"Is it too early to be teaching Sasuke swordsmanship?" Itachi asked, naturally recognizing Kawasaki's sword. It was a fine blade, said to be part of Lord Orochimaru's collection.
Kawasaki waved a hand dismissively. "When you were his age, you were already fighting on the battlefield. The earlier he learns, the sooner he masters it."
Itachi said no more.
Sasuke had taken a liking to the sword from the moment he saw it. He played with it for a moment, unable to put it down, before drawing the blade from its sheath. The steel was bright, its edge glinting with a cold light.
"Thank you, sensei!"
As expected, children were easy to please. A smile instantly broke out on Sasuke's face.
…
Within the Uchiha Clan compound, Kawasaki exchanged simple greetings with everyone before walking into Fugaku's bedroom.
Fugaku was sitting on his bed, his eyes open. The irises were a pale gray, most of his vision gone. Hearing footsteps, he turned toward the source of the sound. "Is that you, Kawasaki?"
Fugaku could only make out silhouettes now, but he guessed it was him.
"Clan Head, how did you end up in such a sorry state?" Kawasaki's tone was light and cheerful, showing no hint of sadness for Fugaku's condition.
Fugaku managed a relaxed smile of his own. "I had intended to capture Obito, but he managed to escape in the end."
Kawasaki shook his head. Obito had brought a great disaster upon the Uchiha Clan. If not for his own intervention, the Uchiha might have ceased to exist. Fugaku had been unwilling to let Obito go, but he had acted alone without consulting him.
The story was that Fugaku and Obito had engaged in a battle of dōjutsu, resulting in mutual injury. Looking at Fugaku's eyes, they were nearly ruined. Obito, on the other hand, was likely recovering quickly thanks to the enhancement of Hashirama's cells. His power had probably increased significantly, especially now that he had reclaimed the eye from Kakashi. His strength must have seen a remarkable improvement.
Kawasaki had returned early precisely because he feared Obito would make a comeback.
"I set up a summoning formation for you. Why didn't you summon me? Or even Itachi and Shisui would have done." Kawasaki wasn't blaming him; he simply wanted to understand Fugaku's thoughts.
Fugaku sighed. "Itachi and Shisui are too young. I was afraid something might happen to them. As for not summoning you…" He paused. "I haven't contributed much to the clan. You, on the other hand, have always been working for our future. After seeing what the future held, I felt so inadequate. I am also very grateful to you. Since I had already decided to give my eyes to Itachi, I had no regrets. I thought my preparations were sufficient, so I activated the Space-Time Sealing Formation. I never expected Obito's Wood Style to be so powerful. We were instantly short-handed. And after the sealing ended, I didn't anticipate he would have reinforcements. I fell unconscious after that, and the enemy retreated, so I couldn't summon you in time."
Fugaku slowly explained everything to Kawasaki.
"We are all Uchiha, all working to make the clan stronger," Kawasaki said, comforting him. "Don't sell yourself short. You led the Uchiha without suffering any major losses. There's no need to talk of regrets. Itachi isn't even married, and Sasuke is still a child. There is a long road ahead. You have yet to witness the Uchiha become the strongest power."
Although Fugaku had indeed had a difficult time as clan head, the Uchiha Clan still stood strong thanks to Kawasaki's intervention. There was no need for him to be so hard on himself. Fugaku hadn't wanted to risk Itachi and Shisui and had underestimated Obito, which led to this outcome. No one was perfect; it was understandable that he would think that way. What was done was done, and the impact wasn't severe. The clan's losses were minimal; the only real problem was that their trump card, the Space-Time Sealing Formation, had been exposed.
Kawasaki's words brought a trace of warmth to Fugaku's heart.
"You've completely exhausted your visual prowess," Kawasaki remarked playfully.
Fugaku was philosophical about it. "It doesn't matter. I'd already decided to leave my eyes for Itachi anyway."
Kawasaki activated his Sharingan to examine Fugaku's eyes. "You overexerted them before. You need to rest now."
