[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]
Konoha, 44.
...
...
The atmosphere immediately grew heavy.
Morzan seemed to ponder for a few moments, taking another sip of tea before setting the cup down on the small table in front of him. He did not decide immediately.
"You know about the clan's pride, something typical of the Uchihas?" he asked in a calm tone.
"Clan pride... Well, it's not hard to notice that with most Uchihas walking around proudly," Obito replied with a bored tone.
He still didn't understand exactly where the elder was going with that, so he simply gave the first answer that came to mind.
"That's true. We are proud. Too proud in some respects." Morzan nodded, slowly lowering the cup before looking back at Obito.
"The Uchiha Clan used to be the most powerful clan in the Leaf Village. We were far too proud." He closed his eyes for a moment.
"With the decline of the Senju Clan, we believed there was nothing stronger than us. Until we secretly discovered that the Sarutobi Clan and Danzō Shimura's group were accumulating strength in the shadows."
Even so, he shook his head. "We have always had the best and most powerful bloodline in the Leaf Village. We have always had the greatest talents."
The old man let out a bitter laugh. "We expected that to take us to great heights. With that, we could feed our pride." Then his gaze grew distant beyond Obito.
"But in truth, we have always been quite weak. We always overestimated ourselves when compared to the true powers of this world." He looked back at Obito.
"That is what I realized in recent years. Ever since someone appeared."
Obito watched him in silence. He could perfectly imagine who the elder was talking about. It could have been Minato-Sensei, but he was focused on the clan. "I imagine you're talking about Mikoto-sama," he replied after a few seconds.
The man nodded. "Exactly."
"Mikoto had extraordinary talent. I'm not just talking about the strength she possesses today or the legendary feats for which she is known. When she entered the Academy, there were people more talented than her."
"You know... At the age of six, there was an Uchiha who awakened the Sharingan while still in the Academy. We were all thrilled at the time. When Mikoto awakened the Sharingan a year later, we were thrilled as well. We believed she would be another prodigy."
"She was the patriarch's daughter. It was natural that she would become someone important." His smile disappeared. "But even so, no one had any idea what she would become."
He paused. "Mikoto surpassed all of her contemporaries. We thought she would once again bring the Uchiha name back to its former glory... And we were right."
"The problem was that by the time we realized it, we had already lost her."
"..." Obito remained silent. He knew that story. Mikoto-sama had fled the clan after breaking off her engagement and was expelled by the elders. Even her father agreed with the decision at the time. Later, she became engaged and began living with Minato, the real reason she had destroyed her engagement within the clan.
And many of the elders were so furious that they even advocated for her elimination.
"Then Minato intervened... Back then..." His voice carried a mixture of respect and bitterness. "He killed eleven elders in front of everyone. After that, he completely dismantled the clan's power structure of that era."
The old man let out a sigh. "We were still blind. It was only after being completely subdued by that man that we understood."
He looked back at Obito. "By that time, Mikoto had already become someone we could no longer bring back into the clan. Even the patriarch and the elders had to acknowledge that."
"It was her father who decreed that Mikoto would be allowed to marry someone outside the clan. No one else would have the right to interfere in that matter anymore."
"Later, well... she became who she is known as today. A world-famous figure, with powers that reached the heights of the ancient glory of the Uchiha Clan."
"I know that Mikoto should not possess all that power through her own talent alone." The elder's eyes gleamed at that moment. "And I also know that she received help from Minato Namikaze."
Obito showed some surprise, while the man chuckled a little. "It's not difficult to notice the pattern. All of his wives end up becoming powerhouses."
"What do you really want?" Obito asked. His patience was running out. He did not want to sit there listening to that kind of talk about his sensei.
"What I want, Obito, is for you to serve as a bridge between your sensei and the Uchiha Clan." The old man continued without being shaken.
"I heard that you have already awakened your two-tomoe Sharingan. That is an impressive evolution for someone who left the Academy only half a year ago without his eyes, and you achieved something that few Uchihas could accomplish at your age..."
After all, there were Uchihas who would never awaken the Sharingan. Others would remain at the second tomoe for the rest of their lives. And even those who reached three tomoe were not the majority within the Uchiha Clan.
