The Uchiha Clan

"Was Father really that strong? How did he compare to the Lord Third?" Though Fugaku had been riding high on his own success lately, Uchiha Itachi had always thought his father was just full of himself. After all, the Ninja Academy had always taught that the Lord Third was Konoha's strongest, and the strongest Hokage of all time. Everyone in Konoha agreed on that, which seemed a lot more convincing than Fugaku's own boasts!

"Of course he is. You could say that Clan Head Fugaku is the second strongest in Konoha right now!" Uchiha Gen answered earnestly. After all, following all that money he'd poured into Fugaku, Fugaku's ocular prowess should have surpassed Madara Uchiha's by now! No one in Konoha besides Gen himself could beat Fugaku!

After all, Might Guy from the original story was only in his teens right now. He'd have trouble opening the Seventh Gate, let alone taking on Fugaku, who could manifest a complete Susanoo! Fugaku would send him flying off to be reincarnated in no time!

"I knew it. The Lord Third is still stronger, then," Itachi murmured after hearing Gen's answer.

"What kind of logic is going on in that little head of yours? What's that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi got to do with this?" Uchiha Gen was utterly speechless.

"Huh? If Father's the second strongest in Konoha, doesn't that make the Lord Third the strongest?" Itachi said as if it were obvious.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength? The strongest in Konoha? If that were true, Konoha would be doomed! Let me put it this way: among Konoha's current powerhouses, that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't even make the top five! Among the Kage of his generation from each village, Hiruzen Sarutobi was near the bottom!" Uchiha Gen explained, exasperated.

"Gen, you're just biased against the Lord Third. You're letting your personal feelings get in the way and putting him down!" Itachi hadn't been brainwashed yet, but he'd been at school for a while. After listening to the Ninja Academy sing the Lord Third's praises every day, he'd been influenced at least a little.

"Oh, is that so? Then tell me, what accomplishments does this Lord Third of yours have to show for himself? Can he stand up to the Eight-Tails? Or hold off a force of tens of thousands of shinobi by himself? Does he have any forbidden techniques or Kekkei Tōta powerful enough to be recognized by the Ninja World? He's not even as good as his own students. At least they stood up to the Demigod of the Ninja World! What has he got to show for himself?" Uchiha Gen scoffed. The only thing about Hiruzen Sarutobi that truly gave people pause was his Dead Demon Consuming Seal, a technique that took both the caster and target down together.

As for techniques like the Five Elements Great Barrage and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, it wasn't that they weren't impressive. They just didn't live up to the title of Lord Third. Compared to the Kage of the other villages from his generation, even the weakest Kazekage had Magnet Release. Hiruzen Sarutobi was probably stronger than the Third Kazekage, but look at the size of Sunagakure compared to Konoha! Being a little stronger than the Kazekage still left him near the bottom!

Just look at the Third Raikage and Third Tsuchikage! If the Lord Third Hiruzen Sarutobi had faced Tengai Shinsei in the original story, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand even the first one!

"How could anyone be as powerful as you say?" Itachi looked at Uchiha Gen doubtfully. He was one of the top students at the Ninja Academy, and he knew that shinobi usually went on missions in teams of four: one Jonin instructor leading three Genin. At most, an Anbu team might have another Jonin and take on special missions. Itachi's young mind couldn't imagine an army of tens of thousands of shinobi!

As the Lord Third of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally didn't go around publicizing the Third Raikage's fame on the battlefield. He certainly wouldn't let children from the Ninja Academy, whose minds weren't mature yet, hear about it. What if they became blind admirers and turned into traitors? Hiruzen Sarutobi was an expert at brainwashing, and he took such matters very seriously!

"Why couldn't there be? The battle between the Third Raikage and Iwagakure's army of tens of thousands happened just a few years ago. You were already born at the time. Everyone in the Ninja World knows about it! Oh, and the one who fought the Eight-Tails alone was also the Third Raikage," Uchiha Gen explained.

"If the Raikage was so strong, why didn't he make it all the way to Konoha? Was it because the Lord Third was even stronger?"

"No. More accurately, it was because of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. His signature technique, the Flying Thunder God, was a perfect counter to the Raikage, who was known for his speed. Back then, the Fourth Raikage hadn't taken office yet, and he and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki teamed up—but they still came off worse against Namikaze Minato!" Since they were already talking about it, Uchiha Gen didn't mind explaining a bit more.

"But the Lord Third is the teacher of the Fourth Hokage's teacher. Doesn't that mean the Lord Third is stronger?" The more they talked, the more interested Itachi became.

"By that logic, the Second was Hiruzen Sarutobi's teacher, wasn't he? And yet Hiruzen had the nerve to claim he was the strongest Hokage of all time! As things stand, Minato is stronger than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even his teacher, Jiraiya, is stronger than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Jiraiya should have already learned Senjutsu from Mount Myoboku by now!" Jiraiya had eventually pulled ahead of the other two Sannin. By now, he should have left Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade in the dust!

"Then who's the strongest in Konoha now? Could it be the Fourth Hokage?" The red-haired auntie came to mind. She was the Fourth Hokage's wife, and a very close friend of Itachi's mother.

"The strongest is as far away as the horizon and as close as what's right in front of you. The strongest in Konoha right now is none other than yours truly." Uchiha Gen perked right up as he said it. Who didn't like showing off a little? His expression now was just like that of the Toad Sage Jiraiya when he first introduced himself to Naruto in the original story!

"Uh..." Uchiha Itachi was speechless. Why was this senior just like his father? Or was this just how the Uchiha were? Get a little strong, and suddenly they got carried away?

"What's with that look, kid? You don't believe me?" Uchiha Gen pinched Uchiha Itachi's annoyingly cute little face.

"Uh-uh, I-I do, senpai!" Gen squeezed so hard that Itachi couldn't even get the words out properly!

"Hmph! Don't you dare doubt it. Everyone in Konoha knows how strong I am. Remember when I subdued the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox? That giant over a hundred meters tall was me! I taught the Nine-Tails a lesson in no time. Oh, wait—not a person, a fox. Your so-called strongest Lord Third couldn't do a thing about the Nine-Tails!" Uchiha Gen said disdainfully.

"Huh, Gen, do you have that much of a problem with the Lord Third?" A voice suddenly came from nearby.

"Fourth Hokage!" Itachi hurriedly bowed.

"Ah, you're Fugaku's eldest son, Itachi, right? Kushina's told me about you. She said you're a very sweet and sensible child," Namikaze Minato said with a smile.

"What brings the Fourth Hokage to the Uchiha Clan?" Uchiha Gen wasn't particularly surprised. At his level of strength, he could sense someone from hundreds of meters away, and Namikaze Minato wasn't trying to hide his presence.

After all, this was the Uchiha Clan's compound. Namikaze Minato couldn't just zip around using the Flying Thunder God!