Chapter 67: Dividing the Spoil
Only someone of Hiruzen's position, bearing the mantle of leadership even in its temporary return, could appropriately raise the difficult question. With him present, it fell to him.
"Contain and seal them," Akira stated flatly. "They are fragments of the Nine-Tails. Their power is real, and too dangerous to leave unsecured."
"Agreed," Hiruzen nodded, the practical answer aligning with his own thoughts. Then came the harder part. "The selection of the jinchuriki, then. It is not a fate for just anyone. Who in the village… has the necessary vitality and fortitude?"
"Didn't Jonin Akira bring a member of the Uzumaki clan back some time ago?" Jiraiya's voice was hollow, but his tactical mind still functioned. "Uzumaki Rika. I heard she had a child a few months ago. The Uzumaki lineage is uniquely suited."
"Not suitable," Hiruzen shook his head, his political instincts surfacing through the grief. "Uzumaki Rika is… a recent arrival. Her background, her loyalties… they are not yet fully vetted."
"Then her daughter, then. Uzumaki Karin," Jiraiya pressed. "A newborn cannot be a spy with ulterior motives."
Hiruzen remained hesitant. "She is a candidate. But not an ideal one." His distrust of the newly arrived refugee, however skilled or tragic her story, ran deep.
In that moment of stalled discussion, Akira and Fugaku's eyes met. A silent understanding passed between them, and they dipped into a shared, instantaneous genjutsu—a private conference in the space between heartbeats.
Inside the illusion, Akira spoke first. "Clan Head. We should propose Sasuke."
Fugaku was taken aback. "Sasuke? Is he… qualified? The physical and spiritual demands for a jinchuriki, even of a clone, are extreme."
"Do not underestimate him," Akira insisted. "His inherent potential is more than sufficient." He didn't elaborate on the Chakra of Indra, but his certainty was absolute.
"Why?" Fugaku asked, the clan head's pragmatism cutting through. "Why aim for this burden for my son?"
"With the Fourth gone, the Third will retake power," Akira reasoned swiftly. "As he ages, Danzo's influence will grow like a weed. The Uchiha need a deterrent, a card that makes him and the council hesitate. A jinchuriki within the clan is such a card."
"A clone may not be enough to give them true pause," Fugaku countered.
"It is one card of many. We must add to our hand, not let it dwindle," Akira pressed. "Think. Minato, Kushina, Might Dai—three major combat powers are gone. After the display we just gave, the village must seriously consider our proposals. This is the moment to secure an advantage."
Fugaku was silent for a long moment in the accelerated space, weighing the risk against the potential gain for the clan's security. Finally, he gave a slow nod. "Very well. For the clan's future. Sasuke will bear it."
"And the other clone?" Fugaku asked.
"Let the village decide. If they truly cannot find a suitable vessel… it would not be impossible for me to take it," Akira said, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather.
"You?!" Fugaku was genuinely shocked. This was not a path he had anticipated.
The illusion ended, lasting only a second in reality.
Akira took a physical step forward, drawing the attention of Hiruzen and Jiraiya. "Lord Third, Master Jiraiya. I have a candidate to propose."
"Oh?" Hiruzen's eyebrows raised, his wariness immediately piqued. "Please, Jonin Akira."
"The second son of Clan Head Fugaku. Uchiha Sasuke possesses the necessary qualities."
Fugaku stepped up beside him, his voice formal and solemn. "For the stability of the village, Lord Third, I am willing for my son to shoulder the duty of jinchuriki."
Hiruzen's expression tightened. What is their game? A power grab? Securing a piece of the Nine-Tails' might for the Uchiha? Instinct screamed at him to refuse. But the words stuck in his throat.
First, finding a truly suitable, trustworthy vessel on such short notice was nearly impossible. Second, the power the Uchiha had just demonstrated could not be ignored. Within Konoha's borders alone, the clan now fielded two confirmed Kage-level shinobi—Fugaku and Akira. And Uchiha Shisui, with his legendary Body Flicker, was a strategic asset unto himself. The Uchiha had at least three elite-tier combatants. Their suggestion carried immense weight.
"Ugh…"
A pained groan from Fugaku broke Hiruzen's chain of thought. The clan leader clutched at his eyes, twin trails of fresh blood seeping between his fingers.
"Fugaku! What's wrong?" Hiruzen and Jiraiya moved closer, concern overriding political calculation. Konoha could not afford to lose another high-level fighter tonight.
"Ocular strain… overuse," Fugaku gasped, his face contorted. "The clones… we cannot maintain control for much longer."
Hiruzen and Jiraiya exchanged alarmed glances. This was a critical complication. Without the Sharingan's suppression, the clones would break free. Another battle, against two entities each boasting the corrosive, overwhelming chakra of a tailed beast, was unthinkable in Konoha's devastated state.
"Akira, can you hold?" Hiruzen asked, urgency sharpening his tone.
"For a time. But not indefinitely," Akira replied, his voice strained for effect. In truth, the clone's fragmented will was easier to manage, but the illusion of impending crisis was necessary.
They're forcing the issue, Hiruzen realized. Fugaku's "collapse" was likely tactical, but the underlying problem was real. A decision had to be made, now.
"Very well," Hiruzen said, the words tasting of compromise. "Uchiha Sasuke will be the jinchuriki for one of the clones." He turned to Jiraiya. "The other… we proceed with your suggestion. Uzumaki Karin."
"This…" Hiruzen still hesitated, then sighed. "Will Uzumaki Rika even consent? It is a heavy fate for a child."
"I will speak to her," Jiraiya said, his voice regaining some of its gravitas. "If she refuses… we will cross that bridge then." He could not force it, but he could appeal to her sense of securing a future within the village.
"So be it," Hiruzen conceded. He could not allow both clones to go to the Uchiha. One was a significant concession; two would be a dangerous consolidation of power.
"Now, the sealing itself," Hiruzen continued, shifting to the next practical hurdle. "Standard techniques are insufficient for a tailed beast, even a clone of the Nine-Tails. Who among us has the expertise?"
"I will handle it," Akira said.
"You are certain?" Hiruzen asked, worry evident. Failed sealing could be catastrophic.
"I am confident," Akira nodded. "Observing Lord Fourth's work provided… significant insight."
It was a thin justification, but Hiruzen had little choice. His own fuinjutsu knowledge, while respectable, was not up to this task. Jiraiya's was more eclectic but not specialized for this. They had to trust the Uchiha's unexpected competency.
"Then… we proceed," Hiruzen said, the weight of the night's decisions bowing his shoulders. "Prepare for the sealing rituals. We must act before control slips."
(End of Chapter)
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