I Have a Bunch of Relatives Who Want to Be Hokage Chapter 38

"There's something important you need to know," Uchiha Fugaku said. "The Fourth Hokage's wife is about to give birth, and she is the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki."

I knew that all too well.

This was the true turning point for the Uchiha Clan in the Hidden Leaf Village.

They were pushed straight into opposition.

"However, our clan is completely barred from getting involved. In the name of secrecy, the Hokage Building has refused to let any ninja clan participate in this matter."

"Then the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzo aren't participating either?" Uchiha Shingen suddenly asked.

When the Hidden Leaf Village had first been founded, there had been four great clans. Ranked by strength, they were the Senju, Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Shimura.

But now, only the Uchiha and Sarutobi remained.

Shimura Danzo was a ruthless man. He truly paid no heed to the Shimura Clan and viewed everything entirely from the Hidden Leaf Village's perspective.

Although the Shimura Clan had been powerful in the past, it neither lived off bloodline limits like the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans, nor off secret techniques like the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka Clans. Like the Sarutobi Clan—and countless other ninja clans—it was simply an "ordinary" ninja clan that had formed in the old era through blood ties.

What maintained the cohesion of such clans was merely the inheritance of ninjutsu. Ninja clans had once been the only form of ninja organization; ninjutsu could only be passed down within families.

But not every ninja clan was the Uchiha. Their ninjutsu was so abundant that they could not be stingy even if they wanted to be. Any clan member with sufficient ability could learn whatever they wished.

Most ninja clans had limited stores of ninjutsu and guarded their resources fiercely. The closer one's relationship, the easier it was to obtain more techniques.

By comparison, the ninja village's ninjutsu exchange system utterly crushed those old ninja clans. Not only was it far fairer and more impartial, but its collection of techniques was simply beyond the reach of ordinary clans.

The Hidden Leaf Village's ninjutsu resources ranked first in the ninja world. Back then, the Senju of the Forest had put all their family assets on the table; its collection of techniques was no smaller than the Uchiha's.

Thus, the Shimura Clan gradually broke away from the ninja clan model. From one great clan, it slowly evolved into a number of independent small ninja families. They still bore the Shimura name, but that was about all there was to it.

It no longer fit the definition of a traditional ninja clan.

Unlike Shimura Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not be so "fair" toward his own clan.

"The Third Hokage will naturally be involved. He has to make the arrangements himself," Uchiha Fugaku said, understanding what Uchiha Shingen meant.

In fact, this was precisely what the other four ninja clans, aside from the Sarutobi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans, were dissatisfied with.

No ninja clans could participate? Then what were those four families?

Participating as ANBU didn't count as participation?

No one intended to do anything, but if something happened while the jinchuriki was giving birth, were they supposed to know nothing and just passively wait for disaster to strike? If no one was allowed in, that would be one thing—but surely it could not be that those close to the Third Hokage were allowed while they were not?

Anything involving the Tailed Beasts made everyone wary.

After Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, the Hidden Leaf Village had never again produced anyone capable of facing a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on.

Everyone's lives and livelihoods were here. Before a Tailed Beast Bomb, there was no distinction between high and low.

"That's true. The ANBU is still under the Third Hokage's command." Uchiha Shingen nodded and did not press the issue.

As he had said before, the Sarutobi Clan certainly benefited from Sarutobi Hiruzen becoming Hokage, but only to a certain extent.

At the very least, one could tell from the number and quality of jonin in their clan that this preferential treatment was limited and had not crossed the line.

To be fair, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a qualified Hokage. Their positions were simply different.

"There'll be a clan meeting tonight to discuss this. Come over after dinner; the meeting starts at eight sharp." Uchiha Fugaku rubbed the bridge of his nose. He found it troublesome as well. "Stop skipping meetings all the time. Now that you're back, attend properly."

"Alright," Uchiha Shingen agreed.

Something this important was definitely worth attending.

At the very least, they needed to come to a unified understanding of how to respond if something really did happen.

They had better not rely too heavily on improvisation. The Uchiha Clan's senior members were simply terrible at responding on the fly outside the battlefield.

"For the next few days, don't go out either. I have a bad feeling about this," Uchiha Fugaku said.

The two exchanged a look, confirming that they were both thinking of the same person.

Other than Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shingen had told no one about Obito. Uchiha Fugaku had kept the matter buried in his heart as well.

