Does being Hokage require external validation?

Clap, clap, clap. Loud applause rang out at the perfect moment.

Shota clapped his hands excitedly, his eyes filled with longing.

As expected of Brother Kazuhiko, that was well said!

"Uchiha Issho, second to none! I want to be Hokage!"

"I will awaken the Sharingan, defeat the Hyuga clan, become Hokage, and make everyone acknowledge the Uchiha!"

"Protecting the glory of the Uchiha is our bounden duty!"

Brother Rongguang performed steadily, giving Kazuhiko plenty of face.

He is truly my second disciple; his timing for applause is perfect, and his supporting remarks are brief and powerful.

He has perfectly expressed my ideology.

"Brother Kazuhiko, I'll speak from the heart: that Senju Old Ghost is truly too evil. You shouldn't be speaking well of him."

Kazuhiko: ...

Very well said. I'll reward you by having you shut up next time.

Who is Shota, anyway? We aren't actually close.

Yuta, meanwhile, was left stunned in place by Kazuhiko's speech, unable to find words for a long time.

His mood was complicated; when Kazuhiko first began his speech, Yuta's feelings were as follows—

How could an Uchiha's mouth utter such nauseating words?!

Openly licking the boots of the Senju Old Ghost and Sarutobi Monkey—have you no shame left?

He couldn't help but doubt Kazuhiko's lineage.

It's impure!

A person like this could never be one of our Uchiha!

By the time Kazuhiko reached the end of his speech, Yuta's mood had calmed down significantly.

He felt he understood exactly what had happened to Kazuhiko.

Eri's son has been brainwashed and led astray.

How could anyone believe such nonsense as the Will of Fire?

His brain must be fried!

The Will of Fire should be the will of our Uchiha clan!

In Konoha, the Hokage's "son" is the Hokage, the advisor's son is the advisor, and the Police Force's son is the Police Force.

Does becoming Hokage require the acknowledgment of others?!

The look Yuta gave Kazuhiko carried a hint of pity.

This child is a lost cause; what a pity...

In truth, Kazuhiko's speech was entirely composed of hard truths, and quite fair at that.

But for Yuta, a pure-blooded Uchiha, to acknowledge them was clearly impossible.

After all, there is no hatred without a cause. As one of the captains of the Police Force, Yuta knew best what kind of surveillance, suppression, and persecution the Uchiha clan was suffering.

He considered himself quite restrained for only venting his anger at the Second, the Third, and Danzo.

After all, he, Uchiha Yuta, was one of the few doves in the clan—a man who loved peace.

Yuta looked helplessly at Shota. Not wanting to dampen his son's enthusiasm, he could only say tactfully:

"Wanting to be Hokage... it is very difficult to achieve as an Uchiha."

"Why?"

"Because it's all the fault of that white-haired, naturally evil Senju Old Ghost. He was the one who established the system targeting our Uchiha. And Sarutobi Monkey..."

Seeing that Yuta was about to launch into a tirade at the slightest provocation, Kazuhiko hurriedly interrupted, preparing to retreat.

Shota's house was no place to stay.

Staying too long could easily lead to a life-threatening situation.

He was still weak and needed to develop cautiously; no need to be reckless.

"Captain Yuta must be very busy with work at the Police Force. I've truly disturbed you today..."

Yuta wasn't angry at being interrupted.

A guest is a guest; who would get angry at a fool?

He pretended not to hear the subtext in Kazuhiko's words, attempting to save the other party instead.

He wanted to have Kazuhiko join the Police Force and show him just how dark the sky of Konoha truly was without an umbrella to protect him.

After all, the boy was his clansman; we Uchiha are just kind-hearted.

"The work at the Police Force isn't busy, and the workload is light with decent pay. After all, under our Uchiha's management, who would dare commit crimes in the village?"

Speaking of this, Yuta wore a smug expression.

"I'm not bragging, but whether it's the Hyuga clan or the Sarutobi clan, the village's ninjas behave like monkeys in front of us Uchiha. Absolutely no one dares to use their family background to run amok."

"As an Uchiha, you must have been mocked and ridiculed by these large clans plenty of times. Once you join the Police Force, you'll see a completely different side of them."

"Furthermore, in the Hokage Building sector under my patrol, we've had 99 consecutive days of peace and stability without a single incident. If nothing goes wrong, our Second Police Squad will easily surpass the 123-day security record and set a new..."

"Report!" Yuta's speech was interrupted once again.

A member of the Police Force ran in, looking anxious.

"Report, Captain! A brawl has broken out in the Mission Hall, and both sides are using Fire Style ninjutsu. The fire brigade has already been dispatched."

The Mission Hall was located right inside the Hokage Building.

Using Fire Style ninjutsu there was equivalent to setting the palace on fire right in front of the Emperor.

