yusuke didn't yet know that his little sister was Itachi's love interest in Itachi Shinden. If he had known, he definitely wouldn't have made this arrangement. As far as Yusuke was concerned, a brocon like Itachi was beyond saving.

"Yusuke, have you really not awakened your Sharingan, or have you been hiding your strength?" Uchiha Fugaku asked after Itachi had finished his bow.

"I really haven't awakened it. I've done a lot of research, and everything I've found says that strong emotional stimulation is needed to awaken the Sharingan. So I gave up on it," Yusuke said helplessly.

Uchiha Fugaku nodded. "That's generally true, but the Sharingan is activated through Yin Release—that is, spiritual energy. By that logic, with your current level of spiritual energy, you should be able to awaken it even without external stimulation."

Uchiha Fugaku thought for a moment, then gave Yusuke a strange look. "Your father isn't an Uchiha. Could it be that you didn't inherit the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai?"

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's words, Yusuke didn't look surprised. "To be honest, I suspect the same thing."

Although the Uchiha Clan's bloodline was exceptionally strong, even when an outsider married into the clan, their children usually inherited the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai.

Only if the other parent also possessed a powerful Kekkei Genkai was there a chance that the child wouldn't inherit the Sharingan, but would inherit the other Kekkei Genkai instead.

Of course, there was also a very small chance that a child would inherit both Kekkei Genkai.

But Yusuke's father was just an ordinary person. There was no reason his bloodline should have overpowered the Uchiha Clan's and kept Yusuke from inheriting their Kekkei Genkai.