It truly was not suitable to make public. Uchiha Obito's name had already been carved on the memorial stone; rather than reveal his identity and let everyone know that the Uchiha Clan had produced a rogue ninja, it was better to let Obito "die" as a hero.

The Uchiha Obito everyone had known was already dead.

Didn't he call himself Uchiha Madara? Then Uchiha Madara it was.

In any case, after Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shingen had agreed on that story, they informed the Hokage Building.

Whether the Hokage Building believed it or not was beyond their control. The fact that they were willing to do this was already the Uchiha Clan's greatest show of trust toward the Hokage Building.

Complete and unconditional trust? That sort of thing did not exist in the adult world.

Uchiha Fugaku's conversation with Uchiha Shingen ended there. Afterward, Uchiha Fugaku gave Uchiha Shingen a check and told him to train diligently. Most importantly, rest more and drink less tea!

Uchiha Shingen readily agreed, took the money, and left.

Uchiha Shisui remained behind. That was Uchiha Fugaku's second round.

Would the third be Uchiha Itachi?

Uchiha Shingen did not care what the latter two conversations would involve. He had no time for it.

Being a clan head wasn't easy, and neither was being a father. Uchiha Fugaku was already a mature grown man; he didn't need Shingen worrying about him.

But the lovely young ladies did!

After returning home, Uchiha Shingen put away the check and looked through his little stash of savings.

Beautiful. He truly was good at managing money—there was still enough cash at home.

There was no rush to cash the check anyway. It was from the clan's bank, and as long as this internal check wasn't damaged, he could cash it whenever he wanted.

If it was damaged, as long as it truly hadn't been cashed, a new one could be issued.

Pleased to see his wallet plump again, Uchiha Shingen changed into casual clothes, slipped his wallet into his pocket, and happily headed out.

After leaving the clan grounds, he took a good stroll through the shopping district, admired the pretty girls walking along the streets, and sighed at how much more pleasing Leaf Village's streetscape was to the eye.

When it was time to eat, he quickly ducked into a snack shop and stuffed himself, then headed back toward the clan grounds.

In the original timeline, the plot involving the Uchiha Clan showed that their clan meetings were secretly held at Naka Shrine.

A so-called secret gathering was naturally something that couldn't see the light of day. In other words, the Uchiha Clan had already been completely isolated by then, to the point where even holding an ordinary meeting would make people suspicious.

The current Uchiha Clan had not reached that point. Everyone simply held meetings in the clan's main hall as usual.

After entering the main hall, Uchiha Shingen looked around and found the person he was looking for.

"Inabi." He walked over and patted the brother-in-arms he had fought alongside.

"Oh, Brother Shingen, you're back?" Uchiha Inabi's face lit up in delight. "You really hit it big this time, then..."

"Obviously. The usual rules." Uchiha Shingen gave him a look. "You know what I mean!"

"Got something new?"

"Of course. Standing still has never been my ninja way."

"You're practically my real brother! Just watch—I'll get everything arranged perfectly for you." Uchiha Inabi was practically pumped full of adrenaline, brimming with excitement.

"The meeting's starting! The meeting's starting!" someone shouted. "Hurry up and find a seat! The clan head and elders will be here any minute!"

"My ass they will! You say that every time!" a clansman snapped back unhappily.

"This time it's true, they really are about to arrive. Anyone still outside, get in already! The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home."

That last sentence spoke right to everyone's hearts, and the pace of entering noticeably picked up.

Before long, everyone was seated. Then Uchiha Fugaku entered through the doors together with several elders.

The Uchiha Clan elders actually held far less power than those of the Hyuga Clan. Their role was more akin to that of advisers.

But that didn't mean the clan head was some emperor. At the end of the day, the internal hierarchy of the Uchiha Clan was not particularly pronounced either.

"It can't be helped that we've called everyone together at this hour, so let's keep it brief." Uchiha Fugaku made a gesture from the seat of honor, then deliberately cleared his throat to add weight to his words. "This is mainly about the jinchuriki's upcoming childbirth."

"Clan Head, what work is the Police Force responsible for?" a clansman immediately asked.

"Mm, that's exactly what I'm about to explain. The Police Force has no duties in this matter. It will be handled by the ANBU; no other departments will participate."

"Is that appropriate?" Another clansman voiced his confusion. "A jinchuriki giving birth isn't a minor matter. The last time goes all the way back to the First Hokage's era."

