"That was all very stupid of you," Hitori retorted, puffing on a pipe and destroying all the cigars she had hidden.
"I know, it was very inappropriate, and I wasn't thinking clearly at the time, but the war and that damn mission left me incredibly stressed, not to mention those two old fogies who talk about me and the clan as if they were invincible." I tried to defend myself, but not very well. "As powerful as I am, I'm human, and I can explode sometimes."
"But you had to explode in front of the advisors and the Hokage himself?" Hitori looked at me judgmentally as I just sank into the clan head's chair, feeling increasingly guilty.
I wasn't in my right mind when I went before the advisors and the Hokage, but they didn't give me time to calm down; I was just subjected to hearing the most horrible things imaginable.
"What's done is done; you can't change the past. I can only look to the future," I said, settling into my seat.
At that moment, the door burst open and a red splatter rained down on me, scattering the entire desk and sending papers flying.
"Miyu, it's been so long! I'm so glad you're okay," Kushina said, her voice a mix of joy and tears, leaving my face covered in snot.
"Ah, Kushina, you're crazy! You're getting me all dirty! Let me tidy up; we're going to fall!" I tried to keep my balance in the chair, but Kushina's jerking movements made it nearly impossible.
"I heard everything. It's not your fault Kosuke died; he loved you very much, so you don't have to feel tormented," Kushina began to chatter away.
"What the hell are you talking about? It's not my fault Kosuke died; in fact, it was mostly his fault, but you can't blame a dead man," I retorted.
Before I could finish speaking, Kushian stopped dead in his tracks.
"Wasn't it your fault?" he demanded.
"Wait a second, how could it be my fault when I didn't just get here that long ago? And how do you know these things?" I retorted.
The office fell into a deathly silence.
...
In the end, since they couldn't do anything to me directly, they didn't have to make the trip reliable; rumors about me started.
That I went against the rules, that I didn't help my comrades, that I attacked high-ranking officers, and, above all, that it was my fault Kosuke died. Sources? Wishful thinking; if they don't know, they make it up.
My accomplishments were minimized and, in a way, not mentioned at all. What I did in Suna: nothing. Keeping the enemy Tailed Beasts under control, silence. That I helped save thousands of lives, I don't think it ever happened.
Not to mention the other things. The Raikage's death wasn't attributed to me but to the team, with emphasis on Minato and Jiraiya.
That said, when Pedumaru is threatened, he does his job; well, it was also thanks to us, since right now, with their Kage defeated, Kumo is considering a treaty to end the conflict with Konoha.
As much as I'd like to do what I said, I can't anymore, and if I do, it might give those old folks even more reason to blame me for things that are now true.
Now, when I walked through the streets, people looked at me strangely; even some Uchiha glared at me, but that didn't last long. With one of the four villages withdrawing, the pressure of the war had lessened considerably, causing some ninja from the front lines to return to the village. Upon hearing these things, they themselves refuted some of my claims and started talking about what I had done.
"I see, that is, in a way, worrying," Kurenai commented when I told her about what was happening.
I had met with my team to discuss some details, such as their progress and review their specialties.
As soon as we reunited, they asked me to explain what had happened during this time, since rumors about me, both good and bad, were already circulating throughout the village and confusing people.
This was especially true among those who had personally experienced the war and had witnessed my power and achievements or heard the words of the advisors.
"That old man," the little monkey muttered through gritted teeth, biting his nails. "First he abandons his family, and now he spreads slander about his best shinobi. "
Raido and Kurenai could only look at Asuma with pity, as they knew about his family situation and his resentment toward his father.
"But we can do something if I start debunking these false rumors." He tried to come up with a quick plan, but I stopped him in his tracks.
"You have nothing to show for it; they're just rumors; they'll disappear with time." "Besides, if you persevere and don't let lies drag you down, the truth always comes to light," I told them.
"But…" Kurenai tried to argue, but I wouldn't let her.
"No buts. I came here to see how your skills are and how I can improve, not to have my reputation enhanced. Besides, I'm not alone in this," I reassured them with a confident smile.
And what I said was true.
…
During that time, I decided to dedicate the remaining time of the war to two things: economics and biology.
Thanks to the super-greenhouse I built, and given the wartime circumstances, the clan became the wealthiest in history, generating unprecedented income and profits from the greenhouse alone, not to mention our other businesses, both legal and illegal.
Now, with a chapter as significant as the Daimyo's own, I just have to wait for the war to end so I can seize foreign resources. In the meantime, I've been busy calculating, arranging, and refining new businesses and proposals.
With the mindset of civilians these days, it's easy to add things like taxes or interest without really understanding what they are, and they accept them without realizing that I'm permanently forcing them to pay more than they should.
With this, I practically have the entire commercial side of Konoha and a large part of the Land of Fire in the palm of my hand.
When the merchants realized this, they automatically forgot the rumors and began treating me like their boss, trying to curry favor or gain my approval so their businesses would prosper as well, since I had proven that those I disliked ended up bankrupt, living on the lawless side of Konoha, which was curiously also indirectly controlled by me.
As for the biology side of things, well, let's just say I'm experimenting.
While I was boasting about all the accomplishments I'd made in this short time, Junko arrived, opening the door somewhat frightened.
"Miss Miyu, the Uchiha clan patriarch is here and requests an urgent appointment," she said, sounding a bit alarmed.
I wasn't surprised, since, to be honest, I'd been expecting it for quite some time; he'd most likely returned from the front lines, leaving Hiashi in charge.
