Everyone Hated the Uchiha

As the mood of Konoha's residents rose and fell, the Third's own spirits fluctuated throughout the day.

In the end, he still lacked the courage to step in and clean up the mess.

As the Third of Konoha, he had too many things to consider.

Unlike Danzo, who never considered the consequences and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, the Hokage had to make sure the worst possible outcome never came to pass.

The younger generation's problems should be left to the younger generation to handle.

Whatever the outcome, it would still be within acceptable limits.

But if the Hokage himself stepped in and things didn't turn out as he wanted, it would be difficult to bring them back under control.

From the moment Uchiha Kei appeared, Sarutobi had felt restless. When Kei raised his arm and rallied the crowd, Sarutobi had completely given up on keeping Konoha under surveillance that day.

Let them do whatever they wanted. It wasn't as if the Uchiha could turn the world upside down.

Who could have guessed that when the Anbu report came in that evening, Sarutobi would be so troubled?

Damn it, that brat had tried to avoid the war by denying the very righteousness of the war Sarutobi had started.

Was he trying to rebel?

Compared to the indecisive Uchiha Fugaku, Sarutobi's judgment was far sharper.

It wasn't that he had reached the same conclusion as Uchiha Itachi. Itachi's judgment came from a child's innate sensitivity, while Sarutobi's came from years of experience.

People who lied all the time knew that the bigger the lie, the more lavish its trappings needed to be.

The Uchiha's impassioned performance was nothing more than an attempt to cover up the fact that he didn't want to fight for Konoha.

But if he was afraid to fight, then so be it. His fear could still be useful to me. Pinning the label of cowardice on the Uchiha would make it easier to exploit their value.

But he'd made his fear sound so righteous, and even claimed that the Uchiha were the true masters of Konoha, and that Konoha should fight for its own survival, not for the Daimyo.

Did he think a Third like me didn't understand that? The problem was that the people couldn't be allowed to understand it. Once they did, they'd keep demanding more from Konoha.

The Daimyo didn't give us enough as it was. Konoha needed to support a large number of people to handle covert matters, and there were so many public facilities to build. Every single one of them cost money.

If we satisfied the people, we wouldn't be able to develop Konoha. And if we wanted to develop Konoha, we needed enough money to keep it running.

How could we get the Daimyo to pay? Of course, by keeping them under the threat of war. How could a war like mine be called unjust?

All I'd done was skim a portion of the funds.

But Uchiha Kei had pushed me into the territory of an unjust war, making the people doubt whether this war was righteous.

That was unforgivable.

Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe.

It was time to take action against this inexplicably appearing group of Uchiha.

Sometimes, when he thought about it, Danzo wasn't wrong.

The Uchiha really were all better off dead.

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was alone and troubled, the father and son in the clan head's home at the Uchiha compound were also discussing and reflecting on everything that had happened that day.

Unlike Uchiha Kei, who was displeased with Itachi, Fugaku didn't mind. Perhaps that was what they meant by a person's position shaping their perspective.

Fugaku knew his own limitations. After his son's predictions had repeatedly been borne out by events, Fugaku had come to trust Itachi's judgment.

The boy was only five, but he already thought like a Hokage. Even the Hokage had acknowledged it.

Still, making accurate judgments alone couldn't guarantee victory in a contest.

Fugaku believed that if Itachi said Kei didn't want to fight for Konoha, then Kei definitely didn't want to take part in this war.

Fugaku just couldn't understand why Kei didn't want to fight.

Fear of death wasn't even a possibility in Fugaku's mind.

If Konoha's Military Police Force, controlled by the Uchiha, were Konoha's city wardens, then the Anbu were its police, and Root was its secret police.

Anyone who could kill Konoha's secret police and then calmly bury him under a tree without trying to hide it was someone who had no fear of war.

Someone who dared to start a war being afraid to fight in one? That made no sense.

Of course, whether someone dared to fight was one question. Whether they could win was another.

