Restore the Uchiha's Glory! / Chapter 4: Tell Shisui the Truth Behind the Uchiha's Marginalization

But Fugaku had already activated his Sharingan without realizing it. The energy hadn't actually disappeared; ordinary eyes couldn't see it, but the Sharingan could observe the flow of energy, so he could still see it.

"A barrier?"

Fugaku naturally recognized what kind of technique it was.

But the way the barrier had been set up was somewhat unexpected. Clearly, Uchiha Gin wasn't the kind of person Fugaku had thought he was—someone who had given up on hard training and started indulging in comfort.

Fugaku could set up barriers too, but he couldn't do it so casually.

Ninjutsu was difficult, but magic was much easier. More importantly, this was the simplest kind of barrier, used to block the transmission of sound. That was why Uchiha Gin could set it up so casually. With other kinds of barriers, he would still have to put in considerable effort.

"This barrier is to block sound. I hope what I say next won't be overheard."

Uchiha Gin lowered his hand and looked Fugaku directly in the eyes.

At those words, Fugaku's heart tightened. He clearly had a bad feeling. The Great Elder had once been one of the leading representatives of the Hawks, and Fugaku knew very well what had happened to him.

The Great Elder had been over eighty when he died, but it clearly hadn't been because of the pressure the Konoha High Command put on the Uchiha. Nor would that have left him with such a grudge. Uchiha Gin might well have come to resent Konoha.

Uchiha Gin had clearly grown stronger during this time. Back when Uchiha Madara had defected from Konoha, quite a few people in the clan had supported him. It seemed that sentiment was rising again. Fugaku didn't want to see the Uchiha go to war with Konoha, so the situation had been weighing on him.

"The clan's situation is complicated right now. We can't afford any more turmoil."

Fugaku put it as tactfully as he could, but spoke plainly to Uchiha Gin.

Seeing him like this, Uchiha Gin looked at him with disdain and disappointment. Fugaku found that gaze deeply uncomfortable, but he had worked hard to maintain peace between the clan and the village.

War meant death.

Fugaku's ancestors had belonged to the Doves. They had chosen not to follow Uchiha Madara and had remained in Konoha. With the support of the First and Second Hokage, that faction of elders had eventually secured stable control over the Uchiha Clan.

Seeing that Fugaku had guessed why he had come, Uchiha Gin dropped the pretense.

"So you want Uchiha to end up like the Senju Clan."

"Chewed up and spat out, with hardly anyone left alive in the clan. And Tsunade, the First Hokage's granddaughter and one of the Sannin, left Konoha in a fury!"

"Is that what you want to see, Clan Head Fugaku?"

Uchiha Gin's tone was hostile as he pressed the question.

His final words, "Clan Head Fugaku," were full of mockery.

In the original story, if Fugaku had led his people in resisting, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have been reduced to a single survivor: Sasuke.

Clearly, when faced with the choice between his clan and his family, this man had chosen his family. He had secured a future for his two sons, and he had chosen Konoha.

The clan members' eyes had even been dug out by Danzo and used as experimental specimens—disposable tools.

It wasn't Konoha that had raised Fugaku. It was the entire Uchiha Clan. The power he wielded had been granted to him by the Uchiha, not by Konoha!

And yet in the end, he had chosen Konoha!

"War means people will die!"

"Gin, I'm not leading the Uchiha to their deaths. I'm doing my best. These compromises are only temporary. The Uchiha still have a chance."

Fugaku clearly wasn't someone who could be talked around so easily.

He had made the decision to give ground back then with his eyes open. Only when he realized there was nowhere left for the Uchiha to retreat, that they had almost no allies in the village, did he finally choose to give up resisting and let the Uchiha Clan become nourishment for Konoha!

More precisely, they became nourishment for several families among the Konoha High Command. It didn't help Konoha at all!

Faced with a choice between the village, his sons, and his clan, Fugaku had chosen his sons and the village. Someone like that didn't deserve to lead the Uchiha Clan!

Chapter 3: Restore the Uchiha's Glory!

"You're striving for the Uchiha and Konoha to coexist. But that isn't my goal."

"I'm going to restore the Uchiha's glory."

Uchiha Gin spoke to Fugaku with a cold expression.

This had been a test, but Uchiha Gin could see that Fugaku clearly wouldn't change his goals easily.

He wanted coexistence, but all that would bring was pressure from the Konoha High Command and demands that the Uchiha make concessions. Then, when the Uchiha finally couldn't take it anymore and tried to fight back, Konoha would turn around and claim it had all been their fault!

