I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ascending to the Moon in Ten Years Chapter 2

However, Fugaku had already instinctively activated his Sharingan. He could see that the figure had not actually vanished; while invisible to the naked eye, the Sharingan could perceive the flow of energy, making it visible.

"A barrier?"

Fugaku naturally recognized this technique.

Yet, the method used to set up this barrier was somewhat unexpected. Clearly, Uchiha Gin was not the type of person he had imagined—someone who had abandoned rigorous training to indulge in comfort.

He knew how to set up barriers himself, but to do so with such nonchalance? He couldn't manage that.

For ninjutsu, it was difficult, but for magic, it was far easier. Most importantly, this was a simple barrier designed to isolate sound, which was why Uchiha Gin could pull it off so effortlessly. Had it been a different type of barrier, he would have had to expend considerable effort to achieve the same result.

"A barrier to isolate sound. I hope what I say next remains unknown to others."

Uchiha Gin lowered his hand and looked directly at Fugaku as he spoke.

Hearing this, Fugaku felt a tightening in his chest. Clearly, he harbored grim suspicions. The Great Elder had been a primary representative of the Hawks, and Fugaku was well aware of the circumstances surrounding the Great Elder's death.

Although the Great Elder had been over eighty when he died, it was obvious that the oppression of the Uchiha Clan by the Konoha leadership had left him with a bitter grudge. Uchiha Gin might well be harboring resentment toward Konoha.

Uchiha Gin had clearly improved his strength during this period. Back when Uchiha Madara defected from Konoha, many in the clan had supported him, and it seemed that momentum was building once again. Fugaku did not want to see a war break out between the Uchiha and Konoha, which left him with a constant headache.

"The situation in the clan is very complex right now; it is not a good time for chaos."

Fugaku spoke to Uchiha Gin in a rather tactful tone.

Seeing Fugaku like this, Uchiha Gin cast a look of disdain and disappointment at him. This gaze made Fugaku feel extremely uncomfortable, yet he had made many efforts to maintain peace between the clan and the village.

War meant death.

Fugaku's ancestors were Doves, the faction that chose to abandon Uchiha Madara and remain in Konoha. Subsequently, with the support of the First Hokage and the Second, they had managed to stabilize and control the Uchiha Clan.

Seeing that Fugaku had guessed his intentions, Uchiha Gin stopped pretending.

"So, you hope that the Uchiha Clan ends up with the same fate as the Senju Clan?"

"Stripped of everything, with hardly any clansmen left alive, while Tsunade—the granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the Sannin—left Konoha in a fit of rage!"

"Is this the situation you want to see, Clan Leader Fugaku?"

Uchiha Gin asked in an unkind, aggressive tone.

The final address of "Clan Leader Fugaku" was dripping with sarcasm.

In the original timeline, if Fugaku had led a rebellion, the Uchiha Clan would not have been reduced to only Sasuke as the sole survivor.

Clearly, this man had chosen his family over his clansmen, and in his attempt to protect his two sons, he had chosen Konoha.

The eyes of his clansmen were even dug out by Danzo to be used as experimental subjects and consumables.

It was not Konoha that had cultivated Fugaku, but the entire Uchiha Clan. The power he possessed was granted by the Uchiha, not by Konoha!

Yet, in the end, he had chosen Konoha!

"War leads to death!"

"Gin, I am not leading the Uchiha to wait for death. I am making efforts. Compromise is only temporary; the Uchiha still have a chance."

Fugaku was clearly not someone who could be easily swayed.

The decision to concede had been made with careful thought, but he eventually discovered that the Uchiha had nowhere left to retreat. The Uchiha had almost no allies in the village, and in the end, they chose to abandon resistance, allowing the Uchiha Clan to become nutrients for Konoha!

To be more precise, they became nutrients for a few families in the Konoha leadership, providing no benefit to Konoha whatsoever!

Between the village, his sons, and his clan, Fugaku had chosen his sons and the village. Such a person was not fit to be the leader of the Uchiha Clan!

Chapter 3: Revive the Glory of the Uchiha!

"You seek coexistence between the Uchiha and Konoha, but that is not the goal I pursue."

"I want to revive the glory of the Uchiha."

Uchiha Gin said to Fugaku with a touch of cold indifference.

This was a test, but Uchiha Gin could see that Fugaku clearly would not easily change his direction.

He wanted coexistence, but all it would bring was further oppression from the Konoha leadership, forcing the Uchiha to retreat until, when they finally couldn't take it anymore and tried to act, Konoha would blame the Uchiha for everything!

