Approaching His Birthday

Time slipped by bit by bit, and before long, golden September arrived. "Yo, your birthday's coming up. Want to throw a little party? You can invite your teammates over to the house~ You know, little Yo has never liked playing with others since he was young. Now that you finally have two people you get along with, you should cherish them! We should invite your uncle's and aunt's families too. I'll ask Sister Aoko to invite your teacher as well. It'll be nice and lively—after all, this is little Yo's first birthday since becoming a ninja..." Watching his mother chatter away as she made plans, completely immersed in her own world, Uchiha Yo felt very happy. In this life, he had a happy family; parents who loved him and always thought of him; two teammates who were occasionally obnoxious but felt like brothers; a teacher who loved to curse and treasured his blade like his life; a proud clan; and a prosperous country. This was all so wonderful~

Sitting in a tree and gazing at the sky, he thought about the relationship between the Uchiha and the village. The Senju and Uchiha had founded this village for their clans and for peace, so how had it ended in the extermination of one clan? That was too absurd... No one could accept that. I founded a village, and you small clans joined us and gained protection. No problem—many hands make light work. Together, we could keep our families from dying meaningless deaths. Then, after a few generations, the eldest brother's family had been used up until only Tsunade remained, while the second-in-command's entire family had been driven by their own people into extinction!! What kind of nonsense was that? Why? For Konoha? Don't make me laugh. This was absolutely a purge for power, small clans usurping authority. They lacked the strength to suppress the great clans. After all, becoming a great clan during the Warring States Period was proof of absolute strength. Without strength, they still wanted to control the bigger picture. It was like an ancient emperor ascending the throne—the first thing he did was weaken the feudal lords. No regime would permit a massive faction within it. Small factions could be balanced against one another, but a single huge faction stood out too much. The Senju were now down to only a scattered few, making the Uchiha stand out even more. In the current shinobi world, no clan could rival the Uchiha. The Hyuga clan's system restricted its own development, and there were obvious hidden conflicts within the clan. But such self-weakening was something those in power could accept. So it would be incredibly difficult—almost impossible—for the Uchiha to integrate into Konoha, unless they themselves held power. I will climb to the very summit and look down upon all the mountains below! The village's ninja, geniuses, and civilians would not be suppressed in the short term. They would not die inexplicably because of the Will of Fire, nor be sacrificed for nothing or stripped of their humanity and controlled because someone said, "It's all for Konoha." They would not be framed or driven to death for power, because they were too weak. As long as the Uchiha no longer restricted the clan's development, they would not need to guard against their own people at all. Just think of the Fourth Shinobi World War—it practically became an Uchiha family feud. Counting Uchiha Kage-level powerhouses from this era alone: Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha. How many of their peers could defeat them? And that was still the result of being suppressed. Otherwise, they would have gone through the roof.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage faction used righteousness as an excuse to make the Senju fight again and again for power. In the end, they were either dead or crippled. The Will of Fire had even fooled Tsunade completely. During the Second Shinobi World War, she had ordered the clansmen to fight to the death in the name of the clan head. In the end, her younger brother and lover died tragically, and the Senju clan became a name in all but reality. She herself developed hemophobia. If she had not been the only one left in the end, and if Jiraiya had not refused the position, she could never have become the Fifth Hokage. Just like the higher-ups' current attitude toward the Uchiha—did they think an Uchiha could become Hokage under normal circumstances? The Second Hokage's policies suppressed the Uchiha because there was no capable member of the next generation of the Senju, and Tsunade was still a child. If there had been someone able to shoulder the burden, what business would Hiruzen Sarutobi have had becoming Hokage? Would such a huge inheritance be handed over to an outsider? The Second Hokage was not like his elder brother, always eager to give things away. He had thought that after his death, his sister-in-law would remain, and that she could at least protect the clan until the next generation matured. But what happened? Whirlpool Country—his sister-in-law's maternal clan and Konoha's greatest supporter—was exterminated because Konoha did nothing. Another massive faction had fallen. No matter how formidable Lady Mito was, she was only one person. If she fought repeatedly for Konoha, she could be worn down and killed. Why were there so many Uzumaki clan survivors, yet none of them came to Konoha? Why was Kushina the only one? Because they did not trust them. Even Konoha's forehead protectors were adapted from our clan crest. During the First Shinobi World War, our entire clan came to help you. When we were in trouble, you claimed you did not know—or that even if you had known, it would have been too late to save us. Did you take us for idiots?

Huff... Uchiha Yo let out a heavy breath. He had figured out many things. There was only one path for the Uchiha to remain safe and sound: the path to becoming Hokage!