"You didn't know?!"
Uchiha Fugaku froze and exclaimed in shock.
"After leaving Konoha, I never contacted him again."
River smiled faintly.
Naturally, he trusted Donquixote Doflamingo completely.
"Itachi, take Naruto outside to play."
Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath and suddenly spoke.
"Yes, Father!"
Itachi obediently went over to Naruto, and the two soon left the courtyard.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside."
Uchiha Fugaku spoke again.
What he was about to say could shake the entire Shinobi World. If any outsider learned of it, it would inevitably cause an enormous stir.
River stood, and soon the two were sitting face-to-face at a tea table.
"You can speak now. With me here, no one will be able to eavesdrop on our conversation."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded and took a deep breath.
"Lately, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village has become irreconcilable. In particular, the confrontation between the Hokage Faction and our clan's hardliners is almost out in the open."
"With things heading this way, even I, the clan head, can no longer keep it under control."
"When Minato was still around, there was someone to mediate. But after the Third Hokage returned to power, Konoha's exclusion of the Uchiha Clan, both openly and behind the scenes, only grew worse."
At this point, Uchiha Fugaku sighed.
He should have foreseen this when Minato Namikaze died.
As time passed, the inevitable had finally arrived.
River listened quietly and poured him a cup of hot tea.
"Sui, I really don't know what to do!"
"The moderates and hardliners in the clan keep arguing. Being caught between them is truly difficult."
"Sometimes, I just want to escape this world and have a few quiet days."
Uchiha Fugaku laid bare his feelings and sighed again.
River looked up