The Shinobi World Needs Neither Emotion nor Bonds

"Fugaku, Shinji..."

Uchiha Mikoto, her hair falling to her waist, walked into the room where Fugaku was alone, her expression troubled.

"Heh, heh... Hahaha!" Fugaku suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

Uchiha Mikoto: "..."

She was used to it.

The Uchiha Clan seemed to have a bad habit of bursting into laughter at the drop of a hat...

"Good! Good! Excellent!"

Fugaku slapped his thigh. "That was truly impressive."

"Fugaku, are you all right?"

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head, a trace of relief appearing on his face. "I didn't expect him to stand up to me like that now. I thought he'd wait another two years."

"What?"

Uchiha Mikoto's lips parted in surprise. "You knew?"

"It was obvious."

Fugaku nodded. "He never intended to hide his ambitions in the first place. He's been like that ever since he was little..."

Mikoto sighed. "So you really are going to step down and let Shinji become Clan Head? He's only seventeen... I'm worried those clan elders will bully him..."

"Worried about him?"

Uchiha Fugaku said in exasperation, "You'd be better off worrying about Itachi. He's been so preoccupied lately that even I can't tell what he's thinking!"

"Still..."

Fugaku rubbed his chin and shook his head helplessly. "I don't understand where Shinji's prejudice against me comes from. In his eyes, I'm nothing but an incompetent mediocrity, incapable of taking responsibility for the clan and unworthy of the position of Clan Head. "

Mikoto covered her mouth and laughed. "Shinji's always been strong-willed. I think he's even more impressive than Minato."

"...Leaving Shinji aside, Shisui has also become impossible for me to read. Those two children will be the pillars of the Uchiha Clan one day!"

Fugaku said with a sigh, "If he really has what it takes to unite the clan and force me to step down in favor of someone more capable, I'll gladly go along with it."

"Besides, it'll teach the young Uchiha that the Clan Head's position has never been a throne. It's a pressure cooker, ready to erupt!"

Uchiha Fugaku rambled on.

The Nine-Tails' Attack, the clan coming under suspicion and pressure, Sasuke's birth, Itachi's growth, turmoil within the clan, the village's attitude...

Years of troubles had weighed heavily on Uchiha Fugaku, who already carried a mountain of responsibilities, and left him looking more and more haggard.

Now, at last, he could confide all his worries and sorrows to his kindhearted wife. He shed his usual stern, dignified manner as Clan Head and revealed the pain and vulnerability of a husband who was the pillar of his family.

Uchiha Mikoto massaged his temples as she listened to him ramble, using her gentle heart to embrace his seemingly endless worries.

"By the way, where's Sasuke? I scolded him earlier. Did he cry?" Fugaku looked around.

Uchiha Mikoto gave him a helpless look. "He did! He wouldn't stop making a fuss, so I shut him in his room..."

Fugaku froze. "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"Do you really think a little bedroom door can keep your son locked up?"

"Ah!!! He wouldn't have gone to find Shinji, would he?!"

The couple stared at each other.

Shinji looked at Uchiha Sasuke, who stood in his way, and felt a headache coming on.

He couldn't hit him, and scolding him was out of the question. He was Sasuke's big brother, more or less, and Sasuke hadn't done anything wrong. For Aunt Mikoto's sake, he couldn't bring himself to treat him harshly.

Besides, the kid was only seven!

What a headache.

"Uchiha Shinji! I'm challenging you to a duel!"

"Oh? Who's challenging Shinji to a duel? You'll have to get through me first!"

Whoosh!

A boisterous voice rang out. A group of people leaped down from the rooftops, led by Uchiha Chiba, Ryuka, and the others. Behind them was a crowd of red-eyed Three Tomoe users.

There were more than thirty of them, all young Uchiha elites.

Konoha's coup hadn't succeeded, but within the Uchiha Clan, they'd nearly staged a small-scale coup of their own.

Sasuke was stunned.

Where had they all come from?!

"W-what are you going to do?" he stammered, trembling with fear.

Shinji waved to Ryuka and the others, then crouched down and patted Sasuke's head. "Sasuke, what do you think I did wrong?"

"I-I don't know!"

