Sasuke's Way of Thinking!

Fugaku Uchiha looked calm, but he was a little nervous inside.

To bring up something like this so directly was no different from making a huge gamble.

It had been the same when he took Itachi to the battlefield.

And now, he was asking Sasuke to analyze a problem like this!

There was no denying it: Fugaku Uchiha really wasn't cut out to be a father.

At least, not to the Sasuke he had known before.

But now...

"Father, we don't need to worry about these things."

"Instead, I think we should make good use of this situation!"

Sasuke fell into thought for a long while before slowly replying.

"Make use of it?"

"Explain."

Fugaku Uchiha was taken aback. He hadn't expected Sasuke to say that.

"Let's consider the worst-case scenario."

"Big Brother Shisui was sent by the Third Hokage to infiltrate us with the Will of Fire."

"Then what would happen if we refused?"

Sasuke asked in return.

"The High Command would become even more wary of us, and they'd be displeased!"

Fugaku Uchiha added.

"Exactly. What we need right now is time—the time to make our Uchiha Clan strong enough."

"So, whatever the reason, Big Brother Shisui must join the Military Police Force."

"Preferably, we should give him a high-ranking position with real authority."

Sasuke laid out his reasoning.

"That makes sense."

"But... what did you mean when you said we should make use of this situation?"

Fugaku Uchiha asked again.

"We'll meet the Third Hokage's demand and entrust Shisui with an important position."

"That way, at least the Third Hokage won't be as wary of our Uchiha Clan."

"And with Big Brother and me, two staunch believers in the Will of Fire..."

Sasuke let the thought trail off.

By then, Fugaku Uchiha's eyes were already shining.

He had understood the implications.

As for Itachi, he sat motionless to one side.

With his intelligence, he had understood Sasuke's reasoning as soon as he started speaking.

What left him stunned and confused was how Sasuke had come up with such ideas.

Didn't his training already take up all his time?

How could he still...

More than anything, though, Uchiha Itachi felt proud.

See?

That was his little brother, Uchiha Itachi's brother...

"Sasuke, you're right."

"Go take a medicinal bath, then get some sleep."

Fugaku Uchiha waved a hand.

"All right, Father."

Sasuke didn't linger. He got up and left.

Some things lost their meaning if you explained them too plainly.

Besides, once Fugaku Uchiha understood the family's situation, he'd be better able to make the right choices and decisions.

He could leave that to them.

Uchiha Itachi, however, was asked to stay.

After being influenced by Sasuke, Itachi had spoken with Fugaku Uchiha alone a few times.

That had earned him Fugaku Uchiha's trust once more.

"Father, you asked me to stay because of what Sasuke just said, didn't you?"

"Or were those words not something you prompted him to say?"

Now that they were alone, Uchiha Itachi voiced his questions directly.

Whether it was what Sasuke had said to Shisui earlier, or the bold analysis he had just made, Itachi found it puzzling.

That kind of thinking simply wasn't something a five-year-old could have.

"I didn't teach him to think that way."

"It seems Sasuke has a way of thinking all his own."

"Itachi, this is what our Uchiha Clan should be like..."

Fugaku Uchiha sighed wistfully.

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

Two geniuses of the Uchiha Clan, yet both followed the Will of Fire.

As the Uchiha Clan's head, Fugaku knew his own weakness well.

He wasn't decisive enough!

But... in his second son, he had seen something different yet familiar.

Perhaps that legendary man from long ago had thought the same way...

"Then, Father, what do you plan to do next?"

"The clan's situation is more complicated than Sasuke realizes."

"We can't solve everything simply by deciding to bring Big Brother Shisui back into the Military Police Force and entrust him with an important position."

"The other members of the clan matter too. Their attitudes and opinions are important."

Itachi said helplessly.

A large part of the reason the Uchiha were so passive now lay within the clan itself.

If they made that decision, many clan members would inevitably be displeased.

Especially the hardliners.

They were already unhappy with the Konoha High Command's suppression of the clan.

Now the clan was not only being forced to move its district, but was also going to place one of its own in a senior position in the Military Police Force.

Those squad leaders, and the elders...

They would probably all have something to say about it.

"I understand your concern."

"That's enough. You've thought it through."

"Go get some rest. Leave the rest to me."

Fugaku Uchiha drew a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

"Understood."

Uchiha Itachi nodded.

He got up and left Fugaku Uchiha's study.

After closing the door, a smile appeared on Itachi's face.

"Father, Sasuke is influencing you too!"

"You may not even have noticed these changes yourself, have you?"

Uchiha Itachi smiled, his heart filled with joy.

As for the way of thinking his father had attributed to Sasuke, Itachi had already formed a rough idea of what it meant.

Starting with yourself, then considering how to deal with everything else—that was indeed an efficient approach.

It was also the one most likely to convince you.

Confidence!

Uchiha Itachi sensed an extraordinary confidence in Sasuke.

After Uchiha Itachi left, Fugaku Uchiha also got up and left his study.

At Naka Shrine.

Inside a simple wooden hut.

"Elder, Shisui has returned to the clan. We'll decide on his position tomorrow."

"Fugaku has some questions and hopes you can answer them."

Fugaku Uchiha spoke respectfully.

"Actually, you already have the answer, don't you?"

"You've seen some changes in the younger generation."

"Perhaps those changes are the right path for the Uchiha Clan's future."

"Daring to try something new is better than standing still..."

A steady voice came from inside the wooden hut.

But by the end, it held a hint of wistfulness.

"But some of the clan's elders, they..."

"I'll handle the elders. As for your subordinates, you'll have to deal with them yourself."

"After all, you're the head of the Uchiha Clan now."

Before Fugaku Uchiha could finish, the other man had already given him an answer.

"Thank you, Elder Kagami."

Fugaku Uchiha turned and disappeared from the room.

Inside the wooden hut, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan slowly opened.

"Is the Uchiha Clan's era about to begin?"

"Those boys..."

A sheet of paper appeared before Kagami Uchiha.

On it were the names of the Uchiha Clan's younger generation.