Keigo... Truly Was the Uchiha Clan's Lucky Star

The Hokage's office.

Shimura Danzō's right eye was wrapped in bandages. Though he wasn't as sinister as he would be in his old age, the gloomy air about him was already beginning to show.

He stood beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, gazing at the crystal ball before them. Inside it was Uzumaki Kushina's angry little face, and a trace of greed showed in his remaining eye!

"Don't even think about going after Kushina."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shot him a cold glance.

"There isn't another Uzumaki descendant in the village. She's the last surviving Uzumaki, and the only one capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails. If the Nine-Tails makes even the slightest move, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

I've only been Hokage for a few years!

Danzō, are you seriously looking for trouble?

I haven't even warmed the seat yet, and Danzō already wants to cause trouble for Uzumaki Kushina. If the Nine-Tails went on a rampage, I'd be the one held responsible!

"I understand."

Shimura Danzō's face darkened.

Damn it. Neither Orochimaru nor Sarutobi Hiruzen—the two master and student—was any good.

Every last one of them was so damn crafty!

"But Kumogakure seems to have been making moves in the Shinobi World lately. They appear to be carrying out some kind of 'Operation Fire Theft,' scouring the entire Shinobi World for treasures and Kekkei Genkai to gather in Kumogakure!"

"That's bad news for Konoha!"

His gaze turned gloomy and cold!

"Oh?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't heard about this. It seemed there had been some merit in supporting Shimura Danzō's creation of Root after all.

"This is bad news. I'll investigate. Kumogakure is a typical militant village. Their strength will threaten Konoha sooner or later, and we can't let them carry out their plan without interference."

His eyes shifted, a cold glint flashing in them!

His steady expression was murderous!

"Root's shinobi will leave the village to investigate this. I'll inform you as soon as we learn anything."

Shimura Danzō added.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Shimura Danzō greedily and reluctantly glanced at Uzumaki Kushina in the crystal ball, then suddenly asked, "Hiruzen, what do you think of the Uchiha Clan in the village?"

"They've seemed a little too quiet lately. Could they... have something in mind? Or perhaps... be plotting something?"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes!

He followed the Second's will and had never been fond of the Uchiha Clan.

As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha Clan had never been any good!

"The Uchiha Clan? They haven't made any unusual moves. And I can say for certain that they've been getting along very well with the villagers lately. Quite a few villagers have even started to see them in a new light."

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Take Kushina, for instance. She's taken quite a liking to Keigo Uchiha, and the incident when Kumogakure abducted her played a crucial role in that."

"That incident let us get quite a bit out of Kumogakure!"

Back then, Kumogakure's actions had been exposed.

Kumogakure had no choice but to pay a price.

It hadn't been much, but it had sure felt good!

"Besides... the young people from the various clans—Keigo's classmates—all think very highly of him. That's made their families look more favorably on the Uchiha Clan as well."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction.

Thinking of the kind Great Elder and all the help the Uchiha Clan had given him over the years, he couldn't help saying, "The Uchiha Clan isn't really that evil. My teacher simply didn't have much contact with them back then!"

"After all, the First was very kind to the Uchiha Clan!"

Why had his teacher been so hostile toward the Uchiha Clan back then?

It must have been because of some misunderstanding!

After all, that man had been ruthless and stubborn, and never listened to anyone else's advice.

Shimura Danzō: "???"

He drew a deep breath, his face full of disbelief!

Now that Keigo Uchiha had become Orochimaru's student, one of your own, you're acting like this?

His expression held a trace of resentment!

After all, the power Uchiha Madara's Sharingan had displayed back then was terrifying. He still wanted to get his hands on the Uchiha Clan's eyes!

But he needed Sarutobi Hiruzen's help to do any of that. And now... it looked like there was no chance at all!

"I advise you not to go after the Uchiha Clan either. They're someone I'm trying to win over, and Keigo is one of my own. I don't want us to end up on bad terms with the Uchiha Clan."

As he spoke, his voice carried a hint of warning.

At once,

Shimura Danzō felt a chill in his heart.

He was seething with frustration!

"Hmph!"

He gave an irritated grunt, then turned and left without hesitation.

This was so damn frustrating!

But now that Sarutobi Hiruzen had agreed to let Root shinobi go beyond the borders, Root could gather those sixty test subjects... and he would have children with Wood Release genes.

He might even be able to transplant Wood Release into himself someday!

Time flew by.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Uchiha Clan's grounds.

Inside the shrine.

The Great Elder gazed kindly at Keigo Uchiha's tall, straight figure.

Though he was only twelve, Keigo Uchiha was already nearly 1.6 meters tall. He looked fourteen or fifteen, his handsome face one part youthful innocence and nine parts good looks.

His height had shot up so quickly

because of all the time he'd spent training in Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu over the years.

"Keigo, I never expected you to be able to fight Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Now that you're at Elite Jonin level, you can stand on your own. I expected you to grow quickly, but I never imagined you'd advance this fast."

The Great Elder sighed.

What had I been doing when I was twelve?

Back then, I... I think I was only an Elite Chunin, wasn't I?

Yet Keigo Uchiha was already an Elite Jonin!

With Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu on top of that, few people could threaten him apart from Kage Level powerhouses!

"Many members of the Uchiha Clan already see you as their future clan head. That's an honor, but it's a responsibility too."

The Great Elder said with a smile.

His eyes held a note of praise.

"Ever since Uncle Shinsuke chose to submit to me, I've been aware of it. Great Elder, you've already given the order in secret that I'm to become the clan head, haven't you?"

Under the sunlight, Keigo Uchiha looked down at the chessboard before him.

His long-fingered hand placed a black stone on the board.

"Sure enough, nothing gets past you."

The Great Elder, Kyo Uchiha, looked at him with kind, clouded eyes.

"There isn't much I can do for you now. Back then, I didn't want to help Sarutobi Hiruzen. After all, the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage's faction weren't on good terms. But I chose to help him because of Senju Tobirama's Water Release."

"I never expected it to lead to such an unexpected result."

He chuckled.

Keigo... truly was the Uchiha Clan's lucky star!