"A lot of people will die. It won't just be the Uchiha—this could throw all of Konoha into chaos and cause terrible losses!"

Fugaku was getting angry. Did Uchiha Gin think he didn't want to do this?

But in Fugaku's eyes, it simply wasn't possible.

He clearly thought Uchiha Gin wanted to carry on the Great Elder's legacy and continue the Hawks' approach by opposing Konoha.

That would certainly bring the Uchiha a great deal of trouble. If the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha became irreconcilable, war would be the only option left.

"So, what will you choose: the village or the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Gin didn't care about Fugaku's words.

If they didn't die now, a wave of them would die later anyway. There was Pain, and after him, the Ninja World War. Sooner or later, people were going to die.

But there was no point telling Fugaku any of that. Uchiha Gin had come to find out where Fugaku stood and decide what to do next. It would be much better if only one person's voice spoke for the Uchiha Clan.

"The two sides can coexist. They depend on each other."

Fugaku tried to persuade Uchiha Gin.

But all he saw on Uchiha Gin's face was mockery and coldness.

"Understood. I'll act according to my own judgment."

Uchiha Gin stopped wasting words, stood up, and prepared to leave.

Fugaku also stood at once, his attitude changing sharply.

"Gin, the Uchiha can't take any more risks right now."

"If you act recklessly, you could drag the Uchiha into hell!"

Fugaku's voice was full of warning, with a trace of murderous intent!

Clearly, he still hoped for the Uchiha to coexist with Konoha, even though he had felt the village's hostility growing everywhere over the last three years.

But he had grown up in Konoha. After Uchiha Madara defected, the Uchiha had been targeted when the Second Hokage took power. The position of clan head had also been shaped by the Second Hokage's pressure, which had led to a Dove being selected. Fugaku was descended from the leader of the Doves.

So he still had hope for the village. In the past, Konoha and the Uchiha had clashed, but the problems hadn't been serious and could be tolerated.

After the Nine-Tails Incident, however, everything had spiraled out of control. He had done his best to salvage the situation, but his trust in the Konoha High Command had steadily worn away. Even so, he still held on to some hope. He didn't want Uchiha Gin's actions to destroy that last bit of hope.

"You're the one who'll drag the Uchiha into hell!"

Uchiha Gin stopped and turned around, glaring at Fugaku with fury.

At the same time, silver-white bones quickly emerged from his body, forming a hand that opened its claws and lunged at Fugaku.

Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan. Blue Susanoo bones formed an arm around him, which blocked the Susanoo arm Uchiha Gin had summoned.

The silver and blue Susanoo bones collided with a powerful impact, but the barrier Uchiha Gin had set up contained the noise.

"Gin, you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Fugaku blurted out the question immediately. He stared at Uchiha Gin's eyes, which were different from the ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his face full of shock.

Clearly, this was completely beyond his expectations.

"I'm not like you. The Uchiha come first for me."

"I won't do something as foolish as what you're imagining. It wouldn't benefit the clan. You, the weak leader of the Doves, have allowed the Uchiha Clan to fall into such a desperate state, while the Hawks' ideas are too far-fetched. The Uchiha aren't strong enough to overthrow Konoha."

"But I'm different from all of you. I'm a Reformist. I'll lead the Uchiha out of this adversity."

Uchiha Gin dispelled the Susanoo arm around his body and spoke to Fugaku with complete seriousness.

If he didn't have to worry about the Uchiha, he could live an easy life. There was no need for him to rush his magical training, and he could find other ways to get money.

He was taking this risk to save the Uchiha Clan. Since he had the ability to help, he couldn't stand by and watch the vast majority of innocent Uchiha die in that massacre.

Fugaku looked at Gin, his heart a jumble of conflicting feelings.

The Doves generally represented a rather saintly way of thinking. Fugaku clearly wanted the Uchiha to coexist with Konoha. That hope was gradually crumbling, but it didn't mean he would abandon the Uchiha. He was striving for the Uchiha and Konoha to coexist.

But when he eventually learned that his own son, Uchiha Itachi, was the one who would attack the Uchiha, and that the clan had almost no chance of successfully resisting, he had ultimately chosen to do Konoha a favor. He gave up fighting Konoha to preserve the village's strength, playing the saint,

while the saint also reaped his rewards: both his sons would survive. The price was nearly a thousand Uchiha lives.

"Reformist... I don't know what that means, but if you do anything that endangers the Uchiha, I won't hold back. Do you understand, Gin?"

Fugaku naturally didn't want to fight Uchiha Gin right now. His tone softened considerably, though he still sounded firm.

