"Mr. Orochimaru, I hope you can let go of your prejudice against Konoha and rejoin us. I'm not like Sarutobi Hiruzen. I'll absolutely provide you with all the help I can!"
Uchiha Fugaku invited him.
After all, Orochimaru was one of the Sannin. He had Kage Level strength, and his methods were unpredictable. He was unquestionably an extraordinary asset.
Uchiha Yu shook his head slightly. Even without hearing Orochimaru say it himself, he could guess that Orochimaru would never agree.
Sure enough, Orochimaru smiled slyly, his voice full of temptation.
"Uchiha Fugaku, things may not be as you think. I've never had any so-called prejudice against Sarutobi Hiruzen or Konoha. That's just your assumption." Orochimaru slowly turned around. "But rest assured, I won't make any strange moves, and I have somewhere better suited to me."
With that, Orochimaru slowly walked out of the courtyard. All the Uchiha clan members watched him leave, but not one of them dared to stop him.
He was one of the Sannin, a ninja who had made a name for himself in the Second Shinobi World War. His strength was immeasurable!
Even Uchiha Fugaku himself wouldn't dare claim he had a thirty percent chance of beating Orochimaru.
This wasn't beyond Uchiha Yu's expectations.
Thanks to all his Shippuden rewatches, Uchiha Yu understood Orochimaru very well.
After all, even after the Fourth Ninja World War ended, Orochimaru never returned to Konoha. He stayed in Otogakure and continued his research.
He even went from "Snake Uncle" to "Snake Aunt"!
Even with the perfect vessel he saw in Uchiha Yu living in Konoha, Orochimaru might not return!
As for whether he would make any new moves in the future, that was impossible to say.
After all, Orochimaru was ultimately an unpredictable man.
"All right, we should get some rest. The Hokage succession ceremony is tomorrow, and we'll be busy all day." Seeing that Orochimaru had disappeared from view, Uchiha Yu rolled his neck and headed for his room.
Uchiha Fugaku watched Uchiha Yu's back, then glanced in the direction Orochimaru had left. He sighed.
It seemed he simply wasn't charming enough...
The next day.
The Hokage succession ceremony went ahead as planned. Apart from those who had been there the previous night, no one knew there had been an assassination attempt against Uchiha Fugaku.
The Four Great Shinobi Villages all sent envoys. Even Kazekage Rasa brought Gaara to the ceremony in person.
Uchiha Yu walked with his friends from the Ninja Academy. Choji looked at Gaara beside Rasa in the distance and asked in confusion, "Who's that kid? He's standing next to the Kazekage, and... why does he look so hostile?"
Gaara seemed to notice Choji talking about him and suddenly turned around.
His icy gaze shot straight at Choji.
Choji had never been scared like that before. He trembled, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
His whole body jolted, and the fat on his face quivered for a long while.
Only when Gaara saw Uchiha Yu walking with them did he put away his murderous glare and break into a smile.
"Second Brother!" Gaara raised his hand and greeted Uchiha Yu.
Uchiha Yu covered his face and waved back reluctantly.
Now it wasn't just Uchiha Sasuke—even Naruto, Deidara, and even Gaara called him Second Brother.
Why not Big Brother...?
Because Big Brother was Uchiha Itachi!
Uchiha Itachi, the one who wiped them all out!
This was rough!
What did it mean to be number two for all eternity? This was it!
"You know him?" Shikamaru asked, hands in his pockets, looking at Uchiha Yu in confusion.
Uchiha Yu nodded. "I met him when I went to Sunagakure. He's Rasa's son."
"So he's the Kazekage's son. No wonder he's so fierce. His dad must be pretty powerful!" Choji exclaimed, having recovered.
Uchiha Yu shook his head slightly.
Damn it, if you'd never slept from the day you were born until now, I guarantee you'd be even more irritable than he was!
You'd be so sleep-deprived that you'd be angry even while awake!
Nothing else went wrong at the Hokage succession ceremony. No more people like the Root Organization remnants, who wanted to kill Uchiha Fugaku, showed up.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
The Uchiha Clan, Konoha's great bloodline clan, had finally welcomed its first Hokage!
Uchiha Fugaku looked down at Konoha's ninja and civilians, smiling.
But he knew he was only the first to pave the way.
Once Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and even Uchiha Yu had grown up, he would step down and hand over the position to someone more deserving.
As long as he was still in office, though, he would do everything he could to clear the obstacles for them.
The ninja world was far from peaceful, like a thorny branch covered in barbs.
Only after he had personally smoothed away every barb could he confidently pass the world on to the next generation.
Uchiha Fugaku had great confidence in the future of both the Uchiha and Konoha as a whole.
Listening to Uchiha Fugaku's speech at the ceremony, Uchiha Yu leaned against a tree and watched the crowd from afar.
"It looks like the ninja world's situation will become much more stable for at least the next ten years." Uchiha Yu nodded slightly.
There was one reason for that: the Uchiha Clan now held power in Konoha.
They were a legendary noble clan, possessing the Sharingan, one of the Three Great Dojutsu, and skilled in Fire Release. Their ranks were also filled with countless geniuses.
They were also fiercely competitive and incredibly proud.
Few villages would want to fight the Uchiha Clan.
And if they did, the consequences would likely be miserable.
So Konoha should enjoy a period of peace.
"Still, beneath the peace, the undercurrents seem to be stirring." Uchiha Yu smiled faintly.
He knew that the ninja world couldn't remain smooth sailing forever.
There were still true threats that hadn't yet emerged.
The Akatsuki, and behind it Obito, Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu, and Kaguya Otsutsuki!
The wars that had come before were child's play in comparison!
The Shippuden era of the Naruto world wasn't far away!
But just as Uchiha Yu had expected, none of the Four Great Shinobi Villages wanted to antagonize Konoha. Sunagakure had even announced a permanent alliance with Konoha.
The other three great villages also expressed their willingness to maintain friendly relations with Konoha.
Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction!
Uchiha Yu looked at Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Deidara beside him, and smiled.
"Looks like an era of peace is coming. We can spend the next few years developing."
Uchiha Yu rolled his neck and asked, "When are we going to start training again?"
At those words, Uzumaki Naruto felt a chill run down his back...
Before you continue