A Different Uchiha Fugaku

He stood before the entrance for a long time.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Finally, Uchiha Kei knocked on the gate.

A long while later.

"Who is it?"

A soft, feminine voice drifted from within.

"I am Uchiha Kei, here to see the Clan Head."

The sound of rustling footsteps approached, and the door swung open in response.

A beautiful woman with long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders appeared before him.

"Kei?"

Uchiha Mikoto looked at the young man in front of her with a puzzled expression.

Over the past two days, news of a genius youth in the Uchiha Clan who rivaled Itachi had spread like wildfire.

The once obscure Uchiha Kei had become a household name overnight.

As the wife of Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto had heard her husband mention this name far too many times in the last two days.

She also knew that the Uchiha Clan owed this young man far too much.

"Greetings, Madam Clan Head."

Uchiha Kei smiled and bowed slightly.

"Hello. Fugaku is waiting for you inside; come with me."

Uchiha Mikoto responded gently and led him into the courtyard.

As the head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku's home was not much different from the house he currently lived in, though it possessed a slightly more archaic charm.

In the central room, a solitary lamp glowed dimly.

Pushing open the door, he saw Uchiha Fugaku sitting cross-legged by a table, his gaze deep and contemplative.

"Fugaku, Kei is here."

Uchiha Fugaku raised his eyes to look at Uchiha Kei.

"Mm."

"You two talk; I will go prepare some tea and snacks."

Uchiha Mikoto found an excuse to leave, giving the room over to the two of them.

Uchiha Kei said nothing and sat down opposite Uchiha Fugaku.

The two stared at each other.

Uchiha Kei scrutinized Uchiha Fugaku carefully.

This leader of the Uchiha Clan had little presence in the anime, feeling somewhat like a background character.

For an Uchiha who possessed the Mangekyo, he had little impact while alive and his death had been far too hasty.

His attempted rebellion had been equally anticlimactic.

All in all, the character of Uchiha Fugaku was, in the grand scheme of the Naruto World, entirely dispensable.

On the other side, Uchiha Fugaku was observing the youth as well.

He found this boy somewhat difficult to read.

"Kei, are you satisfied with your new house?"

"It is quite good, thank you, My Lord Clan Head."

"These are things the Uchiha owe you."

Uchiha Fugaku sighed.

"It was my failure as Clan Head; I lacked concern for the children of heroes like you, which allowed you to suffer such humiliation."

Over the past two days, the Uchiha Clan had undergone a frantic reorganization, and many high-ranking clansmen had been punished.

The fuse for all of this had been Uchiha Kei.

Looking at the stack of written confessions, Uchiha Fugaku felt for the first time that he was a failure as a leader.

Uchiha Kei shook his head indifferently.

In a large forest, there are all kinds of birds, let alone people.

Where there are people, there is greed.

It was just that some people had a bottom line, while others did not.

"Clan Head, I did not come here today to discuss this matter."

Uchiha Kei's expression remained calm.

Uchiha Fugaku's expression shifted, as he vaguely grasped Uchiha Kei's objective.

"You are referring to the matter regarding Itachi and Shisui, aren't you?"

As the head of the clan, very little could escape his notice.

"Yes. Regarding what the three of us are plotting, what is your opinion?"

A showdown.

This was the purpose of Uchiha Kei's visit today.

Admittedly, it was a bit early for him to lay his cards on the table; one slight misstep could expose him to the public eye.

However, doing so was not without its benefits.

"I do not know."

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head honestly.

Uchiha Fugaku was more than happy to see them plotting to seize the position of Hokage.

As the Konoha Military Police Force and one of the founding families of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan had long been dissatisfied with their current status.

Why could anyone else become Hokage, but not an Uchiha?

He, Uchiha Fugaku, was the first to refuse to accept that!

"Moving forward, I will need the support of the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Fugaku did not agree immediately, instead looking at him with a very strange expression.

"Kei, you are eight years old this year, right?"

"Yes, I will be nine in a little over a month."

"At this age, even Itachi did not consider so much."

Uchiha Fugaku sighed heavily.

"I have looked into your past over the last two days; I hope you do not mind."

Uchiha Kei was indifferent to such things.

"You should already possess the Mangekyo, right?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked, his tone filled with certainty.

For someone to make both Itachi and Shisui submit, the Three Tomoe was clearly insufficient to achieve such a result.

Uchiha Kei closed his eyes and opened them again, a sword-shaped Mangekyo appearing within his eyes.

"As I thought."

Certainty was one thing, but seeing with his own eyes that a child not yet nine years old possessed the Mangekyo still brought Uchiha Fugaku unparalleled shock.

"Pain and sorrow, misery and despair—only through these can we awaken the Mangekyo."

Uchiha Fugaku gave a miserable smile, a flash of reminiscence crossing his eyes.

"Itachi has also awakened the Mangekyo."

"What!"

Uchiha Fugaku sprang up abruptly, filled with surprise, astonishment, and disbelief.

"How could he have awakened the Mangekyo? That is impossible."

Uchiha Kei shrugged, not revealing the reason.

Uchiha Fugaku paced back and forth in the room, muttering, "This is impossible," to himself.

Uchiha Kei did not disturb him, simply sitting there quietly.

A long while later, Uchiha Mikoto entered the room with tea and snacks. Only then did Uchiha Fugaku sit down, though the expression on his face remained unnatural.

"What is the matter?"

Uchiha Mikoto set down the refreshments, noticing her husband's unnatural complexion.

"It is nothing, I just feel that Kei's talent has exceeded my imagination."

"Indeed, he is no worse than Itachi."

Uchiha Mikoto said with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents, gentle and beautiful.

Once Uchiha Mikoto left the room, Uchiha Fugaku let out a sigh.

"Kei, what do you think the Way of the Ninja truly is?"

Uchiha Kei had just picked up a snack, but he froze at the question and set it back down.

"It should be the path one insists upon, also known as faith."

Uchiha Kei pondered for a moment.

"Faith, is it?"

Uchiha Fugaku lifted his teacup, his eyes filled with confusion.

"The position of Hokage isn't actually that important to me."

"All I wish for is to be with my family, living happily and joyfully, free from illness and disaster for the rest of our lives."

"It would be best if Itachi could have a child or two, and Sasuke could grow into a man."

"How wonderful that would be."

Uchiha Fugaku drifted into his fantasy, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Uchiha Kei was somewhat taken aback.

The Uchiha clan head, usually so stern and unsmiling, actually held such an ordinary ninja way?

What happened to the planned coup?

What happened to the serious persona?

This image was crumbling a bit...

However, perhaps this was the real Uchiha Fugaku.

A man of flesh and blood.

"That day will come."

Uchiha Kei picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip.

It was a bit bitter...

But it was also a little sweet.