Think It Through

Uchiha Fugaku was even more amused. He patted Naoki on the back and laughed.

"Haha! A super-genius? Not bad, not bad."

During the Shinobi World War, Uchiha Fugaku had taken his eldest son to the battlefield. When Sarutobi Hiruzen learned of it, he praised Itachi to the skies, and that was how the boy's reputation as a genius began to spread.

As Itachi grew up, he truly did prove to be extraordinary. With Sarutobi Hiruzen promoting him as well, his reputation as a genius became even more firmly established.

As his father, Uchiha Fugaku knew perfectly well that his son was a genius, even one of the best among geniuses. Still, hearing Naoki call him a super-genius made him beam with delight.

After laughing for a while, he picked up his teacup and drained it.

"By the way, you two came rushing over to see me. What's the matter?" he suddenly asked, turning to Naoki and Uchiha Yashiro.

"Look at me, I nearly forgot." Uchiha Yashiro slapped his forehead and lowered his voice. "Naoki and I thought it over this morning, and we finally came up with one possibility."

Uchiha Inabi, who had been sitting nearby, asked in confusion, "What possibility?"

"Oh, well..."

Uchiha Yashiro told Uchiha Fugaku about what he and Naoki had discussed earlier.

"Could the force behind the Nine-Tails Incident have been Uchiha Madara's faction...?" Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned much more serious.

Uchiha Inabi asked in disbelief, "Was it really Madara? Could he still be alive?"

"Uncle said it might not be him. It could've been one of his nephews, or a student, or someone like that."

"That's still hard to believe. Whoever it was could control the Nine-Tails, so they definitely weren't ordinary!"

Although Uchiha Inabi was only two years older than Naoki, he had a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He knew better than anyone that controlling the Nine-Tails to that extent wasn't something an ordinary Sharingan could do.

Uchiha Fugaku murmured, "A secret technique, some special method, or perhaps a Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"What a thorny problem."

"That Madara caused the clan a world of trouble when he went off on his own, and now he's come back to haunt us. Honestly..."

Uchiha Fugaku opened his mouth as if to curse, but held back.

"Naoki, do you have any thoughts?"

"Me?" Naoki pointed at himself. When Fugaku confirmed that he meant him, Naoki smiled wryly. "What could I possibly do about something like this?"

Uchiha Inabi frowned at his answer.

"Does it really need to be this complicated? Since we didn't do it, why not tell the Third and the others? Then everyone can be on guard. Otherwise, we'll just be running around in circles by ourselves without accomplishing anything..."

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

"No!"

Uchiha Fugaku, Yashiro, and Naoki all spoke at once.

"Inabi, you can't look at it that simply," Uchiha Yashiro explained. "Right now, we're only speculating. We have no concrete evidence that anyone is plotting against us behind the scenes. If we make a fuss and tell everyone the culprit is Uchiha Madara or one of his relatives or subordinates, we might bring trouble down on ourselves without solving anything."

Naoki added, "More importantly, people with their own agendas could use this to stir up trouble, which would only worsen the tensions between the clan and Konoha..."

The topic was a heavy one, and silence fell over the room.

After a while, Uchiha Fugaku picked up his teacup.

"That's enough. I'll handle this."

Naoki stood to take his leave. After Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Inabi had stepped outside, he suddenly turned back.

"Once the clan moves to a new district and lives together, it'll be much easier for others to keep an eye on us. And our people's emotions will be easier to stir up, too. Please think this through carefully, sir. Weigh the pros and cons and prepare for every eventuality!"

Uchiha Fugaku seemed to be thinking of many things. He remained silent for a long time before finally gesturing for Naoki to go.

"I understand."

Naoki bowed and took his leave.

When he stepped out of Uchiha Fugaku's office, Uchiha Inabi had already left. Uchiha Yashiro was still waiting at the end of the hall. When Naoki walked over, Yashiro suddenly sighed.

"These are troubled times."

"Ever since we founded Konoha alongside the Senju Clan, these problems have been there. They were just buried beneath the surface, and no one wanted to solve them—or simply didn't want to."

"Now those problems are right in front of us. I don't think we can keep hiding them and leave an ever-widening hole for the next generation to deal with."

Uchiha Yashiro raised an eyebrow. "What are your thoughts?"

Naoki smiled wryly and shook his head.

"I'm just a Chunin. What thoughts could I have? I'll just deal with things as they come."

Uchiha Yashiro thought Naoki was feeling inferior because of his lack of strength, so he patted Naoki on the shoulder in encouragement.

"You have an eye for spotting problems, and you know how to solve them. Today, I also saw that you have the courage and sense of responsibility to face them... I believe that one day you'll become a strong shinobi and help Fugaku clear every obstacle in the clan's path!"

Naoki smiled brightly. "Since you think so highly of me, I have a small request. I hope you'll agree..."

Naoki's request wasn't much. He only asked Uchiha Yashiro to have one copy made of the ninjutsu the clan had treasured for centuries, so he could study it. Yashiro readily agreed.

Why did he want something like that? Wasn't it obvious? Naoki hadn't discovered any cheat ability, and no system had appeared with a "ding." That meant he had no choice but to train and improve his strength himself.

Holding the copied ninjutsu scrolls as he walked toward the training grounds, Naoki shook his head to himself.

"I can't believe I ended up like this as a transmigrator. I actually have to put in the work and train... What a miserable life."

He sat cross-legged beneath a tree at the edge of a secluded, deserted training ground and spread out the thick stack of ninjutsu scrolls.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Dragon Fire Technique..." he murmured, reading the names written in the scrolls.

These Fire Release Ninjutsu were part of the Uchiha Clan's basic inheritance, and he had mastered them long ago. But the details recorded in the scrolls still taught him a lot. What surprised him even more was that the second half contained ninjutsu that weren't unique to the Uchiha, including quite a few B-rank and lower techniques in Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water Release.

Although he had decided last night to do something to save the Uchiha Clan from its tragic fate and keep himself from becoming a stray dog, steel still had to be strong before it could be forged. Compared with trying to outwit Danzo and the others, training was more important to him.

As a Konoha Chunin with a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Naoki already had a decent foundation.