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Night.
Konoha.
Uchiha Clan Estate, Fugaku's Villa.
Two clan elders arrived together, and the Fire Release clone-Fugaku-was receiving them in a reception room.
"Please leave."
After the servant poured tea for the three, Fugaku waved his hand.
The servant bowed and left, closing the door behind him.
As soon as the door shut, the elder representing the radical faction slammed his hands on the table, leaning forward with a cold expression, and questioned Fugaku, "Clan Leader, why didn't you push for the clan's ninja to be sent to the front lines at today's Hokage meeting?"
Today, the Hokage again summoned all clan leaders for a war mobilization meeting, demanding more ninja from each great clan be dispatched to the Land of Earth's front to strive for the annihilation of Iwagakure.
Yet, the Uchiha clan was still excluded.
The great ninja war had been ongoing for a year, and the Uchiha clan remained confined to Konoha, with only a few recent ninja academy graduates given permission to fight on the front.
This caused much dissatisfaction within the clan. Why must the Uchiha always guard the home?
Without the honor of war, how could they become Hokage?
The key issue was that their clan leader didn't fight for them, leaving everything to the Third Hokage's monkey-like arrangements.
This made the radical elder feel deceived by Fugaku's clone-this guy had no intention of restoring the Uchiha clan's glory.
"Don't be impatient, Elder."
Fugaku's clone smiled, gently nudging the tea cup before the radical elder, saying, "Drink first, then listen."
"Right, why rush? The clan leader has his own plans." The conservative elder beside chimed in soothingly.
He was also anxious about Konoha's refusal to send Uchiha ninja to war.
After all, it was the Third Hokage's distrust and exclusion of the Uchiha.
But he chose to trust the young clan leader before him, confident he had a different solution.
"Not impatient enough!"
The radical elder stood abruptly, pointing at the conservative elder. "At this rate, who will remember the Uchiha clan's former glory? Who will care about the clan's interests?"
The conservative elder was speechless. Though conservative, he wanted the Uchiha to integrate into Konoha. But continued discrimination would eventually separate the Uchiha from the village-a situation he had long tried to avoid.
"What does the clan leader say?" The conservative elder could only look to Fugaku's clone.
The radical elder's gaze also fixed on Fugaku's clone.
Fugaku's clone remained calm, sipping tea lightly. "Sit."
The radical elder's eyes flashed with anger but, faced with Fugaku's calm gaze, he shuddered inwardly and sat obediently.
"This guy's power has grown again!"
The radical elder felt both fear and secret joy. Having a strong clan leader was always good.
If only this leader were a bit tougher.
"Don't worry about the clan not going to war."
Fugaku's clone smiled. "We don't need to fight for it. Soon enough, the Third Hokage will beg the Uchiha clan to go to war."
Kenshi wouldn't let Konoha be so easy. Otherwise, how would he create opportunities for Madara, setting the stage for Obito's darkness and awakening the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan?
"We just need to wait quietly." Fugaku's clone said.
Upon hearing this, the radical elder frowned, suspicious. "Could the other three great nations' Hidden Villages attack us?"
The conservative elder pondered.
This ninja war was arguably the best start Konoha had seen since the first and second wars.
No Hidden Village attacked Konoha. Around the Land of Fire, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure were at odds. Iwagakure was simultaneously fighting Sunagakure, Konoha, and Kumogakure.
Because of this rare perfect start, the Third Hokage wanted to concentrate most forces to first annihilate Iwagakure.
That way, even if the other three great Hidden Villages besieged Konoha later, Konoha would have greater strength to respond.
At least better than fighting all four great Hidden Villages at once, as before.
But precisely because of this good start, the Third Hokage kept the Uchiha clan suppressed within Konoha. Other clans wouldn't want their members risking death in battle.
After all, suppressing the Uchiha was to reduce the number of people sharing the big cake.
If there was no big cake to share, but costs to pay, other clans wouldn't want to sacrifice while the Uchiha sat safely behind.
So, the Third Hokage would only beg the Uchiha to join the war when multiple Hidden Villages attacked and Konoha couldn't cope without the Uchiha's strength.
But now, the other three great Hidden Villages showed no sign of attacking Konoha.
The two elders couldn't understand where Fugaku's clone's confidence came from.
Fugaku's clone didn't explain, just told them to go back and wait.
The elders, helpless before Fugaku's clone's authority, could only leave.
After they left, Fugaku's clone returned to the main bedroom.
"The elders came to see you again."
Uchiha Mikoto, holding a baby, greeted him, freeing one hand to remove Fugaku's outerwear and close the door.
Since the war began, the elders often came to see her husband; Mikoto was used to it.
"Mm." Fugaku's clone nodded, smiling as he stretched out both hands. "Come, my Itachi, let father hold you."
Uchiha Itachi had been born, though it was unknown whether his father was Fugaku's clone or Kenshi in the body of a former Iwagakure Jonin.
Regardless, Kenshi named the baby Uchiha Itachi.
He wanted to see if this Itachi would have the same prodigious filial piety as in the original story.
Uchiha Itachi stared curiously at his father with big eyes.
Fugaku's clone, captivated by those eyes, held his son with one arm and drew Mikoto's slender waist close with the other, placing the baby on her back.
"The carousel begins, little Itachi!"
"Husband… wait…"
"Itachi… not yet… can't…"
"Huff…"
Soon, Mikoto lost her ability to speak, responding only with rhythmic movements.
"Ya ya… hahaha…"
Sensing the unique rhythm, the "one against seven" baby laughing on his mother's back, Fugaku's clone laughed too.
"Happy?"
"Having fun?"
Father and son laughed joyfully, while Mikoto, caught in the middle, silently bore it, tears streaming down her face.
An hour later.
The family's harmonious scene ended. After Mikoto cleaned Fugaku's clone, he went to his training room.
Beauty was a passing interest; to Kenshi, improving strength was paramount.
In the training room, Fugaku's clone sat cross-legged, hands clasped in midair, a flame burning between them.
The flame's color was strange.
Not orange-red, nor white, but a dull gray.
The flame's temperature was high, but its light was faint.
Without the training room's lighting, the gray flame in Fugaku's clone's hands might be invisible.
"Almost there!"
Watching the gray flame, Fugaku's clone accelerated refining its nature changes, murmuring.
This gray flame's chakra nature change intensity was already comparable to a bloodline limit.
It possessed powerful burning ability and high temperature, breaking free from basic chakra nature restrictions, becoming a new Fire Release chakra nature.
But it still fell short of Kenshi's desired bloodline limit-level Fire Release ninjutsu.
Once he integrated the high-temperature nature into the burning trait, it would become the bloodline limit-level Fire Release chakra Kenshi sought.
His Fire Release chakra followed the path of Amaterasu flames, emphasizing all-consuming burning properties.
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