Clearly, Uchiha Kei had never feared war.

He couldn't understand it. He really couldn't.

Fugaku dipped into the bowl of tea and took a sip as though it were wine. Ever since they'd had a child, his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, had forbidden him to drink alcohol, so he had to make do with tea.

"Itachi, you shouldn't have accused Kei of being afraid to fight in front of everyone today."

Uchiha Itachi sat across from Fugaku. He had an adorable face, but he was always as stiff as an adult. Sensitive children tended to overthink things, and from a young age, they understood what their parents liked.

His father, the clan head, was under enormous pressure and desperately needed a mature, dependable son to share the burden.

"Why not, Father? This is a wonderful chance for the Uchiha Clan to integrate into Konoha. It would be a shame to miss it."

Fugaku shook his head.

"Itachi, an opportunity you can't control is only an opportunity. And besides, the person you're dealing with is Kei."

Itachi nodded to show he understood, but he didn't agree with his father's high regard for him.

"But, Father, Big Brother Kei has no reverence for Konoha at all. He'll drag Konoha into the abyss!"

Fugaku set down his teacup, his expression growing serious.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't have contradicted him in public. How could someone who has no reverence for Konoha be afraid of war? Your accusation made no sense. He simply doesn't want to fight for Konoha, but he's never feared war!"

Itachi's tender age ultimately limited his perspective.

"But if this goes on, the Uchiha who refuse to fight for Konoha will grow more and more distant from it. Then the Uchiha Clan will have no place in Konoha at all. Besides, you were the first to support the war today, Father."

Fugaku's face reddened slightly. His son's actions that day had simply been an attempt to support his father, but he'd failed to adapt to the changing situation.

Once he understood that, Fugaku's disappointment in his son's poor showing eased considerably.

"Itachi, I supported the Uchiha joining Konoha's war today to secure a place for the Uchiha in Konoha. Kei's rejection of the war today also secured a place for the Uchiha in Konoha. We aren't really so different. He's just too young and hot-blooded, while I'd rather solve the problem peacefully."

"In the end, it's all for the Uchiha!"

After returning home, Fugaku and Itachi had both figured that out. It was already too late to change anything, though, and Itachi was only a little disappointed.

"But this will make the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha even worse. Father, the Uchiha who aren't under your control are like explosive tags waiting to go off. You can't let them keep doing whatever they want."

"But Itachi, their arrival has also given the Uchiha room to breathe. That matters more than anything."

Itachi fell silent. He wanted to say more, to tell his father what Big Brother Shisui had taught him, but in the end, he held his tongue.

"Father, I understand!"

"If you understand, then get some sleep."

"Yes."

Their conversation ended quickly enough.

But that night, the two of them slept poorly, troubled by their frustrations.

"Oh, so we Uchiha are the masters of Konoha. Itachi was a little disappointing today. Perhaps having a sibling would help him understand what it really means to support one another."

It was time to have a second child.

Fugaku was excited by Kei's defense of the Uchiha and the way he had reminded Konoha of their importance. He began to get busy as a man.

Itachi, too, slept poorly.

"Why can you deceive everyone so easily?"

Itachi knew that no matter how righteous Uchiha Kei made his words sound, the truth was that he didn't want to go to war. Yet everyone approved of this coward.

Some people who weren't even members of his clan had even started looking to him for guidance.

"This can't go on. Uchiha Kei has to be brought under the Uchiha's control!"

Perhaps when Big Brother Shisui returned, he would be able to expose this clown.

When Itachi imagined the weak-willed elder crumbling before Big Brother Shisui's overwhelming strength, he felt that Kei would lose face in front of the clan and no longer have any right to occupy the position of elder.

Then, if Kei's clan members were assigned to Big Brother Shisui, surely the Uchiha, who respected strength, would choose to follow the stronger Uchiha.

The truth was that the man was Uchiha Fugaku, but that old Fuqiu had to die.