Chapter 18: The First Follower
As time passed...
The sun gradually climbed to the center of the sky.
Inside Konoha...
At the Naka Shrine...
Two Uchiha stood guard at the entrance.
Although their eyes remained fixed on the road outside...
Their ears were focused entirely on the heated argument raging inside.
"...Tsk."
One of them checked the time before leaning lazily against the doorway.
Glancing sideways at his companion, he remarked,
"They've been arguing for six hours already."
"Yeah."
The other guard stretched his arms before nodding.
"At this rate..."
"They'll probably spend the entire afternoon arguing too."
"I honestly don't understand why everyone's opposing it."
"I think Elder Ryōichi's talent cultivation plan isn't bad."
"Maybe they're just arguing for the sake of arguing."
"I heard yesterday's village meeting was exactly the same."
"One person interrupted another..."
"Someone grabbed someone else's sleeve..."
"Then another started pulling hair."
Just then...
The two spotted a small figure sprinting toward the shrine.
As soon as he arrived, the guards immediately straightened up.
"Youthful Clan Heir."
Itachi nodded politely while lifting the lunchbox in his hands.
Slightly out of breath, he asked,
"Is Father still inside?"
One guard jerked his chin toward the shrine.
"...He's still discussing matters with the jōnin."
"If you're going in..."
"...be careful."
"I understand."
Holding the lunchbox tightly...
Itachi slipped through the gate.
Before he could even steady himself—
Whoosh!
Something suddenly tore through the air.
Looking up...
He saw a chair flying directly toward him.
His pupils shrank.
Instinctively, Itachi leaned backward.
Supporting himself with both hands, he narrowly watched the chair skim past the tip of his nose before smashing into the wall behind him.
Bang!
Cracks instantly spread across the sturdy stone wall.
...The argument is even fiercer than usual.
Calmly dusting himself off...
Itachi picked up the lunchbox and continued walking inside.
This wasn't the first time.
He'd seen scenes like this countless times before.
The only dangerous period had been when he was two years old.
Now...
He was already four.
Besides...
He'd never liked clan meetings.
Hours of discussion...
Only for nothing to be decided.
What a waste of time.
---
"Old man!"
"You've got quite the imagination."
"You actually think you'll still be sitting there as the Seventh Hokage?"
"Asuka!"
"What do you know about planning?"
"A proper plan proceeds step by step."
"If we follow it carefully..."
"The Uchiha can eventually produce the Seventh Hokage."
"I want the Fifth."
"Why don't you make a plan that gets us the Fifth?"
"The Fourth Hokage isn't even dead yet..."
"And you're already planning for the Seventh."
"Your foresight is truly astonishing."
Hearing the increasingly heated shouting...
Itachi paused outside the meeting hall.
After a moment's hesitation...
He quietly knocked twice.
Knock. Knock.
Creak...
The door slowly opened.
The instant Itachi stepped inside...
He froze.
Dozens of pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan simultaneously turned toward him.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Clenching his teeth...
He forced himself to continue walking.
Reaching the head seat, he quietly placed the lunchbox before his father.
Then...
He silently retreated behind Fugaku and secretly observed the room.
One elder had a swollen nose.
Another's face was badly bruised.
Someone else's hair had been scorched black.
Another still had wisps of smoke drifting from the corner of his mouth.
...What a fierce battle.
The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched.
He quietly retreated another two steps.
Perhaps the Second Hokage wasn't entirely wrong.
The Uchiha really are...
Mentally unstable.
Not because normal people didn't exist within the clan.
Rather...
Normal people rarely became the strongest.
And gathered inside the Naka Shrine...
Were precisely the strongest members of the clan.
---
Standing atop a table...
Asuka casually glanced at Itachi before pulling a folded sheet of paper from his pocket.
Slowly unfolding it, he announced,
"This..."
"...is a collection of quotations."
"I compiled them after studying clan history."
"Especially the recorded conversations between Lord Madara and Lord Izuna."
"We study history..."
"...so we won't repeat it."
"We study the past..."
"...to understand the future."
Seeing everyone's attention shift toward him...
He cleared his throat.
Then began reading.
---
«Izuna:
"If we wish to seize authority within the village..."
"We must first devise convincing pretexts."
"Win over the Senju."
"Only then will the other clans support us."
"Afterward..."
"We divide power."
"Seventy-thirty."»
«Madara:
"Why only seventy?"»
«Izuna:
"The Senju receive seventy."
"We receive thirty."
"And we still have to follow the Senju's lead."»
«Madara:
"Whose lead?"»
«Izuna:
"His."
(Points at Hashirama's portrait.)»
«Madara:
"I came all this way..."
"...just to answer to them?"»
«Izuna:
"Yes."»
«Madara:
"I still have to invent excuses?"»
«Izuna:
"Yes."»
«Madara:
"Still have to court the Senju?"»
«Izuna:
"Yes."»
«Madara:
"Still have to look at their damned faces..."
"...only to receive thirty percent?"
"Wouldn't that make me nothing but a beggar kneeling on the ground?"»
«Izuna:
"If you insist on calling it that..."
"...then yes."
"But countless clans wish they had the chance to kneel."»
«Madara:
"Do you know why I activate Susanoo the moment I enter Senju territory?"
"Because my knees don't work."
"I refuse to kneel."»
«Izuna:
"Then Brother wishes to stand while fighting for power?"»
«Madara:
"Exactly."»
«Izuna:
"Then perhaps..."
"...you should return to the mountains."»
«Madara:
"I don't understand."
"I'm one of Konoha's founders."
