The Uchiha Clan Compound.
Oto Uchiha arrived at the Fugaku Residence, accompanied by Shisui Uchiha, the clan's only publicly acknowledged wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Itachi was delighted by Oto's arrival. Meticulous since childhood, he knew that beneath the outward harmony between Oto and his father lay an irreconcilable conflict. Their two visions for the clan's future represented entirely different paths.
His father, Fugaku, was a man with little mind of his own, yet he was unexpectedly stubborn in certain respects.
His father wanted to integrate the clan into the village, but his concern over others' suspicions drove the clan and the village further apart.
Oto, on the other hand, was entirely different. She paid no heed to suspicion, had stepped forward during the Night of the Nine-Tails, and had even rebuked the Kumogakure Envoy at the meeting with Kumogakure's representatives.
Afterward, she had improved the clan's reputation, leading many villagers to accept the Uchiha wholeheartedly.
After his mother served their guests tea and refreshments, Itachi obediently withdrew from the reception room with her, Mikoto. Although he had already become a ninja, he was not qualified to participate in a meeting at the highest level.
In the eyes of ordinary clan members, the clan's most important meetings were the clan meetings at the Naka Shrine.
But Itachi knew that the more people attended a meeting, the smaller the matters it dealt with. Important matters were discussed in small meetings of only a few people.
After Uchiha Itachi and Mikoto withdrew, Oto Uchiha brought up the Masked Man.
She also mentioned that Zou Hyuga would meet the Masked Man there in a few days. Her purpose was simple: she wanted to see how her clan head would react.
It was precisely to see Fugaku's reaction that she had come to visit