Vigilance and the Eve of Battle

Konoha, the Uchiha Compound.

When Taiichi arrived at Fugaku, led by Uchiha Kenro, Fugaku was already waiting at the door with Itachi.

Taiichi wasn't surprised by this; with someone already leading the way, it was perfectly normal for another person to go and inform them.

Fugaku's behavior at the door truly shocked Uchiha Kenro once again; he never expected his clan leader to value Taiichi so much.

"Alright, Jianlang, we've arrived. Thank you for showing me the way."

Taiichi was very polite, but Uchiha Kenro dared not accept the courtesy. He quickly said, "It is what I should do," bowed to the clan leader, and then led his men to continue their patrol mission.

"Taiichi, is there something you need so late?"

Fugaku then spoke, and with a gesture, led Taiichi into his home.

"There are indeed some things I need to discuss with Fugaku, but we need a quiet place."

As he spoke, he patted the little weasel's head. The little guy looked very nervous, and he wondered what it was worried about. Could it be that it thought he had come to tell on him?

To be honest, that's exactly what Itachi was thinking at that moment. Itachi's timing was just Taiichi perfect; this was Taiichi first time Taichi had come to his house in a month.

The worst part is that he got into a fight outside today. How can you expect a kid like him not to overthink things?

Fugaku didn't care about Ryou's thoughts at this moment. He naturally understood what Taiichi meant by "quiet," and immediately said to Ryou, "Itachi, go do your evening lessons. Your teacher and I have something to discuss."

Upon hearing this, Itachi could only walk on, turning back every few steps, his eyes pleading as he looked at Taiichi.

Taiichi smiled and waved to him, reassuring him, and stopped teasing the child.

As Itachi's figure disappeared, Fugaku led Taiichi to a secluded house. The two knelt on the ground, and the conversation officially began.

"Clan Chief Fugaku, did all members of the Uchiha Clan awaken or enhance their Sharingan because of the loss or injury of their loved ones?"

Taiichi was as straightforward as ever, First Gate point without any ambiguity. Given his current status and strength, he really didn't need to beat around the bush.

Fugaku's eyes dimmed. Although the Sharingan was the pride of the Uchiha, the awakening and enhancement it brought were something most Uchiha were unwilling to mention.

"That's true for the vast majority of cases, but there are also instances where promotions were made while the person was excited."

"Oh, could you tell me more about the latter situation?"

"What's wrong, Taiichi? Did you discover something? Why are you suddenly interested in this?"

Fugaku became somewhat wary. Kekkei Genkai are top secrets of the Bloodline Limit Family. If an outsider like you keeps asking about them, even if you are Itachi's master, it will arouse suspicion.

Taiichi smiled with relief and, without hiding anything, explained the phenomena he had observed that afternoon.

" —Fugaku, has there ever been a case like Itachi's in the history of the nobility?"

Fugaku's brain briefly went blank, and he was momentarily lost in thought.

She showed signs of opening her eyes at the age of 5.

It wasn't because of negative emotions that my eyes opened; rather, it was like positive emotions.

And there was also an aura of ocular power that was completely different from that of ordinary Sharingan.

All of this demonstrates that Itachi's awakening of his Sharingan this time was extraordinary.

However— Fugaku's paused brain started working again, and at an accelerated pace.

"This—there seems to be no similar record in the history of this clan."

As for the precedents you mentioned of being promoted due to excitement, the ones that are recorded are all cases of shock, not genuine awareness or understanding.

Fugaku himself was somewhat unsure, after all, the Uchiha had countless books in their collection, and he hadn't read every single one of them.

He should have heard of such special promotion cases if they existed.

However, Taiichi. If enlightenment could advance the Sharingan, then there was no reason why positive emotional stimulation wouldn't work.

The key issue should be the intensity of the stimulus. However, negative emotions are usually more likely to have a significant impact on people, and this impact is both long-lasting and intense.

In contrast, positive emotions often provide only a short-lived stimulus, and their final effect is not as intense as that of negative emotions.

Taiichi slowly explained his guess to Fugaku, based on his own observations and experiences, immediately agreed.

"But... Itachi's condition? Will this affect his future Sharingan advancement?"

This is what Fugaku truly cares about; it concerns his son's future.

Even he Uchiha Clan Head, couldn't control the direction of this unprecedented method of advancement.

