The Uchiha Need Their Own Hokage / Use the Son to Hook the Father, the Younger Brother to Hook the Older Brother

Chapter 15: The Uchiha Need Their Own Hokage

But Orochimaru wasn't stupid enough to jump straight into the fray. He demanded that the Uchiha show their sincerity—at the very least, they had to openly stand on his side.

Uchiha Gin told Orochimaru to wait. He also advised him to clean up his own affairs a little and gather some allies.

After all, Orochimaru was one of the Sannin and highly respected in Konoha. The other two Sannin were gone, and Hatake Sakumo, who had enjoyed the greatest support, had taken his own life. Minato, who had become the Fourth Hokage, was dead too.

That meant Orochimaru had no real competition left. The only obstacle was the Second's four disciples.

Orochimaru left soon after. Their negotiations that evening had given him much more confidence. Once the Uchiha made their move, he would officially enter the race for the Hokage position!

Orochimaru also showed some sincerity of his own. He provided some introductory study materials on scientific research, along with several ninjutsu scrolls—a small investment, so to speak.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi probably won't sleep tonight. Nearly fifty Uchiha who can use Izanagi—who knows, they might even be able to wipe out Konoha."

"Orochimaru's taken the bait, too. Once we get suitable First Hokage Cells and give them to the Three Tomoe clansmen, we won't have to worry about fighting head-on."

Uchiha Gin felt a lot less pressure.

He knew that what he was doing would make the Konoha High Command hate the Uchiha even more, but it would also make them more hesitant to act.

What he needed was time. The longer he could drag things out, the better it was for him. He was still growing; he hadn't even reached his Six-Item Build yet. But Konoha had no way to get any stronger, so his advantage would only grow!

"Now, I guess I'm one of the players moving the pieces in this world. Things are about to get interesting."

Uchiha Gin looked forward to the day he met Obito.

Am I the ruler of this world? [Tiger-Skin Mask]

When the time came, as Obito knelt on the ground and wept, Uchiha Gin would play the Detective Conan repentance theme!

After Shisui left, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other three sat motionless in their seats.

"The Uchiha!!"

Danzo's voice was hoarse.

It was full of undisguised killing intent.

At the same time, he felt a trace of urgency. One of his subordinates had told him about information that Root had concealed regarding Uchiha Madara's attack on Konoha.

Among the final words Uchiha Madara had left behind, there was one more sentence Root had kept secret.

It was: "Hashirama's power isn't something you can covet. I'm the only one worthy of the Senju's power!"

Clearly, someone else had discovered that he was researching the First Hokage Cells. That put Danzo under a lot of pressure.

"The Uchiha are already on their guard against us. They're even preparing for a fight."

Mitokado Homura felt a headache coming on.

Konoha couldn't afford internal conflict right now. They had to stay on guard against the other four of the Five Great Villages.

If they could mobilize every shinobi in Konoha against the Uchiha, there wouldn't be much to worry about. But they couldn't. After the Nine-Tails Incident, most of their fighting forces had been sent to the borders. They simply didn't have the strength to crush the Uchiha outright.

"So Uchiha Gin wasn't the person who attacked Konoha. Is his Mangekyō Sharingan connected to Uchiha Madara?"

Utatane Koharu raised a question.

What they feared most was that the Uchiha Clan had joined forces with Uchiha Madara.

"Probably not. He must have awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan recently. If that person really was Uchiha Madara, he wouldn't have spared the Uchiha Clan during the Nine-Tails Incident."

"According to the Anbu investigation, the person who attacked the Root Base was probably connected to an organization called Akatsuki. They wore the same clothes."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious, but he hadn't lost his reason.

The Anbu hadn't stopped investigating for a moment. Danzo didn't dare conceal anything, either. Since Uchiha Madara was involved, Root had cooperated fully.

However, he hadn't revealed Root Organization's human experimentation. Before Uchiha Gin's Shadow Clone self-destructed, it had left behind a few words.

"This is only the beginning. Hashirama—Konoha, wait for my revenge!"

Those were the words Uchiha Gin's Shadow Clone left behind before blowing up all its chakra.

"I told you a long time ago that we should deal with the Uchiha first. Now we're beset by troubles inside and out, and we can't do anything!"

Danzo spoke in a fit of anger.

His position was that the Uchiha Clan should be wiped out. There had been an opportunity after the Nine-Tails Incident, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had stopped him several times.

"Taking action would severely weaken Konoha!"

"Then, besides Uchiha Madara lurking in the shadows, we'd have the Four Great Shinobi Villages to worry about. Konoha would fall apart—or even be destroyed!"

"Ease up on the pressure against the Uchiha Clan for now. Use a conciliatory policy, win over the Doves in the clan, and show the Uchiha Konoha's goodwill."

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a deep breath before issuing his order.

It clearly wasn't a good time to use force against the Uchiha. They might really explode and drag Konoha into the abyss.

"Hiruzen!"

Danzo was shocked.

He clearly couldn't accept this.

The wicked Uchiha deserved to be wiped out!

"This is the Hokage's order."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was cold.

It looked like he'd have to make Danzo cool off a little. At the same time, he needed to figure out what the Uchiha Clan was planning. If they really intended to do something, he wouldn't show them any mercy!

