"Tou-san, what are you looking at?"
Itachi saw his father standing at the doorway, staring blankly at the road outside, and couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing. Are you heading out?"
"I made plans to train with Shisui," Itachi said.
"Alright, go ahead, but don't come back too late."
"Got it."
As he watched his son's figure disappear down the road, Fugaku's thoughts drifted far away again.
At this time... they should be back.
Just as he was about to turn and return inside, a figure suddenly appeared at the doorway—it was a member of the Anbu.
"Fugaku-san, Lord Hokage requests your presence."
When Fugaku arrived at the Hokage's office, he saw Obito there.
Obito's expression suggested that he had experienced something unpleasant.
"Fugaku-senpai, sorry to trouble you, but there's something we need to discuss," Makoto said.
"Of course, Lord Hokage, please go ahead." Fugaku maintained a respectful demeanor, though his peripheral vision stayed on Obito as he silently analyzed the situation.
After a moment of contemplation, Makoto spoke, "Obito, you explain."
Obito's eyes were filled with sorrow as he said, "Lord Fugaku, why did Tetsuhi-nii and Inoka-nii attack us?"
Fugaku was taken aback at first, his mind racing as he asked, "What did you just say?"
"When Rin, Anko, and I were in the Land of Birds, we were suddenly ambushed by Tetsuhi-nii and Inoka-nii. Rin and Anko... they..." Obito's voice trembled.
Seeing Obito's sorrowful expression, Fugaku appeared utterly shocked.
"How could such a thing happen?! Where are Tetsuhi and Inoka?!"
At that moment, an Anbu member suddenly appeared, unrolling a sealed scroll on the ground.
After forming hand seals, five corpses wrapped in white cloth were summoned onto the scene.
Fugaku had already guessed the general situation by this point.
However, upon seeing the five corpses, he did not feel sorrow; instead, he was barely able to suppress a surge of joy.
Tetsuhi and the others were all Jonin-level shinobi.
If Obito hadn't awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, there was no way he could have defeated them!
Though the loss of these five strong clan members was a significant blow to the Uchiha, it was nothing compared to the value of the Mangekyo Sharingan!
Besides, the Mangekyo would not be Obito's final destination.
If he could obtain the Rinnegan himself...
Although Fugaku's thoughts were turbulent, his face maintained an expression of utter shock.
"Lord Hokage, this…"
Makoto frowned deeply and asked in a questioning tone, "What's this, Fugaku-senpai? Are you unaware of this incident?"
Fugaku turned to Obito. "Obito, what exactly happened?"
Makoto spoke solemnly, "These five were killed by Obito."
Fugaku stood there in a daze, then quickly asked, "What about Miss Rin and Miss Anko?"
"..."
"I see…" Fugaku murmured to himself. After a moment, he turned to Makoto and said, "Lord Hokage, I was completely unaware of this matter. However, since members of the Uchiha clan committed such a grave crime against their comrades, I, as the clan head, bear an undeniable responsibility."
Makoto said, "If Fugaku-senpai truly didn't know, then I can't hold you accountable."
Fugaku quickly responded, "Please rest assured, Lord Hokage, I will thoroughly investigate this matter upon my return."
Makoto did not make things difficult for him, nor did he interrogate him further, simply allowing him to leave.
Fugaku didn't dwell on it either; his mind was completely occupied with thoughts of Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan, though he knew it was not the time to show any of this outwardly.
By evening, he personally visited Obito's residence.
"Lord Fugaku, what brings you here?"
"I came to check on you."
Obito lived alone, and his place was simple.
Unlike the Hyuga clan, who lived together in a large estate, each Uchiha household had its own separate home.
Seeing Obito still looking dispirited, Fugaku said, "I'm truly saddened by what happened to Rin. I never expected such a tragedy to occur."
"..."
Fugaku continued, "But life must go on, Obito. Rin would want you to live well."
Obito lowered his head and quietly responded, "I understand, Lord Fugaku."
Fugaku casually glanced around Obito's room.
It wasn't particularly clean or tidy, but it wasn't overly messy either—just a typical boy's bedroom.
On the desk was a photo frame containing a group picture from Obito's time as a Genin, with even Minato in the shot.
"Obito, there's something I want to ask you," Fugaku said, his back to him.
Obito looked at him in confusion.
"No matter what, Tetsuhi and the others were all Jonin—there were five of them. How did you kill them?"
"…Lord Fugaku."
Obito hesitated, then said, "It seems... I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan you told me about earlier."
Silence.
Fugaku slowly turned around, his tone unexpectedly calm.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you, Obito. You truly have that potential."
Obito spoke heavily, "But the price for this power..."
A power born from "loss"—what could it protect?
And what could it bring to him in return...?
