"We're here, this is the house where I live now."
Arriving at the Uchiha clan district, Fugaku pointed to a building and said, "We're here, this is where I live now."
"Why did the Uchiha clan move to such a remote place?" Tōshirō pretended to be puzzled. "It seems a lot has changed in the clan during my absence."
Tōshirō died a long time ago, so his influence on the future was relatively small, and most events were predictable.
Fugaku sighed. "It's a long story."
Tōshirō said with interest, "Oh, then I should definitely listen carefully."
Itachi was listening quietly. After hearing about the coup, Tōshirō's attitude would completely determine the future of the Uchiha clan.
After entering the house, Mikoto said with a smile, "You guys talk, I'll go prepare dinner."
Tōshirō smiled. "Thank you, then."
Mikoto shook her head. "It's me who should be thanking you. You took care of me a lot in the past."
"Then I'll help Mom."
The two men would probably talk now. Although Itachi wanted to know the content of their conversation, he could only excuse himself for now.
Fugaku told Itachi, "Leave that for now, you come with us."
A look of surprise flashed in Itachi's eyes. "Father…"
Fugaku was serious. "This is something you can't avoid in the end…"
Tōshirō's gaze shifted between the father and son.
Itachi lowered his head. "I understand…"
Fugaku said to Tōshirō, "Please excuse me."
Tōshirō just smiled. "Let's go."
Fugaku nodded and led Tōshirō and Itachi into his room.
Tōshirō casually found a place and sat down cross-legged.
Compared to Tōshirō's casual sitting posture, Fugaku and Itachi were much more formal, kneeling with their knees bent and their backs straight.
Tōshirō rested his chin on his hand. "Speak, what exactly happened to the Uchiha clan?"
"Itachi, you explain it."
Fugaku commanded, "Why did the Uchiha clan have to move to this remote place?"
"Father…" Itachi was a bit resistant.
Fugaku didn't say anything, but he looked at the resistant Itachi with a silent expression, as if he wanted to force his will onto his son.
Itachi gritted his teeth and gave up resisting. "I understand…"
Even if he didn't say anything, his father would tell Tōshirō and ask him to participate in the coup.
Tōshirō watched the father and son quietly.
Itachi closed his eyes, organized his thoughts, and explained the reasons why the Uchiha clan moved here from as objective and neutral a standpoint as possible. He also talked about the village's attitude toward the Uchiha clan, and how the clan, having endured enough, decided to stage a coup to achieve fair treatment.
As he spoke, he paid attention to Tōshirō's facial expression to gauge his opinion on the matter.
However, to his surprise, Tōshirō's expression barely changed throughout, as if he had already anticipated everything.
This made Itachi feel even more unable to see through Tōshirō, as if he were lost in a fog.
Fugaku complained, "The higher-ups in the village are going too far. The Uchiha clan can't back down anymore."
Sensing his thoughts, Tōshirō spoke leisurely, "So, you want me to help you participate in the coup?"
Itachi's heart sank.
If Tōshirō participated in the coup, the situation would escalate and develop in an unpredictable direction.
"Yes, with your help, the chances of the coup succeeding will greatly increase. By then, maybe you can even become the Hokage, Tōshirō."
Fugaku's eyes were burning as he looked at Tōshirō.
"Foolish!"
Tōshirō immediately scolded him, stunning Fugaku into silence.
Itachi looked at Tōshirō in surprise. He had thought Tōshirō would firmly support the coup.
Fugaku came back to his senses and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"
"Yes, and a very big one. Please use your brain and think carefully about what kind of impact this would have."
Tōshirō reprimanded, "Let's put aside the probability of the coup succeeding. Even if it miraculously succeeds, how will the other people in the village view the Uchiha clan?
"By then, the thought of the coup will be deeply etched into their minds and will never be forgotten. The so-called victory will be, at most, a temporary one, and when they strike back, the Uchiha will be doomed."
After Tōshirō analyzed the pros and cons, sweat broke out on Fugaku's face, and he lowered his head to admit his mistake. "It seems I was too naive."
Itachi looked over in surprise.
His usually tough and serious father was showing this kind of attitude.
Itachi had never seen this before in his life.
He had tried to tell his father and clan members about Tōshirō's line of thinking.
