I'll Shoulder It All Myself!

Inside the hall.

Uchiha Rei leaned forward slightly, his attitude utterly sincere:

"Don't worry, Mirror!"

"Our Uchiha Clan has always adhered to an ironclad rule—the strong rise, the mediocre fall!"

"The position of clan leader is never a hereditary private property, but should be entrusted to the strongest, most visionary, and most capable person in the clan who can lead the clan forward."

"In today's Shinobi World, you are the highest-ranking, most powerful, and most visionary member of the Uchiha Clan in history. Furthermore, you hold the position of Hokage. With you here, the Uchiha has the greatest strength."

"In my heart, you are the undisputed pillar of the Uchiha Clan today, the only one capable of leading the entire clan to true glory."

At this point, Uchiha Rei's expression became excited, and his tone became enthusiastic.

"I firmly believe that with you in charge of the clan, the Uchiha Clan will surely shine brightly throughout the Shinobi World in the future!"

Kagami Uchiha's expression softened slightly, and he did not immediately respond, listening quietly to Uchiha Rei's heartfelt words.

Seeing this, Uchiha Rei turned to look at the young Fugaku was sitting quietly to the side, a look of affection and guilt welling up in his eyes.

"Furthermore... I have another personal motive."

"This child is my Uchiha Fugaku."

"His father died in battle at a young age, and his mother died young from overwork. He was left alone from childhood, and I raised him single-handedly."

"I am not long for this world, and I don't know how many more years I can protect him. As long as I live, I can shelter him from the wind and rain for as long as I live, but once I am gone, this child will be all alone, facing thorns at every turn in the clan and in the Shinobi World."

The old clan chief's voice was slightly hoarse, full of entrustment. "This child, Fugaku, is calm, resilient, and sensible. At such a young age, he already knows how to restrain himself and be self-disciplined, far surpassing his peers."

"I don't expect him to reach your level in the future, I only hope he can live a good life."

"Jing, I want to entrust him to you."

"From now on, let him follow you in his spiritual practice and learn the principles of being a good person."

"You should teach him well, help him correct his mindset, and teach him what it means to be a member of the clan, what it means to be a villager, and what responsibility means."

"Let him become a proper Uchiha ninja who is upright and has the big picture in mind."

Young Fugaku seemed to understand, but he keenly grasped the solemnity in his grandfather's words.

He tensed his small body, his eyes resolute, and silently looked up at Kagami Uchiha in front of him.

Looking at the aged and earnest old man before him, and then at the innocent and upright young Fugaku, Kagami Uchiha felt his emotions grow ever deeper.

All the tragedies of the future have not yet occurred; there is still time to change them.

He nodded slightly, his voice gentle yet incredibly firm:

"Rest assured, Elder Chief."

"I will shoulder the burden of the entire clan myself."

"I will personally teach Fugaku as well."

"I will make him a qualified Konoha Ninja!"

With me here, the Uchiha in the future will never follow the old path again, and the glory of the Uchiha will shine throughout the Shinobi World!

Kagami Uchiha silently made up his mind.

--

The next day.

The top-floor office of the Hokage Building was bright and clean, with morning light streaming through the wooden lattice windows, casting a warm glow on the floor.

Kagami Uchiha sat upright in the Hokage's chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression calm, but his eyes were deep in thought.

A moment later, the office door was gently pushed open, Shikata Nara walked in slowly.

"Lord Hokage, you wanted to see me?" Shikata Nara bowed respectfully.

"Sit down." Kagami Uchiha gestured with his hand, then cut to the chase. "Shikada, you've heard of the Angel Plan in the Land of Wind, haven't you?"

Shikata Nara replied solemnly, "I have indeed heard of such things occasionally."

Then, Kagami Uchiha pushed a stack of secret letters from the Land of Wind onto the table.

"The Sunagakure has already entered the fray according to our plan, and their people are waiting for my orders."

"The moment my order is given, Angel Plan can be closed in a flash!"

