"Kagura, take this note back and deliver it to Lady Yayoi. Then return here to the base immediately. I have another task for you."
Inside the Kagenami Underground Base, Ka-jin spoke to a young Uzumaki shinobi, handing him a letter.
"Yes, Lord Ka-jin."
The young ninja accepted the note respectfully, tucked it away, and then asked, "Is there anything else you'd like me to relay to Lady Yayoi?"
She spoke in a flat, detached tone, her expression unreadable—she appeared to be the classic ice queen type at first glance.
"Then just tell her... Lord Haseo remains his usual self. That should suffice."
"I understand, Lord Ka-jin. I will return shortly. What about the guarding of Lady Yayoi's quarters?"
"There's no concern on that front for now. I'll remain stationed here at the base."
Ka-jin waved his hand, signaling Kagura to hurry off. He himself would stay behind. More importantly, he ultimately understood how things needed to be handled.
...
The next day, Haseo wandered alone through the village, aimlessly strolling until he reached the residential district of the Uchiha clan. Although Konoha had never imposed any rule requiring all Uchihas to live within a designated area, the Ninja Sect had always preferred to occupy its own "territory."
Although a small number of Ninja Sect members might scatter across other parts of the village, the majority of the clan typically chose to live together as a group.
Since Konoha's founding, while bloodline ties and clan loyalties have gradually weakened, the collective identity of being a "Konoha ninja" has grown stronger every day. However, even now, divisions still exist between different Ninja Sects and between these sects and Konoha itself.
This so-called "great unification" is still far from reality.
Besides, considering they are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths himself, why would they want to fully integrate with ordinary ninjas?
Thus, inevitably, clan values often overrode loyalty to Konoha, and internal clan affairs took precedence over village matters—as was exactly what had occurred during the Uchiha's internal unrest.
"It definitely looks pretty bad," Haseo mused, "but no matter how serious it seems, total ruin hasn't hit them yet."
He observed the war-damaged buildings and ruins left by the flames of conflict. As of now, the Uchiha had not yet begun to clean up—neither physically nor emotionally, most likely.
In normal terms, the Uchiha under such circumstances would be considered deeply devastated. But to Haseo, they were actually still doing relatively well—without comparison, there could be no sense of loss. Compared to a scenario where only one lone survivor—like a forsaken Sasuke—remained, the current state was clearly better.
Even if half or more had already been lost, the Uchiha still endured as a clan. They hadn't been reduced to just a single orphaned survivor.
That idea of Shimura Danzo conspiring with the Uchiha to stage a rebellion seemed utterly absurd to Haseo—it simply didn't add up. The two sides were fundamentally incompatible. Danzo inherited the Second Hokage's stance toward the Uchiha clan, yet his personal attitude was even harsher than the late Hokage's. Therefore, any kind of "cooperation" between them completely lacked foundation.
Haseo felt there was something suspicious going on, as if someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. This was just his intuition though... It had been many years since the Uchiha and Konoha had been dissatisfied with each other yet restrained themselves.
The rebellion of the Uchiha lacked a typical "triggering event," seeming unreasonable in its suddenness—as if they had simply called it quits on a whim...
Their situation differed somewhat from that of the Senju.
Of course, these were merely Yuhi's subjective views; he definitely didn't have even a shred of evidence.
With the long staff in his hand, Haseo gently tapped at a nearby wall charred black. Hmm, even if there were any clues, they could no longer remain by now.
"Fugaku, you've served as clan leader for so many years—did you never truly understand this position? Being in a high position always demands a perspective nearly bordering on cold rationality, combined with courage coming straight from one's core."
There's a huge difference between an insignificant nuisance and a critical threat—you should be able to distinguish clearly between the two. Therefore, a decision-maker must act decisively.
When it comes time to cut yourself, once you've decided it must be done, you should do it immediately... That kind of determination can only come from you—but apparently, you failed to make it."
Haseo turned around and said thus.
He did not know when exactly Fugaku Uchiha had already appeared behind him.
"Lord Haseo, I feel deeply ashamed," murmured Fugaku Uchiha, lowering his head.
Being calculating but indecisive isn't exactly a flaw—it's a common affliction. When facing crucial decisions that might lead to significant losses, people tend to overthink without reaching resolutions, hesitating until suddenly realizing too late they've missed their chance... Holding onto stocks when they turn deeper green, only to sell the moment they turn red? Isn't how many people acted?
"There's no need to take it so hard. What's past is past. If you can properly fulfill your role moving forward, you still can make up for previous mistakes.
If this incident becomes a turning point leading the Uchiha toward Nirvana—complete rebirth—then all the better.
You know what? Anyone can *say* something reasonable, can't they?
Finding fault in someone, criticizing errors within a matter, or throwing out lofty opinions cloaked as insightful commentary—who hasn't done that before?
I myself only deal in easy stuff like this. You wouldn't believe how fast my fingers used to fly back in my past life... (Ahem...) Anyway, whether it's criticism, encouragement, or dispensing motivational platitudes, none of them really change much in reality. Ultimately, what matters is how well you handle things going forward.
So… Do your best, Fugaku. The Uchiha are still here, aren't they?"
"Yes, Lord Haseo."
Regardless, what Haseo ultimately expressed was a form of "approval." Though he himself found it "meaningless," this approval was enough to move Fugaku and free him from the confusion haunting him since the incident.
Fugaku Uchiha was the clan leader of the Uchiha, the pillar supporting the entire clan. Therefore, he could never show weakness no matter what. But the bitterness, loneliness, and helplessness of a middle-aged man—they exist even if unspoken.
He needed understanding—and the kind of validation that only someone above him could give.
However, as everyone knows, it's often Haseo himself who ends up undermining the good image he built. So before he could even finish speaking:
"If you still don't know what strategy to adopt next, let me give you a practical method...
Encourage population growth. Nearly every clan leader acts as a matchmaker these days. Anyway, first of all, you need to increase your population base."
Fugaku Uchiha: "..."
This "population policy" was not just fine—it was even brilliant in hindsight. But why did it feel so weird hearing that come out of Haseo's mouth?
...
Haseo didn't hold any particular feelings toward the Uchiha, neither positive nor negative. After leaving there, he made his way to the Hokage Cliffs—the high point of Konoha.
The Hokage Cliffs could be considered the village's center, with the ninja village radiating outward in a semicircular shape from this location.
Directly beneath the cliffs lay the Hokage's office building.
From the top of the Hokage Cliffs, one could gaze down and see the entire village spread out below. It had to be said that the wide open view here was pretty good.
However, few people usually came to the Hokage Cliffs. Who would go out of their way for a trip to the old Hokage statues? And staying here too long... honestly, you'd only feel the howling wind and not much else.
After standing here only briefly, "visitors" arrived shortly afterward.
Hmm, Naruto and a younger version—Boruto.
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