"Ugh, the Uchiha Clan was a peace-loving family. Years of war had left them exhausted. I never expected Uchiha Madara to still refuse to leave the Uchiha alone. He'd even colluded with Shimura Danzō to pressure them, hoping to see the Uchiha Clan betray Konoha."
"The Uchiha Clan will never betray Konoha!"
Uchiha Gin declared righteously.
Though who would represent Konoha when the time came was another question. After all, the Uchiha were among Konoha's founders, and their blood ran thick with the Will of Fire!
Nara Shikaku, standing nearby, was starting to question reality. Since when had the Uchiha changed like this?
"I believe in the Uchiha Clan's convictions!"
"I'll see that the Uchiha get an explanation. If Shimura Danzō really is that kind of person, I'll deal with him myself!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen struggled to force a smile and could only speak calmly.
Uchiha Gin nodded, then followed Kakashi out.
As for going after Danzō, Uchiha Gin had no interest in that. If the man dared show his face here in front of him, he'd kill him on the spot.
Going out of his way to hunt him down would be a real waste of time.
In the original story, Uchiha Itachi had been turned into a rogue ninja. Now Danzō had become one, too. Perfectly reasonable.
The mood outside the Hokage Building was tense. The Uchiha were the main reason: many had activated their Sharingan, clearly prepared for a fight.
Caught in the middle of the Uchiha was Hyuga Himon. He was panicking, but didn't dare move—and was even more afraid to try anything.
When Uchiha Gin appeared, everyone's attention turned to him.
"Shimura Danzō has defected. The Third Hokage has designated him an S-rank rogue ninja and a priority target for capture. He's suspected of colluding with Uchiha Madara. The Military Police Force will immediately update the wanted notice!"
Uchiha Gin shouted brazenly.
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted.
Clearly, no one had expected things to turn out like this.
After all, Danzō was the Hokage Assistant.
The last time Konoha had faced such a major incident was when Uchiha Madara was involved.
After all, Orochimaru and Itachi weren't S-rank rogue ninjas yet, making Shimura Danzō the second Konoha higher-up to defect.
The Uchiha couldn't hold back their laughter.
The other clans' ninja nearby had long been dissatisfied with Danzō, too. Under his thumb, they'd been thoroughly suppressed, with their weaknesses held over them.
So they were all hoping Danzō would die—the lapdog of Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Fugaku: Why Not Let Me Be Clan Head?
With the matter settled, everyone naturally dispersed.
The threat of war that had been brewing was defused, and some people watching from the shadows finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was mainly the other clans. They didn't have such a strong devotion to the Will of Fire; all they wanted was a good life.
The Uchiha hadn't done anything heinous, so why should their own clans fight to the death?
Naturally, the clans were glad to avoid a fight.
But this time, they'd thoroughly offended Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was preparing to take matters into his own hands and deal ruthlessly with the Uchiha Clan—not necessarily wiping them out, but at the very least stripping them of any threat.
"How did you do it?"
By the time they returned to the Military Police Force, night had fully fallen.
Fugaku finally couldn't hold back and asked outright.
"I could show you with an illusion. It'd be more satisfying that way."
Uchiha Gin replied.
He immediately cast a simple illusion and sent Fugaku the images. Fugaku instinctively tried to dispel it, but managed to stop himself.
About three seconds later, Fugaku came to, a grin spreading across his face despite himself.
He never thought he'd live to see Sarutobi Hiruzen in such a miserable state.
"But the Third Hokage may retaliate against the Uchiha now."
Fugaku quickly wiped the smile from his face and spoke seriously.
"If we hadn't done this, would he have left us alone?"
"From now on, the Uchiha will follow the rules to the letter and won't lift a finger more than necessary. We won't accept any missions outside the village. We'll stay here and wait."
"At the same time, we'll lift restrictions on every technique except Izanami and let the clan members learn them according to their abilities. There's no point letting those techniques gather dust."
Uchiha Gin explained his plan.
The biggest expenses for ninja were equipment and consumables. Techniques came second; training in them didn't cost much.
Mages were different. Anything they did cost money.
But the Uchiha had no shortage of techniques. If they stayed in the village and didn't fight, they wouldn't use up many ninja tools. They could simply train in Konoha.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the Uchiha ninja refusing outside missions but training like mad, he'd probably feel a chill run down his spine.
"Won't that make it obvious to the Third Hokage that the Uchiha are up to something?"
Fugaku knew this would certainly get under Sarutobi Hiruzen's skin. It would only worsen the conflict between them.
"The name and bloodline of the Uchiha are a sin in their eyes."
"If he objects, tell him we're following his policy of favoring civilians. We recognize the importance of ordinary people, and the next Uchiha Clan Head will be chosen from among all the clan members."
"So fairness is important. Whatever techniques you know, everyone else in the clan should know, too. Feed him that line and watch him choke on it."
Uchiha Gin thought Fugaku was still too soft.
When would Sasuke grow strong enough to replace this old geezer?
"I understand."
Fugaku looked puzzled at first, then immediately understood what Uchiha Gin meant.
"The Uchiha don't want to fight, and Sarutobi Hiruzen wants it even less."
