Careful Consideration

Uchiha Fugaku was even more delighted, patting Naoki on the shoulder and laughing heartily.

"Haha, a super genius, not bad at all."

During the Great Ninja War, Uchiha Fugaku had taken his eldest son to the battlefield. When Sarutobi Hiruzen learned of this, he praised Itachi highly, and the latter's reputation as a genius gradually spread from there.

Later, as Itachi grew up, he truly displayed abilities beyond the ordinary, and coupled with Sarutobi Hiruzen's promotion, his title as a genius became even more firmly established.

As a father, Uchiha Fugaku certainly knew his son could be called a genius, even one of the top-tier among them, but being praised by Naoki as a "super genius" still left him overjoyed.

After laughing for a good while, he picked up his teacup and drained it in one gulp.

"By the way, you two came to see me in such a rush, is there something the matter?" he suddenly asked regarding the purpose of Naoki and Uchiha Yashiro's visit.

"Look at me, I almost forgot." Uchiha Yashiro slapped his forehead and lowered his voice, "This morning, Naoki and I thought it over and eventually came up with a possibility."

Uchiha Inabi, standing to the side, asked suspiciously, "What possibility?"

"Oh, it's like this..."

Uchiha Yashiro informed Uchiha Fugaku of the matters he and Naoki had discussed earlier.

"The mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident is a faction of Uchiha Madara..." Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned significantly more serious.

Uchiha Inabi asked in disbelief, "Is it really Madara? Can he still be alive today?"

"My uncle said it might not necessarily be him; it could be his nephew or a student or something of that sort."

"That is still incredible. You have to know, that guy was able to control the Nine-Tails; he is definitely no ordinary character!"

Although Uchiha Inabi was only two years older than Naoki, he possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and he knew better than anyone that controlling the Nine-Tails to that extent was something no ordinary Sharingan could achieve.

Uchiha Fugaku muttered to himself, "A secret technique, special means, or perhaps the Mangekyou Sharingan?"

"This is truly a thorny problem."

"That guy Madara caused the clan massive trouble when he went rogue back then, and now he's haunting us again like a lingering ghost, it's just..."

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

"Naoki, do you have any thoughts?"

"Me?" Naoki pointed at himself, and after receiving an affirmative nod, he gave a bitter smile, "In a situation like this, what kind of solution could I possibly have?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Inabi frowned.

"There's no need to make it so complicated. Since we didn't do it, why not just tell the Third and the others? It would let everyone take precautions, rather than us struggling on our own without achieving any results..."

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Don't!"

Uchiha Fugaku, Yashiro, and Naoki said simultaneously.

"Inabi, you can't look at things so simply." Uchiha Yashiro explained, "We are only guessing right now and have no actual evidence to prove that there really is someone in the shadows plotting against us. If we leak this and let everyone know the mastermind is Uchiha Madara or his subordinates, we won't have solved the trouble, but instead, we'll bring disaster upon ourselves."

Naoki added, "And more importantly, those with ulterior motives will use this to stir up trouble, which will further exacerbate the conflict between the clan and Konoha..."

The topic was somewhat heavy, and the room fell silent.

After a while, Uchiha Fugaku picked up his teacup.

"Let it be for now; I will handle this matter."

Naoki rose to take his leave. After Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Inabi walked out the door, he suddenly turned back.

"Once the clan migrates to a new area to live collectively, it means it will be very easy for others to monitor us. Likewise, the emotions of the clansmen living together will be more easily incited. Please, sir, consider this matter carefully, weigh the pros and cons, and make thorough preparations!"

Seemingly contemplating many things, Uchiha Fugaku remained silent for a long time before waving his hand in acknowledgment.

"I know."

Naoki bowed and took his leave.

Walking out of Uchiha Fugaku's office, Uchiha Inabi had already left, but Uchiha Yashiro was still waiting at the end of the corridor. Seeing Naoki approach, he suddenly sighed and said softly.

"It truly is an eventful autumn."

"Ever since we established Konoha with the Senju Clan, these problems have existed. It's just that they were hidden in the shadows, and no one was willing to take the initiative to solve them, or perhaps they didn't want to."

"Now that the problems are beginning to be exposed to us, I think we can no longer cover them up and leave an ever-growing hole for those who come after us."

Uchiha Yashiro raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Naoki gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"I'm just a Chunin, what thoughts could I have? It's nothing more than meeting moves with moves."

Uchiha Yashiro assumed Naoki was feeling inferior due to his own weak strength, so he patted the latter's shoulder in encouragement.

"You have the eye to discover problems and the methods to solve them. Today, I even saw that you have the courage and sense of responsibility to handle them... I believe that sooner or later, you will become a powerhouse who helps Fugaku clear away all obstacles facing the clan!"

Naoki smiled brightly and said, "Since you think so highly of me, Uncle, I have a small request, and I hope you can agree..."

Naoki's request was not high; he simply asked Uchiha Yashiro for a copy of the ninjutsu techniques collected by the clan over the past few hundred years for study, and the latter readily agreed.

As for why he wanted such things... well, that goes without saying. Naoki hadn't discovered any golden finger, nor had he heard a "ding" from a system, so he could only rely on his own cultivation to improve his strength.

Naoki walked toward the training ground with the copied scroll of ninjutsu in his hand, shaking his head to himself.

I never expected that as a transmigrator, I would end up in such a state, having to practice everything with my own body... truly miserable.

He sat cross-legged under 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 whispered the names of the ninjutsu recorded in the scroll.

As the basic heritage of the Uchiha clan, he had already mastered these Fire Style techniques, but the details recorded in the scroll still benefited him greatly. What surprised him even more was that the latter half recorded some non-Uchiha-specific ninjutsu, including Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water styles, with quite a few B-rank and below techniques among them.

Although he had decided last night to do something to avert the tragedy of the Uchiha clan and prevent himself from becoming a stray dog, one must be strong to forge iron. Compared to playing mind games with Danzo and the others, cultivation was far more important to him.

As a Konoha Chunin and an Uchiha with the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Naoki still had some foundation to build upon.