Uchiha Fugaku had no idea Madara Uchiha had set his sights on him. He knew even less that his very existence had put his father, Uchiha Heitai, in Madara's sights too.
He had originally been bound for the battlefield in the Land of Wind. But after Kirigakure's sudden declaration of war, he led two hundred Uchiha Clan ninja to the border of the Land of Fire.
Uchiha Yi's recent defeat of Hanzō had put Fugaku under considerable pressure. His father privately suspected Yi had awakened the Uchiha Clan's legendary eyes—the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Once those eyes became public knowledge, many people would likely rally behind Yi.
Heitai had originally intended to arrange a marriage between Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto to secure the support of Yohei Uchiha's faction. With nearly two-thirds of the Uchiha Clan's strength behind him, Fugaku could then become clan leader as a matter of course.
Without Yohei's support, Yi would be isolated within the Uchiha Clan. Even Kagami Uchiha's former subordinates might not follow him.
Fugaku would have taken not only Yi's backer but also his childhood sweetheart.
But Yohei had rejected the proposal outright. He clearly had complete faith in Yi.
Not long afterward, Yi had added Hanzō's defeat to his record. Many began to suspect he was already the Uchiha Clan's strongest fighter.
The pressure left Fugaku speechless. He was a prodigy himself, having awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at a young age. He had never thought himself inferior to anyone, but Yi was simply beyond human.
Why couldn't he get Bloodline Disease? He developed his Sharingan this far while still so young. If that doesn't kill him, what will?
Still, Fugaku felt as though he had spent his whole life in Yi's shadow.
He had brought two hundred Uchiha to the battlefield, many of them his