"How did my position become worse than when the Uchiha stood alone?"»
«Izuna:
"To the other clans..."
"You're a founder."
"To the Senju..."
"You're merely a beggar on his knees."
"There's nothing shameful about fighting for power."»
«Madara:
"There is."
"It's damned shameful."»
«Izuna:
"Then choose."
"Do you wish to stand?"
"Or seize power?"»
«Madara:
"I'll stand."
"Then become Village Leader."»
«Izuna:
"You can't."»
«Madara:
"Can't?"»
«Izuna:
"Can't."»
«Madara:
"What about this?"
(Raises the Uchiha war fan.)»
«Izuna:
"Only if you kneel."»
«Madara:
"Then what about this?"
(Points at the Uchiha clan crest.)»
«Izuna:
"That works..."
"...in another village."»
«Madara:
"Then what if I use both?"»
«Izuna:
"Brother..."
"Where exactly does your confidence come from?"»
«Madara:
"...The Mangekyō Sharingan."»
---
Asuka lowered the paper.
Allowing everyone a moment to digest it...
He continued.
"You all know what happened afterward."
"Lord Izuna died at Tobirama Senju's hands."
"Lord Madara..."
"For the sake of peace..."
"Buried his brother's death deep within his heart."
"Then..."
"He joined forces with Hashirama Senju."
"And founded Konoha."
"Later..."
"Even the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't overcome the First Hokage."
"So why am I telling everyone this today?"
"Because..."
"Lord Izuna had already discovered the path toward an Uchiha Hokage."
"Win over the Senju."
"Then divide the authority held by the other clans."
---
The Uchiha attending this meeting might have been unstable...
But none were stupid.
After listening to Asuka's "Quotations of Lord Madara"...
Many quietly glanced toward Fugaku.
Whether Madara had actually said any of it...
No one knew.
But some of the older members had once personally followed Izuna.
And everyone knew...
Izuna had been one of the clan's rare clear-headed leaders after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It wasn't impossible...
That he'd once tried provoking Madara into rejecting peace with the Senju.
Most importantly...
The circumstances had changed.
Back then...
The Senju had been overwhelmingly powerful.
Cooperating with them meant becoming second in command.
Today...
Only one Senju remained.
An alliance now...
Might place the Uchiha in the leading position instead.
...Interesting.
Let's wait and see.
---
Asuka struck while everyone's thoughts were still unsettled.
"I still maintain my opinion."
"If the Uchiha wish to produce a Hokage..."
"We must first win over the Senju."
"Then gain the support of the entire village."
"So..."
He looked directly at Fugaku.
"Clan Head."
"For the glorious future of the Uchiha..."
"...when are you getting divorced?"
Fugaku's face immediately darkened.
Damn it...
This meeting was supposed to discuss Kumogakure.
Then somehow it became about the Hokage.
Now it's about my marriage again.
These people couldn't go three sentences without mentioning the Hokage.
And Asuka couldn't go three sentences without bringing up divorce.
Just as Fugaku was considering how to respond—
Someone stood up from the back row.
"Kudai?"
Yashiro frowned.
"What are you doing?"
His younger brother calmly picked up his own table.
"I'm changing seats."
Then he looked directly at his older brother.
"I don't hate the Senju."
"I only care about the future of our clan."
"Listening to that old man's plan..."
"I don't think I'll see results within fifty years."
"So..."
"Why shouldn't I try something different?"
"Kudai..."
Watching his younger brother calmly carry his desk toward Asuka...
Yashiro suddenly felt strangely emotional.
The little brother he'd protected for nearly twenty years...
Was finally walking away.
He was no longer the timid child who hid behind him.
But...
Following Asuka has no future!
Encouraging the Clan Head to divorce is completely immoral!
Seeing Kudai approach...
Asuka couldn't help laughing.
"Oh!"
"Kudai."
"You've come to exactly the right place."
"My team needs someone like you."
"...Huh?"
Kudai froze.
He looked at Asuka.
Then at himself.
Finally...
He looked behind them.
Two people.
Their "faction" now consisted of...
Exactly two members.
It was almost moving enough to bring tears to one's eyes.
---
In the end...
The clan meeting that had supposedly been called to discuss participation in the conflict with Kumogakure...
Eventually returned...
To the same old question.
How could the Uchiha finally produce a Hokage?
---
After the meeting ended...
Itachi hurried all the way home, carrying everything he'd witnessed.
Whoosh!
Reaching the kitchen...
He stopped neatly at the entrance.
Poking his head inside, he called quietly,
"Mother."
"I'm home."
"Itachi."
Mikoto turned around.
A gentle smile spread across her face.
Then...
She subtly glanced toward the Naka Shrine.
"The meeting lasted much longer than usual."
"They must have had a very lively discussion."
"...Mm."
Itachi hesitated.
One of the main reasons he'd stayed through the entire meeting...
Was because his mother had specifically asked him to tell her everything afterward.
Otherwise...
He would've left long ago.
Seeing the anticipation in her eyes...
Itachi carefully organized his thoughts.
Then faithfully recounted everything that had happened.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
The sound of vegetables being cut echoed through the kitchen.
As Itachi continued speaking...
Each chop became noticeably heavier.
"...Then..."
"...Mother..."
Watching the smile gradually disappear from Mikoto's face...
Itachi stood on tiptoe.
Pointing toward her hand, he said worriedly,
"...You cut your finger."
"It's nothing."
Mikoto calmly rinsed the blood beneath running water.
Then...
While forcing a smile...
She quietly reassured her son.
"...Cuts happen."
"When you're chopping vegetables..."
****
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