The Double Agent

Itachi Uchiha suffered a crushing defeat.

He hung his head, leaning against Shisui, utterly weak.

A trace of sympathy inevitably appeared in people's eyes. To have held out this long against Akashi's overwhelming strength was already impressive.

Still, this must have been a serious blow.

A minor incident had interrupted the clan meeting, and the tense atmosphere had unexpectedly eased considerably. The discussion gradually shifted to the future prospects of the Uchiha's younger generation.

Akashi had spoken brilliantly, and his impressive talent in battle had also caught everyone's attention.

A moment later, everyone returned to the Uchiha Shrine.

Fugaku seized the opportunity to cut through the matter and make his final decision.

Akashi had laid the groundwork, and the unexpected fight had further distracted the opposition time and again. They had lost their momentum, and their protests had quieted considerably.

The policy of moving the clan grounds was officially settled.

Seeing that the clan head's position could not be changed, some shook their heads and sighed while others nodded in agreement. They all accepted the outcome.

The atmosphere in the Council Hall eased.

"All right, that's the end of today's clan meeting. Everyone can go home." Fugaku tucked his hands into his sleeves and saw them out, then suddenly added, "Akashi, stay behind."

Akashi had been mingling with the crowd and was just about to slip away when Fugaku called him over. Quite a few people gave him gloating looks.

Hmph, look at you acting so high and mighty.

You offended the clan head and still thought you could get away?

Once everyone had left, Akashi found himself alone with Fugaku. Seeing that poker face, he felt uneasy. Surely he's not going to use his position to get back at me?

Your son was the one who started it.

Fugaku seemed to read Akashi's mind and gave him a helpless smile. "Let's go to the Rear Hall. We'll talk in private. It's not about Itachi."

"Lord Clan Head, I knew you were broad-minded."

Akashi chuckled sheepishly and followed him into the Rear Hall.

The vast space held only the two of them, seated across from each other.

Fugaku poured two cups of flower tea and slid one over to Akashi with one hand. "About moving the clan grounds—you said just now that we should ask the village for more compensation. They've already offered an extra five thousand ryo per square meter?"

"Well..."

"Were you making that up?"

"No, no. That was Lord Hokage's exact wording. The most they can add is five thousand ryo, but when you negotiate, you should ask for at least ten thousand. Otherwise, once you haggle them down, there won't be five thousand left."

Fugaku nodded.

He knew that was the village's bottom line, and that it was as much as the clan could hope to get.

There was one more thing he wanted to know.

"Akashi, do you think I did the right thing?"

"No."

"Hm?"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow. Was he really going to be that direct?

Akashi spread his hands. "But it's the only option we have. Now's not the time to fall out with the village."

"Not the time..."

Fugaku's gaze darkened.

That was right. It wasn't the time.

Year 49 of Konoha.

The Nine-Tails Incident had only recently passed, and everyone was eager for stability.

Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, was still in the village and had yet to defect. Danzo's Root and the Hokage's Anbu were powerful, and the various clans were wary of the Uchiha.

If they truly decided to fight to the death, their odds of winning would be only about fifty percent.

The Uchiha were also a proud clan. Unless they had no other choice, they wouldn't rise up first and take on the stigma of being traitors.

Even if they succeeded, would they be able to win everyone's support?

Given the Uchiha's temperament, it would be difficult for them to keep the other clans happy. They would inevitably have to contend with endless internal strife. And if other villages seized the opportunity to meddle... the consequences would be unimaginable.

As for fleeing, they would inevitably face endless pursuit.

Besides, the ninja might be able to escape, but what about the old, the weak, the women, and the children?

There were too many concerns. They couldn't make it work.

Akashi hadn't thought about things as much as Fugaku and the others. All the problems boiled down to just one.

Weakness!

If they had Madara Uchiha's strength, would the Konoha High Command dare say a word?

They had to endure because they lacked power.

That was the true root of the Uchiha's tragedy.

Many Uchiha hadn't realized this yet. They still thought their clan was powerful, and believed the trouble had all started because of their own arrogance.

Hopeless.

Akashi didn't expect them to come around on their own. He could only rely on himself.

Fugaku lifted his teacup and blew across the surface. "You've worked hard lately. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Since you ask..."

Akashi grinned. "The Third Hokage asked me to keep him informed about the clan's internal affairs, reporting once every three days. He promised me a position in the Anbu two years from now, with double pay. Of course, I don't get paid during the internship."

Fugaku was stunned. "Is this something I'm allowed to know?"

"You're the clan head!" Akashi said matter-of-factly, nodding. "Actually, the Hokage forced me into it. My heart's with the clan, and I haven't given him any valuable information. I also had to work hard to find out the village's bottom line on the relocation. I was going to have my dad bring it up, but he was home sick, and then today just happened to..."

"All right, all right. I understand."

Fugaku let out a long sigh. This kid sure was long-winded.

He sounded impatient, but he was genuinely curious about what Akashi had done. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Akashi pretended to feel embarrassed and rubbed his hands together, mumbling, "I'm more than willing to serve the clan. I just wondered if there might be some kind of work allowance."

"An allowance?" Fugaku was taken aback.

"Payment. This work is bound to affect my regular missions, so I'll earn less. There are household expenses and all..."

Before he could finish, Fugaku cut him off. "I understand. I'll allocate money for you from the clan's activity funds."

The Uchiha sure were generous—far more than the stingy Konoha High Command.

Akashi praised him inwardly, then smiled and said, "Also, I'd like to get reimbursed for the money I spent buying cigarettes for the Hokage a couple of days ago."

"Buying cigarettes?"

"To build a relationship. It's just how things work. The elders in my family taught me." Akashi grinned innocently.

Fugaku took a deep breath and pulled out a stack of bills. "You did a good job buying them. Don't do it again. I'll reimburse you out of my own pocket this time."

"And..."

"And?"

Fugaku's eyebrow twitched. He suddenly realized he was losing his composure, so he collected himself and said, "Go on."

Akashi took a sip of tea. "Lord Clan Head, I'd like to learn a few more ninjutsu techniques for self-defense. Danzo's started getting suspicious of me, and you know how devious he is. It'd be a real pain if Root ninja started watching me."

If he was going to milk Fugaku, he might as well get as much as he could. Fugaku was so easy to talk to.

Fugaku really had no choice. Half exasperated, half amused, he said, "You have a point. Come find me at the Police Force office this weekend."

With that, he picked up his teacup. "Anything else?"

Akashi knew not to push his luck. He quit while he was ahead, shaking his head repeatedly as he finished his tea.

If not for him, Itachi would have gone down this path in the future, been duped, and ended up slaughtering the whole clan. In a way, Akashi had also blocked Itachi's path to becoming a traitor.

By that logic, asking for a little compensation was only reasonable.

Across from him, Fugaku seemed to have gotten a major worry off his chest. "Now it's my turn to speak, right?"

Akashi nodded obediently to his patron.

Fugaku cleared his throat and began recounting the past. He rambled on for two or three hours, mostly about the village's policies.

His tone was much like the Third Hokage's, but his delivery was nowhere near as good.

Akashi struggled to stay alert and politely chimed in. It suddenly struck him that it was only natural for the Uchiha to be ruined by a plodding, indecisive man like Fugaku.

If he couldn't even beat the Hokage at giving speeches, what good was he?

If only you'd stood your ground even a little—you wouldn't have been so utterly spineless!