As Long as I'm Not Embarrassed...

Fugaku Uchiha was stunned.

Although the Uchiha Clan harbored rebellious sentiments, they had yet to reach the point of openly defying the village. By comparison, Uchiha Gray's words were utterly shocking.

Especially his declaration: "The Uchiha Clan can be Hokage too!"

It struck Fugaku's heart like a heavy hammer. Wasn't this exactly the ambition he had always harbored?

Especially since Uchiha Gray usually kept a low profile.

The things he said were always conclusions he had reached only after investigating and confirming them for himself.

In Fugaku Uchiha's view, Gray might indeed have had doubts about the Uchiha Clan at first, which was why he had hidden his talent.

But he had revealed his abilities during this period so he could observe the Third up close and see what kind of person he really was.

After observing him for real, the remarkably clever boy Uchiha Gray had seen through the Third's true nature at a glance!

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

But that wasn't enough to make Fugaku Uchiha believe Gray completely. He narrowed his eyes. After all, Uchiha Gray had first shown his talent to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Who could say whether Sarutobi Hiruzen had already brought Gray over to his side and sent him back as a spy?

"Oh? Why do you think the Uchiha Clan would be better suited to be Hokage than Sarutobi Hiruzen?" Fugaku Uchiha asked calmly.

Here it comes!

Gray wasn't surprised.

He had already anticipated this from the beginning. Fugaku Uchiha would never believe him so easily.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't trust him now, Uchiha Gray didn't mind.

In the eyes of both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Fugaku Uchiha,

he had only two choices: be loyal to Leaf or be loyal to the Uchiha. But in truth, there was a third choice: be loyal to himself!

Uchiha Gray wore a respectful expression, but inside, he was perfectly calm.

No one knew that he was a transmigrator. Naturally, they couldn't know that clans and villages didn't matter to him. What mattered most was time!

So Uchiha Gray sold out Sarutobi Hiruzen without hesitation. His eyes held a deep, horrified look, as though he had discovered something dark, and his body trembled slightly.

"Today, I noticed something unusual about Cloud Hidden. At first, I was worried they might harm the Third, so I secretly kept watch on the Hokage Building."

A hint of shock appeared in Uchiha Gray's eyes at just the right moment, as if he still hadn't recovered from the scene he had witnessed.

"But what shocked me was that they were talking with Cloud Hidden—and Hyuga Hiashi handed over the body of Hizashi Hyuga!"

Uchiha Gray's expression gradually turned cold and resentful. "I investigated the incident with the Hyuga Clan. It wasn't their fault at all."

"Cloud Hidden had tried to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, and that was why their man was killed on the spot. The Hyuga Clan did nothing wrong. They were only defending themselves!"

"If Sarutobi Hiruzen can turn a blind eye while the Hyuga Clan is wrongfully accused, then if something similar happens to the Uchiha Clan one day, we'll become a political bargaining chip for him too."

"Nothing matters more to Sarutobi Hiruzen than his own position. To protect his position as Hokage, he can abandon anyone else in Leaf without hesitation."

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

"You even know about all that?"

Fugaku Uchiha was astonished. What kind of prodigy was this?

He knew about the Hyuga Clan incident too, but not in such detail. He only knew the general outline. After all, only Cloud Hidden, the Hokage, and the Hyuga Clan knew the full story.

To save face, none of them would reveal what had happened.

And yet Uchiha Gray, who was only eight years old, knew the details so clearly!

He was a monster!

For that very reason, Fugaku Uchiha completely believed Gray. He looked at Uchiha Gray with approval.

If Gray really were a spy, why would he smear Sarutobi Hiruzen?

What followed was nothing but meaningless praise and talk about his hopes for Uchiha Gray.

Gray chuckled inwardly. He could tell at a glance how shocked Fugaku Uchiha was. Of course, Fugaku had no idea that Gray himself had killed the Cloud Hidden ninja.

At this point, he could practically consider the whole thing cleared. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, it was much easier to win Fugaku Uchiha's trust than Sarutobi Hiruzen's.

When Fugaku Uchiha indicated that their conversation could end there, Uchiha Gray respectfully rose. "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I'll take my leave now!"

After speaking, he observed every courtesy and respectfully left.

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

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

This was practically a full-blown social death scene. Uchiha Gray's mouth twitched. How had he never noticed when watching Naruto that Uchiha Itachi had a habit of eavesdropping?

That meant Uchiha Itachi had heard everything they'd just said.

This was seriously awkward.

"Oh, Itachi." Uchiha Gray's expression remained calm.

In a full-blown social death scene, as long as I'm not embarrassed, the other person is!

He acted as if he didn't care whether Uchiha Itachi had heard what he said. After speaking, he walked straight away.

Uchiha Itachi froze.

He had heard everything Uchiha Gray had just said to his father. He had expected Gray to explain himself when he saw him, but Gray did nothing of the sort.

Itachi's young face filled with disbelief.

This was completely beyond his understanding.

Hadn't Uchiha Gray been on the Third's side at first? Why was he suddenly so close to his father?

Could it be that, when he spoke with the Third at the training ground at night, he had only been putting on an act?

In reality, had Uchiha Gray been his father's spy from the very beginning?

No, that couldn't be. If Uchiha Gray really were his father's spy, then given his father's nature, he would never have called Gray over.

Quite the opposite—he would have done everything he could to distance himself from Gray and make it seem as though they disagreed.

Something must have happened to make Uchiha Gray change into the person he was now!

Even Shisui had praised Uchiha Gray, so Gray's thoughts were beyond Itachi's ability to guess.

What had happened?

Uchiha Itachi couldn't make sense of it. The Uchiha Clan's rebellious sentiments were growing stronger and stronger.

He had even heard rumors that the Uchiha Clan was going to rebel this year!

A thought flashed through Uchiha Itachi's mind.

Could it be that Uchiha Gray had learned something?

Was that why he had acted this way?

Everything Uchiha Gray was doing now clearly served both the Uchiha Clan and Leaf.

"Uchiha Gray, I'll find out what you're thinking, no matter what!"