Land of Fire — Konohagakure, Naka Shrine
Today was the Uchiha Clan's monthly assembly.
Officially, the gathering existed to strengthen ties between the clan's various branches and settle internal disputes.
Unofficially...
It was where they discussed how to increase the Uchiha's influence within Konoha's leadership—or, better yet, how to place an Uchiha in the Hokage's seat.
Although relations between the Uchiha and Konoha's higher-ups had grown strained, they had not yet deteriorated into open hostility.
It was more a case of mutual distrust and resentment.
Bang!
An elderly Uchiha with white hair, a long beard, and a deeply wrinkled face slammed the table before shooting to his feet. He glared at the clan head seated at the front, then swept an accusing gaze across the other elders.
His voice trembled with fury.
"The position of Second Hokage was personally handed to Tobirama Senju by Lord Hashirama.
"After Uchiha Kagami died, we could only watch Hiruzen Sarutobi become the Third Hokage. And now the Fourth Hokage has gone to Minato Namikaze.
"So where's that grand plan of 'secure the Second, contend for the Third, seize the Fourth'?
"What kind of garbage plan did you old fools come up with?
"Decades have passed, and this old man hasn't even gotten close to sitting in the Hokage's chair!"
As he spoke, he noticed every elder around him had either raised their head to study the ceiling or lowered it to stare at the floor.
Not a single one dared meet his eyes.
"What?
"Are you all planning to compete for the Fifth Hokage now?
"Minato Namikaze is only twenty-four this year. Looking at him, living another fifty years won't be difficult.
"Fifty years!
"By then, your sons will all be dead!"
---
Fugaku Uchiha let out a silent sigh.
Withdrawing his hands from his sleeves, he calmly looked at the furious elder.
As clan head, he had witnessed scenes like this countless times.
The Uchiha's emotions ran hot. Any slight frustration could trigger an explosive reaction, and some clan members challenged his authority over the smallest disagreements.
What a headache...
After a brief silence, Fugaku gestured for the elder to sit before sweeping his gaze across the hall.
Everyone attending today's meeting had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Elder Ryoichi," Fugaku said evenly, "please calm down and take your seat."
"I refuse!"
Ryoichi waved him off before marching toward another elderly man across the room. Grabbing him by the collar with both hands, he growled through clenched teeth,
"You old bastard. You're the one who came up with that 'secure the Second, contend for the Third, seize the Fourth' plan, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"And now it failed."
"Ryoichi, don't get worked up. This old man still has a backup plan."
"Backup plan my ass!
"My grandfather died following Lord Madara into Konoha."
Pah!
The old man spat, flecking the other's face with saliva.
---
Uchiha Asuka casually wiped the spit from his own cheek before glancing at the two bickering elders.
Then he looked up at the ceiling, his thoughts gradually drifting away.
He had lived in the ninja world for eighteen years.
When he first realized he'd transmigrated into the Uchiha Clan, he'd been ecstatic.
That excitement vanished immediately after his first birthday.
The Second Shinobi World War had claimed his entire family.
He was the only survivor.
When he turned three and had enough awareness to think for himself, he realized he had neither a cheat nor a system. His first instinct was to leave the Uchiha Clan and survive somewhere else.
In the worst-case scenario...
He could always become breeding stock for another hidden village and live comfortably.
Unfortunately, after studying the clan's history, he abandoned that idea.
Living under a false identity was one thing.
Selling his bloodline to another village was another entirely.
If he did that, Konoha would hunt him relentlessly, and the Uchiha themselves would never let him go.
On top of that, the Five Great Ninja Villages had a tacit agreement not to shelter rogue ninja from other villages.
Even if another village accepted him, there was every chance they'd simply harvest his bloodline before disposing of him.
Historically, Uchiha defectors had an unfortunate habit of mysteriously dying while walking down the road.
When Asuka read that part of the records, only one conclusion came to mind.
Black Zetsu.
That manipulative bastard was probably pulling strings behind the scenes to ensure the Sharingan—and, more importantly, Indra's bloodline—never escaped his control.
After abandoning the idea of becoming breeding stock, Asuka turned his attention to business.
A few days later...
He abandoned that idea as well.
The ninja world's technology tree was utterly insane.
Electricity existed.
Chakra-powered machinery existed.
Wind-powered technology existed.
Light bulbs, paper, and cement were all cheaper than they had been in his previous life.
Agriculture, medicine, and countless other industries relied less on machines than on people performing miracles with chakra.
There was simply no room for a transmigrator to revolutionize the economy.
With business no longer an option, Asuka devoted himself wholeheartedly to becoming a ninja.
People always said hard work could change destiny.
That saying didn't apply very well here.
In the ninja world...
Bloodline determined destiny.
He possessed one of the greatest bloodlines in existence.
From childhood, he trained diligently and studied every ninja art he could.
He believed that, at the very least, he would become someone extraordinary. Even if he couldn't match the strongest, he shouldn't end up much weaker than Uchiha Itachi.
At the very least...
He should have enough strength to protect himself.
Then he reached the battlefield.
Only then did he realize that comparing himself to Itachi was an insult to Itachi.
The gap was absurd.
---
Uchiha Itachi witnessed the horrors of war for the first time...
...and awakened the Sharingan.
Asuka witnessed the horrors of war for the first time...
...and froze in terror.
Uchiha Itachi gazed upon the corpses scattered across the battlefield and contemplated the meaning of life.
Asuka gazed upon the corpses scattered across the battlefield...