"Is it only the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Fugaku suddenly asked.
Obito was stunned. "What... do you mean?"
Fugaku fixed his gaze on Obito. "The power you awakened—is it only the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Obito stared blankly at Fugaku, seemingly not understanding his implication.
Fugaku frowned, thinking to himself, Does it require breaking the curse of the Sharingan to evolve into the eternal Mangekyo Sharingan...?
But Obito didn't have any siblings, and even the most talented of his blood relatives didn't possess the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Looking at Obito, Fugaku said, "Let me see your eyes."
Obito, however, pressed further, "Lord Fugaku, what did you mean just now? Can I awaken another power?"
Fugaku didn't answer his question but repeated, "First, let me see your eyes."
The two stood in a tense standoff.
Fugaku furrowed his brow. "Obito?"
Suddenly, Obito muttered to himself, "I see... you've read that stone tablet."
His voice was soft, but Fugaku heard it clearly.
The stone tablet... he knows about the stone tablet?
Fugaku's expression froze. "Obito, you..."
Obito's expression grew calm as he said slowly, "I was wondering why you went through all that trouble, scheming everything. So it was for the Rinnegan, huh?"
The mention of the "Rinnegan" made Fugaku's mind reel, his gaze flickering rapidly as he demanded in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
Before his eyes, Obito's form began to change—not in the typical way of dispelling a transformation technique, but through a twisted, physical distortion.
Fugaku couldn't help but cry out, "L-Lord Hokage?!"
"Fugaku-senpai, why are you so interested in the Rinnegan?"
Makoto smiled faintly as he looked at Fugaku. "And why would you hide this from me? If you'd told me in advance, I might not have interfered."
Fugaku's expression shifted between gloom and composure.
He detected a faint sound—someone approaching outside the room.
Anbu... or perhaps the Crown Guards?
Perhaps both.
Forcing a smile, Fugaku said, "I didn't expect Lord Hokage to know about such matters."
Makoto responded calmly, "One of the three great dojutsu. Is it so strange that the Hyuga would know about it?"
Fugaku had no choice but to agree, "You have a point..."
He definitely didn't want to fall out with Makoto—not when he had gained nothing yet.
If there were ever a day when they became enemies, it should be when he held the upper hand!
Makoto continued, "As someone in a high position within the village, I can turn a blind eye to certain things."
"But you should understand the consequences of harming your comrades, right? And did you forget that Anko is my personal aide? You dared to target her?"
Fugaku feigned ignorance. "Lord Hokage, I'm not sure what you mean."
Makoto sneered, "Oh? Are you saying you'd like to confront Uchiha Tetsuhi and the others? Shall I have them brought over from the interrogation department?"
Tetsuhi and the others aren't dead, and the entire plan has utterly failed!
Five jonin... where did it all go wrong?!
Fugaku's face turned alternately pale and flushed.
He could tell that Makoto had not come here with good intentions, but how could he find a way out of this situation?
The man before him was the Hokage, and this was Konoha.
The chances of winning in a confrontation were slim at best.
Besides, he wasn't alone; there was no way he could risk everything in a life-or-death struggle.
Makoto spoke again, "Fugaku-senpai, haven't I been good enough to the Uchiha? Have you forgotten the situation your clan was in before I took this position?"
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku responded in a placating tone, "Lord Hokage, I will never forget your kindness to the Uchiha."
Makoto pulled a chair over and sat down, sneering at Fugaku. "Is that so? Funny, I get the impression you've forgotten."
"Lord Hokage, you misunderstand..."
At that moment, the door to the room suddenly opened from the outside.
Standing in the doorway was Hakumen, one of the Crown Guards and a trusted confidant of the Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, we've found Uchiha Itachi at the training grounds on the west side of the village."
Fugaku's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
"Lord Hokage!!"
Makoto ignored him and instead asked Hakumen, "Hakumen, how many Uchiha are there now?"
Kamen replied, "A total of seventy-six, including twenty-three active shinobi."
Makoto sighed softly. "Ah, the once-mighty Uchiha clan that shook the ninja world has fallen to such a state. And yet, instead of focusing on revitalizing your clan, you choose to harm your own kin?"
Fugaku's entire body trembled as he listened to Makoto's words.
He had long known how ruthless Hyuga Makoto could be.
From the time when Orochimaru was Hokage, Fugaku had already seen it.
When Orochimaru was exposed for leaking information to Iwagakure, which led to the deaths of thousands of Konoha shinobi, Fugaku would never believe that Hyuga Makoto had no involvement in the matter.
Could it be that Hyuga Hiashi's death and Makoto's rise to power were all part of a perfectly timed scheme?
Makoto's voice was cold as he spoke:
"Do you know what fate awaits a clan whose leader betrays the village?"
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