But at that time, the clan members were so blinded by the unfair treatment that they had no patience to listen to his ideas, and they would label him a traitor.
As a result, the conflict between them intensified, and their relationship dropped to a freezing point.
But Tōshirō was different. Both his strength and his experience surpassed any Uchiha clan member in this era, so everyone would listen to what he had to say.
Tōshirō said calmly, "It's good that you understand."
After being completely shot down by Tōshirō, Fugaku, even though he had realized his mistake, was still unwilling. "Does the Uchiha have to keep enduring this?"
Tōshirō's narrowed eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Who said I would let the Uchiha clan keep enduring?"
Sure enough, Tōshirō wouldn't be indifferent… Fugaku said with an excited tone, "Then…"
Tōshirō's wide eyes turned red, with a snowflake pattern appearing in them, exuding a murderous aura. "I will achieve my goal in my own way."
He remembered what those old men had done to him vividly.
Enduring?
That was impossible.
"This is…"
Fugaku and Itachi felt the air around them start to cool down. They couldn't help but wonder how powerful this Ice Release was.
The fact that he could do this without hand seals showed how high his Ice Release skill was; he had reached a state of mastery where his will became reality.
However, more than the cooling air, the two were truly surprised by the snowflake-like pattern in Tōshirō's eyes.
Itachi was a little better off since he had seen it before.
But Fugaku was different; this was the first time he had seen these eyes.
The pattern was different from the Three Tomoe; it was much more complex.
Fugaku thought of something, and both surprised and excited, his voice trembled. "The Mangekyō Sharingan…"
…
…
"I'm home…"
After school, Sasuke ran back home. He opened the door and called out as usual.
Hearing the voice, his kind and beautiful mother came to the entrance. "You're home exceptionally late today."
Sasuke took off his shoes and replied, "Yeah, I was training late."
Mikoto reminded him, "Wash your hands first; dinner is coming up."
"Okay."
Sasuke replied and noticed that his mother seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. He couldn't help but wonder, "Mom, you seem very happy today."
Mikoto smiled. "I am, because I met an old friend I haven't seen in many years."
Sasuke listened as he walked to the dining table and saw a large spread of dishes, his eyes lighting up. "Dinner is so luxurious today!"
Mikoto laughed. "That's because we have a guest at home."
Sasuke was stunned. "A guest?"
"Yes, a guest we haven't seen in a long time. He's talking with your father in the room right now."
"Okay."
Sasuke pouted, thinking that his brother was home, which was why there were so many dishes, and he was happy for no reason.
Mikoto saw the expression on Sasuke's face and guessed what he was thinking. She smiled and reminded him, "Oh, I almost forgot. Itachi is also at home today."
Hearing that his brother was home, Sasuke's previous gloom vanished, and his eyes lit up. "Is Brother home too?"
"Yes."
Mikoto covered her mouth and chuckled. "The guest will be staying here for the night, so you can sleep with Itachi."
"Yay, yay!"
Sasuke couldn't be happier. He loved this guest. "Where is Brother?"
"He's with your father in the room right now."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sasuke was gone in a flash. Mikoto couldn't stop him and just shook her head helplessly. "This child…"
Because he could see his beloved brother soon, Sasuke couldn't wait and ran to his father's room, even forgetting his usual manners. He yelled "Brother!" and as soon as he opened the door, a cold blast of air rushed out, making Sasuke shiver. "W-wow… it's so cold…"
Why was his father's room so cold?
Fugaku looked at him with an angry expression. "Sasuke…"
"I'm sorry, Father…"
At that moment, Sasuke noticed his long-missed brother next to his father.
Itachi showed a gentle expression to Sasuke.
It really is Brother… Sasuke was happy.
Tōshirō looked at the young boy, his eyes full of interest. He then asked Fugaku, "Fugaku, is this your second son?"
Fugaku nodded in confirmation.
Sasuke noticed the white-haired, blue-eyed third person in the room, his expression frozen.
Is this the guest Mom talked about?
He looks so young, and he called Father by his name just now…
As his mind was filled with questions, the white-haired, blue-eyed boy had already gotten up and walked toward him. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Tōshirō."
"Huh?"
Sasuke was stunned.
He had just learned about this name a while ago and remembered it quite well.
(End of Chapter)
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