Fugaku's Plan

The Uchiha Clan compound was holding another clan meeting today. For the past three days, the words Menma had spoken had been echoing in Fugaku's mind like an inescapable, gloomy haze.

The compound was silent. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground like a shattered mirror. A gentle breeze rustled the foliage, but it could not blow away the heavy look of worry on Fugaku's face.

Sigh, must it really come to this? Fugaku pondered to himself, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Father, can you teach me how to train?" Just then, Sasuke pushed open the living room door and ran in.

"Oh? It's you, Sasuke. Very well, come with me." Fugaku replied after a moment of contemplation.

Great! Sasuke cheered inwardly.

Fugaku led Sasuke to the edge of a pond. The water was crystal clear, rippling under the breeze, with fish occasionally leaping from the surface and splashing water.

"Sasuke, today I will teach you our Uchiha Clan's Fire Style jutsu, the Great Fireball Technique. The hand seal sequence is Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger." Fugaku said, slowly forming the seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" In an instant, a massive fireball erupted from Fugaku's mouth, the scorching heat raising the temperature of the surroundings.

"Come on, Sasuke, you give it a try." Fugaku gestured for Sasuke to attempt it.

"Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger... Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke carefully formed the seals and shouted loudly.

However, only a tiny spark emerged from Sasuke's mouth, flickering weakly in the wind as if it were about to extinguish at any moment.

Seeing this, Fugaku's initial expectations vanished into thin air, though he wasn't entirely surprised. After all, Sasuke was only four years old; it was nearly impossible for him to master this technique on his first try. Even Itachi hadn't managed it until he was six.

"It's alright, keep practicing. Your brother didn't master this technique until he was six, so take your time." Fugaku comforted Sasuke before turning to leave.

Fugaku walked slowly, exiting the Uchiha Clan compound. He found a secluded, empty corner, used the Transformation Technique, and then headed toward the Hokage Office.

Before long, inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fugaku were discussing matters concerning the Uchiha Clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, holding a pipe, smoke swirling around him. "Lord Hokage, some members of our clan have become too radical recently, and I would like your assistance," Fugaku said.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled, the smoke dissipating in the air. "Tell me what is happening first."

"Some in our clan believe the village has been too unfair to us, so they are planning a coup d'état." Fugaku's voice was heavy.

"Oh? Is that so?" Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually heard rumors of this, but he hadn't expected Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan, to come and discuss it personally.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. For the stability of the village, and for the future of the Uchiha Clan, I hope you can arrange for your direct Anbu to assist me in purging the radicals!" Fugaku felt deeply conflicted, but he had made up his mind before coming here.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took another puff from his pipe, exhaled, and remained silent for a long time.

"Are you truly going to do this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, looking up.

"If there were any other way, it would have been resolved long ago. Now, this is the only path left." Fugaku's tone was firm, as if this were the only way out.

"Very well. When is the specific time so I can make arrangements?" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Fugaku.

"We are holding a clan meeting tonight. I will keep the radicals behind, and that is when your Anbu can act." Fugaku revealed his plan to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Understood. I will have people ready by then," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"Then I leave it to you, Lord Hokage. Also, I hope you won't mention this to anyone else; I fear it might cause trouble." Fugaku cautioned.

"I understand. I will not speak of this to anyone else." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly again.

Afterward, Fugaku left the Hokage Office. He walked through the streets of Konoha, feeling deeply uncomfortable; after all, he was about to strike at his own kin. In truth, this latter part was something Menma had specifically instructed him to do, claiming it was a way to "cast a long line to catch a big fish."

Fugaku arrived at a deserted spot, dispelled the Transformation Technique, and returned to the Uchiha Clan compound.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Menma were continuing the training they had started yesterday afternoon in an open field, while Kakashi practiced taijutsu nearby.

The clearing was overgrown with weeds, and insects occasionally darted through the grass. In the distant woods, birds chirped in the branches, as if cheering for their training.

"This isn't working. I feel like I haven't made any progress today," Naruto said, frowning.

"Yeah, same here," Menma felt equally frustrated. It would be one thing to simply condense chakra, but accurately condensing chakra of different natures was truly difficult.

