As Long As I'm Not Embarrassed...

Fugaku Uchiha was stunned.

Although the Uchiha Clan harbored rebellious sentiments, they had not yet reached the point of open defiance; by comparison, the words of Uchiha Gray were incredibly impactful.

Especially his declaration: "This Hokage position, my Uchiha Clan is equally capable of holding!"

It struck his heart like a heavy hammer—was this not the very ambition he had harbored all along?

In particular, Uchiha Gray usually kept a low profile, neither showing off nor revealing his true depth.

Everything he said was a conclusion reached only after his own exploration and verification.

In Fugaku Uchiha's eyes, Uchiha Gray might have initially harbored doubts about the Uchiha Clan, which was why he had hidden his talent.

But revealing his talent during this period was clearly to observe the Third Hokage up close and determine what kind of man he truly was.

After actual observation, this brilliant youth, Uchiha Gray, had seen through the very essence of the Third Hokage at a glance!

He believed that Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule over the Leaf was no better than the Uchiha Clan's potential leadership!

However, this was not enough to make Fugaku Uchiha completely trust Uchiha Gray. He narrowed his eyes; after all, Uchiha Gray had first revealed his talent to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Who could say if Uchiha Gray was a mole sent back by Sarutobi Hiruzen after being won over?

"Oh, why do you believe the Uchiha Clan would be more suitable to be Hokage than Sarutobi Hiruzen?" Fugaku Uchiha asked calmly.

Here it comes!

Gray was not surprised.

From the very beginning, he had anticipated that Fugaku Uchiha would not trust him so easily.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen did not trust him either, Uchiha Gray did not care.

Whether in the eyes of Sarutobi Hiruzen or Fugaku Uchiha, he only had two choices: be loyal to the Leaf or be loyal to the Uchiha. But in reality, he had a third choice: be loyal to himself!

Uchiha Gray's expression was respectful, but his heart remained indifferent.

Because no one knew he was a transmigrator, they naturally could not understand that to him, clans and villages were unimportant; the only thing that mattered was time!

Therefore, Uchiha Gray sold out Sarutobi Hiruzen without hesitation. His eyes held a depth of fear, as if he had discovered something dark that made his body tremble slightly.

"Because today I sensed something unusual about the Cloud Hidden. At first, I was worried they might harm the Third Hokage, so I secretly monitored the Hokage Building."

In Uchiha Gray's eyes, a look of shock appeared at just the right moment, as if he had not yet recovered from the scene he had witnessed.

"However, what shocked me was that they were actually in negotiations with the Cloud Hidden, and Hiashi Hyuga handed over the corpse of Hizashi Hyuga!"

Uchiha Gray's expression gradually turned cold and resentful. "I have investigated that incident involving the Hyuga Clan, and it was absolutely not the fault of the Hyuga Clan."

"It was the Cloud Hidden who wanted to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, which is why they were killed on the spot. The Hyuga Clan did nothing wrong; they were merely protecting themselves!"

"If Sarutobi Hiruzen can turn a blind eye to the Hyuga Clan being wronged, then if the same thing happens to the Uchiha Clan one day, they will also become tools for his political gain."

"Nothing is more important than his own status. For the sake of his position as Hokage, he would abandon anyone else in the Leaf without hesitation."

Uchiha Gray's face was cold, as if he had seen through the very nature of the Leaf.

"You actually know about these things?"

Fugaku Uchiha was shocked. What kind of monster was this?

Although he knew about the Hyuga Clan incident, he did not know the details so clearly. He only knew the general gist. After all, only the Cloud Hidden, the Hokage, and the Hyuga Clan knew the truth.

And to save face, they would never make such things public.

Yet Uchiha Gray, who was only eight years old, was crystal clear about the matter!

This was too monstrous!

At the same time, because of this, Fugaku Uchiha completely trusted Gray. He looked at Uchiha Gray with satisfaction.

If Uchiha Gray were truly a mole, how could he possibly smear Sarutobi Hiruzen?

What followed was nothing but empty praise and expressions of expectation for Uchiha Gray.

Gray chuckled inwardly, seeing through Fugaku Uchiha's shock at a glance. Of course, he would never know that he was the one who had killed the Cloud Hidden ninja.

Reaching this point meant he had essentially cleared the stage. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, winning the trust of Fugaku Uchiha was far easier than winning over Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After Fugaku Uchiha indicated that their conversation could end for the day, Uchiha Gray rose respectfully. "Thank you for your guidance, My Lord. I shall take my leave!"

With his etiquette flawless, Uchiha Gray bowed and retreated.

However, just as Uchiha Gray reached the door and opened it, a familiar face appeared before him.

Itachi Uchiha stood at the doorway, and their eyes met.

This was like a massive social suicide scene. Uchiha Gray's mouth twitched. How had he not noticed that Itachi Uchiha had a habit of eavesdropping when he watched the anime?

This meant that Itachi Uchiha had just heard everything.

This was a bit awkward.

"It's Itachi," Uchiha Gray said with a calm expression.

The ultimate rule of a social suicide scene: as long as I'm not embarrassed, the person who is embarrassed is someone else!

He acted as if he did not care at all whether Uchiha Itachi had heard what he said, turning and leaving immediately after speaking.

Uchiha Itachi froze.

He had heard every word Uchiha Gray said to his father, and he had originally assumed that Gray would offer some explanation upon seeing him, yet the other had done nothing at all.

His young face filled with disbelief.

This was completely beyond his scope of understanding.

Was Uchiha Gray not leaning toward the Third Hokage at the beginning? How had he suddenly become so close to his father?

Could it be that what he said to the Third Hokage at the night training ground was merely a facade?

Was Uchiha Gray actually a mole sent by his father from the very start?

No, that was impossible. If Uchiha Gray were a mole sent by his father, given his father's personality, he would never have summoned him here.

On the contrary, he would have done everything in his power to distance himself from Uchiha Gray and create the illusion that they held opposing views.

Something must have happened to make Uchiha Gray turn into what he was now!

Even Big Brother Shisui praised Uchiha Gray, so Gray's intentions were not something he could fathom.

What on earth had happened?

Uchiha Itachi could not make heads or tails of it, and the reactionary sentiment within the Uchiha clan was growing stronger by the day.

He had even heard rumors that the Uchiha clan was planning to rebel this very year!

A flash of inspiration struck Uchiha Itachi's mind.

Could it be that Uchiha Gray knew something?

Was that why he was acting this way?

Everything Uchiha Gray was doing now was surely intended to balance the interests of both the Uchiha clan and the Leaf.

"Uchiha Gray, I will definitely find out what you are thinking!"