"It's fine," Fugaku said. "Since you're back, you should take the dōjutsu from the Transcription Seal as well."
Fugaku was only able to see silhouettes because a remnant of Kawasaki's dōjutsu remained in his eyes. Once it was removed, Fugaku would be completely blind.
"Alright." Since Fugaku had made up his mind, Kawasaki didn't stand on ceremony. The clan needed him now, and whether Fugaku could see was not important. Blindness was inevitable, and he had to preserve his eyes. Once his body recovered and Itachi met the conditions, they would proceed with the Eternal Mangekyo fusion. Leaving the dōjutsu in Fugaku's eyes would hinder the recovery of his own Mangekyo.
Kawasaki had only discovered after partitioning his dōjutsu that the process wasn't as simple as just giving a portion to an Eternal eye to restore it. The total amount of his dōjutsu was also limited.
Kawasaki's hand covered Fugaku's eyes, and a familiar visual prowess began to emanate from them. As he pulled his hand back, the intangible power was stripped away with the technique. Kawasaki gently touched his own eyes, and as the technique flowed, the dōjutsu slowly entered them. Instantly, his eyes felt refreshed. With his power made whole again, his vision felt completely renewed.
But now was not the time to think about that. With the dōjutsu from the seal removed, the light in Fugaku's eyes faded completely.
"Clan Head, how are your eyes now?"
Fugaku stared ahead with his dimmed eyes, looking left and right. "It's completely black now," he said calmly. "So this is what blindness feels like."
"You'll have to endure it for a while, Clan Head. Itachi's body is not yet ready to fuse with your eyes," Kawasaki said.
Fugaku waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. You're back now, so I'll hand over the position of clan head to you."
Kawasaki had already agreed before he left, but now that Obito had regained his left Kamui eye, the threat had grown. Certain plans had to be accelerated. "No problem. But when I take over as clan head, I need to make a big announcement."
Fugaku turned an ear toward him, puzzled. "Don't you hate that sort of trivial business?"
"I do," Kawasaki said with a sigh, "but Obito has his eye back. We have to be proactive and eliminate Danzo, who is always working against us. Only by removing that thorn can we negotiate a trade of interests with the Third Hokage."
Fugaku frowned. Danzo had been targeting them for years. He had been dismissed from his post only to be reinstated. This was all because the Third Hokage protected him, even tolerating Danzo's assassination attempts. It was extremely difficult for outsiders to get rid of Danzo for good. Dealing with him would be no easy task.
Kawasaki knew full well about the Third Hokage's protection of Danzo, but Hiruzen was far from the simple man he appeared to be. From the time Fugaku became clan head until his death at Itachi's hands in the original timeline, it was clear he lacked a certain wisdom. If Fugaku had been even slightly more astute, he wouldn't have allowed the entire clan to be massacred, nor would he have died at the hands of his own son. Fugaku's understanding of the Third Hokage and Danzo was only superficial.
Since Kawasaki had already accumulated enough capital for the Uchiha, it was time to make a move. He felt it was necessary to analyze the Third Hokage for Fugaku, to elevate his political acumen. He couldn't accomplish everything on his own; Fugaku couldn't just stand by.
"Fugaku, your understanding of the Third Hokage is too shallow."
Fugaku knew this himself. When it came to politics, he was essentially clueless. That was why he had always followed Kawasaki's strategies. Now that Kawasaki was back, he was eager to hand over the leadership. Kawasaki was simply better at the job. Seeing that Kawasaki intended to dissect the Third Hokage's mindset, Fugaku adopted an attitude of respectful attention.
Kawasaki cleared his throat. "When the Third Hokage first took power, he and Danzo played good cop, bad cop, working together to suppress the major clans. They weakened the strength of every family, greatly consolidating the power of the Hokage and the upper echelons."