"Many people will die. By then, it won't just be the Uchiha; the entire Konoha might fall into chaos, causing massive casualties!"

Fugaku was somewhat annoyed. Did he not want to do this?

But in his view, it was an impossible task.

Clearly, he believed that Uchiha Gin intended to inherit the legacy of the Great Elder, continuing the path of the Hawks and opposing Konoha.

Such a situation would surely bring great trouble to the Uchiha. When the contradictions between Konoha and the Uchiha became irreconcilable, the only path left would be war.

"So, is your choice the village, or the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Gin did not care about Fugaku's words.

If they didn't die now, they would still die in a wave later. After Pain, there would be the Great Ninja War; death was inevitable sooner or later.

But saying these things to Fugaku was useless. Uchiha Gin had come to determine Fugaku's stance and decide his next move. After all, it was better for the Uchiha Clan to have only one voice.

"Coexistence between both sides; the relationship between them is one of mutual dependence."

Fugaku attempted to persuade Uchiha Gin.

However, he only saw mockery and coldness on Uchiha Gin's face.

"Understood. I will act according to my own ideas."

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

But Fugaku also stood up immediately, his attitude taking a sharp turn for the worse.

"Gin, the Uchiha Clan cannot withstand any more risks right now."

"If you act recklessly, you are very likely to drag the Uchiha Clan into hell!"

Fugaku's tone was filled with warnings and a hint of killing intent!

Clearly, he still hoped to coexist with Konoha, even though he had felt the exclusion coming from all corners of Konoha over the past three years.

But after all, he had grown up in Konoha. After Uchiha Madara defected, the Uchiha Clan had been suppressed after the Second Hokage took power. The position of clan head was also chosen under pressure from the Second Hokage, resulting in a member of the Doves. Fugaku was the descendant of the leader of the Doves.

Therefore, Fugaku was still full of hope for this village. After all, in the past, there had been friction between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan, but the problems were minor and tolerable.

However, after the Nine-Tails Incident, it became completely uncontrollable. He had tried his best to salvage the situation, but his trust in the high-level officials of Konoha had gradually been worn away. Yet, he still held onto hope; he did not want Uchiha Gin's actions to cause even this sliver of hope to vanish.

"The one who will drag the Uchiha Clan into hell is you!"

Uchiha Gin stopped in his tracks, turned around abruptly, and looked at Fugaku with a furious expression.

At the same time, silver-white bones rapidly emerged from his body, forming a skeletal hand that clawed toward Fugaku.

Fugaku's pupils contracted violently, and the Three Tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, transforming into the appearance of the Mangekyō Sharingan. A blue Susanoo skeletal arm emerged from his body, directly blocking the Susanoo arm released by Uchiha Gin.

The collision of the silver and blue Susanoo bones emitted a significant shockwave, but the commotion was blocked by the barrier Uchiha Gin had set up.

"Gin, you have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Fugaku couldn't help but ask immediately, his face filled with shock as he looked at the pupils of Uchiha Gin, which were different from the normal Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Clearly, this matter was beyond his expectations.

"I am different from someone like you. The Uchiha Clan is my top priority."

"I will not do the foolish things you imagine, as they are of no benefit to the clan. As the leader of the weak Doves, you have led the Uchiha Clan to such a state of decline, and the ideas of the Hawks in the clan are too ethereal. The current strength of the Uchiha Clan cannot overthrow Konoha."

"Unlike you, I am of the Reformist Faction. I will lead the Uchiha Clan out of adversity."

Uchiha Gin retracted the Susanoo arm from his body and spoke to Fugaku in a very serious tone.

If he didn't have to worry about the Uchiha Clan, he could live his life with complete ease. After all, he wasn't in a rush to practice magic, and there were other ways to obtain money.

Taking this risk was to save the Uchiha Clan. With the ability he possessed, he could not sit idly by and watch the vast majority of innocent Uchiha die in that massacre.

Fugaku looked at Gin, his heart filled with complex emotions.

The Doves basically represented a saintly mindset. Fugaku clearly hoped more for coexistence with Konoha, though this hope was gradually being shattered. However, this did not mean he would abandon the Uchiha Clan; he strove for the coexistence of the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.

It was only when he finally learned that the person who acted against the Uchiha Clan was his own son, Itachi, and realized that the success rate of the Uchiha rebellion was almost zero, that he finally chose to fulfill Konoha's wishes, giving up the fight against Konoha to preserve the village's strength, becoming a saint for Konoha.

At the same time, this "saintly" act had its benefits; his two sons could survive, though the price paid was the lives of nearly a thousand Uchiha.