Obito narrowed his eyes. "You want to know how I awakened my Sharingan... no, you want Minato-Sensei's method. You want me to spy on my teacher?" The anger in his voice was obvious.
Morzan looked at him calmly. "Not exactly. We want to understand what merits he has that allow him to produce such strong ninjas."
"I'm not going to do that." The answer came immediately. "I'm not going to become your spy."
"Young Obito, I ask that you think about the Uchiha Clan. Think about how much the clan's strength could increase if you helped us understand those methods. We could elevate many young people."
Obito shook his head.
He had awakened the Sharingan when he was in danger. After that, he had simply trained like a madman. To the point of destroying his own body countless times and then being healed so he could do it all over again.
That was not exactly a secret method. The Uchiha Clan did not have a Tsuna to heal them whenever necessary. Nor did they have a Minato to push their bodies and minds to their absolute limits.
"Sorry." Obito stood up. "The method through which I learned is something you would be incapable of replicating on a clan-wide scale."
He looked directly at the elder. "And I would never have that kind of relationship with my teacher." There was now obvious contempt in his voice.
"Obito, we can help you in many ways." Morzan also stood up. "You could become someone important within the clan."
"All I ask is that you explain some of the training methods and maintain this relationship with your sensei."
"Then choose another elder." Obito let out a humorless laugh. "Elder Morzan, you can't seriously say that I could maintain a relationship with my sensei if he knew what I'm doing here."
He crossed his arms. "If you're going to offer me clan resources and training, I'll pass."
His gaze turned cold. "I have a sensei a thousand times better than anything I could learn here within the clan."
Morzan seemed disappointed as he pondered for a few moments. He did not insist much further on that subject, but there was still something else he wanted to ask.
"Then I'll ask you for something different, young Obito."
"Here it comes..." Obito muttered.
"I only want to ask that you don't follow the same path Mikoto did."
Obito raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"The clan is interested in having you marry someone within the clan... You can marry whoever you want, but at least consider getting to know Suzuki. She's a wonderful girl." The old man said it with complete naturalness.
Obito immediately shook his head. "I'm not going to let you decide who I'm going to marry."
"You see, my granddaughter..."
"No." Obito interrupted him before he could even finish.
Everything made sense now. The girl's intense glances throughout the conversation had probably been direct instructions from her grandfather. He had been trying to bring them together.
Not that Suzuki was unattractive. Far from it. But Obito had no interest in tying himself to someone for political interests.
And besides, there were matters in his heart that he still needed to resolve.
"Obito, I ask that you think about it." Morzan still insisted. "You can become powerful at Minato's side. One of the pillars of the clan in the future."
"Perhaps even the next leader of the Uchihas."
Of course, there was the hope that Obito would become strong enough to strengthen his own faction. But Obito was already tired of that conversation.
Without replying, he simply turned around and began walking toward the exit.
What else did that old man want from him? He could honestly say he was exhausted by the situation. It was when he was near the door that two shadows descended from the ceiling.
"You can't turn your back on an elder like that." One of the men spoke arrogantly.
It was obvious that he couldn't stand seeing an eleven-year-old child treating an Uchiha elder that way.
Obito, who was already irritated, turned his gaze toward him. His Sharingan activated instantly.
"Three tomoe?!" The two ninjas were surprised.
Three tomoe at eleven years of age. That represented absurd talent within the Uchiha Clan.
But the Uchiha closest to Obito didn't even have time to react when Obito lunged forward.
His fist slammed into the ninja's face with brutal force. The man, who had to be over twenty years old, was launched backward and crashed through one of the doors.
"You bastard!" the other one responded immediately.
His two-tomoe Sharingan spun as he tried to grab Obito by the neck. But Obito simply dodged with ease, his own Sharingan spinning.
The hand grasped nothing but air, and before the opponent understood what had happened, Obito had already grabbed his arm. With a swift motion, he lifted the man's body over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground.
The impact was so strong that the ninja bounced across the floor before crashing into the wall and losing consciousness.
"What's going on?!" The two ninjas who had brought Obito there earlier were shocked.
They had not expected the situation to escalate like that, but they understood what was happening and activated their Sharingan before trying to rush Obito.
"Compared to my sensei, you're far too slow." Obito dodged another punch.
He spun his body.
And delivered a side kick.