Taiichi pondered silently for a long time before giving his answer.

"I think this doesn't affect the advancement of the Sharingan. Whether it's positive or negative emotions, they are all meant to stimulate the brain to produce specific eye power, so their essence is the same."

As long as one's own strength is sufficient, one can improve their Sharingan even without these stimuli.

Moreover, the Sharingan is also known as the Eye of Heart Reflection. When Itachi's Sharingan generated its ocular power today, the feeling it gave me was completely different from that of ordinary Sharingan. That warm aura alone speaks volumes.

Furthermore, in my judgment, this kind of Sharingan advancement won't pose a risk of a drastic change in personality after the advancement.

Fugaku let out a long sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease.

That's how people are; they easily lose their composure when it involves their closest relatives.

He wasn't unaware of what Taiichi was saying; he just needed someone of sufficient authority to give him a definitive answer.

"How should Itachi's Sharingan be developed in the future? If left unchecked, it might just revert to the old path of the clan."

Taiichi's gaze toward Fugaku became even more friendly. Regardless of Fugaku's abilities as the clan leader, his love for children was genuine.

However, Taiichi also sighed.

"These things are unpredictable. A ninja's missions can change in an instant, and no one can guarantee that the future will be smooth sailing."

In my opinion, don't deliberately pursue the advancement of the Sharingan. Strengthening the foundation of your body is the first priority. When your strength is sufficient, the Sharingan will automatically improve.

The next level is also to try to stimulate the Sharingan with positive emotions to enhance it, while maintaining absolute control over one's own temperament.

But if something truly unbearable happens, then it's simply fate, and there's nothing we can do about it, even if we want to protect ourselves.

Fugaku felt he was sighing more than usual today. He was well aware of the state of mind of his clansmen who were divided, and he himself had once been briefly lost in hatred.

There was a reason why the Uchiha was viewed with suspicion by the Village Higher-Ups. The clan members whose personalities changed drastically after their Sharingan upgrades not only caused trouble for the village, but also caused considerable headaches within the clan itself.

Now that the children have finally managed to embark on different paths, this kind of trouble still arises in the end.

"Clan Chief Fugaku doesn't need to worry too much. As long as it's not a leap in strength, the changes brought about by the Sharingan are manageable. The key is to focus on your own training."

Taiichi has a certain authority to speak on this matter. He is fully aware of the changes that occur from the Sharingan to the ultimate leap of the Mangekyo.

He also had some guesses about the mechanism that caused the user's personality to change so drastically, which is why he said to pay attention to self-training.

"Then—I'll have to trouble you to look after Itachi from now on."

Fugaku bowed in gratitude, revealing the deep love and care of an old father.

Taiichi accepted the greeting without hesitation; he had clearly put a lot of thought and effort into Itachi.

After the conversation, Taiichi didn't linger. He bid farewell to Fugaku and Mikoto and Itachi, who had come out to see him off, and then disappeared at the end of the street under the watchful eyes of the three of them.

On the way back to the house, Itachi couldn't help but clutch the hem of his clothes and ask the question that had been weighing on his mind.

"Father, did Master come here today because I did something wrong?"

Fugaku looked down in surprise at his son, not understanding why he was asking such a question.

Recalling his conversation with Taiichi, which hadn't touched on this topic, he knew something special must have happened today to make his son so worried.

"What, you still won't tell me now?"

Fugaku feigned seriousness and didn't answer Itachi's question, but instead asked a question in return, which made Itachi's face turn pale.

Itachi was still young and couldn't tell that his father was bluffing him. After a brief silence, he recounted everything that had happened to him that day.

After finishing, he didn't forget to ask, "Father, is this why the teacher came?"

Her little face was scrunched up, looking extremely uneasy, afraid of hearing bad news from her father.

Fugaku stopped trying to scare him and instead smiled reassuringly, "No, that's not it at all. Your teacher just came to discuss the war on the front lines with me. I just didn't expect you to have such a rich experience today."

Even if Itachi was slow to realize, he knew he had been tricked by his father. His cheeks puffed out, and he looked furious.

In the end, however, he managed to restrain himself and gave Fugaku a dry bow.

"Then—Father, I'll go back to rest."

He squeezed out each word carefully, then turned and quickly walked towards his room.

