Preparing to Act

Perhaps many years from now, the Shinobi World would have many unsolved mysteries.

Among them, the origins of Sasuke Bro, the Divine Kingdom's general, would surely hold a place.

But the truth was not actually important.

After all, neither Sasuke Bro nor the former old Uchiha Clan Head cared. Why should outsiders keep digging into it?

But now.

Everyone in the courtyard had been silenced by Uchiha Sasuke's earth-shattering, ghost-weeping single word.

Mikoto's cheeks reddened slightly as she pretended not to care and chatted with Hyuga Pakura.

Hyuga Pakura stroked her lower abdomen, a trace of envy in her eyes. But envy was envy—she wanted a daughter even more.

The Clan Head's guard, Hyuga Gyuba, looked at his nose and then his heart, acting as though he had heard absolutely nothing.

Uchiha Itachi frowned deeply. He looked at his little brother, then at Hyuga Hitoshi. His tiny face was full of conflict, and he even began to doubt whether his own bloodline was pure.

If Hitoshi had known about that question, though, he would have slapped him hard and told him to calm down.

What virtue or ability did he have to be worthy of being Itachi God's father?

Shisui had already gone numb. He had decided that on the way back, he would buy Clan Head a hat. He had not given a gift when Sasuke was born, so he would make up for it this time.

But it had to be green.

"Don't call me that."

On the scene, Hyuga Hitoshi was straight-faced, looking utterly serious.

"It's godfather, not father."

Was that really an explanation?

It only made things worse.

Shisui looked at the man with a complicated expression. Speaking of which, he had come with a mission.

As an Uchiha genius, Body Flicker Shisui had made the Uchiha Clan look good in terms of combat power ever since becoming famous in the Third Shinobi World War.

But after Fugaku had interacted with this genius many times, the way he looked at Shisui had gradually become strange.

There was no other reason.

This kid was a little too naive.

It was hard to imagine that in the entire Uchiha Clan, there was actually someone who could not see that the higher-ups were targeting them.

Fugaku had once asked Shisui to analyze the clan and the village. He asked what Shisui thought and how the Uchiha Clan's predicament should be resolved.

Guess what Shisui said?

"We should sincerely reason with Hokage-sama. Hokage-sama will definitely understand our difficulties and support us! And we must trust the village leadership and Hokage-sama. Under Hokage-sama's leadership, both the Uchiha Clan and the village will grow stronger and more prosperous!"

At the time, the boy's eyes had been filled with conviction and the light known as the Will of Fire.

That light had been so dazzling that Uchiha Fugaku had felt dazed.

Afterward, no one knew what Shisui had said to Fugaku, but Fugaku looked as though he had aged ten years.

It was hard to imagine what sort of cutting words could have dealt Fugaku such a severe blow. After talking with Shisui, Fugaku had looked at him with utter confusion.

He swore that he had never seen an undercover agent stand up and charge so boldly. Yet that kid's words, actions, and ideas were already comparable to those of an undercover agent.

In short.

Having already despaired of Shisui, Fugaku had felt Hyuga Hitoshi's unparalleled wisdom and thoroughly black heart, so he planned to let Hitoshi guide Shisui. Maybe he could straighten Shisui's thinking out.

Hitoshi did not dislike Shisui, though.

This brother was different from the Source of All Evil, Itachi God, beside him. Although Shisui had been somewhat disappointed in Konoha before death, he had instructed that filial son to protect both the Uchiha Clan's glory and the village.

But he had clearly been overthinking. That filial son had not planned to solve the problem when he acted—he had planned to eliminate the problem completely.

Once everyone was dead, who would care whether the Uchiha Clan had wanted to rebel? That train of thought was simply brilliant!

It was hard to imagine whether Shisui would slap Itachi if he were revived during the Fourth Shinobi World War and faced such a situation.

Kishimoto probably found it too absurd himself, which was why he had not even revived Shisui.

Beside them.

Itachi God's eyes held envy.

He did not quite understand why, despite Hyuga Hitoshi putting on an unapproachable appearance and deliberately scolding Sasuke with a straight face, his little brother was still so attached to him.

Hitoshi Clan Head was somewhat helpless as well. He was not someone who liked babysitting. Could it be that Uchiha Sasuke had misunderstood something?

