Speaking with the Sharingan was an Uchiha custom—only those with equal tomoe had the right to speak as equals.
Fugaku had seen it. He had witnessed the scene of Roshi and Itachi conversing.
He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were just a pair of ordinary, weary black eyes.
"I understand."
"I'll handle the rest."
Then he rose to his feet, preparing to leave.
"Clan Head…" Shisui began, as if to speak, but Fugaku only gave him a glance.
"This isn't something you can decide. I'll think it over—and discuss it later."
Itachi remained silent. He already understood what that meant. What else could his father say?
—
Kaji Onju was a mild-looking middle-aged man with glasses and a scholarly air—the vice-captain of the Sealing Squad. Hayami Shigeru, in contrast, was always smiling, holding a modest position as a section chief in the administrative department.
Neither held great power, but both had respectable influence in their own circles.
The meeting wasn't about anything critical—just polite conversation, a few compliments from the elder, and a few nods and smiles in return.
Though they weren't particularly close, they had met before at the old residence, so there was no awkwardness.
Momoka merely brewed tea quietly for the three men, listening without speaking. After the guests left, she began arranging the next meeting.
"Most of those who think about these things are people with stable positions in the Village's departments," Momoka said as she wiped the last teacup dry and set it down softly. "They rarely go to the front lines anymore, so they have time to organize matters like this."
"Listen to them. If they truly wish to act, you can make use of their enthusiasm. But if trouble arises, don't take it to heart."
"The Clan, after all, no longer exists." Her voice grew faint. "Everyone has their own family now—and that's what they'll protect first."
She feared Roshi might treat these people too earnestly, expecting loyalty that no longer existed. That path would only lead to disappointment.
But Roshi had already anticipated as much. In his previous life, families and clans were much the same—connected only when convenient, self-serving when not. True desperation bound no one anymore.
All he needed was for them to speak at crucial moments. Those who had long changed their names, who no longer cared about the title "Senju," might, when the time came, subconsciously lean toward the direction he represented.
Add to that the ordinary villagers and shinobi without strong allegiances, and their combined voices could form a current — a power of public opinion that could not be ignored.
After the guests left, Roshi gathered his thoughts. The Village had granted him access to the Forbidden Jutsu Library—a chance to select one jutsu. He planned to visit today.
But as he stepped out of the old courtyard gate, his steps halted.
"Clan Head Fugaku."
The man standing under a cherry blossom tree slowly turned and approached.
He had clearly been waiting—long enough to see Kaji Onju and Hayami Shigeru both enter and leave.
Fugaku, dressed in Jōnin attire, likely came straight from the Police HQ. Roshi opened his mouth to offer a polite invitation inside, but the clan head didn't look toward the residence. Instead, he turned wordlessly and walked toward the small grove behind it.
Roshi sighed inwardly. 'I get it—you want to talk in private. But couldn't you just say, "Can we talk?" Is normal conversation that difficult?'
"Roshi-kun," Fugaku finally spoke, his tone calm but heavy. "Does the Senju intend to re-establish?"
He had likely been thinking about this all night.
Perhaps this was what he believed Roshi had suggested to Itachi—a plan to gather the scattered Senju once more, using the Uchiha's strength to revive the clan. And through that, the Uchiha would also gain.
It made sense in theory. As one of the founding clans of the Village, the Senju could reclaim an independent administrative branch—balancing the Uchiha's monopoly over the Police Force.
And with the current leadership, all disciples of the Second Hokage, the Senju's demands would be impossible to refuse outright and difficult to oppose directly.
It was, on paper, a perfect opportunity for the Uchiha and Senju to unite again.
But Roshi only smiled faintly. 'You actually thought that far… it's logical, I'll give you that. But reality doesn't work that cleanly.'
First of all, the remaining Senju didn't need rebuilding. Their interests were already secure through individual ties in the upper echelons of the village. Reformation would only mean new restrictions, obligations, and conflict.
Second, what resources could they even offer now? The clan lands had long been divided, its wealth scattered. Why would anyone rejoin a clan that offered neither protection nor profit?
Even if it were forced, the outcome would only be a hollow, half-hearted clan that would soon collapse—a mockery of the Senju name.
No—it was better to stay as they were.
If they truly wished to strengthen connections, forming an association under the Senju name would be faster, more practical, and face far less resistance.
But the fact that Fugaku brought this up... did he still not see reality clearly?
"No," Roshi said plainly. "The Senju will not re-establish."
Fugaku's brows furrowed instantly, a flicker of displeasure flashing in his eyes.
"Roshi-kun, there's no need to be cautious with me. The Uchiha—"
"Clan Head Fugaku," Roshi interrupted quietly, "I'm not being cautious. I'm simply being honest."
The older man fell silent, unable to find the right words. Roshi sighed inwardly again.
"If there's nothing else, please excuse me. I have other matters to attend to."
He turned to leave—but Fugaku's voice stopped him.
"I don't want things to end in disaster. Only through cooperation between the Uchiha and Senju can we move toward a better future."
"You must think so too, Roshi-kun. Otherwise, why say those things to Itachi?"
"If the Uchiha and the Village continue like this," Fugaku said firmly, "it will only lead to heavy losses for both sides."
Roshi paused. Then, softly—almost amusedly—he exhaled a laugh through his nose.
"Heh…"
"Uchiha Fugaku—forgive my rudeness," he said, turning back. The calmness on his face finally broke, revealing a look of disbelief tinged with pity.
"Where do you find the confidence to say 'both sides' would suffer?"
"If the Village were truly unprepared, maybe. But…"
Konoha's leadership had always been vigilant. The Uchiha's power, though formidable, revolved around the Police Force—one Mangekyō user at best, maybe two. (Roshi referred to Shisui's Mangekyō, and Fugaku's rumored one.)
And even then—would Shisui use his eyes for the clan, or against it?
In such a case, which other clans would side with the Uchiha?
And lurking in the shadows, there was still Uchiha Obito—the one who truly wished for the Uchiha's destruction.
If a rebellion broke out, it wouldn't be a "mutual loss." It would be annihilation. The Village would lose a powerful clan—and the Uchiha would cease to exist.
"If calling you by your full name offends you, bear with it for now."
"Because tell me, Uchiha Fugaku—where does your clan find the confidence to demand change without giving anything in return?"
"By sending a few people to negotiate and expecting the Hokage's decree to erase all suspicion? To make the villagers suddenly forget their resentment?"
"The truth is simple—" Roshi's voice sharpened. "In this village, only the Uchiha monopolize an entire core department. The others have none."
"The Nine-Tails attack left deep scars, and the Sharingan that controlled it—where did it come from? To this day, there's still no answer."
"Neither of those wounds has healed. In this situation…"
His tone dropped, each word landing heavily.
"…how can the Uchiha Clan's situation possibly improve?"
Fugaku stood there in silence, his expression ashen, chest rising and falling faintly. In his eyes swirled a mix of anger, humiliation, and—buried deep beneath it—confusion.
Even he hadn't realized how much he'd been grasping at illusions.
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