Fugaku nodded silently. It was true. When the Third took office, the village was filled with powerful clans. "Especially the Senju Clan, from which the First and Second Hokage hailed. The wealth and legacy they left behind were immense. If Tobirama hadn't died unexpectedly and the Senju heir had not been so young, the position of Third Hokage would never have fallen to Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Kawasaki continued, "While the Third had many things he couldn't do himself, he could leave them to Danzo. But this inadvertently allowed Danzo's power to expand. Of course, the Third had his own selfish motives. While suppressing other clans, he also favored his own, giving the Sarutobi Clan many benefits. Danzo's methods were different. On one hand, he made empty promises to the Shimura clan. On the other, he squeezed their resources, secretly funneling them into his own forces. As a result, Danzo's subordinates were all die-hard loyalists, their allegiance to him far exceeding their loyalty to the village. As Danzo's power swelled, his actions became more and more unscrupulous. In the process of suppressing the clans, some unexpected things happened. For example, Sakumo Hatake's suicide."
Fugaku was shocked. "Danzo was behind Sakumo Hatake's death? Didn't he kill himself?"
Kawasaki gestured dismissively. "The Hatake Clan evolved from a samurai family; they value honor above all else. How could the Third not know how damaging public opinion would be to them? How did those rumors spread? It was the work of Danzo's Root. With such a storm brewing in the village, could the Third have been oblivious? It's clear that Danzo's actions had his tacit approval."
Fugaku's brow furrowed. "But didn't Sakumo Hatake's death weaken Konoha's strength?"
Fugaku had a point. During the Second Great Ninja War, Sakumo Hatake's blade struck fear into the hearts of the Sand Village. He was directly responsible for the deaths of Sasori's parents, which sowed the seeds for the Third Great Ninja War.
Kawasaki chuckled lightly. "No one is perfect. How could the Third Hokage foresee everything? He just wanted to reprimand Sakumo Hatake; he never expected the man would commit suicide directly."
"The Third Hokage was planning his succession very early on. He tasked Danzo with suppressing the clans while he himself supported shinobi with no clan background. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and later Minato were all examples of this."
Fugaku couldn't help but ask, "What about Tsunade?"
"Taking Tsunade as a student was a matter of necessity," Kawasaki replied. "After all, you're the Third Hokage, and she's the granddaughter of your teacher. You can't just not take her, can you?"
Fugaku nodded in agreement.
"By the middle of the Third's reign, his objectives were mostly achieved. Although neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya were suitable candidates for Hokage, under the inheritance of his 'Will of Fire,' Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze, became the successor to this spirit. When Minato took power, everything was still within the Third's control. After all, Minato had no clan backing and a jinchuriki for a wife. With Orochimaru and Jiraiya out of the running, Minato was naturally the best choice. As soon as Minato took office, the Third allowed him to establish his own Anbu, loyal to the Fourth Hokage. But he never disbanded his own Anbu, keeping it firmly in his grasp. This shows he never fully relinquished power."
"However, Obito's instigation of the Nine-Tails attack completely disrupted the Third Hokage's plans. This was the key turning point when Konoha began its decline from prosperity, and it was the beginning of the increasing hardships for our Uchiha Clan."
"Mm," Fugaku grunted in acknowledgement. The Nine-Tails attack had undoubtedly pushed the Uchiha Clan into an abyss.
"The political maneuvers used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, were very shrewd. He established the Military Police Force and entrusted it entirely to our clan. This was the highest honor, unique among all the clans. But its real purpose was to permanently exclude the Uchiha from Konoha's leadership, to marginalize our existence."
Fugaku lamented, "Indeed. When the Second ordered the formation of the Military Police, the whole clan felt honored. Who would have thought it was a ploy?"
Kawasaki smiled. "That move perfectly balanced the Uchiha's vanity with Konoha's overall interests. Tobirama's intention was for the Uchiha to become immersed in their honor, gradually weakening our strength. If Tobirama hadn't died so suddenly, the Uchiha Clan might have been wiped out long ago. Neither the Third nor Danzo has Tobirama's vision. Coupled with the Nine-Tails attack, their suppression of our Uchiha Clan became much more overt."