Still, just like with Shisui, he was not particularly repulsed by Uchiha Sasuke.

Looking at the Original Work as a whole, despite Uchiha Sasuke constantly acting cool and constantly getting slapped in the face, his experiences were rather lamentable.

Sometimes, going from having everything to having nothing—the loss and memories truly tortured a person in the dead of night.

After enjoying a happy and complete family, having everything vanish overnight was worse than having nothing from the start.

Think about it more carefully. Your entire clan had been slaughtered, and the good friends you acknowledged kept urging you to let go of hatred while claiming it was for your own good. That must have felt disgusting enough to make you want to vomit.

Having personally experienced the forgiveness-centric cultural exports of those little bastards, it was not excessive to give such twisted things a twisted evaluation in this world.

Just like how Obito was whitewashed in the Fourth Shinobi World War, how Naruto chose to forgive him, and how Neji desperately spammed question marks in Mingjie. If Neji's spirit still existed in heaven, he would probably have been disgusted enough to vomit too.

"Clan Head's intention is for me to study under you for a while."

Seeing that Hyuga Hitoshi seemed to have lost interest in researching Sasuke's breed and had already tossed Sasuke back to Itachi, Shisui forced himself to speak.

"Fugaku did mention it to me."

Hitoshi Clan Head nodded happily.

"I've heard of you. Body Flicker Shisui, renowned throughout the Shinobi World. Your genjutsu and Body Flicker Technique are both unmatched in the Shinobi World."

Mm.

Not to mention that strongest genjutsu that could be seen through by a bargain-bin Byakugan.

"Not really."

You were quite shy.

Hitoshi laughed. "When is Fugaku making his move?"

Making what move?

Shisui looked bewildered, not understanding what Hitoshi Clan Head meant.

What was wrong with my brain?

Hitoshi paused and patted his forehead.

No wonder Fugaku had sent the guy here. If little brother Shisui were over with the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku would probably have barely made his move before Shisui ran off to tip Danzo off.

Do not doubt it. He could definitely do that.

Whether he had joined Root or not was beside the point. During this period, his direct superior was Danzo himself!

There would always be some Uchiha Clan Members who were diehard loyalists of the Old Village Chief's faction. That also matched the conspiracy theory version where the Nine-Tails' pupils contained tomoe. Hallucinogenic drugs plus Three Tomoe—this was the perfect opportunity to frame the Uchiha Clan. In that version, the Old Village Chief had a thoroughly black heart.

"Fine. For the time being, follow Gyuba."

"Understood, Lord Hitoshi."

Konoha.

Uchiha Clan Grounds.

The team was assembling.

Fugaku stood with his arms folded, waiting with a solemn expression.

His guard beside him, Uchiha Satoshi, wore a hesitant look, as though he wanted to speak but did not dare. In the end, however, his loyalty to the Clan Head made him open his mouth.

"Ahem, Clan Head."

Uchiha Satoshi led Fugaku aside, his face grave.

"Clan Head, I heard from the brothers below that the Clan Head's wife has gone to see that brat Hyuga Hitoshi again. There are also rumors about the young master—"

Fugaku's expression changed when he heard this. He looked Uchiha Satoshi up and down, then immediately snapped.

"Shut up!"

"My wife is pure, virtuous, and devoted. My brother is warm and hospitable, with no interest in women! How dare you make up stories behind their backs!"

Uchiha Satoshi was shocked. "Huh?"

"Huh what? Ask less about my business!"

With a kick, Fugaku sent Uchiha Satoshi flying back into the formation, his old face darkening considerably.

This Clan Head was wounded on the battlefield years ago. Though I was fortunate enough to awaken my eyes, the injury also left me castrated and incapable of fathering children. Could I tell you that?

My brother Hitoshi had voluntarily taken care of my wife to help me cover it up! He helped her relieve her loneliness and reduced family conflicts!

As for Sasuke? He recognized my brother as his godfather while still in the womb. What was wrong with being close to his godfather? Maybe if he spent enough time with his godfather, he would amount to something and bring honor to his biological father!

But was this something a nobody like you could ask about? I was taking it to my grave!

If there had not been important business to handle shortly, he would have slapped Uchiha Satoshi hard and told him to calm down!

After adjusting his mood, Fugaku took a deep breath, looked toward the assembled team, and swept out a hand.

"Move out!"

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