"But it probably won't be a big deal, right?"

"That may be true, but it still doesn't feel reassuring to know nothing at all."

The clansmen began discussing it among themselves, expressing their opinions.

But overall, the Uchiha did not consider this matter particularly important.

Just as Uchiha Shingen had expected.

After all, thanks to their former allies, the Uzumaki Clan, Leaf Village's Tailed Beast sealing techniques were unrivaled in the shinobi world.

The Tailed Beasts of other villages constantly went berserk, and every so often a jinchuriki would die just to remind everyone they existed. Leaf Village alone had no such nonsense.

As a result, jinchuriki did not occupy such an awkward position in Leaf Village.

In other villages, jinchuriki were mere containers—the village's property. Their own will was regarded as false and utterly meaningless.

But in Leaf Village, while people still believed that a jinchuriki's own will could be influenced by the Tailed Beast, they were not treated as so fake that they couldn't even be considered people.

Of course, that didn't mean there was no danger of losing control. Childbirth was a classic example.

But Leaf Village's last jinchuriki childbirth had happened a long time ago, and the jinchuriki's long-standing stability had invisibly given everyone ample confidence.

This excessively optimistic attitude was precisely one of the reasons Leaf Village would suffer such heavy losses in the original timeline.

Therefore, Uchiha Shingen decided to speak up.

"I have a suggestion!" he said loudly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Shingen, what suggestion do you have?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

"I think that regardless of whether anything happens, the Police Force should prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"What would the worst-case scenario be?" Uchiha Fugaku understood perfectly what Uchiha Shingen meant.

However, he had doubts about Uchiha Obito's abilities.

The Mangekyo Sharingan was not all-powerful either, especially when only one eye remained.

But the value of the Mangekyo Sharingan was still beyond doubt. He had already begun considering reclaiming Obito's eye from Hatake Kakashi.

Compared to the interests of the organization, personal feelings were insignificant.

"For example, if the Nine-Tails broke free and appeared in the village, what should we do then?" Uchiha Shingen said.

He brought this up as a precaution, hoping the Uchiha would understand that even in the post-Sarutobi Hiruzen era, with Namikaze Minato as Hokage and the Police Force having never had a supervising leader, there was only one superior—the Hokage. They did not have to obey orders from just anyone.

"In that case, we would naturally follow the Hokage Building's arrangements. The Police Force is a department of Leaf Village," Uchiha Fugaku said.

"There are many people in the Hokage Building," Uchiha Shingen said. "Surely not just anyone can order the Police Force around? Besides, I think that when the time comes, it will no longer be merely a matter for the Police Force, but a question of what the Uchiha Clan should do."

"The Uchiha Clan is the Police Force." Uchiha Fugaku disliked this conversation and decided to skip over the subject.

But Uchiha Shingen did not think that would do.

"Clan Head, forgive my bluntness, but the Uchiha have never been the Police Force. The Police Force does not need the Uchiha; it is only that the Uchiha of today can rely on the Police Force to secure benefits," he said, rising to his feet and addressing the somewhat stunned clan members. "Other than the Police Force, we have nowhere else to go. We need to make that distinction clear."

"Shingen, what are you trying to say?"

"Some matters can be reasoned through, while others cannot. If something happens and the Police Force proves inadequate, the blame will fall on the Uchiha Clan, not the Police Force. The survivors will vent their resentment on us, and public opinion can melt metal. When that time comes, will the Uchiha Clan withdraw from the Police Force, or stubbornly hold out and stand against every villager from then on?"

"How can that be?" a clan member immediately said. "It would be the Hokage Building's arrangement."

"How do you usually go to work?" Uchiha Shingen looked at him. "With so many families having lost someone, would you still argue procedure with them?"

"No, this is only a hypothetical," the clan member said after realizing it.

"It is a reasonable hypothetical," Uchiha Shingen said. "If it can be done, then it is reasonable."

"Who could pull that off?" the clan member did not believe him.

"I could," Uchiha Shingen's words startled everyone. "Is it difficult? When a Jinchuriki gives birth, the Nine-Tails' chakra would completely expose her location. All that would be needed is a space-time ninjutsu to use the newborn as bait and draw the Fourth Hokage away from the Jinchuriki. Wouldn't the rest simply fall into place?"