Smoking, drinking, and getting a perm?

Under the moonlight, Uchiha Fugaku looked deeply uneasy. This matter could be said to be testing his limits.

No matter what, the Uchiha Clan was very important to Uchiha Fugaku, especially his wife and their unborn child.

At this point, if he truly took a wrong step, it really could lead to a very different outcome.

"What is it, Clan Leader Fugaku? Are you still hesitating over something?" Sōkyū Hatake asked cheerfully. How Uchiha Fugaku would straighten out the Uchiha Clan was clearly outside his concerns.

So Uchiha Fugaku still needed to make this decision himself.

Would he resolve their internal problems first, then gradually improve their image among the villagers while quietly building up their strength, or would he let them keep sinking like this?

After all, Sōkyū Hatake knew that if they kept sinking, the Uchiha Clan would essentially be heading toward extinction.

When that time came, even without that ever-so-filial son Uchiha Itachi, there would be other opportunities for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō to seize upon and ultimately wipe them out.

Of course, that was unless the Uchiha Clan could produce someone comparable to Madara Uchiha during this period.

With Konoha no longer having anyone of Hashirama Senju's caliber, if the Uchiha Clan could produce someone like Madara Uchiha...

What other clans? What Hiruzen Sarutobi? What Shimura Danzō?

In the face of absolute strength, these people would be nothing but weaklings with a power level of five...

Of course, the Uchiha Clan did not lack people capable of reaching that level of strength.

Whether it was Shisui Uchiha, or later on, Uchiha Itachi or Sasuke Uchiha.

All three had a chance to become top-tier fighters!

So the Uchiha Clan had absolutely no need to take radical action now. They only needed to resolve their internal problems; their external problems could all change with time.

"If I can change the Uchiha Clan, then what should our clan do next?" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Sōkyū Hatake.

"Dismantle the Konoha Military Police Force, of course!" Sōkyū Hatake said, seemingly determined to shock him.

"Dismantle it... how?" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Sōkyū Hatake. Was this person really only five years old?

"The Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan can both join. And of course, hasn't the Hyuga Clan been eyeing the Konoha Military Police Force enviously? Bring them in too. If other clans can join, that would be a pretty good idea as well." Sōkyū Hatake grinned.

"Bring them in? We'd need a pretext for that." Uchiha Fugaku thought it over carefully for a while. This really was feasible.

"There's never a shortage of pretexts. Clan Leader Fugaku, have you forgotten? Some members of your Uchiha Clan are still on the front lines," Sōkyū Hatake reminded him.

"The front lines?"

"Ahem, Clan Leader Fugaku, if the Uchiha Clan only wanted to keep the Konoha Military Police Force running right now, that shouldn't be difficult, should it?"

"It wouldn't be. The personnel we currently have are more than enough," Uchiha Fugaku said after a moment's thought.

"Then there you go. All you need to do is reduce your own manpower," Sōkyū Hatake said, looking into Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.

"Reduce it? Do you mean..." Uchiha Fugaku's gaze held some astonishment as a crazy idea began to take shape in his mind.

"If I remember correctly, the one who's always been at odds with you is the Uchiha Clan's Great Elder, Uchiha Enyō. He has a grandson named Uchiha Yenka, right?" Sōkyū Hatake said bluntly.

"Yes, Uchiha Yenka is indeed Uchiha Enyō's grandson. As for his current position... if I remember correctly, he's a squad captain in the Konoha Military Police Force?" Uchiha Fugaku thought for a moment and gave him the information on Uchiha Yenka.

"If we used him as the trigger—the grandson of the Uchiha Clan's Great Elder being killed by people from Kumogakure in the Forest of Death—how do you think your clan would react?"

"Kumogakure killed Uchiha Yenka? And in the Forest of Death? How could... hmm?" As though he had suddenly thought of something, Uchiha Fugaku looked straight at Sōkyū Hatake in shock.

Yes, he had thought of something terrifying.

The biggest rift between Kumogakure and Konoha had arisen because two Root ninja had been killed in the Forest of Death, and then... the Anbu investigation had concluded that they had been killed by someone with a very powerful lightning affinity!

After comparing many chakra samples, they had finally determined that it had never appeared in Konoha! That was why the blame had been pinned on Kumogakure!

"Yes. With things playing out that way, it would be perfectly natural for the Uchiha Clan to request to go to the battlefield, wouldn't it?" Sōkyū Hatake drained the remaining liquor in the bottle in one gulp.

"That would certainly be natural... even if the Great Elder is a hardliner... with his own grandson dead, he naturally wouldn't let it go!" Uchiha Fugaku was still somewhat shocked. This really was...

Was this something a five-year-old child should be able to come up with?

The Great Elder's grandson being killed...

"All of this can be arranged, can't it? Clan Leader Fugaku, you can go back and think it over. If you really can make up your mind, I can take care of Uchiha Yenka for you. Consider it the beginning of a friendship between our Hatake Clan and the Uchiha Clan."

A smile appeared at the corner of Sōkyū Hatake's mouth, and he extended his right hand toward Uchiha Fugaku.

"I understand. I'll definitely consider it carefully!" Uchiha Fugaku also extended his right hand and firmly clasped Sōkyū Hatake's!

At that moment, a powerful sense of confidence seemed to burst forth from Uchiha Fugaku, making him very different from how he had been at the start.

"Then here's to a successful partnership." Sōkyū Hatake took out a new bottle of liquor. They had already finished the last one.

"Mm-hmm." Uchiha Fugaku took the bottle straight from Sōkyū Hatake's hand and began chugging directly from it.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, won't your wife give you a hard time if you go home like this?" Sōkyū Hatake looked at Uchiha Fugaku with some amusement. In his recollection, Uchiha Fugaku really was a henpecked husband.

"Uh... ahem, Mikoto won't say anything." Uchiha Fugaku coughed twice, and a trickle of liquor ran from the corner of his mouth.

Right, Uchiha Mikoto had laid down restrictions for him. Things like smoking, drinking, and getting a perm... um... none of those had anything to do with Uchiha Fugaku anymore...