He actually wanted to persuade Uchiha Gin to support him. With another Mangekyō wielder, he would have more confidence and a better chance of negotiating with Konoha.

At the same time, the rejection he had faced from Konoha and the looks he'd gotten from those people had kindled his anger and made him rebellious. So he wanted to test the waters by letting Uchiha Gin take action.

After all, Fugaku still held the Uchiha's power in his hands. Without his orders, Uchiha Gin couldn't make any major moves. As long as it didn't come to an outright fight, Fugaku believed there wouldn't be much of a problem. Things couldn't get much worse than they already were.

"Hmph. I hope you show the same backbone when you deal with the Konoha High Command."

Uchiha Gin was annoyed.

Well, look at that. He could be tough here, but could he show the same attitude toward Konoha?

He had fired not a single shot before leading his entire clan to their deaths. Uchiha Gin truly had no liking for a man like that.

"You!"

Fugaku was furious.

But in the end, he held back and watched as Uchiha Gin dispelled the soundproofing barrier and swaggered out of his office.

As soon as Uchiha Gin opened the door, Fugaku immediately dispelled the Susanoo bones around himself and deactivated his Mangekyō.

After thinking for a moment, he summoned several of his trusted subordinates and ordered them to keep an eye on Uchiha Gin's movements around the village and report to him daily.

"The clan members' anger clearly can't be held back much longer. Is a coup the only path left?"

Fugaku wasn't unprepared, but as far as he was concerned, the chances of success through a coup were negligible. He still much preferred a peaceful negotiation.

But if the Uchiha truly had no other choice, he would lead them in a fight to the death. He hadn't been completely brainwashed by Konoha. He simply preferred resolving things peacefully. He wasn't a weakling; a man like that couldn't become the Uchiha Clan's leader. He just leaned more toward peace.

Of course, as long as Uchiha Itachi wasn't the one standing in his way.

After leaving Fugaku's office, Uchiha Gin called over some of the clan members in the Military Police Force and asked them to contact Shisui. He wanted to meet with him, so he had them pass the message along.

Chapter 4: Tell Shisui the Truth Behind the Uchiha's Marginalization

After learning where Fugaku stood, Uchiha Gin felt a headache coming on. The guy really was a Dove through and through. No wonder he was Uchiha Itachi's father. If Gin had arrived a few years earlier, he would've kicked him in the balls and made sure he couldn't have children.

Who knew whether Fugaku would stab him in the back after hearing his plan? If he suddenly decided it was no good and sided with the Third and the others in exchange for peace, that seemed entirely possible.

"The shinobi system is so damn screwed up. Magic users are so noble by comparison, but shinobi are just hired hands who risk their lives, and they get hunted down if they run. It's disgusting."

Even after returning home, Uchiha Gin was still furious. He was so angry that he skipped dinner.

At around ten that night, Shisui appeared on the wall around Uchiha Gin's house, an Anbu short sword strapped to his back.

He was one of the Anbu members personally approved by Sarutobi Hiruzen to serve directly under the Hokage. Not many people knew about it openly; he still worked in the Military Police Force, unlike Itachi, who had joined the Anbu outright. Shisui was the Hokage's confidant.

They had probably chosen him because he was a descendant of Kagami Uchiha, and because they thought he'd be easier to fool and brainwash.

"They've got a thirteen-year-old child going out to risk his life."

"Konoha's leaders deserve to be strung up from the streetlights!"

Seeing Shisui's youthful face, Uchiha Gin cursed Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others in his heart.

"Gin, Tekka said you wanted to see me."

Shisui spoke to Uchiha Gin warmly.

After all, Uchiha Gin had been in Konoha for three years. Though his training and Konoha's close surveillance had prevented him from doing much, there had been no problem building relationships with the younger generation. Three years ago, Shisui had been a Genin. Uchiha Gin had found it easy enough to fool a kid, and he'd used the little free time he had to give Shisui some guidance on his training.

At the time, Uchiha Gin hadn't been able to teach him much—just a little help with training his Sharingan. Every so often, he'd also expressed concern about the conflict between the clan and the village. That had been enough to make Shisui warm to him. The two of them got along well and trusted each other to a considerable degree.

"Now that you've joined the Anbu, you should know the Uchiha Clan's situation very well, right?"

Uchiha Gin invited Shisui into his study. Once they were seated, he asked him directly.

At the question, Shisui's expression stiffened despite himself.

Clearly, he knew very well, and had been doing his best to ease the tensions between the two sides.