"Reformist Faction... although I don't know what that is, if you do anything that endangers the Uchiha Clan, I will not hold back. You understand, right, Gin!"

Fugaku naturally did not want to fight Uchiha Gin right now, his tone softening significantly, though he still maintained a tough stance.

He actually wanted to persuade Uchiha Gin to support him; with another Mangekyō user, he would have more confidence to maneuver against Konoha.

At the same time, because of the exclusion from Konoha during this period and the expressions of those people, anger had also risen in him, and he had developed a rebellious spirit, so he wanted to test the waters by letting Uchiha Gin try.

After all, the real power of the Uchiha Clan was still in his hands. Without his orders, Uchiha Gin could not make any major moves. As long as it wasn't an all-out war, Fugaku thought it wouldn't be a big problem, because no matter how bad it got, it couldn't be worse than it was now.

"Hmph, I hope you show such backbone to the high-level officials of Konoha later."

Uchiha Gin was somewhat annoyed.

Good grief, so tough—he should have the same attitude toward Konoha!

Without firing a single shot, he led the entire clan to their deaths. Uchiha Gin truly had no fondness for such a guy.

"You!"

Fugaku was furious.

But in the end, he held back, watching as Uchiha Gin deactivated the soundproof barrier and then swaggered out of his office.

As Uchiha Gin opened the Space Gate, he immediately deactivated the Susanoo skeleton on his body and closed his Mangekyō.

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

"The anger of the clansmen is clearly impossible to suppress. Is it possible that we can only go this far and launch a coup?"

Fugaku was not unprepared, but compared to a coup—a method he viewed as having a negligible success rate—he still hoped for peaceful negotiations.

However, if the Uchiha Clan truly had no other choice, he would lead his clansmen to fight to the death. After all, he hadn't been completely brainwashed by Konoha; he just preferred to solve things peacefully. He was not a weak person—after all, such a person could not be the head of the Uchiha Clan—he was simply more inclined toward peace.

Of course, as long as Itachi didn't come to stop him, it would be fine.

As for Uchiha Gin, after leaving Fugaku's office, he directly signaled the members of the Military Police Force, telling them to contact Shisui and inform him that he wanted to meet him, instructing them to pass on this message.

Informing Shisui of the facts, the truth behind the exclusion of the Uchiha Clan.

After understanding Fugaku's attitude, Uchiha Gin had a headache. This guy was truly a thorough Dove; he was worthy of being Itachi's father. If he had arrived a few years earlier, he would have definitely kicked him in the crotch and sterilized him.

Who knew if Fugaku would stab him in the back after being told the plan? If he suddenly decided the plan wouldn't work and chose to defect to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others in exchange for peace, it wouldn't be entirely out of character for him.

"The ninja system is such a piece of shit. It's clear that mages of a similar caliber are held in such high regard, yet ninjas are just expendable laborers. You get hunted down if you try to run—it's disgusting."

Uchiha Gin was still fuming after returning home, so angry that he didn't even eat dinner.

Around ten o'clock that night, Shisui appeared on the perimeter wall of Uchiha Gin's house, carrying an Anbu short sword on his back.

He was one of the few Anbu members personally approved by Sarutobi Hiruzen to serve directly under the Hokage. On the surface, few people knew about it, and he still worked in the Military Police Force. Unlike Itachi, who had joined the Anbu directly, Shisui was a trusted confidant of the Hokage.

It was likely out of consideration for him being a descendant of Kagami Uchiha, and perhaps the belief that Shisui would be easier to fool and brainwash.

A thirteen-year-old kid, already tricked into risking his life.

These high-ranking officials in Konoha deserve to be strung up on street lamps!

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

"Gin, Tekka said you were looking for me."

Shisui spoke to Uchiha Gin with great warmth.

After all, Uchiha Gin had been in Konoha for three years. Although he hadn't been able to do much due to his training and the strict surveillance of Konoha, building good relationships with the younger generation was still feasible. Three years ago, Shisui was still a genin, and it was easy for Uchiha Gin to fool a child; he had squeezed out what little time he had to offer Shisui some guidance on his training.

However, by that time, Uchiha Gin couldn't teach him much anymore, only offering a bit of help regarding Sharingan training. Occasionally voicing his concerns about the conflict between the clan and the village was enough to earn Shisui's goodwill. The two had a decent relationship and a fair amount of mutual trust.

"Now that you've joined the Anbu, you must be very clear about the current situation of the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Gin beckoned Shisui into his study, and after they sat down, he asked the question directly.

Upon hearing this, Shisui's expression stiffened uncontrollably.

It was clear that he was well aware of the situation and had been working hard to alleviate the conflict between the two sides.