Hatake Sakumo

Uchiha Kōki lay quietly on the bed in his room. His face was pale, and beneath his tightly closed eyes, his brows were furrowed, as though he were locked in a silent struggle against the pain.

Moonlight streamed through the window and fell over him, draping him in a faint silver veil, but it could not conceal the air of weakness he gave off.

Uchiha Fugaku and several elders kept watch at his bedside, their faces full of worry and concern. Their gazes drifted from time to time to Koki's tightly closed eyes.

Mikoto stood quietly nearby, holding Itachi, her eyes filled with indescribable worry.

Just moments ago, Koki had briefly regained consciousness and glanced at the people around him before sinking back into a coma.

That fleeting glance had deeply moved Fugaku and the elders present. They had looked at one another, at a loss for words.

Uchiha Kōki, a four-year-old boy who was usually cheerful and sunny, had just displayed the formidable power of the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai. He had actually awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

"Clan leader, look. Koki's brows seem to have relaxed a little," the second elder said softly, pointing at Koki's face.

Uchiha Fugaku followed the second elder's gesture and saw that Koki's tightly furrowed brows had indeed relaxed somewhat, but his eyes remained closed, and he was still deep in a coma.

"Clan leader, heaven truly blessed the Uchiha Clan! Koki awakened the Sharingan at four, and it was the Three-Tomoe Sharingan! A genius like him is rarely seen. Hahahaha, the Konoha High Command will probably be furious when they hear about this!"

A stern-faced old man spoke at length, the wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes seeming to tell the story of a lifetime of glory and upheaval.

His eyes were deep and bright, as though they could see through a person's heart. An air of solemn authority showed in his expression, making anyone who spoke with him afraid to be the least bit careless.

This was the Uchiha Clan's first elder-Uchiha Kazuma!

He was the most respected elder of the Uchiha Clan and a representative of its hawkish faction.

Many of the clan's young ninja revered his will, and sometimes even Uchiha Fugaku had to give serious thought to what he said.

From the time Second Hokage Tobirama Senju entrusted the Military Police Force's authority to the Uchiha Clan through Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule over Konoha, the Uchiha Clan had faced increasing exclusion.

The exclusion grew even worse after Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō joined the high command.

Once, the first elder had even captured a Root member secretly spying on the Uchiha within the clan, infuriating him! Shimura Danzō had actually dared to interfere so brazenly on Uchiha territory. Wasn't that utterly absurd?

Years of clashes with the village had left the first elder increasingly anxious and radical. He had even secretly cultivated some of the clan's young people as his trusted followers, so he could launch a coup outright if necessary!

Yet he also knew full well that the clan's talent had dwindled in recent years, and no more powerful Mangekyō Sharingan ninja had emerged. Everyone knew the power of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, but they did not know that its most powerful ability was the Mangekyō Sharingan!

He could not pin down Uchiha Fugaku's stance either, so he had not dared to act rashly.

Now, Fugaku's four-year-old son had actually awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan! Didn't this mean heaven had not abandoned the Uchiha? The first elder resolved to make a bid, placing his hopes in Koki and looking forward to him growing up and restoring the Uchiha Clan's former glory!

"First elder, aren't you being a little too impatient? Koki hasn't even woken up yet."

The second elder had a kind, approachable face, and a smile was always present on his weathered features.

Though his eyes were not large, they were bright and sharp, as though they could see into people's hearts.

Several deep crow's feet marked the corners of his eyes. Whenever he smiled, the lines grew more pronounced, making him seem even more amiable.

His hair was already streaked with gray, but it was neatly combed into a bun and gently tied with a black silk ribbon. A few strands hung over his forehead, adding a touch of scholarly refinement to his appearance.

He was the Uchiha's second elder-Uchiha Hiroto.

As a representative of the dovish faction, his views were at odds with the first elder's, and he strongly disapproved of the latter's radical actions. As a result, the two often argued endlessly over a disagreement.

The followers of the two elders were just as incompatible as fire and water. Of the Uchiha's four elders, the first and third elders were close, while the fourth elder stood on the same side as the second. The young ninja also followed their respective sides and quarreled constantly, giving Fugaku quite a headache.

"You!"

"Enough!" Seeing that the elders were about to start another endless argument, Fugaku hurriedly interrupted them. His tone was quite sincere. "It's very late today. Why don't you all go home and rest first?"

"But!" "But!" the first and second elders replied in unison. How could they rest easy without seeing how Koki was doing? Besides, however different their positions were, they both genuinely cared for the clan leader's adorable child.

"That's enough. Staying here won't help Koki rest, either. How about this? As soon as he wakes up, I'll send someone to tell you elders how he's doing. Mikoto, see our guests out."

Seeing that Fugaku was insistent, the elders had no choice but to rise and take their leave with their trusted followers, reluctant to go.

Koki could not hear the utter chaos outside. At that moment, he was gritting his teeth and interrogating the system in his mind: System, get out here! You didn't say awakening my eyes would hurt that much!

[Host, please don't be angry. Wasn't it just an oversight on my part?] The little system's voice trembled.

An oversight? Do you know how much it hurt? You nearly never saw me again!

[Please calm down. Next time, once you have enough points, you can open the shop and exchange them for painkillers.] The system felt wronged too. His memory really was not very good.

All right, I'll let you off this time. Speaking of points... shouldn't I be doing missions? How am I supposed to earn points without missions?

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Koki let the system off for the time being. Without painkillers, awakening all three Tomoe had been enough to leave him in unbearable pain. If he happened to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future, wouldn't that be even more unbearable?

Before then, he had to work hard to complete missions. After all, he needed 1,000 points to gain access to the shop.

[Ding! Mission issued: Redeem Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, and prevent him from meeting the end of taking his own life at home. Time limit: three months. Mission success reward: 500 points.]

At the mention of a mission, the system's voice turned serious too.

Hatake Sakumo? Koki remembered that he was Kakashi's father and had died by suicide. He had not appeared much in the anime, but he was a very important character. It was his departure that had made Kakashi's personality increasingly cold.

Is Hatake Sakumo going to kill himself soon? I'd better ask Uchiha Fugaku about him.

Okay, I understand.

[Host, I'm going back to the main world. Good luck with the mission. If you need me, just send me a message through the panel. I'll reply within three days.]

Okay, I'll do my best! Just don't disappear for as long as you did last time. That was pretty advanced.

[Goodbye, host!]

After hearing the system's final words, Koki slowly opened his eyes to see Fugaku and Mikoto standing worriedly by his bed.

Itachi, still too young for his body to keep going, had already fallen fast asleep beside him. Even in his sleep, he was still holding Koki's arm tightly, as though afraid someone would take his big brother away.