"If you don't know, why challenge me to a duel? We're adults, and this is an adult matter. Kids shouldn't get involved!"

Tears welled in Sasuke's eyes. "I don't care! You're not allowed to talk about Dad like that!"

Shinji said softly, "But if I don't, what if one day in the future everyone dies, including Aunt Mikoto and your dad?"

Sasuke sniffled, on the verge of tears, but his voice was firm.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Mom told me that Big Brother Shinji and Big Brother Nobihi's family saved our lives."

"But you were so rude to Dad. I hate you!"

With that, Sasuke angrily knocked Shinji's hand away and dashed off.

"Tch... I've been hated," Shinji sighed.

"Hahaha!"

"So this little brat's the Clan Head's second son?"

The red-eyed Uchiha all burst out laughing.

Uchiha Shinji shook his head and looked at them. "All right, what are you doing here?"

"Shinji, with just you and Shisui, we were a little worried, so we called everyone together to be ready..."

"Foolishness!"

Shinji frowned. "The Clan Meeting is coming up. You've openly brought people to surround the Clan Leader's Residence. Are you trying to make it obvious to the Hokage Faction that tensions within the clan have escalated to the point where we're about to come to blows?"

"Uh..."

Chiba, Ryuka, and the others exchanged glances.

"Enough. I'll handle it. Go back for now and sound out the elders in your families. Tell them Clan Head Fugaku has softened his stance, and ask them to feel out the remaining stubborn old fossils!"

"Then gather at my place!"

Shinji looked around at them. "We're running out of time. We'll settle things at Naka Shrine two nights from now!"

They exchanged glances, their spirits lifted.

"Yes!!!"

After everyone dispersed, Shisui said quietly, "Shinji, I never thought Clan Head Fugaku would show that side of himself."

Shinji casually sat down on a rock by the roadside.

"Do you think I'm being too harsh?"

Uchiha Shinji stretched. "Lord Fugaku helped raise my brother and me. I'm repaying his kindness by putting him under pressure."

Shisui rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Am I even allowed to answer that?"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Shinji shot Shisui a glance and said coolly, "In the end, it's all for... the village."

With that, Shinji looked up at the clear blue sky.

There was, in fact, a much simpler and more brutal way to solve everything.

Kill the person eavesdropping on them.

Because of certain things that had happened before, Shinji was biased against him.

But whether he considered it from an emotional standpoint or in terms of his "usefulness"...

As long as Shinji had a chance to rewrite the future, killing him wouldn't serve the interests of the Uchiha Clan or Shinji himself, nor would it suit his plans for the future.

He was a weapon.

Whether or not he was obedient, as long as he was sharp enough, he was useful.

But when all was said and done, it was because of Aunt Mikoto...

Shinji let out a soft breath.

Before he turned nine, Shinji had treated this world entirely like a simulation game. Having lucked into an extra life through reincarnation, he'd lived recklessly in this fictional world, treating it like an adventure in another world.

But now...

Uchiha Shinji could no longer casually decide whether the people around him should live or die.

People formed emotional ties with one another. If one person died, someone else would grieve.

If that person died, someone else would suffer.

It was such a hassle.

"Sure enough, emotions and bonds are the last things the Shinobi World needs. But how can people live without feelings..."

Shinji looked toward the Hokage Building and clenched his fist, his gaze as still as a well.

Looking at Shinji's terrifying gaze.

Shisui pressed his arm heavily onto his shoulder. "Shinji, don't feel pressured. As long as you don't harm the interests of the clan and the village, I will always stand on your side. Even if I die, I will definitely die before you!"

Shinji snapped back to his senses.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by harming the interests of the village?"

"Hmm... probably, the village being destroyed?"

"Hahaha!"

The Uchiha Clan Compound Training Ground.

"Uchiha Itachi! The Third Hokage summons you!"

Uchiha Itachi, who was practicing his Throwing Technique, looked up. On his solemn face, two deep tear troughs gave him a natural air of isolation.

"May I ask what instructions the Third Hokage has?"

The Anbu Ninja shook his head.

Uchiha Itachi nodded to indicate he understood, and methodically put his ninja tools back into his Ninja Tool Pouch one by one. "Let's go."