The shopping was done.
Haruma's personal panel had received another lavish upgrade.
[Character name: Uchiha Haruma] [Affiliation: Konoha (changeable)] [Chakra attributes: fire, lightning, wind, fire, water, yin, yang] [Ninjutsu reserves: Great Fire Annihilation... Water Prison... Lightning Blade... Earth Style Wall... Body Flicker Technique, Transformation Technique, Multi Shadow Clone, Flying Thunder God...] (abbreviated as much as possible to avoid padding the word count) [Special items (bound): Mangekyō (left) Perfect Imitation, Mangekyō (right) Absolute Domain, Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (basic), Tailed Beast (One-Tail)] [Overall combat strength: Kage Level (peak)]
With the skills Haruma currently possessed...
To step into Super Kage Level and become a powerhouse on the same level as Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju back in their day...
All he lacked was refinement through actual combat.
The living Kage Level fighters of the various villages in the Shinobi World, as well as Madara and Hashirama back then...
Were all battle-hardened fighters who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Their reactions in the moment, combat instincts, versatile applications of ninjutsu, and fine control of chakra...
All left Haruma hundreds of streets behind.
Fortunately, he was not pressed for time right now.
Compared to Haruma's ideal world...
The current problems between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha were mere child's play.
"Ah."
Haruma gave a soft, wistful sigh. "In the end, I still don't have enough money..."
"I still have too few sucker brothers..."
"Haruma! Haruma!"
Fugaku, who should have been talking to Itachi at home, had actually come to Haruma's little house.
Looking at Fugaku's unexpected arrival, Haruma asked with slight confusion, "What's wrong, big suck-"
"Pfft! What's wrong, Clan Head Fugaku?"
That was close, Haruma thought. He had nearly blurted out what he really thought.
Fugaku frowned, unable to make sense of what the boy had been about to call him...
Big what?
It certainly wasn't anything nice.
Soon, Fugaku pushed the question out of his mind.
He then spoke gravely to Haruma before him. "Itachi seems to have figured it out. He said there should be someone else behind Shisui and me, coming up with ideas."
"Mm."
Haruma nodded calmly.
Haruma was not surprised that Itachi had noticed this.
After all, Itachi knew both Shisui and Fugaku well enough.
The Uchiha Clan's unusual changes lately, along with his clan-head father's...
Entire series of outrageous maneuvers.
And on top of that, Shisui, that idiot with his inflexible mind...
It was perfectly normal for Itachi to have drawn that much information out of them.
Haruma asked, "You didn't reveal my real identity, did you?"
"No."
Fugaku shook his head. "Although Itachi guessed that you exist, we didn't admit it."
"As long as you didn't expose me."
Hearing that, Haruma waved a hand. "It doesn't matter if he guesses there's someone behind you. He can't confirm my identity anyway."
"Itachi said he wanted to meet you and talk. I didn't answer."
Fugaku continued, "I had Shisui catch up with him in the room and keep an eye on him while he was at it. Then I came over to ask your opinion."
Haruma rubbed his chin and fell into thought, considering whether to meet Itachi.
If he persuaded him, all well and good. Haruma would gain another sucker brother.
If he failed, that fellow Itachi might turn around and tell that old man Sarutobi everything.
But with his current peak Kage Level strength...
Even if Konoha High Command launched a surprise attack, Haruma was confident he had nothing to fear.
At the Third's current age, he was upper Kage Level at most, and perhaps not even that.
Add Danzo, a pseudo-Kage Level fighter.
Even if he couldn't beat them, with Absolute Domain and the Flying Thunder God Technique, Haruma was still confident he could take them both on without losing.
As for the large numbers of elite ninja from the Anbu and Root...
There were the Uchiha Clan's Hawk Faction, and...
He glanced at Fugaku, who stood beside him waiting for his decision.
And one Kage Level human puppet, Haruma thought.
In terms of combat strength, the Uchiha Clan already had what it took to clash head-on with the village.
He was ninety percent certain that even if fighting broke out, the village could do nothing to the Uchiha Clan.
But...
How was a ten percent risk any different from marching to their deaths?
Sarutobi might seem to be the village's only Kage Level fighter, but that old man's students...
The porn, gambling, and drugs trio of Sannin, renowned throughout the Shinobi World, were still alive.
Porn: the Pervy Sage, Jiraiya.
Gambling: Princess Tsunade, who only lost and never won.
Drugs: Orochimaru, who bit people wherever he went.
Those three were no pushovers.
And then there was the warrior of pure love, who frequently came and went from Konoha during this period.
Aside from waiting for the higher-ups to act against the Uchiha Clan so he could collect Sharingan...
He also visited the cemetery to see the pure white lotus in his heart and Kakashi.
If they confronted each other head-on, setting aside who would win...
Once internal fighting broke out, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of ninja from other nations.
There was also a substantial chance that ninja from other nations would take advantage of Konoha's infighting to join forces and start another Shinobi World War.
After all, Konoha's geographical location truly made it the most favorably situated territory among all the nations.
Exposing his identity now did not serve Haruma's interests.
Besides, in the plans to come, Itachi was also an indispensable pawn... one of them.
Having thought it through, Haruma pulled a gleaming golden shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and tossed it to Fugaku.
The gold-painted shuriken was something Haruma had bought from the shop's ninja tool section specifically to serve as a medium for his Flying Thunder God markings.
That glittering golden appearance befitted his status as a tycoon.
Fugaku caught the shuriken reflexively, then looked blankly at Haruma, unable to work out his intentions for a moment.
Haruma said softly, "Take him home to see Itachi. I'll show up later."
Seeing Fugaku grow even more confused, Haruma explained, "I forgot to tell you. I've learned the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"What?!!"
Fugaku was stunned to hear this, his eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Flying Thunder God?!!"
"When did you learn that technique?!!"
"Sarutobi keeps forbidden-technique-level scrolls under tight wraps!"
"Look at you, getting worked up over nothing!"
Haruma looked at Fugaku disdainfully. "I saw it directly in the future, then learned it."
"Is that not allowed?"
Fugaku was utterly dumbfounded.
Was that even something a human would say?
He saw it and learned it?
And from the future, at that?
The corners of Fugaku's mouth twitched as he looked at Haruma, his gaze full of shock and confusion.
"Enough. Stop staring."
Haruma spoke with a look of distaste. "Hurry up and take that thing home first. I'll come once I'm dressed up."
Even after Haruma drove him out, traces of shock and disbelief lingered in Fugaku's eyes.
That boy's perfunctory explanation wouldn't fool a ghost!
Not even a ghost would believe it!
An S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu comparable to a forbidden technique-never mind how high the threshold for learning it was.
The locations where those forbidden arts were kept were so secret, and the security so tight!
Obtaining the scroll would be no different in difficulty from going to war with Konoha outright.
If the Sharingan really could learn something with a single look...
Then their Uchiha Clan would have been fucking invincible long ago.
Although that little house had given rise to many more questions...
The stronger that boy Haruma became, the brighter the Uchiha Clan's future would be!
Having figured that out, Fugaku couldn't help walking home with a lighter step.