Sasuke's departure made the atmosphere in the room even stranger.
Each preoccupied with his or her own thoughts, neither of them touched their chopsticks.
Mikoto came back to her senses first. Studying the troubled look on Fugaku's face, she couldn't help frowning.
Why did Fugaku look so distracted too?
Should I ask him first?
No, better not.
If Fugaku knew I suspected him just because of something Haruma casually mentioned... wouldn't that prove I didn't trust him enough?
But Haruma's sincere words earlier hadn't seemed like an act!
After wrestling with it, Mikoto decided to pay more attention to Fugaku's movements from now on.
Fugaku noticed that his son had left and his wife had stopped eating as well.
He stood up and returned to their room to change, preparing to head out.
After changing into black clothes that made it easier to conceal himself, Fugaku prepared to leave with a hint of urgency.
"Where are you going?"
Uchiha Mikoto's puzzled voice rang out!
Fugaku paused and turned back. "After the clan meeting, the second elder asked me to come over after lunch to discuss a few things."
"Inabi needs you for something?" Mikoto didn't pry further, saying softly to Fugaku, "All right. Stay safe on the way."
His wife seemed a little strange today, but Fugaku was in a hurry to meet Shisui, so he simply nodded and left the room.
Frowning as she watched her husband leave without looking back, Mikoto heard Haruma's words echo in her mind again.
"You have to know where he's going beforehand, then verify it afterward!"
She thought about her husband's strange behavior today. First, he had clearly been preoccupied during lunch, then he had changed into clothes that made it easier to disguise himself before going out.
Even if he wanted to avoid the village ninja's surveillance, there was no need to change out of his everyday clothes.
As clan leader, paying an ordinary visit to an elder's home in broad daylight wouldn't arouse the watchers' suspicions.
So rather than dressing this way to evade the Anbu's surveillance...
It seemed more like he was trying to avoid the clan members patrolling and standing guard!
The more Mikoto thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Her brows knitted tightly on her delicate face.
"No!"
"I'd better go to Inabi's house and see. If I'm caught, I'll just apologize to Fugaku!"
Mikoto cleared away the dishes, took off her apron, and strode toward the home of Uchiha Inabi, the second elder of the clan compound.
Meanwhile, concealing himself and easily slipping past both Anbu surveillance and clan patrols, Fugaku finally reached the recuperation area of the compound.
But the moment Mikoto stepped outside, a huge word seemed to appear over his forehead: "Danger!"
"Who's there?!"
A sharp shout startled Fugaku, who had just stepped into Haruma's courtyard.
Had I come to the wrong house?
Then Fugaku turned and saw a boy in coarse hemp clothes emerge from Haruma's house, his eyes wrapped in silk.
"Isn't this Uchiha Haruma's house?" Fugaku asked in confusion.
Hearing Fugaku's voice, Shisui thought for a moment before raising his head. "Are you... Clan Leader Fugaku?"
At that question, Uchiha Fugaku took another look at the boy's appearance.
"Shisui? You're Shisui, aren't you?" Fugaku asked, not entirely certain himself.
When the boy nodded, Fugaku was delighted, but he asked another question. "Where's that brat Haruma?"
"He went next door to fix Grandma Wang's gate," Shisui answered calmly.
"Huh???"
That brat offered quite a range of services!
To earn money, he really would...
Forget it. With that brat away, this was a good chance to have a proper talk with Shisui.
"Come on. Let's talk inside."
Although this was the recuperation area, it still wouldn't be good if patrolling clan members saw them.
The less noticeable Haruma was, the safer he would be.
Whether within the village or the clan.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Daylight gave way to dusk.
Inside the house, Fugaku and Shisui talked for nearly an entire day.
During their conversation, Fugaku learned everything Shisui had gone through.
Danzo had coveted Shisui's Sharingan, but had he acted on his own, or with the Hokage's tacit approval?
He didn't know, but all of this left Fugaku utterly disappointed in the village's higher-ups.
At the same time, he reached a clear judgment on whether Haruma's ability was genuine.
"That brat! Does fixing a gate take that long?" Fugaku complained with a frown.
If he hadn't needed to avoid drawing attention, Fugaku would have gone to drag him back himself.
Beside him, Shisui said calmly, "It looks like Grandma Wang wasn't the only one who needed his help."
"That brat should have made quite a bit of money over the years. You don't know where he spent it either?"
Shisui shook his head.
Fugaku was truly puzzled. "It seems money really is a crucial part of his plan."
Shisui nodded solemnly too. "I don't know what it's for! But it must be very important."
"Exactly!" Fugaku agreed. "That brat only cares about money, not people."
"I'm back!"
Having just finished his work, Haruma carried a meal box into the courtyard. The moment he entered, he saw Fugaku dressed all in black and asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?!"
"Weren't you the one who told me to come here without being seen?!" Fugaku glared at Haruma and answered through gritted teeth.
Damn it! I'd waited here nearly all day, and this brat had forgotten!
I was at least the nominal leader of the Uchiha Clan!
"Oh!" Haruma slapped his forehead and said a little guiltily, "I almost forgot about you."
"I was just too busy today! Grandma Wang, Grandpa Zhang, Sister Li, Uncle Kun..."
"Enough, enough!"
Just listening to Haruma list names for two minutes made sweat bead on Fugaku's forehead. He hurriedly interrupted, "Let's get to business first!"
"All right!" Haruma nodded and took out a serving of chicken leg rice he had brought from Uncle Kun's house!
He sat down to eat, looking up at Fugaku as he waited for him to speak.
At the sight, veins bulged on Fugaku's forehead. "Brat! Aren't you supposed to be the one telling us the important stuff?!"
"You're the one who saw the future! Not me! Shouldn't you explain your plan in detail?!"
"Oh!"
Now understanding, Haruma casually tossed the chicken foot he had gnawed down to the bones out of the courtyard. "For now, the important thing is to restore Shisui's eyes first. Then you need to find a way to get money as quickly as possible."
With that, Haruma fished a chicken leg out of the meal box and began gnawing on it.
"That's it???"
Fugaku stared at Haruma, dumbfounded. "That's your plan to save the Uchiha Clan?"
"Yeah, that's all for now," Haruma said without even looking up. "The fewer people who know how the future unfolds, the better. Telling you too much could introduce variables."
"When I need your help, I'll come to you."
"For now, you're responsible for keeping the radicals in the clan who want war under control, then getting our clan members out of the Konoha Military Police Force as soon as possible."
"And finally!"
His eyes gleaming, he looked at Fugaku and said earnestly, "Get money!!!"
"Never mind those few old men in the village wanting to go after the Uchiha! Just get me enough money! Even if the Sage of Six Paths came back to life, I'd have a way to cripple him outright!"
Although the brat's words were far too unbelievable.
That earnest look in his eyes...
"All right!" Fugaku nodded and said gravely, "Then I won't ask any more questions! I hope you can improve the Uchiha Clan's situation as soon as possible."
"Don't worry!"
Haruma gave his assurance with a relaxed expression.
In truth, Haruma wasn't deliberately trying to hide things from Fugaku and Shisui.
It was just...