As Itachi's figure disappeared, Fugaku's smile faded, and he stood there quietly lost in thought.

Beside her, Mikoto noticed her husband seemed preoccupied, so she took two steps forward, put her hand on his arm, and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is something wrong with Itachi?"

Fugaku gently shook his head. "It's not about Itachi, but his experience today made me think about how ordinary villagers view the Uchiha. Even a child is hostile towards the Uchiha. It seems that changing things at the top isn't enough."

Mikoto, hearing that this was a matter of great importance concerning the entire clan, stopped interrupting and simply stood quietly beside her husband, offering him silent support.

While Taiichi was quietly developing his strength in the rear, new changes were taking place on the front lines.

The war has been going on for almost two years now.

--

The ongoing war not only severely depleted the village's financial resources but also posed a tremendous test to the morale of its people.

Not all frontline ninjas are like Taiichi, who is recalled to the village every now and then.

Although it wasn't Taiichi's intention each time, the rest he took during those periods was genuine.

Most of the frontline ninjas had been on the front lines for two years or even longer.

War-weariness had long since accumulated to a rather dangerous level.

Konoha currently holds the advantage on all fronts, which has temporarily suppressed this sentiment, but this can only address the immediate crisis.

Therefore, from top to bottom, from the front lines to the rear, Konoha was hoping for a great victory to completely turn the tide of the war.

Against this backdrop, a daunting task was entrusted to Minato, and the three members of Team Minato naturally became the assistance team for this mission.

"Kakashi, Obito, Rin, this mission is extremely difficult. Are you sure you want to participate?"

Minato spoke earnestly, expressing his love for his disciple while also respecting his choices.

Before Kakashi could reply, Obito stepped forward and answered first.

"Minato-sensei, we've already thought it through. How can such an important mission be complete without our participation?"

Obito was so excited that his body was shaking as he spoke. The team had been completing missions on his own one after another recently, which made him more and more confident in his own abilities.

But in Minato's eyes, this was definitely not a sign of composure.

His hesitation deepened as he considered whether to switch to another team, given the exceptional importance of this mission and the fact that no mistakes could be tolerated.

Kakashi clearly noticed Minato's hesitation, so he kicked Obito in the butt to calm his excited nerves before turning back to face Minato.

"Teacher, please let us go. This mission is extremely important, and our presence will provide a safety net. Don't forget, we can call for backup if needed."

Kakashi's words completely put Minato at ease. He had previously speculated about the village's arrangements for Taiichi.

However, when he returned to the village to report on a mission, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, said he wanted him to succeed the Fourth Hokage, and this suspicion became a certainty.

Thinking back to the situation at that time----

"Minato, what are your thoughts on the selection of the Fourth Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's question was quite abrupt; Minato, who had just finished his mission report, was completely unprepared and froze on the spot.

"Well... Jiraiya- sensei and Lord Orochimaru both very kind, and Lady Tsunade is back too." Minato scratched his head, but finally made up his mind, "I still hope Jiraiya- sensei can become Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, wisps of smoke rising upwards, seemingly dissatisfied with Minato's answer.

"And you, don't you want to be Hokage?"

Of course I want to!

Minato blurted out these words without the slightest hesitation, but he immediately followed up with an explanation.

"However, I'm still young, I can wait a few years. As for the Fourth Hokage, I still support Jiraiya- sensei to be the one."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "You're quite filial, considering so much for Jiraiya."

Minato showed a rare hint of shyness, but just as he was about to speak, Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him.

"Jiraiya has already written to me and said that he doesn't want to become Hokage. After the war ends, he wants to continue his journey to find the Child of Prophecy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly said this through gritted teeth.

He was quite resentful of Jiraiya's choice; if Jiraiya were in person, he would have loved to beat the guy until his face was covered in bruises.

For the sake of a prophecy whose truth or falsehood is unknown, they abandoned their entire village and went out to search for some Child of Prophecy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi still feels unsettled.

He took a few deep drags on his cigarette to calm his frustration before speaking again.

"As for Orochimaru, he's not suitable for the Hokage position right now. And Tsunade —she wouldn't have come back if it weren't for Taiichi."

After saying all this, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have aged another 10 years. None of the disciples he had painstakingly trained were able to take over his mantle, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel inexplicably defeated.

Fortunately, I still have my grand-disciple.