Neither Sasuke nor Itachi had expected Naruto to have such a background. No wonder his talent was so heaven-defying. It was hereditary.
Fugaku felt somewhat moved as well. Had Minato really planned that far ahead?
"Alas, what a shame. Heaven envies the gifted. Otherwise, with Minato here, the other villages wouldn't be able to bully Konoha."
Naruto remained silent. What did heaven envying the gifted have to do with it? It was all the work of that ever-so-filial son, Obito. He had covered himself up so thoroughly, yet blamed Minato for failing to recognize him. Looking like that, even his mother might not have recognized him!
"Thank you, Naruto. Without you today, the Uchiha Clan might have been in danger."
Fugaku bowed directly to Naruto.
Naruto, who had been lost in thought, jumped in fright and hurried to help Fugaku up. Having someone of his father's generation bow to him like that honestly didn't feel right.
"Hey, Uncle Fugaku, you're giving me too much credit. Sasuke and I are good friends. Besides, this involves the enemy who killed my parents, too. He masterminded this operation."
"What enemy? Did something else happen before this?"
"Yes, here's what happened..."
Afterward, Fugaku listened as Naruto, Itachi, and Sasuke took turns recounting what had happened earlier. Only then did he learn what had occurred, and once they finished, Itachi dropped straight to his knees.
"Father, I was wrong."
Looking at Itachi kneeling there, Fugaku let out a deep sigh.
Fugaku truly hadn't expected things to have unfolded that way. He felt overwhelmed by the information he had just received.
That clansman who was supposed to have died-Obito Uchiha-was actually alive and had become the inheritor of Madara Uchiha's will. Even more unbelievably, he wanted to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan.
What Fugaku found most incomprehensible was that Obito Uchiha had actually intended to threaten his eldest son with his youngest son's life, making him help wipe out the Uchiha Clan in exchange for Sasuke alone surviving.
Fugaku didn't doubt Naruto's words. He merely gave Itachi, who was kneeling ramrod straight, a strange look.
At the same time, waves of lingering fear rose inexplicably in his heart. Danzo's appearance tonight had clearly been another part of Obito's plan. That man had never intended to let his children survive.
Even if Itachi really did as he said, what about Danzo? He would absolutely pull up the weeds by the roots.
He didn't question his eldest son about why he would do such a thing. He knew that if Itachi had been driven into a corner, he would have had no other choice.
In fact, if Itachi had insisted on doing it, then he, as his father, would probably have entrusted Sasuke to him and faced death willingly. He also marveled at Obito's scheming and ruthlessness.
"Hiss... this Obito Uchiha is so ruthless, so calculating."
"Then what about the enemy you mentioned, Naruto? Was that Obito Uchiha too?"
Fugaku asked Naruto with a puzzled expression, though he already had a vague suspicion.
"Yes, you guessed right. The person who released the Nine-Tails and caused the Nine-Tails' Rampage was none other than Obito Uchiha. It was because of him that I lost my parents on the day I was born."
"What? It really was him?"
Although Fugaku had already suspected it, hearing it confirmed still shocked him somewhat. But more than anything, he felt anger. Because of Obito Uchiha, their Uchiha Clan had been suppressed ever since, and they had even lost the Fourth Hokage, who had been close to them.
In particular, when the Nine-Tails had been wreaking havoc back then, he had sported a pair of Sharingan. It was obvious at a glance that someone was controlling him, and that the person was an Uchiha. Who could have imagined that person would turn out to be the supposedly "dead" Obito Uchiha? He had left their Uchiha Clan taking the blame for him for so long.
Most importantly, those things he had done-Minato and his wife had treated him like their own child back then, yet he had still done that, leaving Naruto all alone from childhood. That Obito Uchiha truly deserved to die.
At that moment, Fugaku wished he could personally tear that ungrateful wretch Obito to pieces.
Neither Sasuke nor Itachi had expected this to be the truth. The two of them even felt a little sorry for Naruto. This was what his parents had received in return for their sincere kindness?
They both felt that Obito was utterly inhuman.
"Alas, it's all in the past now. All I want to do now is get revenge."
"Naruto, the next time that guy comes, I'll help you. Thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have done something wrong."
Naruto hadn't expected Itachi to offer to help him. He truly hadn't seen it coming. Still, he was delighted to have a fighter like him. Later, he could find a way to cure Itachi's illness. Hiss... wouldn't that make him healthy Itachi?
As that suddenly occurred to him, Naruto took a careful look at Itachi, who was still kneeling.
"Um, Itachi, how does your body feel right now?"
Naruto's question left everyone present somewhat bewildered. They couldn't figure out why he would ask that.
"What is it, Naruto? Is there something wrong with Itachi's health?"
Mikoto helped Itachi up worriedly and looked anxiously at Naruto, wanting to know exactly what he meant.
"No, I feel perfectly healthy."
Naruto nodded at that. It seemed nothing had gone wrong with Itachi's health yet. Then it was probably because he overused his Mangekyō Sharingan after joining the Akatsuki. He remembered some short videos from his previous life saying that Itachi had been so talented that his bloodline was too pure, causing him to develop a bloodline illness.
With that thought, Naruto voiced this concern as well.
"Then perhaps Itachi's health deteriorated later because he overused his Mangekyō Sharingan. Or perhaps his talent was too great and his bloodline too pure, causing his health to get worse and worse afterward."
Seeing the entire family's faces turn pale, Naruto hurriedly added, "Of course, my dad told me all this. He could already tell back then that Itachi was very talented and might develop some problems..."
Minato was taking the blame.
Fugaku hadn't expected his eldest son to have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan without his knowledge. If Naruto hadn't told him, he wouldn't even have known.
"Itachi, have you really awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Itachi nodded and activated his pinwheel-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Hiss... all right, Itachi, put them away. Use your Mangekyō Sharingan less from now on. Otherwise, there can only be one outcome: losing your sight."
Seeing Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan again, Sasuke was incredibly envious. But remembering that he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet inevitably dampened his enthusiasm.
Itachi was also somewhat curious. Why did his father know so much? Had he also seen the stone tablet beneath Naka Shrine?
"Father, you... could you also...?"
Before Itachi could finish, he was struck speechless with shock, because he noticed that his father's eyes were no longer ordinary. They, too, were unmistakably a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
"What? Mangekyō Sharingan? Father, you're amazing!"
Sasuke also saw Fugaku's eyes and cried out in surprise. He hadn't expected both his brother and his father to have the Mangekyō Sharingan. Then he shifted his gaze to his mother.
"Since Father and Big Brother both have them, Mom, do you have them too?"
With a dark look, Mikoto grabbed his ear.
"Do I have them too? Do you think Mangekyō Sharingan grow on trees?"
"Hahaha!"
Naruto burst out laughing at the sight. Sasuke, you really were a funny guy.
Clearly, Sasuke couldn't take any of that in right now. His family had two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, and Naruto had said that his future self would definitely awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan too. Then there would be three supreme powerhouses in one family. Just thinking about it was thrilling.