Yuta felt his face flush and swell instantly, as if he had been slapped twice in public.

He could no longer worry about Kazuhiko; he rushed outside in his casual home attire, disappearing after a few leaps.

Shota's mother, who had been preparing tea nearby, spoke up apologetically:

"Please forgive our rudeness."

For a head of the household to abandon a guest was considered a sign of disrespect within the Uchiha clan.

Kazuhiko, however, didn't mind; he didn't feel slighted at all.

He even felt a sense of relief that Yuta's "nothing going wrong" had, predictably, gone wrong.

"Captain Yuta is a man of temperament, and given the emergency, it is entirely understandable."

He stood up on his own initiative, took the prepared scroll from his robes, and presented it to her.

"This is the letter of guarantee personally signed by Director Eri, along with the 'physical assistance plan' I have formulated. Please take a look, and if there is anything inappropriate, we can terminate it at any time."

Shota's mother took the scroll and read it carefully.

Eri's guarantee provided a great deal of peace of mind.

Moreover, the physical assistance plan inside, while looking a bit strange, did not seem dangerous.

"Additionally," Kazuhiko added:

"I have scheduled the eye-awakening session for the day after tomorrow, following the clan meeting. Jonin and elders concerned with this matter will be present to observe, and Director Eri will personally oversee it to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Shota's mother put the guarantee away and bowed.

"After these few days of psychological counseling, I have seen the changes in our Shota with my own eyes; he smiles much more now. Your Psychology Clinic is truly remarkable, and I appreciate the effort you've put into Shota."

"When it concerns Shota's future, I dare not be negligent."

[Uchiha Mako's favorability towards you has increased to: Friendly]

[Uchiha Mako's individual entry card pool unlocked]

[Jonin entry draw chance +1]

You are actually a Jonin as well!?

Two masters in one household! Remarkable!

This Humble One was blind; please forgive my ignorance.

It's all Shota's fault—he only mentioned you glaring at him with your Byakugan, but he never said you were a powerful ninja.

In the world of Naruto, full-time housewives and full-time husbands do exist.

Ninja work, in any era, is considered a high-risk profession with no guarantee of tomorrow.

Therefore, many ninjas, once they have a stable life, choose to abandon their ninja status and return completely to family life.

"No matter the outcome of this treatment, we will be sure to reward you handsomely."

"You are too kind. I shall take my leave now."

Kazuhiko had gained quite a lot and was already satisfied.

The three Jonin entry draw chances were an unexpected bonus.

As a Genin, visiting a Jonin's home without being mocked or looked down upon, and even gaining favorability, was nothing short of a miracle.

From now on, whoever says the Uchiha are hard to get along with, I'll fight them!

"Brother Kazuhiko!"

Shota's voice came from behind, followed by the sound of light, quick footsteps.

Kazuhiko turned to see Shota leading two black-haired girls toward him.

The two girls were about seven or eight years old with bright eyes; one of them had a small beauty mark at the corner of her right eye.

"This is my younger sister, Moe, and beside her is her classmate, Izumi."

Shota introduced them proactively: "Moe, Izumi, this is Brother Kazuhiko..."

"I know!"

Moe ran up to Kazuhiko and tilted her head back, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Big Brother mentions you at home every day, saying you're the best psychologist in all of Konoha!"

Kazuhiko chuckled, "I wouldn't dare claim to be the best; that's a bit of an exaggeration."

He looked over the two young girls. Both were clearly budding beauties; the Uchiha clan was known for producing handsome men and beautiful women, so it was hardly a surprise.

However, the name felt familiar. Uchiha Itachi's little girlfriend was supposedly named Izumi, and if he recalled correctly, she had a beauty mark on her face...

"Moe, Izumi," Kazuhiko crouched down to look them in the eye, "I didn't have time to prepare a gift for you today. How about this: do you know the three-color dango shop in the village?"

"We do! The three-color dango there is so sweet and delicious."

The two little ones spoke in unison, and Moe added, "Izumi loves sharing three-color dango with Itachi."

As expected.

Kazuhiko understood; the girl before him was almost certainly the one from the original story.

The Uchiha Izumi who gave Itachi three-color dango, the one who was... his little girlfriend in the original series?

"Then how about I bring you some three-color dango next time?"

"Okay! Thank you, Big Brother Kazuhiko!"

Kazuhiko stood up and ruffled their hair, "I suppose beautiful people really do love sweets."

The little girls lowered their heads, feeling a bit shy.

[Uchiha Izumi's favorability towards you has increased to: Friendly]
[Genin-level trait draw chance +1]
[Uchiha Moe's favorability towards you has increased to: Friendly]
[Genin-level trait draw chance +1]

Itachi, oh Itachi, how could you bear to lay a hand on such a sweet girl?

I see now that you don't love sweetness at all; you simply have a taste for bitterness!