Fugaku's Decision!

After Shisui left, Roy got up and returned to his room to begin refining chakra.

With the power of the Mera Mera no Mi, all Roy needed to do was increase his chakra reserves.

Looks like I'll have to find a chance to get my hands on a Tailed Beast or something...

Inside Uchiha Fugaku's study.

"Shisui?"

"Come in."

Uchiha Fugaku set down the file in his hand and spoke softly.

"Clan Head."

With a Body Flicker, Shisui appeared in front of Uchiha Fugaku and knelt on one knee.

"You rarely come to see me. Is something the matter?"

"Stand up and speak."

Fugaku said in a deep voice.

"Clan Head, I'd like to apply for the Daimyo's escort mission during the upcoming New Year."

"I hope you can submit the application."

Shisui stated his purpose directly.

"Escorting the Daimyo?"

Uchiha Fugaku was a little baffled.

It wasn't that such a mission was particularly difficult. It was just that escort missions were usually handled by other clans.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had approached Fugaku about it before, but he had refused.

What had gotten into Shisui?

"That's right, escorting the Daimyo."

"The New Year is only a month away."

"If the Uchiha want to continue existing in the village and truly become part of it..."

"Then the change has to start with us. We can't keep thinking about rebelling!"

Shisui said bluntly.

The moment they heard Shisui's words, three figures appeared.

Uchiha Nagasawa, Uchiha Natsume, and Uchiha Ryuxi.

All three were elite Jonin and members of the Hardline Faction.

After hearing Shisui, they couldn't help jumping in.

After all, Shisui had never taken part in the clan's discussions about what to do.

Why had he suddenly become interested in this?

Something was definitely up.

Was this guy after the Clan Head's position, planning to turn the clan into a pack of lapdogs for the High Command?

The Uchiha would never submit!

"Stand down."

"Shisui, go on."

Fugaku didn't know why Shisui had suddenly changed his mind, but it wasn't a bad thing.

At least Shisui was willing to get involved in the clan's affairs now.

"Father."

Just then, Itachi appeared as well.

"Itachi, you're back?"

"Sit down and listen with us."

Seeing Itachi return, Fugaku didn't ask any questions. He simply told him to sit.

Itachi had heard what Shisui had just said.

Now he was looking at Shisui with confusion, too.

In his mind, Big Brother Shisui wasn't the kind of person who would get involved in the clan's affairs.

"Escorting the Daimyo will raise the Uchiha's standing."

"At the same time, we can find out who's planning to move against us."

"Once we earn the Daimyo's favor, the Uchiha will have a much greater say in the village."

"We'll also earn the respect of the villagers and change their opinion of us."

Shisui calmly explained his thoughts.

"I understand."

"I'll leave this matter to you, Shisui."

"Decide for yourself who you'll need."

"Is there anything else?"

After a few breaths, Uchiha Fugaku made his decision.

The three men beside him looked at Uchiha Fugaku in shock.

As far as they were concerned, this was a troublesome mission, and it meant acting as bodyguards...

When had the Uchiha ever worked as bodyguards?

But seeing Uchiha Fugaku's stern expression, they forced down their doubts.

"Itachi, you'll be one of the team members."

"I'll take Itachi to register, then hand over his duties."

Shisui glanced at Itachi, who had remained silent the whole time.

"Good."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded again.

With his father's approval, Itachi got up and left with Shisui.

After the two had gone, the three men, Nagasawa among them, stepped in front of Uchiha Fugaku.

"Clan Head, why did you make that decision?"

Uchiha Natsume asked, puzzled.

The Uchiha Clan had never submitted like this in all these years.

Even during the Third Shinobi World War, when they were assigned to fight the Land of Water, they had still won in the end.

Now, in a time of peace, they had to keep enduring this kind of humiliation.

"Natsume, where do you think the clan ranks in the village in terms of strength?"

Fugaku didn't get angry at Natsume's challenge. He simply asked him in return.

"First!"

Uchiha Natsume answered without hesitation.

The Uchiha had 137 Chunin, 97 Special Jōnin, 21 Jonin, nine elite Jonin, and Uchiha Fugaku, a powerful shinobi on the verge of Kage Level.

Calling them Konoha's strongest clan was no exaggeration.

"Then how does the Uchiha compare to all of Konoha?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked again.

"Even if the entire village came at us, it's not certain the Uchiha would be at a disadvantage!"

Uchiha Nagasawa chimed in.

Natsume and Ryuxi also nodded in agreement.

That was right. That was the Uchiha's pride!

A pride that looked down on everyone...

"Even so, what if the village joined forces with the entire Ninja World?"

Uchiha Fugaku's face showed his helplessness.

He... had personally witnessed too much...

That was exactly why he wavered between the clan and the village.

The Senju Clan, once Konoha's foremost clan.

They had fought on the front lines, where many died and many more were left crippled.

After returning to the village, they soon fell apart and disappeared.

The Uzumaki Clan, once hailed as the Ninja World's foremost clan, had even founded a country of their own: the Land of Whirlpools.

Their Sealing Jutsu had made the entire Ninja World wary of them, but now they had vanished.

The Uchiha made no effort to hide their brilliance, unlike the Hyuga.

If things continued like this, the Uchiha could very well become history, too.

That was why, when Fugaku heard Shisui wanted to make a change, he hadn't needed long to decide.

He didn't trust the Konoha High Command, but he also didn't believe the Uchiha could get through this predicament on their strength alone.

"Then what do you mean, Clan Head...?"

"Let's see how Shisui's mission goes first."

"If it works, then we'll have another option."

"Natsume, contact the other three captains and ask them to come see me."

"That's all."

After speaking, Uchiha Fugaku picked up another file and began working on it.

The three still wanted to say something.

But Uchiha Fugaku had made his position clear, so there was no point in dwelling on it.

They bowed slightly, then vanished.

"Ding! Main quest progress: 10%."

"Please keep up the good work, Host."

"Stage reward transmitted!"

Roy, who had been refining chakra, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Big Brother Shisui has already started taking action?"

"System, claim the reward."

Roy smiled.

He had to admit, Shisui was incredibly efficient.