Reborn into Naruto World with Tenseigan

“You are right… both Shisui and Shinichi… they have helped me. I guess it’s more accurate to say that they have always been working for me. Oh, and it’s not just the two of them; even your son Itachi, he too is loyal to me!”

Although Fugaku had considered various possibilities, when he heard Kuroto admit the truth, he couldn’t hide the surprise on his face. His lips trembled as if wanting to say something; however, nothing came out. Finally, he took a deep breath and asked, “Why?”

Fugaku is unable to understand why Shisui, Shinichi, and even his son Itachi would betray him and help Kuroto, who is clearly an outsider! There is no need to talk about Shisui; considering Shisui and Kuroto’s friendship, Shisui’s betrayal is still somewhat acceptable. However, Itachi and Shinichi?

In Fugaku’s eyes, Itachi shouldn’t have such a close relationship with Kuroto that he would trust Kuroto more than his father! The same case applies to Shinichi. If Fugaku remembers correctly, Shinichi hated Kuroto because Kuroto was partly/indirectly responsible for the death of Uchiha Kurumi. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for Shinichi to side with Kuroto, but the reality is something else.

“Not only Shisui but both Itachi and Shinichi sided with Kuroto and betrayed him! Imagine being a father and a Patriarch and being completely ignorant of the true intentions of your son and one of the most powerful Clansmen!”

After a moment of pondering, Kuroto decided to answer Fugaku’s question, “Shisui has always been loyal to me, is there any doubt about that?”

“No!” answered Fugaku as he shook his head.

The fact that Shisui is loyal to Kuroto is kind of plain obvious. Even in the meeting of the Konoha Council, Shisui ignored him—the Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan ignored Sarutobi Hiruzen—the Sandaime Hokage and ignored all the other high-level personnel as well. He directly executed Mizuki, who was trying to frame Kuroto on false charges.

These actions of Shisui alarmed a lot of people and created doubts about who Uchiha Shisui is loyal to. And the answer was clear—neither the Uchiha Patriarch nor the Sandaime Hokage. Shisui is loyal to Godaime Hokage, Hyuga Kuroto.

Seeing that Fugaku accepted Shisui’s choice, Kuroto continued, “Back when Shinichi had defected from Konoha, our Anbu squad was responsible for capturing him… At that time, unbeknownst to others in my squad, I had already defeated him. However, instead of eliminating him or bringing him back to the village, I offered him a choice to become my subordinate, which he accepted. Then, as per my instructions, he sneaked into the Akatsuki Organization as my spy. He worked in that organization as my spy, sending me intelligence about their activities whenever he could. So, you see, he has been loyal to me for a very long time.”

Hearing Kuroto’s answer, Fugaku was stunned. Never did he expect such a response. No matter how much he tried, Fugaku couldn’t hide the shock from his face and questioned in disbelief, “You… surely you are joking!? Shinichi had already sworn his loyalty to you at that time?”

“Indeed,” nodded Kuroto with a calm smile.

Fugaku hurriedly questioned, “But… but how is that possible? If I remember correctly, you were only a Special Jonin at that time. You shouldn’t have the power to defeat Shinichi, who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan! Moreover, given his abilities, it’s incredibly difficult for anyone to defeat him…! Was it because of Ryūmyaku?”

Although he had given up his Sharingan at the time Satori appeared on that night of the Coup, Fugaku, worried about the safety of the Uchiha Clan, was paying close attention to everything. Therefore, he was, of course, aware of the fact that Kuroto is in possession of Ryūmyaku and used it to scale back Satori. Kuroto’s action of protecting the village from Satori was witnessed by countless Konoha citizens, so there was no hiding it.

In response to Fugaku’s question, Kuroto chose to remain silent, and since Kuroto chose silence, Fugaku thought that he guessed correctly.

After a while of silence, Fugaku remembered something and asked with a doubtful expression, “Don’t tell me… That time when Shisui and Itachi suddenly came about the information of Shinichi’s return, and we Uchiha went to rescue him and escort him back to Konoha, was that also your arrangement?”

Kuroto did not deny Fugaku’s doubts, “Oh, that, yes… at that time I happened to be busy with something very important and did not have any time to spare, so I instructed Shisui and Itachi. I was certain that you would accept the mission since you were quite eager to bring Shinichi back to the Uchiha Clan, am I right, Fugaku-san?”

Fugaku sighed—nothing makes sense to him anymore. And his previous actions seem like a joke! In order to prevent Shisui from leaking the details of the Coup d’état, Fugaku instructed Shinichi to monitor Shisui. Now, it turns out that Shinichi was also loyal to Kuroto. Fugaku no longer knows who is loyal to him!

With a final sigh, Fugaku brought up the matter of Itachi, “What about my son? Since when did he become loyal to you?”

“Oh, Itachi… huh?” muttered Kuroto with an amused smile. As he recalled the first time he had a conversation with Itachi, “I remember that I went on a mission with Itachi about 11 years ago… everything started from back then… I observed Itachi closely during that mission and realized that he is different, far too mature in comparison to his peers, somewhat similar to me… since then, I always kept tabs on him… Perhaps Itachi too felt something, so when he faced a problem he couldn’t solve on his own, he would come to me, and I would guide him and train him so that he could find the answers he was looking for. Things continued in this manner for the next few years, and before you knew it, he was already loyal to me. I have high expectations from Itachi, and so far, he hasn’t disappointed me… he even awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan at a very early age, that was another plus point.”

Fugaku was speechless as he heard Kuroto’s answer. Everyone other than him seems to be aware of the fact that his son had awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan, and he? He only learned a few days ago.

