Uchiha Setsuna lowered his knife and looked up at Uchiha Fugaku and Naoki.
His gaze first swept over Fugaku's face, then settled on Naoki.
"Is this your child?"
"No." Uchiha Fugaku didn't understand why the other man would ask when he already knew the answer, but he didn't dwell on it. He shook his head and turned slightly to introduce Naoki to Uchiha Setsuna. "He's Naoki, a rising star in the clan."
Uchiha Setsuna nodded.
"Let's talk inside."
Naoki followed Uchiha Setsuna into the cabin, looking around curiously.
The cabin's furnishings were very sparse.
There was a wooden bed, a low table, two cushions, and an old bookcase in the corner. A few yellowed scrolls lay scattered across its shelves.
A sheathed long sword hung beside the window. The lacquer on its scabbard was chipped and peeling, yet the blade had been wiped clean without a trace of dust.
Uchiha Setsuna sat down beside the low table and casually placed his long sword on it.
"Sit down."
Uchiha Fugaku took a seat across from him. Naoki knelt half a step behind Fugaku.
Uchiha Setsuna spoke up. "You don't come here without a reason. Let's hear it."
After a brief pause, Uchiha Fugaku decided not to beat around the bush.
"Senior, you must have heard about the situation on the Southern Battlefield. Karatachi Yagura entered the fray himself. Shisui drove him back, but Kirigakure's offensive hasn't stopped.
"I believe Sarutobi Hiruzen will send reinforcements, so I'd like you to lead a team of young people to the battlefield. They can get some real combat experience and hone their skills."
"Young people?" Uchiha Setsuna's gaze passed over Uchiha Fugaku and fell on Naoki. "Is he one of them?"
"Yes. There's also Itachi, my eldest son."
Uchiha Setsuna fell silent. The cabin grew quiet. Then he stared at Uchiha Fugaku and asked in a low voice, "How long would we be gone?"
"Maybe a year or two."
Naoki, kneeling behind him, was taken aback. A year or two? That's far too long.
What Naoki didn't know was that Uchiha Fugaku was testing Uchiha Setsuna.
Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, anyone with eyes could see that the Uchiha Clan's long-held hope of claiming the Hokage Position was gone. Even becoming a Hokage Advisor was likely nothing more than a pipe dream. But no one would tell the Uchiha this outright—not even the higher-ups like Uchiha Fugaku, who understood the truth.
That didn't mean the Uchiha would remain in the dark forever. One day, they would all figure it out. It might take six months, a year, or even two. Once they did, they would surely take action. They might approach Uchiha Fugaku, or Uchiha Yashiro, or even Uchiha Setsuna, who had been a rebel from the start...
Uchiha Fugaku's proposal to send Uchiha Setsuna to the battlefield for a year or two was a test. If Uchiha Setsuna agreed to leave Konoha, Fugaku could rest easy. If he refused, then there was no doubt that decades of imprisonment hadn't worn away Uchiha Setsuna's resolve to rebel.
Silence spread through the cabin. Outside, the faint chirping of an unknown bird by the Naka River could be heard.
Uchiha Setsuna lowered his eyes and gently tapped his fingers against the table.
"A year or two." He repeated the timeframe, his tone giving nothing away. "Fugaku, are you afraid I'll cause trouble in the village, or that trouble will come looking for me?"
Uchiha Setsuna had clearly seen through Uchiha Fugaku's intentions. The latter didn't dodge the question; he met Uchiha Setsuna's sharp gaze.
"Both."
Naoki held his breath slightly.
He hadn't expected Uchiha Fugaku to be so direct.
Uchiha Setsuna laughed.
"Thirty years! That old bastard Senju Tobirama threw me into the Anbu Prison and kept me locked up for thirty years!"
"Fugaku, tell me: if you were in my place, would you still think kindly of that old bastard and his students after getting out?"
"If I were in your place..." Uchiha Fugaku paused. "The moment I got out, I'd start taking action. I wouldn't hesitate for even an instant!"
"After all, no one could simply let go of having wasted half their life in prison!"
"You're right." Uchiha Setsuna nodded. "But, Fugaku, do you know why I've endured all this and stayed alive?"
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head.
"Thirty years ago, I watched Rai, Baru, and Izumi die one by one. Even then, I could picture what our clansmen would be like decades later, once they'd been tamed. I could also imagine what they'd be like with no one left to restrain them, once the elite fighters around the Hokage Position were gone."
"So I urged the clan to leave Konoha and build a new home for the Uchiha. But just as with Madara back then, no one was willing to come with me.
"After word got out, I was arrested before long...on the charge of being Uchiha Madara's accomplice."
Uchiha Setsuna raised his hand and looked at his skin, now growing withered.
"I spent the first half of my life fighting for the clan. I once thought I'd devote my whole life to it, but I never imagined I'd waste the second half in the Anbu Prison.
"Now I'm nearly sixty. I still hate Senju Tobirama. I wish I could destroy Konoha and make sure that old bastard never rests in peace, even in the Sanzu River. But I would rather not spend what little time I have left watching the Uchiha Clan fall."
"And you have no need to test me over this..."
Uchiha Fugaku wasn't embarrassed to have his intentions exposed.
"It seems the claim that the Uchiha Clan are bloodthirsty battle maniacs is the biggest fallacy of all. There are plenty of clever people in the clan, aren't there?"
He smiled and glanced back at Naoki. Naoki managed a faint smile and nodded.
"I'm glad you see things this way, Senior Setsuna, and that you're willing to tell me all this." Uchiha Fugaku stood by the window, his back to Naoki and Uchiha Setsuna. "Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—the so-called Sannin may no longer be a team, but Orochimaru is still in the village, and Jiraiya roams the outside world while staying in contact with it. Tsunade left decisively, but I believe she wouldn't stand by and do nothing if Konoha faced a crisis."
"Besides these three powerful fighters, two within and one beyond the village, many people in Konoha are also dissatisfied with us. I noticed it at the meeting the day after the Nine-Tails Incident."
"So, in my view, even if we overthrow Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule in Konoha, we still won't be able to hold on to our position in the village.
"The best we can hope for is mutual destruction. And by then, the Uchiha Clan will be in the greatest danger."
Uchiha Setsuna gave a soft laugh.
"Your predictions are far too optimistic."
Uchiha Fugaku said nothing. After all, no one knew that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
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