...and wondered whether he should defect immediately.
After all, swords and kunai didn't have eyes. Dying anonymously on a battlefield wasn't exactly appealing.
Uchiha Itachi watched a trusted comrade die before his eyes, causing his Sharingan to evolve and his strength to soar.
Asuka watched a trusted comrade die before his eyes...
...and gained nothing except stronger nerves.
---
Everything after that was painfully ordinary.
Academy.
Graduation.
War.
Awaken the Sharingan.
More war.
Awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
By the end of the Third Shinobi World War, he had become one of the few Uchiha jōnin in the clan.
That qualification finally earned him the right to attend clan meetings.
Meetings?
Looking at the group of old men arguing in front of him, the corner of Asuka's mouth twitched.
Before coming here, he had imagined an atmosphere filled with solemn discussions about the Hokage, Konoha's political future, and the Uchiha Clan's survival.
Instead...
The place was surprisingly lively.
The conversation could hardly be called related to the Hokage.
At best, it was only loosely connected.
Thinking about it, these elders had probably been arguing about the Hokage position for decades.
The novelty had long since worn off.
What a boring meeting.
Grrr...
His stomach growled loudly.
Wanting to end this tedious gathering as quickly as possible, Asuka stood and walked to the center of the hall.
Facing Fugaku and the assembled elders, he spoke.
"Elders, stop arguing.
"I have a way for the Uchiha Clan to produce the Fifth Hokage."
"Hm?"
The hall instantly fell silent.
Every elder turned toward him.
Recognizing him as one of the clan's newly promoted jōnin, Ryoichi raised an eyebrow.
"Go on, boy.
"Let's hear what brilliant idea your generation has come up with."
"My proposal..."
Asuka glanced around the room, rubbed his empty stomach, took a deep breath, and declared,
"Clan Head Fugaku...
"Why not divorce your wife and pursue Lady Tsunade, the current head of the Senju Clan?
"The Senju have already declined to the point where Lady Tsunade is their only remaining heir.
"If the Uchiha and Senju unite through marriage, then not only will the Fifth Hokage almost certainly come from our clan, but eventually the Senju bloodline itself will become part of the Uchiha.
"Back during the Warring States Era, countless clan members dreamed of annexing the Senju.
"If Clan Head Fugaku accomplishes that feat today...
"His achievement deserves to be carved into stone and passed down for generations."
The instant he finished speaking...
The entire hall became deathly silent.
If a pin dropped, it would have sounded louder than a shattered teacup.
Every elder looked back and forth between Fugaku and Asuka.
"Hmph."
A scar-faced elder rose to his feet.
Looking at Asuka, he said coldly,
"The great Uchiha Clan should never stoop to selling its clan head's body just to become Hokage.
"Even if this old man accepted such a ridiculous proposal, the others certainly wouldn't.
"And the clan head himself would never agree."
"Exactly."
A one-eyed elder nodded.
"What nonsense.
"Mixing the Uchiha and Senju together?
"Our plan to secure the Second, contend for the Third, and seize the Fourth may have failed, but that doesn't mean we can't fight for the Fifth Hokage."
"The hell are you talking about?!"
Ryoichi exploded, pointing at the one-eyed elder.
"When Lord Madara was still here, we fought for the Hokage position.
"Then the village was founded, and Lord Madara—and your fathers—handed the title to the Senju instead.
"So we shifted our sights to the Second Hokage.
"Then, less than two years later...
"Lord Madara left Konoha.
"Our sword broke.
"Later, Uchiha Kagami finally became the Second Hokage's bodyguard through his own efforts.
"We started aiming for the Third Hokage.
"Then he died on the mission to the Land of Lightning alongside the Second Hokage.
"Our newly repaired sword broke again.
"After that, at the end of the Second Shinobi World War, we hurriedly chose another candidate while Hiruzen's position wasn't stable.
"What happened?
"The idiot led our clan's ninja into battle for an entire year and won fewer fights than this old man visits the toilet.
"He destroyed the clan's reputation.
"Then came the Third Shinobi World War.
"The clan head finally had a chance to compete for the Fourth Hokage.
"So we sharpened our sword once more.
"Then that freak Minato Namikaze appeared.
"Our sword snapped before it even left the scabbard!"
Ryoichi swallowed, cleared his throat, then continued shouting,
"And now you still expect this old man to chase after the Fifth Hokage?
"Go to hell!
"If Clan Head Fugaku can become Hokage by marrying Lady Tsunade, then this old man supports it!
"When I reach the Pure Land, I'll kneel before Lord Madara myself and explain everything!"
The hall quickly split into two opposing camps.
The argument escalated so rapidly that it looked ready to turn into a full-scale brawl.
Asuka quietly backed toward the entrance.
Once outside, he gently closed the doors behind him.
"Tsk."
Listening to the chaos inside, he clicked his tongue.
The Uchiha really were mentally unstable.
And because everyone was mentally unstable, the clan's rules were surprisingly relaxed.
Members could speak freely during meetings.
If words weren't enough, they could settle disagreements with fists—or even ninjutsu.
His proposal for Fugaku to divorce Mikoto and marry Tsunade, thereby securing the Fifth Hokage through marriage, had perfectly ignited all the frustration left behind after losing the race for the Fourth Hokage.
Crazy bunch.
Without another glance back, Asuka walked away.
He had already made up his mind.
He would return home, pack his belongings, watch the Fourth Hokage's wedding...
...and then defect from Konoha.
Enough.
I'm done being stubborn.