The next day.

As the Military Police Force members patrolled, they could clearly feel that there were fewer eyes watching them from the shadows.

The civilians weren't targeting them like before, either. They no longer dared to whisper behind their backs, and their gazes were tinged with fear.

The change made the Uchiha feel quite pleased.

What the various clans had expected didn't happen: the Konoha High Command didn't move against the Uchiha. It surprised them greatly.

After all, the Uchiha Clan's old fossils had openly cursed out the Konoha High Command in front of so many people the day before—even their own clan head.

But nothing had happened today. It was clearly beyond their expectations.

The campaign against the Uchiha had been going on quietly ever since the Nine-Tails Incident. There had been no explicit orders, but all the clans had tacitly played along.

"These next few tasks will take some time, but the most expensive part is already behind me. I can take a few shortcuts."

Uchiha Gin looked at the new tasks he'd received after completing the Mystic Eyes task. He didn't feel much pressure.

[Task · Familiar — You can't do everything yourself. A loyal servant who won't betray you can lighten a mage's burden. *Use part of your own body, or modify an existing life, to create a familiar of your own.]

[Task · Strong Body — How can a magic user have a frail body? The new generation of magic users all have powerful close-combat abilities. Weaklings aren't fit to be mages. *Train your body!]

[Task · Mystic Code — A Mystic Code is extremely important to a mage. Create a Mystic Code of your own!]

The three tasks were advanced magecraft tasks. The Mystic Eyes task he'd done earlier had been the hardest, but Uchiha Gin thought it would help him improve the most, so he'd completed that one first.

The Strong Body task was a long-term one. Once he improved enough, he'd receive a reward and expand his Magic Circuits.

The other two would take time and money. He'd need time to learn how to make them.

For now, Uchiha Gin just had to wait until he completed the tasks, gained preliminary control over the power of the Second Magic, and went straight to a parallel world to download new skills for himself.

"I didn't expect the clan head himself to come visit today. Is something urgent?"

Uchiha Gin set down the gem he'd just taken out and looked up toward the courtyard. Fugaku stood there.

"Gin, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

"I want to be sure you're serious this time."

Fugaku was treating Uchiha Gin as an important figure now. Before, he'd thought Gin was too young. But now he could see that Gin had a head on his shoulders.

And Fugaku couldn't keep letting things go on like this. He knew nothing about what was happening and had no way to control the situation.

"The Uchiha need their own Hokage."

Uchiha Gin looked at Fugaku and smiled as he spoke.

"?"

"Huh?"

Chapter 16: Use the Son to Hook the Father, the Younger Brother to Hook the Older Brother

Fugaku argued with Uchiha Gin at his home for a long time.

He thought Uchiha Gin's show of force was enough. It would make Konoha fear them and stop it from acting against them. The two sides could live together in peace.

But one sentence from Uchiha Gin left him speechless.

"If Konoha gets the chance, it'll wipe out the Uchiha without hesitation."

Fugaku had no doubt that Uchiha Gin was telling the truth.

After all, Konoha's intentions had been clear ever since the Nine-Tails Incident. Even if it didn't wipe out the Uchiha, it would suppress them completely. Fugaku couldn't accept that.

"Orochimaru is the Third Hokage's disciple. Is there really any point in supporting him?"

Fugaku asked again.

"Who else can we choose right now?"

"Do you want to become Hokage?"

"No..."

Uchiha Gin's question left Fugaku too afraid to agree.

If the Uchiha tried to claim the Hokage position, there would really be a war.

"Clan head, tell me your answer. Is it Uchiha in Konoha, or Konoha in the Uchiha?"

While Fugaku was silent, Uchiha Gin suddenly asked him.

Hearing the question, Fugaku paused, then looked straight into Uchiha Gin's eyes.

He could feel that his answer mattered a great deal this time.

The wrong answer could very well affect the Uchiha's future.

There were two choices: Konoha or the Uchiha.

Which one came first?

He thought back over everything he'd experienced in recent years. It hadn't all been bad, but... Fugaku's gaze turned resolute.

"Konoha in the Uchiha."

Fugaku answered.

He didn't want to live in fear every day anymore.

Talking with Uchiha Gin had helped him make up his mind.

He might be a Dove, but the Uchiha would always come before Konoha.

If Uchiha Gin had known what Fugaku was thinking, he would've added one exception: his son!

"I believe you."

"Then let's wait for Konoha's meeting this month. You can handle persuading the clan members to make concessions on the Military Police Force issue. I'll take care of Orochimaru."

Uchiha Gin finally showed a little kindness as he spoke.

They'd already worked out the plan they'd discussed: give up some of the Military Police Force's authority in exchange for the possibility of Orochimaru becoming a Hokage candidate.

At the same time, they'd secure permission for the Uchiha to freely conduct business in the village.

The Uchiha Clan had been restricted by all sorts of rules for years. They were only allowed to serve in the Military Police Force, and they could hardly do anything else.

Even their commercial activities were confined to the clan compound. There weren't any Uchiha shops elsewhere.

"That'll be a headache, but leave it to me."

Fugaku nodded.