What’s more shocking is the fact that initially, he assumed that Shinichi and Itachi decided to side with Kuroto only after he became Godaime Hokage. Turns out that’s not the case at all… from the very beginning, they were never loyal to him, they have always been loyal to Kuroto! Fugaku never thought that the three most capable and strongest Uchiha of this generation would serve a Hyuga!

“This is really absurd, no one could have imagined all three of them were working for you for all these years!” muttered Fugaku in an unbelievable tone of voice. It’s hard for Fugaku to accept the truth!

Kuroto shrugged, “What’s true is true…” and added, “And please don’t take it the wrong way, but frankly speaking, I never really considered you to be someone suitable for holding the position of the Patriarch of a Clan as important as the Uchiha.”

Hearing Kuroto’s evaluation of himself, Fugaku felt saddened. “Perhaps you are right.” Then he looked at Kuroto and asked, “Can you tell me where I went wrong?”

“The fact that you couldn’t understand the thought process and belief of Itachi, Shisui, and Shinichi… You were being swept away by the voice of the majority. However, that doesn’t mean everyone wanted what the majority wanted, nor did it mean that what the majority wanted was the right path. All three of them are smart people; they have their own thought processes and the things they want in life. When the situation of the Uchiha Clan was deteriorating, they needed assurance and concrete trust to ensure that the Clan would not perish, and the situation would not become worse. Something which you failed to provide them; therefore, they turned to other sources, tried to find the answers they were looking for on their own,” explained Kuroto.

“I see,” thinking of the current situation of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku had to accept Kuroto’s answer, and his mood became more depressed. “It seems the path they chose was the better one… in the current state, at least the Clan is still alive, and fortunately, we are not called the traitors.”

Kuroto smiled and questioned, “I guess you have understood where you went wrong, right, Fugaku-san?”

Fugaku nodded, “Yes.” However, an unwillingness appeared on his face as he said, “To be honest, I did not want to take this path either. However, the voices of the masses were growing louder and louder, and I cannot accept the fact that we have always been isolated from the political circle of the village! Why can Uchiha not become Hokage? We established the village alongside the Senju Clan, but the Senju Clan has perished, so the village should rightfully be ours… even though it should rightfully be ours, we don’t wish to claim ownership over the village. What we want is to be included in the village’s political circle, become active in the decision-making body, and have a Hokage from our clan, at least once!”

Hearing Fugaku’s words, Kuroto sighed. In fact, he doesn’t think that there is anything wrong with Fugaku’s desire. At the same time, Kuroto also realized that even if the grievances between the two sides had been resolved, there was still something that needed to be dealt with; otherwise, within the next few generations, the situation would revert to how it was until a few days ago.

There is only one method of solving this problem, which is to make sure that a generation of Hokage comes from the Uchiha Clan.

‘Fortunately, we do have a very good candidate for the next generation,’ thought Kuroto as a smile appeared on his lips, and he declared, “The next Hokage will be Itachi, I give you my word, Fugaku-san.”

“What?!” Fugaku was stunned as he raised his head in shock… He couldn’t believe what he just heard and asked once again, “What… what did you just say?”

Even though Fugaku no longer had any eyes, at this moment Kuroto felt that Fugaku was directly looking at his soul for the answer.

After a moment of surprise, Kuroto repeated his words, “The next Hokage will be Itachi; this is my promise to you, Fugaku-san!”

“Are you really serious?” asked Fugaku with a doubtful gaze. Having had his hopes crushed not too long ago, Fugaku did not want the flame to rekindle once again only to be extinguished.

Kuroto nodded, “Of course I am serious… I have been grooming Itachi for over a decade; therefore, I know him better than he understands himself. Although there are still a lot of things that he must learn, he is undoubtedly the best candidate for the position of Konoha’s next Hokage.”

In Kuroto’s personal belief, Itachi would make a far better Hokage than even Kakashi. Despite being a Uchiha, Itachi has the shrewdness and mindset of Nidaime Hokage; at the same time, he has kindness and the heart of Shodaime Hokage. Of course, Itachi has also adopted several traits from Kuroto, making him the best candidate for the next Hokage.

“But… would the elders agree to it?” asked Fugaku doubtfully.

Even if Kuroto promises to make Itachi the next Hokage, unless the elders agree to accept Itachi as the Hokage, it would be meaningless!

Kuroto chuckled, shaking his head, “Their opinion is of no concern. They may think that they are the ones controlling things; however, they couldn’t be more wrong. They were never the ones in control.”

Hearing Kuroto’s words, Fugaku was once again taken aback. However, he did not comment on it and nodded lightly, “If… if you can really fulfill the promise you have made…” He took a pause to change his sitting position into dogeza and continued, “Then the entire Uchiha Clan swears their loyalty to you, Godaime Hokage Hyuga Kuroto-sama!”

A smile appeared on Kuroto’s face as he noted the changes in Fugaku’s temperament.

If it was anyone else, Fugaku would have scoffed at the promise. Given the fact that the one who spoke these words is Hyuga Kuroto—someone who has earned the trust and loyalty of not only Shisui and Shinichi but also his son Itachi—this made Fugaku feel that he can trust Kuroto.

At the same time, from their conversation, Fugaku also realizes that Kuroto is ‘NOT’ the puppet Hokage that everyone believes him to be. Hyuga Kuroto has his own thoughts, and the ones controlling and influencing his decisions are not the members of the Elder Council!

Seeing that his plan was going well, Kuroto asked Fugaku to get up and said, “Itachi will be the next Hokage; there is no doubt about that. The fact that you swore the loyalty of the Uchiha Clan to me is well and good; however, I have a few other conditions as well, so please hear them out before making any decision!”