To avoid suspicion during the Nine-Tails attack, Fugaku had followed Danzo's orders to protect the non-combatants during the evacuation. Unexpectedly, this led the villagers to mistakenly believe the Uchiha Clan had not participated in the battle. Danzo used this opportunity to relocate the Uchiha to the edge of the village, planting the seeds for their later rebellion.
Kawasaki took a sip of tea to wet his throat before returning to the topic of the Third Hokage.
"Although the Third's 'de-clanification' policy was already showing results, the Nine-Tails attack resulted in the sacrifice of a large number of elite shinobi. The deaths of his greatest supporter, Minato, and the jinchuriki, Kushina, were all beyond the Third's calculations."
"Faced with internal and external troubles, Danzo once again proposed Orochimaru as the Fifth Hokage. Danzo had colluded with Orochimaru during the selection of the Fourth Hokage, so the Third rejected it outright. The reason for the rejection was that Orochimaru would never be under his control and might even side with Danzo. At this point, Danzo was no longer the Third's assistant, but his enemy. Therefore, the Third Hokage had no choice but to come out of retirement and take over the Anbu that Minato had established. Combined with the Anbu he already controlled, he was able to stabilize the situation."
Fugaku frowned in thought. "Then what about Orochimaru's defection?"
Kawasaki chuckled. "How could the Third be unaware of Orochimaru's forbidden experiments? He knew perfectly well. It's just that the Third needed Orochimaru's strength. For instance, after the Fourth's death, when Iwagakure made small-scale provocations, Orochimaru contributed a great deal. But the Third never expected that Danzo, seeing that he still wouldn't relinquish power after the Fourth's death, would start undermining him. He kept adding fuel to the fire regarding the forbidden human experiments, both coveting the power of Wood Style and completely pulling Orochimaru onto his side. By the time the Third discovered it, Orochimaru had already defected. Due to his personality, Orochimaru offered no explanation. Compounded by Danzo's deliberate slander, the Third Hokage decided to abandon Orochimaru from then on. The Third didn't know the full extent of Danzo and Orochimaru's cooperation."
"But by this time, Danzo had already secured the position of Hokage's Assistant and controlled an innumerable number of Root members. To maintain stability in Konoha, the Third had to adopt an attitude of tolerance toward Danzo. The Third Great Ninja War had just ended, and our Uchiha Clan was facing frequent ostracism. Dissatisfaction among the clansmen was widespread. The idea of reform was known to almost everyone. Even that boy Shisui used to trust the village. If Danzo hadn't acted decisively and stolen Shisui's eye first, our Uchiha Clan might have fallen into despair long ago."
Fugaku knew Shisui's personality well. In the past, Shisui was a complete pacifist. When the radical and conservative factions within the clan were at odds, Shisui was the staunchest supporter of peace. At that time, Fugaku didn't know what possessed him, but he decided to try Kawasaki's method, and the results were unexpected. Kawasaki perfectly resolved Danzo's targeting of the Uchiha, successfully countering him and even winning back Itachi, who had already begun to waver. In the several clashes between Kawasaki and Danzo that followed, each one ended in Danzo's crushing defeat.
"So, when we Uchiha relinquished our power before, it was to balance the situation?" Fugaku asked.
Seeing Fugaku begin to think more deeply, Kawasaki was pleased. He knew all of this only because he had the advantage of foresight. The future development of the clan couldn't rely on his wisdom alone. Many hands make light work, after all.
"By removing the threat of the Uchiha and relinquishing our power, we stepped out of the game set up by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, saving our people through an indirect route," Kawasaki explained further. "After all, if we Uchiha are no longer involved in police work, then any problems with the Military Police can't be blamed on us."
"Therefore, when we previously handed over our power in exchange for suppressing Danzo, the Third was more than happy to oblige. To him, Danzo himself had become difficult to control, so he helped us sanction him. And after Danzo's Root was disbanded, the speed of our Uchiha Clan's development must have exceeded the Third's expectations."
Fugaku nodded.
Kawasaki's arrangements in the Land of Rice Paddies had allowed the entire Uchiha Clan to charge forward like an untamed horse, completely unstoppable.