"At that time, Sunagakure's finances will be immediately paralyzed."

"Tell me your thoughts."

Kagami Uchiha nodded slightly, his tone extremely calm.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shikada immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "I understand what you're worried about."

"Once Angel Plan begins to close in, the Sunagakure even believes that the Land of Wind will inevitably be thrown into chaos."

"With such a large funding gap, the already impoverished Sunagakure will definitely go crazy."

"At that time, Sunagakure will most likely take a desperate gamble—launching wars abroad to divert domestic conflicts and plunder resources to prolong its existence."

"And Konoha, being closest to Sunagakure and the wealthiest, will definitely become their target."

Shikata Nara blurted out his thoughts in one breath.

Then Shikada tapped the table lightly with his fingertip and continued:

"My first thought is to immediately reinforce the southwest direction, in case the Sunagakure Thunderstorm forces, in a desperate move, catch us off guard."

"Secondly, issue an official statement announcing the arrest of all members of the Angel Fund throughout the Shinobi World. This will demonstrate Konoha's sympathy for the plight of Sunagakure."

"Third, you should personally write to the Daimyo and arrange a low-interest loan in his name to sponsor the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, thus stabilizing them. This should allow them to barely make ends meet."

Upon hearing this, Kagami Uchiha couldn't help but secretly admire Shikada's wisdom, and then spoke calmly:

"My original intention was to drain most of Sunagakure's resources, weaken its military expansion capabilities, and keep it incapable of waging war for several years, forcing it to remain peaceful and law-abiding."

"I just didn't expect my subordinates to be so capable." He shook his head helplessly as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Shikata Nara immediately stood up, his expression deeply moved:

"Lord Hokage's foresight is truly brilliant! I admire you greatly!"

Hearing Shikada's flattery, Kagami Uchiha smiled faintly and waved his hand.

"Oh, right, there's something else I'd like to hear your opinion on."

"Please speak Lord Hokage!" Shikata Nara replied earnestly.

What are your thoughts on the Land of Whirlpools?

After he finished speaking, Shikata Nara fell silent for a moment, lowered his head to think briefly, and then raised his eyes and spoke seriously.

"I don't know much about the Land of Whirlpools, but I do know a little bit." As he said this, he looked up at his glasses.

He then continued:

"The Land of Whirlpools is located on an island in the eastern sea of Land of Fire, surrounded by the ocean, and the entire country is composed of the Uzumaki Clan."

"At the end of the Warring States period, when the First Hokage Lord Hashirama, founded Konoha, the clan chief of the Land of Whirlpools Uzumaki Ashina, took the initiative to send envoys to establish friendly relations and forge a lasting alliance with Konoha."

"To demonstrate the eternal alliance and life-and-death bond Lord Hashirama specifically ordered that the backs of all Konoha standard ninja uniforms be printed with the Uzumaki Clan's red crest."

"It was because of this profound alliance that Lady Mito, born into the Uzumaki Clan, married into Konoha and became Lord Hashirama's wife."

Shikata Nara's tone grew increasingly solemn, and he spoke slowly and clearly:

"Lady Mito's arrival is of great significance."

"She not only suppressed the Nine-Tails and stabilized Konoha's foundation with her own power, but also brought most of the Sealing Jutsu and unique secret arts accumulated by the Land of Whirlpools over a thousand years to Konoha."

"The root of all orthodox Sealing Jutsu techniques and Tailed Beast sealing methods in Konoha today comes from the Land of Whirlpools."

"It can be said that without the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha would not have its current well-developed sealing system."

After listening to his words, Kagami Uchiha slowly said, "What if I said that our generational blood alliance is about to face a great calamity?"

"What?"

"This, Lord Hokage, how is this possible?" Shikata Nara asked incredulously.

"Hehe... Don't panic, let me explain in detail." Kagami Uchiha chuckled and spoke patiently.

A long, long time ago... -_-||