The impact launched the third man into the wall beside the entrance.
The wood exploded. The ninja crashed through the structure and fell outside the residence.
The last Uchiha remained motionless, looking at Obito with fear in his eyes.
Even Morzan fell silent. Around them, several guards who had also descended from the ceiling watched the scene with expressions of disbelief.
Obito had defeated three ninjas much older than himself in just a few seconds.
They were not jōnin, but neither were they weak. Even so, they had been defeated ridiculously easily by a child?
Obito merely sighed as he looked at the three fallen chūnin. Until two months ago, he himself had been at that same level.
Obito looked at the fourth ninja, who was closest to him, incapable of doing anything. All he could do was stand there frozen.
Obito then began walking out of the residence, passing by him. No one else tried to stop him.
But he suddenly stopped. His eyes turned toward the elder who remained inside. "I want you to know one thing." His voice echoed into the hall.
"I am not some dog of the Uchiha Clan for you to demand that I do anything. My name is Uchiha Obito." He looked directly at Morzan.
"And whatever that means to you doesn't matter. What matters is that I follow my own path. And I know very well who my allies are." As he spoke those words, his eyes began to spin.
The pattern changed. A new shape emerged within his irises.
Everyone froze as they watched the transformation.
The Sharingan evolved. The familiar three-tomoe design disappeared, replaced by a unique pattern.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Obito's eyes remained that way for a few seconds. Long enough for everyone to understand what they were seeing.
Then he turned his body.
With a single leap, he disappeared through the roof of the residence.
The elder remained motionless. For a moment, he even questioned whether that had really happened.
Or if he was hallucinating.
'That... Was that really a Mangekyō Sharingan?'
"He has those eyes..." Morzan murmured. His voice was filled with disbelief.
"What was that, sir?" one of the Uchihas beside him asked cautiously.
Morzan continued staring at one of the walls destroyed by the body of the shinobi Obito had thrown.
"Those are the most powerful eyes of the Uchiha Clan." His voice came out low. "The same eyes that Mikoto-sama possesses." His eyes returned to the doorway.
"The same eyes that elevated the Uchiha name once again." He closed his eyes for a moment.
"And it seems another seedling has blossomed under the guidance of Minato Namikaze." When he spoke that name, there was a special weight in his voice.
Another exceptional Uchiha was emerging. Once again because of that man.
"What is happening?" Morzan truly did not understand.
"Grandpa..." Suzuki approached with a worried look.
She looked at the ninjas lying across the hall while some tried to get up amid groans of pain. She still could not believe that an eleven-year-old boy had done that to trained adults.
Morzan took a deep breath. "We need to gather the elders immediately." That was all he said.
He was not a fool. He knew he did not possess enough influence to bring that boy under his control. But the other elders needed to understand this.
They needed to understand that they could not repeat the same mistake they had made with Mikoto. They could not allow another power of that magnitude to completely slip away from the clan.
Meanwhile, Obito decided not to leave Uchiha territory immediately. It was obvious those men would inform the elders.
So he entered an empty alley. He activated his Sharingan, and the Kamui vortex appeared before him. The next instant, Obito vanished into his dimension.
It was only a way to delay them. He knew that after what he had shown, it would not take long before they started looking for him again.
He had revealed those eyes for only one reason. He wanted them to show respect. He wanted them to understand that he was not a naive child to be manipulated by political games.
Much less someone who would agree to be used as a spy to obtain information about his own sensei.
Obito was not stupid. He knew that Minato understood the Sharingan deeply. In fact, many of the tips he received came directly from him.
Some explanations were so detailed that not even Mikoto would have been able to provide them. That was why the idea that all of that knowledge came only from her was a lie. After all, it had been Minato himself who had helped her evolve since her Academy days.
Obito appeared in another part of the village and finally decided to enjoy his walk in peace. After deactivating his Sharingan, he began walking normally through a quieter area.
Little by little, his thoughts calmed down. Then his eyes rose to the carved faces of the Hokages on the Stone Monument.
Would his image be up there one day as well?
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters! [100%]
👑 HOTD: Jon Arctic! 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡HP - Jon Arctic as Severus Snape! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! Finished! [100%]
⚡Danmachi – The Alchemist! [Coming Soon.]
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