With Itachi's matter settled for the time being, Uchiha Ren didn't rush to leavec
He glanced at Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui, whose expressions were still heavy. Seeing that neither of them seemed inclined to speak further, Ren felt a bit puzzled.
He spoke in a low voice, "By the way… aside from Itachi's issue, isn't there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Something else?"
Fugaku blinked in confusion, not thinking he had overlooked anything.
Shisui, however, suddenly smiled and said,
"Brother Ren , there actually is good news. Sister Mikoto is pregnant again. Itachi is going to have a younger sibling!"
Shisui looked extremely happy.
Beside him, Itachi, who had been somewhat uneasy earlier, also revealed an excited smile.
Ren stared at Shisui's foolish grin, a vein practically popping on his forehead.
What does Itachi getting a sibling have to do with you? Why are you smiling like that? You'd think the child was yours.
At that moment, Fugaku also forced out a faint smile.
"Actually, we should thank you for this, Ren . If you hadn't reminded Mikoto to get a physical checkup as well, I wouldn't have known she was pregnant."
"The doctor said she's already been pregnant for nearly a month. It's still a delicate stage, so she needs proper rest."
"Ren , stay for dinner later. Mikoto and I would like to thank you properly."
If not for Itachi's situation, Mikoto's pregnancy would have been an enormous joy for the Fugaku household.
But with Itachi's illness weighing on their hearts, even the happiness of a new life arriving felt somewhat muted.
Still, regardless of anything else, the coming of a new life was worth celebrating.
Ren slowly shook his head and looked straight at Fugaku.
"And?"
"And?" Fugaku repeated blankly. "What else is there?"
Ren sighed in exasperation and reminded him,
"This morning, didn't Hiruzen Sarutobi summon you to the Hokage Tower again? Did nothing unusual happen?"
"Something unusual?"
Fugaku frowned and thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"They still wanted me to voluntarily give up the compensation and rewards. But as you suggested, I said the Elders' faction within the clan strongly opposes it and asked them to give me more time."
"Other than that, nothing happened."
After dealing with Hiruzen earlier that day, Fugaku had stopped by Konoha Hospital to collect the medical reports for Itachi and Mikoto.
The one piece of bad news and one piece of good news had completely thrown his mind into chaos. He hadn't had the energy to pay attention to anything else.
Ren then turned to Shisui.
"And you? Did you notice anything unusual?"
Shisui shook his head.
"I spent the morning training at the clan training grounds. After Lord Fugaku called me over, I've been here the whole time."
Ren sighed again.
With how slow the Uchiha clan was to notice things like this, it was no wonder Hiruzen and the others had them firmly under control.
Seeing this, Ren stopped beating around the bush.
"When I went out today, I heard quite a few rumors."
"Hiruzen and the others have probably already made their move against us."
"Rumors?!" Fugaku's expression tightened. "What kind of rumors?"
Shisui and Itachi also looked over in confusion.
Ren explained calmly,
"Things like how the Uchiha are cold and ruthless, how we disregard our fellow villagers, how we've become arrogant because of our battlefield achievements… things like that."
"For now, the rumors are still somewhat contained. But if they continue spreading…"
"The Uchiha clan will soon become public enemies in Konoha."
Fugaku might have been slow to react, but he wasn't stupid. He immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
"They're trying to force my hand."
Itachi listened quietly. Though he didn't fully understand everything, he could tell it involved the growing conflict between his clan and the village.
His brow furrowed slightly.
Shisui said worriedly,
"The Uchiha clan already has a bad reputation in the village. If they stir things up like this, our position will only become even more difficult."
Fugaku's face darkened further as he looked toward Ren .
"Does that mean we have no choice but to bow our heads to them?"
Ren shook his head slightly.
"Even if we bow now, it's already too late."
"This may have been authorized by Hiruzen, but the one actually carrying it out is definitely Shimura Danzō."
"And even if we were willing to compromise, Danzō might not stop."
"Besides… the mud has already been thrown at us. Even if he stopped now, the Uchiha would still be stained."
Fugaku clenched his teeth.
"That damned Shimura Danzō!"
Ren , however, remained calm. He had long expected something like this.
"Since the other side has already made their move, arguing about it now is pointless."
He raised two fingers.
"I currently have two strategies to deal with this situation."
"One is cautious."
"The other is aggressive."
"Which one do you want to hear first?"
Fugaku and Shisui exchanged a glance.
"Let's hear the cautious plan first."
Ren wasn't surprised by Fugaku's choice.
"The best way to deal with a rumor is to create an even bigger rumor to divert attention."
"As long as the villagers' attention shifts to a new topic, the matter concerning the Uchiha will naturally fade away."
"So the cautious plan is simple—we spread some rumors of our own and drag things out."
A flash of light appeared in Fugaku's eyes. Personally, he leaned toward the safer option.
But suddenly, Itachi asked,
"Then what about the aggressive plan?"
Ren glanced at him and thought to himself:
This kid really is something. He's got more guts than his father.
Ren answered directly,
"The aggressive plan is to push ourselves to the brink and then break through."
"We deliberately ignite the public opinion storm, bring all the contradictions out into the open, and force Hiruzen and the others to step in personally to resolve it."
"If handled properly, not only can we eliminate the hidden problems within the clan…"
"…we could also resolve all of the Uchiha clan's disputes within the village in one move and change how the villagers see us."
"But if something goes wrong…"
"The Uchiha clan will fall into complete and irreversible ruin."
Fugaku's expression stiffened.
The potential success of such a bold move sounded wonderful—but the phrase "irreversible ruin" carried far too much weight.
Even he hesitated.
After a moment, Shisui asked carefully,
"Brother Ren … how confident are you?"
Ren replied without hesitation.
"Ninety percent."
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