"Sigh, there's no other way. I have to go all out." With that, Menma dispelled his Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and closed his eyes, beginning to absorb the experience.

"I think I've got a feel for it. Time to give it everything." Menma began forming seals.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" As the words fell, over a hundred Menmas appeared.

Seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but be shocked. Menma was really going all out. However, he knew that regardless of whether Menma succeeded, he would need to rest for a while afterward.

"Going that hard? Then I will too." Naruto also dispelled his shadow clones, and after absorbing their experience, he created over a hundred of his own.

Yare yare, they're really pushing themselves. I hope they learn it before the leaves are all plucked, Kakashi stopped his movements, thinking to himself. In truth, Kakashi wasn't overly surprised that the two could create so many clones; their chakra reserves were indeed astonishing.

"Looks like I can't just stand around either." With that, Kakashi increased the intensity of his own training.

Time slipped away, drawing closer to noon, and Naruto and Menma's shadow clones were still training hard in the clearing.

"I did it!" Suddenly, one of Naruto's shadow clones jumped up in excitement and shouted.

"Really?" The rest of the Naruto shadow clones immediately gathered around. Seeing the leaf in that clone's hand split in two, the others began to cheer and celebrate.

Naruto didn't hesitate; striking while the iron was hot, he dispelled the shadow clones. As they vanished, a massive influx of experience flooded Naruto's mind, and an intense wave of exhaustion followed, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

Seeing this, Kakashi felt genuinely happy for Naruto. He walked over, confirmed that Naruto was fine, and helped him to the shade of a nearby tree to rest. Under the shade, sunlight dappled through the leaves, and the cool air made Naruto feel slightly more comfortable.

Seeing Naruto succeed, Menma wanted to seize the moment as well. Gritting his teeth, he dispelled his shadow clones. The moment they vanished, along with the sudden influx of experience, a wave of intense exhaustion swept over him.

Menma fell to his knees, gasping for air, before forcing himself to stand back up.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Menma continued to create shadow clones, though this time the number was smaller, totaling only a few dozen.

Seeing this, Kakashi couldn't help but be surprised; he hadn't expected Menma to be able to use so many Shadow Clones under such circumstances.

Kakashi sighed inwardly, then looked at Naruto, who was resting to the side. Compared to their peers, both brothers were exceptionally talented; if they were to enter the Ninja Academy, they would certainly be called geniuses. But what others didn't know was that the two brothers had been training desperately since they were very young.

Menma gritted his teeth and continued his training. After an unknown amount of time, Naruto watched Menma, who was still training, and couldn't help but smile.

Looks like I won. Naruto thought to himself. Early this morning, the two of them had agreed that whoever finished their training last would have to grant a request to the one who finished first.

Naruto began to ponder what he should make Menma do, feeling quite conflicted. Treat him to ramen? That seemed too uneconomical. He thought left and right, but couldn't come up with a good idea.

"Naruto, how are you feeling right now?" Kakashi asked, looking at Naruto with a smile.

"Hmm, other than being a little tired, I'm doing fine," Naruto replied.

Just then, a cheer came from Menma's direction. As if sensing something, Kakashi walked over with a beaming smile, and Naruto stood up to follow him.

When the two got closer, they discovered that the leaves in the hands of several of Menma's Shadow Clones had been burned with holes, some were split open, some were divided in two, some felt hot to the touch and were a bit wrinkled, and some had a few water droplets on them.

Clearly, Menma had succeeded. In fact, once you grasp the trick, it's quite simple; meaning, as long as you master one, you can succeed with the others using the same method.

Menma cheered, but suddenly, his original body collapsed, and the surrounding Shadow Clones automatically dispersed.

"Reached his limit?" Kakashi whispered, then quickly reacted and walked over to Menma's original body.

"Kakashi-sensei, is Menma okay?" Naruto asked, looking at Kakashi anxiously.

"It's not a big problem; it's just caused by excessive chakra consumption. He'll be fine after a short rest," Kakashi replied.

Afterward, Kakashi glanced at the sky; it was already nearing the afternoon. At this moment, Naruto suddenly remembered Kushina's instructions and hurriedly spoke to Kakashi.

"Is that so? Then let's go." With that, Kakashi hoisted Menma onto his back and left with Naruto.