"Tell him to come over; it's been a while since I've spoken to him," I said, to which Junko nodded as she went to find the uninvited guest.
I got up to make myself a coffee, something that has helped me overcome my smoking addiction, and just to clarify, I never had an addiction; I just really like coffee; my words might sound incoherent, but they're not.
After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a somewhat tired and more gaunt Fugaku than usual.
"Oh, Fugaku, it's been a while. I see life is treating you well. Would you like some dihydrogen monoxide, H₂O, or how about water?" I offered, taking a sip of water from my cup.
"I'm not well, thank you very much; I didn't come to take up much of your time," Fugako stated calmly.
"Hmm, to the point, I don't see any problem with that; I imagine you've come to ask for compensation for Kosuke's death," I said.
"No, not really. Jiraiya came to talk to me earlier and told me about Kosuke. He told me what happened and how he sacrificed himself for you, since he was the one who asked me to send him with you, so he took responsibility for telling you what happened, so there's no resentment about that," he told me.
I didn't expect Jiraiya to do that; I see he was very concerned about the consequences of that event.
"Hmm, if it's not for that, then why did you come?" I asked him.
"I came to have you hand over Kosuke's body," he explained, trying to assert his authority as head of the clan.
I just looked at him to get up and make another coffee.
"You've already read Kosuke's will; I imagine you should have it, since you're the clan head, but he also gave me a copy," I said as I pulled out a copy of Kosuke's will and threw it on the desk.
Fugaku just glanced at the cover before looking back at me.
"I know what the will said, but an Uchiha's body is very important; it holds secrets, and not to mention that Kosuke possessed all three magatama. That's something the clan should see, not some foreigner who likes to experiment on human bodies," he tried to explain.
I just stared at him and took a few seconds to gulp down my coffee.
"I think you're too late, since I've already used Kosuke's body for my experiments," I confessed.
"What?! What did you do?!?" Fugaku exclaimed, jumping up to stand in front of me, his Sharingan activated.
I simply looked him straight in the eyes, smiling calmly, as if nothing were amiss.
"Oh, he's itching for a fight. It doesn't bother me, but I believe that if there's a clan war in the village, I'm perfectly capable of wiping out the Uchiha clan single-handedly," I declared.
I watched the magatama spin as Fugaku kept his eyes glued to mine.
After a few seconds, he looked away and sighed.
"So, what are you going to do?" I asked him.
Fugaku stared at the ground for a few seconds before looking back at me.
"Let me see what you did."
...
In my private laboratory, which only I could access, I was reviewing the data and comparing it to make sure everything was alright.
I glanced over and saw Fugaku staring intently at a test tube, unsure what to say.
"What's the point of all this?" he asked.
"I realized two things: the first is that I'm arguably the strongest in the village, and maybe even the world, but that... won't last forever," I explained as I walked over to stand beside him. "New generations are born to be the new hope, while I stay behind, holding it up so they can rise. As much as I'd like to do everything myself, I can't; that's why I need someone who can support me and even do things I can't. That's why I'm doing this."
Before us, in a test tube filled with liquid, was a creature, or more specifically, a baby about five months old.
"The second thing is that my mom wants a grandchild, since she kept dropping hints during the war, and unfortunately for her, I don't like men and I have no intention of carrying something in my belly for nine months," I said, looking at Fugaku.
"This is..." he stared at the growing baby, his expression a mixture of astonishment and fear on his face.
"A mix of Senju and Uchiha," I confirmed, looking at the creature. "I used my DNA and Kosuke's to make it."
"Since when?" he asked.
"I started as soon as I arrived in the village," I replied.
"Does anyone else know?" he asked again.
"Only one person, and that's Kushina," I replied again. "Don't worry, she won't say anything; I know it's better to keep this a secret."
Fugaku shifted his gaze from the baby to me.
"And what if the Sharingan awakens?"
"If it awakens, great, and if it doesn't, that's great too," I said, sitting down in a nearby chair. "Anything else you want to know?"
Fugaku just sighed.
"Are you going to keep using Kosuke's body?" he asked.
"No, but I'm keeping his eyes," I said, to which Fugaku looked visibly upset. "I don't need them, but those things over there, maybe I do."
"You treat a baby like that?" he said incredulously.
"Hey, I may not expel it from my vagina, but it's still my child, so I can call it whatever I want," I said, somewhat annoyed, to which Fugaku immediately fell silent.
Fugaku sighed again.
"Fine, keep the eyes; I feel like even if I'd tried to take them by force, I wouldn't have succeeded," Fugaku resignedly agreed, putting an end to all this.
"Alright, let's go back then," I said, visibly pleased.
More than anything, since those eyes were something unique, the dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
I'm not particularly interested in that power, and as I said, I'm already strong, and even if I am, I need allies I can trust, and what better option than trusting my own family?
I need that creature to be as strong as or stronger than me to have the best possible future, since I'm not sure I can handle the threats that lie ahead on my own.
Furthermore, if for some reason he awakens not only the Sharingan but also the Mangekyo Sharingan, with Kosuke's eyes, I can evolve it into the eternal one, and with my son's original eyes, since we share the same blood, those eyes might not reject me, and with my body, I shouldn't be blind.
"Hehe, hee hee, hee hee, hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," I started laughing maniacally as I thought about my grand plan, ignoring that Fugaku was still there and was looking at me as if I'd gone mad.