Conversation Inside the Wooden House

Uchiha Setsuna lowered his blade and looked up at Uchiha Fugaku and Naoki.

His gaze swept over Fugaku's face before landing on Naoki, where it came to a halt.

"Is this your child?"

"No." Uchiha Fugaku did not understand why the other man would ask a question with an obvious answer, but he did not dwell on it. He shook his head, turned slightly, and introduced him to Uchiha Setsuna, "This is Naoki, a great talent who has recently risen within the clan."

Uchiha Setsuna nodded.

"Let's go inside to discuss whatever business you have."

Naoki followed Uchiha Setsuna into the house, looking around with curiosity.

The furnishings inside the wooden shack were extremely sparse.

There was a wooden bed, a low table, two cushions, and an old bookshelf in the corner, upon which a few yellowed scrolls were scattered.

A long sword in its scabbard hung by the window; the lacquer on the scabbard was chipped and peeling, yet the blade itself had been wiped clean of any dust.

Uchiha Setsuna sat down at the low table and placed his long sword upon it.

"Sit."

Uchiha Fugaku took a seat opposite him, while Naoki knelt half a step behind Uchiha Fugaku.

Uchiha Setsuna spoke up: "You wouldn't visit the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. Speak."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Uchiha Fugaku chose not to beat around the bush.

"Senior, you must have heard of the situation on the Southern Battlefield. Karatachi Yagura has taken the field himself. Although Shisui managed to repel him, the offensive from Kirigakure has not ceased.

I believe Sarutobi Hiruzen will inevitably send reinforcements, so I would like to ask you to lead a team of young men to the battlefield to see some blood and hone their skills."

"Young men?" Uchiha Setsuna's gaze drifted past Uchiha Fugaku and landed on Naoki. "Is he one of them?"

"Yes, and there is also Itachi, my eldest son."

Uchiha Setsuna did not speak again, and the room fell into silence. Suddenly, he stared at Uchiha Fugaku and said in a deep voice, "How long will you be gone?"

"Perhaps a year or two."

Naoki, kneeling behind them, was startled to hear this, thinking to himself, A year or two? That is far too long.

What Naoki did not realize was that this was precisely Uchiha Fugaku's way of testing Uchiha Setsuna.

Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, it had been clear to anyone with eyes that the position of Hokage, which the Uchiha clan had once aspired to, was now out of their reach. Even the position of Hokage advisor was likely a pipe dream. However, no one would voluntarily tell the Uchiha this, and even high-ranking officials like Uchiha Fugaku, who understood this reality, would not speak of it lightly.

Yet, just because others did not say it did not mean the Uchiha would remain in the dark forever. One day, they would all come to understand, and the time required for that realization could be six months, a year, or even two. Once the Uchiha came to their senses, they would inevitably take action. They might turn to Uchiha Fugaku, or perhaps Uchiha Yashiro, or even Uchiha Setsuna, the original leader of the rebel faction.

Uchiha Fugaku's mention of a one-to-two-year deployment was a test. If Uchiha Setsuna agreed to leave Konoha, he could rest easy. If he refused, then there was no doubt that decades of torment in the Anbu Prison had not eroded Uchiha Setsuna's resolve to rebel.

Silence spread through the wooden house, and the cries of unknown birds from the Naka River outside were faintly audible.

Uchiha Setsuna lowered his eyelids, his fingers tapping lightly against the wooden table.

"A year or two." He repeated the duration, his tone revealing neither anger nor joy. "Fugaku, are you afraid that I will stir up trouble in the village, or are you afraid that trouble will come looking for me?"

Clearly, Uchiha Setsuna had seen through Uchiha Fugaku's intentions, and the latter did not evade the question, meeting Uchiha Setsuna's sharp gaze directly.

"Both."

Naoki held his breath slightly.

He had not expected Uchiha Fugaku to be so blunt.

Uchiha Setsuna laughed.

"Thirty years! That old bastard Senju Tobirama threw me into the Anbu Prison and locked me away for thirty years!"

"Fugaku, tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you still have any good thoughts toward that old bastard and his students after being released?"

"If it were me..." Uchiha Fugaku paused. "The moment I was released, I would have started taking action without a shred of hesitation!"

"After all, no one can let go of having half their life wasted in prison!"

"You are quite right." Uchiha Setsuna nodded. "But Fugaku, do you know why I have lived on, swallowing my pride?"

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head.

"Thirty years ago, as I watched Rai, Baru, and Izumi pass away one by one, I had already foreseen how the clansmen would be tamed decades later. I also foresaw how the clansmen would have no one to restrain them once the top combat powers of Konoha, who surrounded the Hokage position, were gone."

"That is why I urged the clansmen to leave Konoha and rebuild a new home belonging to the Uchiha. But just like Uchiha Madara back then, no one was willing to follow me.

When the news leaked out afterward, I was quickly captured... under the charge of being an accomplice to Uchiha Madara."

Uchiha Setsuna raised his hand, looking at his skin, which had gradually withered.

"The first half of my life was spent fighting for the clan. I once thought I could dedicate my life to the clan, but I never expected the second half to be wasted in the Anbu Prison.

Now that I am nearing sixty, although I still harbor deep hatred for Senju Tobirama and wish I could destroy Konoha so that the old bastard could not rest in peace even beneath the Sanzu River, I am even less willing to watch the Uchiha clan perish in the time I have left."

"And you, there is no need to test me any further because of this..."

Having had his intentions laid bare, Uchiha Fugaku did not feel embarrassed.

"It seems the outside world's claim that we Uchiha are nothing but battle-crazed maniacs who only know how to kill is the greatest fallacy of all. In truth, there are quite a few clever people in the clan, aren't there?"

He turned back to look at Naoki with a smile, and the latter offered a strained smile and a nod.

"I am glad that you think this way, Uchiha Setsuna, and that you are willing to tell me these things." Uchiha Fugaku rose and stood before the window, his back to Naoki and Uchiha Setsuna. "Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—though this so-called 'Sannin' title exists in name only, Orochimaru is still within the village, and Jiraiya, while wandering abroad, maintains constant contact with Konoha. As for Tsunade, despite her resolute departure, I believe she would never stand idly by during a crisis in Konoha."

"Beyond these three powerful figures—one inside and two outside—there are many within the village who refuse to submit to us. I sensed this clearly at the meeting held the day after the Nine-Tails Incident."

"Therefore, in my view, even if we were to overthrow the rule of Sarutobi Hiruzen in Konoha, we would never be able to hold our position securely within the village."

"In the end, the best possible outcome would be nothing more than mutual destruction, and that moment would be the most dangerous time for the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Setsuna let out a soft chuckle.

"Your deduction is far too optimistic."

Uchiha Fugaku said nothing; after all, no one knew that he had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.