The pale lights of the Root base shone on Fugaku, who had transformed into a 'tree'. The outline of a human face was vaguely visible on the bark, and the twisted branches seemed to still be struggling.
Konoha's high-ranking officials stood around.
Tsushimi's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and his voice trembled slightly. "After the Fourth Hokage-sama was injected with the second tube of Hashirama cells culture solution, his eyesight recovered and his Chakra reserves surged by 4 times. We repeatedly advised him but he became addicted to this strengthening. After he injected the fourth tube, he completely lost control."
His fingers unconsciously caressed the notebook, which clearly recorded the time and dosage of Fugaku's injections, as well as the moment he finally lost control.
Mikoto knelt beside him, tightly embracing Itachi. Her tears fell silently, while Itachi clutched his mother's sleeve tightly.
Witnessing his father's death, 5-year-old Itachi awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan. Now he was staring intently at that tree with his One-Tomoe Sharingan.
Tsunade stepped forward and touched the tree trunk, her fingertips feeling a rough and cold sensation. Her brows furrowed deeply.
Hiashi activated his Byakugan, gazing into the interior of the tree trunk, and said in a deep voice, "The Chakra flow has completely stopped. There's no hope."
Shikaku rubbed his temples and sighed, "Fugaku was only Hokage for a little over three months. Now this is a big problem."
Yashiro's face was grim, and his fists clenched, cracking. "Clan head Fugaku, how could he suddenly..."
Unkai murmured softly, "Clan head Fugaku died so suddenly, what will happen to the Hokage position?"
Shun's brows were tightly furrowed as he said, "Alright, the immediate priority is to prepare clan head Fugaku's funeral, and to select the Fifth Hokage."
Everyone fell silent.
...
In the Hokage building conference room, the atmosphere was heavy.
Shikaku tapped his forehead and said, "According to custom, a Jonin meeting should be convened to vote for the Fifth Hokage candidates."
Yashiro suddenly stood up and said, "In terms of strength and seniority, Shun is a qualified candidate for the Fifth Hokage."
"Our Kurama clan seconds that, we support Shun to become the Fifth Hokage." Unkai immediately expressed his stance.
"And our Kazami clan also supports Shun to become the Fifth Hokage." Tetsu successively expressed his stance.
In the conference room, voices of support rose one after another.
Shun, however, leaned back in his chair and lazily waved his hand. "Thank you all for your trust in me, but I recommend Tsunade-senpai to become the Fifth Hokage."
These words were like a block of ice dropped into boiling water. Everyone in the conference room erupted.
Tsunade suddenly looked up, saying incredulously, "What?"
Shun's smile was harmless as he said, "You are one of the Sannin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, impeccable in both strength and reputation. Moreover, what Konoha needs now is stability. If I were to become the Fifth Hokage, it would convey to the outside world the image of the Uchiha dominating Konoha, which would hinder the future development of the village."
Yashiro asked in astonishment, "Shun, why would you do this?"
Shun replied, "I will strive for appropriate benefits for the clan, but on the premise of not harming the village's interests. And I believe Tsunade becoming the Fifth Hokage is beneficial to us Uchiha."
Yashiro, as a veteran pro-Uchiha elder, was not satisfied with this answer.
He shouted angrily, "Shun, you are not yet the head of the Uchiha clan, you have no right to decide the future of the Uchiha."
Listening to their argument, Hiashi's Byakugan narrowed slightly.
...
On the day of Fugaku's funeral, gloomy rain covered the Konoha cemetery.
Shun held a black umbrella, standing before Fugaku's cenotaph, sighing inwardly, 'This unlucky fellow, even his funeral is on a rainy day.'
He looked down at Mikoto, who was crying until she was exhausted, and the frighteningly quiet Itachi. He stood in the rain yet not a single tear fell.
Shun turned to look at the silent clan members in the rain and said, "Clan head Fugaku's old illness relapsed, everyone, please accept my condolences."
In the rain, Itachi suddenly looked up. His gaze pierced through the rain curtain, looking with complex eyes at Shun, who stood in the back row.
After the funeral, the Uchiha clan members gathered in twos and threes, discussing the future in low voices.
"Fugaku-sama is gone, our Uchiha..."
"I heard that Shun-sama doesn't want to become the Fifth Hokage, what should we do?"
"Will it be like that year again?"
Shun suddenly clapped his hands and said in an undeniable tone, "You must have heard that when clan head Fugaku became the Fourth Hokage, the village was in financial difficulty, and even the Anbu's salaries could only be paid by Fugaku-sama diverting clan funds. At that time, the Military Police Force's salaries were also delayed for over a month. Finally, I organized a competition and earned 60 billion ryo for the village, which solved the village's financial problems. My refusal to become the Fifth Hokage is also because the village cannot give us Uchiha more benefits."
"Shun-sama is right, after clan head Fugaku became the Fourth Hokage, our lives didn't change much."
"If Fugaku-sama wasn't Hokage, maybe the 60 billion ryo earned from the competition would all belong to us Uchiha, alas. What a pity."
"I think Shun-sama is right..."
The Uchiha clan members discussed amongst themselves.
Shun clapped his hands again, amplifying his voice with Chakra, and said, "Disperse, I'm here, everyone carry on as usual."
The Uchiha clan members looked at each other, then gradually left.
Itachi walked over and asked, "Uncle Shun, why did it turn out like this?"
Shun said gently, "Itachi, what aspect are you referring to?"
Itachi said softly, "Why, when my father died, the clan members didn't seem that sad, but instead kept worrying about their own interests?"
"Your father, as I said before, was the Uchiha clan head, and also the Military Police Force Chief. He lacked nothing: power, status, strength, love, and family affection. He lived a life above others, which also fostered his high-and-mighty attitude. He viewed clan members as property and found it difficult to empathize with them, which led to him rarely communicating with them."
Looking at Itachi, who had a confused expression, Shun ruffled Itachi's hair and said, "You're only 5 years old, so there's no need to rush to understand this problem. When you grow up, you'll naturally figure it out."