"Obito, don't dwell on your defeat the other day. You're only seven, while Uchiha Seiji is already eleven. Those four years are the most critical gap in a shinobi's growth."
"In our clan's long history, geniuses like you who awaken the Sharingan at seven are exceedingly rare. With the clan's full support and your own training, surpassing Seiji will be child's play."
Uchiha Setsuna clapped Obito's shoulder, his voice heavy with conviction and fervor. Every word dripped with encouragement.
Setsuna, who prided himself as the inheritor of Madara's Will, was one of the Hawk faction's loudest voices—a radical who believed Konoha should be forced into submission by Uchiha power. Ideally, he wanted to topple the Hokage's tower outright and install the clan as rulers in one decisive strike.
Strong-willed? Yes.Strategically timed? Absolutely not.
Back then, he had chosen to rise against Konoha right after Hashirama's death, on the eve of the First Great Ninja War.
His reasoning had been simple: Hashirama was gone, leaving only Tobirama Senju—whom he dismissed as a scheming, conniving manipulator. The rest of Konoha's shinobi? Laughable before the power of the Sharingan. Setsuna conveniently forgot how Izuna had actually died, and with blazing confidence, he charged the Hokage's building.
And then… Tobirama personally beat him down. Without even needing Flying Thunder God.
To his credit, Tobirama hadn't executed him. Instead, he tossed Setsuna into prison, where he spent twenty long years stewing in bitterness.
By the time he was released, Setsuna was even more extreme. His years and seniority gave him influence, and his hawkish rhetoric quickly secured him a place as clan elder and advisor to Fugaku Uchiha.
So when Obito revealed his Sharingan talent at the academy, Setsuna nearly burst with joy. That very night, he pulled the boy aside, declaring the clan would pour resources into him.
To Setsuna, Obito was an untouched gem. With some careful grooming—and the right ideological push—he could be shaped into the Hawk faction's perfect heir.
"Come, Obito," Setsuna urged, his hand firm on the boy's shoulder, Sharingan glowing faintly. "I've spoken with Clan Head Fugaku. You'll have access to every resource you need."
"Madara-sama's fire techniques, Izuna-sama's swordsmanship—they're yours. Our tomes on ocular jutsu, our stockpiles of ninja tools, scrolls, and techniques—take whatever you need."
"Remember this: as an Uchiha, if you dedicate yourself to honing your Sharingan, no enemy can stand against you. Water Release, genjutsu, cowardly tricks—none of them can rival us. With ocular power comes strength. With strength comes everything."
Obito trembled as Setsuna's words poured over him like a devil's whisper. His eyes burned, his whole body shivering with excitement. The red glow in Setsuna's gaze seemed to draw out a response—Obito's two-tomoe Sharingan spun faster, sharper, alive.
For the first time—other than Rin—someone cared for him.
Until now, Obito had been… ordinary. Not the weakest, but nothing remarkable compared to other Uchiha children. Without backing or connections, he was practically invisible in the great clan.
But tonight, the clan head and elders—people he had only ever known by name—treated him with warmth and care. They comforted him the whole evening.
He had wondered if this kindness was genuine, or just opportunistic attention to his new Sharingan. But Setsuna, sharp as ever, noticed the doubt. With tears shining faintly at the corners of his eyes, he apologized for the clan's neglect, blaming it on current hardships. He lowered himself, humbling his elder's dignity to reassure a boy not yet even a genin.
It was manipulative. It was calculated. But Obito, with his earnest, naïve heart, was swept away.
Worse, Setsuna subtly bent his emotions with a flicker of Sharingan—just enough to lock the boy's loyalty.
"Clan Head, Elder Setsuna—thank you for believing in me!" Obito clenched his fists, eyes brimming with tears and ambition. "I won't let the clan down. I'll train hard and bring glory to the Sharingan!"
In his mind, he was already the clan's pillar. The prodigy who would crush Seiji, inherit leadership, reform the clan, marry Rin, and ascend to the pinnacle of life.
"Good child. Train without worry," Setsuna said, smiling paternally. "If you face hardship in training or in your heart, come to me anytime. As for Uchiha Seiji—he is nothing. A traitor's descendant who's already thrown his lot in with the enemy. His current strength is only temporary. His future is hollow."
Satisfied, Setsuna led Obito deeper into the clan's secret chambers, letting him select weapons, scrolls, and supplies to his heart's content.
But Fugaku Uchiha, watching quietly, felt no joy.
Barely thirty, Fugaku was already clan head, but his influence was fragile. He still needed Setsuna's old-guard authority to steady his leadership. Unlike Setsuna, Fugaku wasn't a Hawk. He wanted reconciliation with Konoha, a path of coexistence.
In the original timeline, he had spent nearly twenty years torn over rebellion, and when he finally chose to act, he was betrayed by his own son. His indecision had ended with his death.
So when Setsuna branded Seiji "the traitor's descendant," clearly targeting Kagami Uchiha's line, Fugaku felt a pang of distaste.
Could the Uchiha really rebel?
A few Mangekyō users, no matter how powerful, couldn't overturn Konoha. Three-tomoe were strong, yes—but Konoha's high command had nearly ten Kage-level shinobi, not to mention an overwhelming number of elite jōnin.
While Fugaku wrestled with doubt, Obito emerged from the vault in new gear, arms laden with weapons and scrolls. His eyes shone with excitement, his entire aura subtly transformed.
Setsuna bade him farewell with grandfatherly kindness. But as soon as the boy left, his face hardened, eyes gleaming with malice.
"Fugaku. We've secured Obito. Next, we deal with Seiji."
"Openly wielding the Sharingan, preaching the Will of Fire, and using Tobirama's techniques? That brat is spitting on our bloodline."
"Leave it to me. I'll crush his arrogance."
Setsuna locked eyes with Fugaku, his words heavy and unyielding.
After a long silence, Fugaku finally nodded, his face expressionless."…If that is your decision, Elder Setsuna. Then go."