"As long as the Uchiha stay united and keep growing stronger, the less likely Sarutobi Hiruzen is to act. Didn't I tell you this before?"
Uchiha Gin explained the fundamental reason to Fugaku.
This time, Fugaku no longer looked confused.
"But don't let your guard down. Those disciples of the Second Hokage would love to see the Uchiha wiped out. It's not impossible they'll join forces with Uchiha Madara to take us on."
"Oh, and tell the clan members who favor a coup to calm down. Explain the general situation to them, and make sure they invoke the Will of Fire whenever they carry out missions from now on."
"The Uchiha have had a legitimate place in Konoha since its founding. So half of the Will of Fire belongs to the Uchiha, too. Let's give the Third Hokage a few more headaches."
Uchiha Gin added one last thing.
"You're a real schemer!"
"Should I hand the clan head position over to you?"
Fugaku praised him, then spoke seriously.
He didn't doubt for a second that the Second Hokage's disciples hated the Uchiha. Given what he'd seen, joining forces with Uchiha Madara was not impossible.
He'd had the same thought several times before: perhaps Uchiha Gin was better suited than he was to lead the clan.
Today, he'd finally made up his mind.
"Not interested. Let someone else in the clan have it."
Uchiha Gin shook his head.
The title didn't give him any stat bonuses.
As long as Fugaku didn't reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan, no one in the clan could shake his standing.
That left Shisui. Uchiha Gin hadn't invited him into his conversation with Fugaku, and he'd also set up a barrier in Fugaku's office.
Among the clan's Mangekyō Sharingan users, the one he trusted most was Sasuke, followed by Fugaku, then Shisui, and finally Itachi.
But Sasuke and Itachi didn't have Mangekyō Sharingan yet.
Shisui was poisoned by the Will of Fire. He thought entirely from the Hokage's perspective. Uchiha Gin had built him a firewall and shattered his rose-tinted view of the Third Hokage and Konoha.
But the Uchiha were unpredictable, and Uchiha Gin made no guarantees.
In the end, his only true trump card was himself. He was doing all this to fulfill his grandfather's dying wish and protect the Uchiha.
"All right. If you change your mind, come to me anytime. I don't think anyone in the clan would object."
Fugaku saw that Uchiha Gin wasn't interested and didn't press him.
He had his own ambitions. He wanted the Uchiha to regain their former glory under his leadership.
Back then, Kagami Uchiha had been to him what Uchiha Shisui was to Itachi.
There was a six-year age gap between them. Because of Kagami Uchiha, Fugaku had felt goodwill toward Konoha, believing the Uchiha had a responsibility to make concessions and sacrifices for the village.
But after Kagami Uchiha died and the Third Hokage took office, Konoha changed drastically. The Senju, their sworn enemies, gradually dwindled, while the Uchiha were forced to bow and scrape.
During the Second Hokage's time, the village had been ruled by two great clans. That had later changed into a balance among several powerful clans.
Fugaku had experienced the Uchiha's final period of strength firsthand. Naturally, he wanted to restore their former glory!
In the past, he'd never dared entertain such a thought. He'd only hoped to keep the Uchiha going. But now Uchiha Gin had appeared, and he was the hope of Fugaku's dream.
Fugaku had the same Mangekyō Sharingan as Uchiha Gin, but he lacked a certain quality—one he saw in Uchiha Gin.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, meanwhile, was furious.
The pressure from the Uchiha, and Danzō's escape, had both gotten to him.
The recent calm had made him lower his guard, and he hadn't expected Danzō to suddenly pull something so drastic.
"Uchiha Madara has come up several times. Could he really be in the Land of Rain?"
Mitokado Homura voiced his doubts.
"Arrange for someone to contact Danzō. Tell him he doesn't need to hold back while he's out there—he should go straight after the Uchiha."
"Also, test this mercenary organization called Akatsuki. Pick some cover identity and give them a mission: have them assassinate Uchiha Gin and see how things go."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave the orders.
He planned to reduce security elsewhere and wait for the right moment to deal with the Uchiha.
He absolutely could not allow an uncontrolled bomb like the Uchiha in the heart of his own power base.
As long as he confirmed that the mercenary organization called Akatsuki was reliable—or that it could cause the Uchiha trouble—he'd have fewer qualms about what came next.
"Understood. I'll arrange it now."
Utatane Koharu nodded calmly.
She also thought Sarutobi Hiruzen's judgment made sense.
Anyone who dared treat the Hokage like that shouldn't be allowed to stay.
The Mangekyō Sharingan's Gourmet Cuisine!
"Your actions today were dangerous."
"And the meeting your teacher held afterward excluded me, too."
In the research room, where only Orochimaru and Itachi were present, Orochimaru continued his research as he spoke to Uchiha Gin.
Both of them were only Shadow Clones. Itachi was the only one who'd come in person.
Itachi was quite busy these days. He went to the ninja tool shop during the day, then came here at night to help with simple research and complete the tasks Orochimaru assigned him.
"He doesn't have the Second Hokage's strength, yet he wants to rule like him. He's nowhere near good enough."
"These people are just obstacles in our path. Before long, they'll be left behind by the times."
Before you continue