"If that's all you came here for, then I don't think there's any need."
Clan Head Fugaku sounded weary.
Even if he was unhappy with Shinichi, he would never be foolish enough to deliberately make trouble for him.
The Uchiha Clan was already in dire straits in Konoha, while Shinichi was a celebrated hero of the village. Did he have nothing better to do than make a powerful enemy for himself?
"Looks like I judged an honorable man by my own petty standards."
The teasing smile remained on Shinichi's face as he said meaningfully, "I believe you have no such intentions, Clan Head Fugaku, but the same might not be true of the other Uchiha!"
Life in Konoha had been difficult for the Uchiha over the years. How could such proud people endure it?
Those grievances and frustrations had filled many Uchiha with resentment, giving rise to radical ideas such as launching a coup to force the Third Hokage out of office and install an Uchiha as Hokage.
Of course, Fugaku, as clan head, longed for peace. He didn't want Konoha to descend into infighting and fall apart. Otherwise, he would never have let Itachi kill him when his son carried out the clan massacre in the original story.
Fugaku's strength was nothing to scoff at. He had actually awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan long ago. In a head-on fight, how could the still-young Itachi possibly have been a match for him?
"I'll keep my clansmen in line. If anyone is foolish enough to offend you, you can come straight to me."
Fugaku spoke after a moment of thought.
He didn't want to offend Shinichi, and the clan's Dove Faction members likely felt the same way. Unfortunately, the aggressive members of the Hawk Faction might not listen to him, so all he could do was make that promise and do his best to handle things.
"Forget it."
To his surprise, Shinichi rolled his eyes and said irritably, "I hate trouble more than anything. If someone comes looking to make my life difficult every other day, it'll drive me crazy. I'd rather solve the problem once and for all."
"Then what are you suggesting?"
Fugaku looked puzzled.
"I intend to resolve the Uchiha Clan's internal problems completely, so they won't come back to bother me later."
An unusual expression crossed Shinichi's face as he chuckled.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Fugaku's expression turned grave at those words. So Shinichi really did have another purpose for visiting today.
At that thought, he couldn't help watching Shinichi warily, looking ready to activate his Sharingan at any moment.
"Relax, Clan Head Fugaku. I'm not here to fight you."
Shinichi said calmly, "Don't forget, I have Uchiha blood just like you. Just because I don't want to return to the clan doesn't mean I want to hurt it. You should trust me, not guard against me."
Those words truly did ease much of the wariness on Fugaku's face.
It seemed this whole bloodline-and-clan argument really was an effective way to fool people.
Shinichi silently congratulated himself on his earlier quick thinking. Without it, he might not have been able to lead both the Third Hokage and Fugaku around by the nose.
"Clan Head Fugaku, I know you're a peace-loving man like me. Neither of us wants a conflict between the Uchiha and the village."
Seeing that Fugaku was beginning to accept his identity, Shinichi struck while the iron was hot, gently guiding him along. "But we've all seen the measures the village has taken against the Uchiha over the years. It's no wonder some of your clansmen are resentful, blinded by anger, and even thinking of launching a coup..."
Launching a coup!
The moment those words left his mouth, Fugaku's expression changed drastically.
Information within the Uchiha Clan was kept under the strictest secrecy. How could they be foolish enough to spread such dangerous ideas themselves? If word got out, the entire clan would face annihilation!
"Who told you that? It's slander! Our Uchiha Clan has never entertained such an idea..."
Almost instinctively, Fugaku hurried to deny any involvement.
"Oh, stop playing dumb with me!"
Shinichi looked at him as though he were an idiot and scoffed. "Relax. I figured it out myself. Nobody leaked any information, and neither the Third Hokage nor the others knows anything. Otherwise, do you think they'd still be so calm? They would've sent people to wipe out the Uchiha already!"
Only then did Fugaku's heart finally settle.
Indeed, if Shinichi had really come on the Third Hokage's orders, there would have been no need for so much talk.
Given Konoha High Command's attitude toward the Uchiha, they wouldn't need confirmation. Even the slightest rumor would make them eager to exterminate the clan. Why would they go to such lengths to send Shinichi to sound him out?
"Shinichi, can I really trust you?"
Fugaku took a deep breath and asked solemnly.
The survival of the entire Uchiha Clan was at stake. He had to be cautious.
"You can trust me, and you have to trust me."
At that moment, Shinichi's expression was utterly sincere as he spoke from the heart. "Because I'm the only one who can help the Uchiha Clan survive the threat of annihilation. I'm different from the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the others. I have no prejudice against the Uchiha."
Rather than a lack of prejudice, it was more a matter of sympathy and pity.
Every Hokage fan knew the Uchiha were a cursed clan. For their power to evolve and grow stronger, they had to lose many things precious to them, leaving their lives steeped in tragedy.
There was no denying that members of this clan had done many extreme things-Obito, Madara, and Itachi, for instance. But it was precisely because they felt so deeply that severe emotional trauma could send them spiraling into all sorts of uncontrollable, insane ideas.
If they could be guided onto the right path and given happy, stable lives, Shinichi believed they would be no different from ordinary people.
"All right. I'll trust you this once."
Sensing Shinichi's sincerity, Fugaku let go of his suspicions, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
There was no helping it. That was the power of the [Talk no Jutsu King]!
No matter how suspicious someone was, they would probably have to admit defeat before Shinichi's [Talk no Jutsu King].
"As you said, the Hawk Faction within our Uchiha clan only began thinking of resistance because they were driven into a corner. If our clan's circumstances change, I believe they'll gradually come around as well."
Fugaku's expression was conflicted.
As clan head, he couldn't make decisions based solely on his personal feelings. He tried to understand even the members of the Hawk Faction.
After all, the village's treatment of the Uchiha Clan over the years had truly gone too far.
First, they had pinned the blame for the Nine-Tails' Rampage on the Uchiha, then forced them to relocate to the village's outermost edge. On top of that, the Konoha Military Police Force was responsible for maintaining public order, a duty that often meant offending people.
As a result, the more faithfully the Uchiha performed their duties, the more resentment they attracted.
Between Konoha High Command's discriminatory policies and the undisguised hatred and ostracism from the village's shinobi and civilians, even a cornered dog would fight back, let alone the proud Uchiha Clan.
"I agree. The root cause is indeed the Uchiha Clan's current circumstances!"
Shinichi said calmly, "So we have to find a way to change this miserable situation before we can quell the anger of the Hawk Faction. Killing alone won't solve the problem, and I doubt you could bring yourself to do it anyway."
Indeed, as things stood, the simplest way to crush any thoughts of an Uchiha coup completely would be to kill all the members of the Hawk Faction and tame the clan into Konoha's obedient, loyal dogs.
But how would that be any different from what Itachi had done?
It was stupidity taken to the extreme!
"I believe that as long as we can gain the genuine support of the Hokage and the other leaders and truly improve the Uchiha's circumstances, our clansmen's anger will naturally subside, and everything will take a turn for the better."
Fugaku voiced his thoughts. This was what he had been trying to do all along, placing his hopes in Konoha High Command, including the Third Hokage.
"Foolish!"
Shinichi rebuked him without the slightest courtesy. "If those people in Konoha High Command were really willing to show the Uchiha mercy, how could you have ended up in this situation? Don't forget whose will those old fossils inherited to gain the power they wield today!"
Expect the Konoha F4-the Third Hokage, Danzo, Mito, and Koharu-to spare the Uchiha Clan?
Only when pigs learned to climb trees!
Before you continue