After parting ways with Shisui, Anko, and the others, Kakashi returned to the Hatake residence.
Meanwhile, Obito dragged Rin along and stayed at home for another night.
They were an old married couple by now, so naturally, nothing happened that night.
———
The next day, Obito went to meet Fugaku.
The two sat in a familiar tea room, drinking tea.
Fugaku looked at Obito and curiously asked, "How did things go?"
Obito thought for a moment and replied, "I didn't hide my identity, especially with the Akatsuki organization. I met with them as Uchiha Obito."
Fugaku was startled and asked, "Aren't you afraid Danzo and the Third will find out?"
Obito shook his head, "The Akatsuki organization isn't very famous yet, and they'll keep my identity a secret. I won't say there's no chance of a leak, but the probability is low."
Fugaku let out a sigh of relief. Unlike Obito, he was actually more concerned about Hanzo the Salamander than the Akatsuki, "How did things go with Hanzo?"
Obito smiled, "For Hanzo, I used a fake identity."
As he spoke, he formed a hand seal, transforming into the appearance of Uchiha Ri.
Then he continued, "I met him using this identity. My name as this identity is Uchiha Ri. When I saw him, I got straight to the point."
Fugaku thought for a moment before asking, "What did Hanzo say?"
Obito said, "Hanzo has already been in contact with Danzo. He originally wanted to demand a higher price, but I flatly refused. Now, he's inclined to accept our proposal."
"But the follow-up will be up to you to handle with him."
Fugaku took a sip of tea, "Understood. I'll handle the negotiations on my side. Danzo will surely notice the movement. Obito, do you already have a plan?"
Obito smiled, "Not exactly a plan. It's just that my strength has improved again, and I suddenly realized that planning doesn't seem necessary anymore."
Fugaku was shocked. Last time, he had already learned that Obito had overcome the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan. And now?
He couldn't help but ask, "Obito, just how strong are you now?"
Obito thought for a moment, looked into Fugaku's eyes, and said calmly, "If I wanted to, I could destroy Konoha by myself." [T/N: I think he is exaggerating. He can't even keep his Intangibility on for more than 20 minutes without suffering backlash]
Fugaku was stunned, "Obito, I remember we discussed Konoha's current strength before. Even so, you're still confident?"
Obito nodded, "Clan Leader Fugaku, my Mangekyō abilities are quite special. If I were any other Uchiha, I might say that Sharingan abilities are secondary and that personal strength is the foundation."
"But… I can't really say that myself, because maybe… even among Mangekyō Sharingan, there are differences."
Fugaku suddenly coughed, and black lines seemed to appear on his forehead.
Obito sounded as if he were saying, 'I'm not targeting anyone, but all Uchiha here have trash-level Sharingan.'
However, after thinking about it, Obito was still an Uchiha. The stronger he was, the more prosperous their clan would be, right? Plus, even though Obito was just a child, his intelligence far exceeded his own.
So, he was willing to believe Obito's words.
His hands started trembling slightly.
Unconsciously, he asked, "So, the plan I personally devised, to secure the Third, fight for the Fourth, and hope for the Fifth, can really be achieved?"
Obito was puzzled, "What's this 'Secure the Third, Fight for the Fourth, Hope for the Fifth' plan?"
Fugaku coughed a few times and awkwardly explained, "Obito, you know that our Uchiha clan, as one of Konoha's founding families, has never held the Hokage position. That's why we have a deep-seated attachment to it."
"When the First Hokage stepped down, our clan elders knew that the Second Hokage was out of the question. It was obviously going to be his younger brother, Senju Tobirama."
"So back then, they set their sights on the Third Hokage position, hoping to secure it. That's how the 'Secure the Third' plan came about."
Obito couldn't help but chuckle, 'Dis the Uchiha really care so much about the Hokage position?'
But then he thought about it, 'When I was younger, my dream was to become Hokage too, right?'
Suddenly, it seemed reasonable for his clan to think this way.
So he asked, "Then what do 'Fight for the Fourth' and 'Hope for the Fifth' mean?"
Fugaku coughed again, "Back then, the clan placed all their hopes on Uchiha Kagami."
"But Kagami followed Tobirama-sama to the peace talks and never returned. The 'Secure the Third' plan completely failed."
"When it reached my father's generation, he proposed the 'Fight for the Fourth' plan. Maybe he felt that wasn't enough, so he added the 'Hope for the Fifth' plan as well."
Obito coughed twice. He hadn't expected that even the previous Uchiha patriarch had set his sights on the Fifth Hokage position.
He thought for a moment and said, "You know, we actually can fight for the Fifth Hokage position."
Fugaku smiled, "Of course. With your abilities, the Fifth Hokage position should be a piece of cake, right?"
Obito shook his head, "I wasn't talking about me. Honestly, I'm not very interested in becoming Hokage."
"But…"
Obito looked at Fugaku and asked, "What about Itachi?"
"Itachi?", Fugaku was stunned, then suddenly realized something, "Obito, are you saying Itachi should be the Fifth Hokage?"
Obito recalled the Itachi from his past life. To be honest, he didn't approve of Itachi's actions.
From the perspective of the Uchiha clan, Itachi was far worse than he was.
But he had to admit that Itachi had lived a painful life.
Konoha should let the Uchiha have a taste of being Hokage. And for this position, Itachi was actually a good choice.
Compared to other Uchiha, at least in his early years, Itachi leaned more toward the village.
If he became the Fifth Hokage, it might help the Uchiha integrate better.
So Obito nodded, "Yes, I do have that idea."
Uchiha Fugaku hesitated, "But… can Itachi really become Hokage?"
Obito found it strange, "Itachi is about a year old now, right? You should already see his talent."
Fugaku gave Obito a resentful look, "Itachi is indeed a genius, perhaps even above me. If I hadn't met you, I'd be very satisfied. But now… sigh, comparing people really is frustrating."
Obito suddenly understood—it was his fault.
He reassured Fugaku, "The first time I saw Itachi, I knew he would become a great talent in the future. Clan Leader Fugaku, rest assured, Itachi won't disappoint you."
Fugaku, however, looked displeased, "Obito, do you know why when you praised Itachi's filial piety, Mikoto was so happy?"
Obito shook his head.
Fugaku sighed, "Because before you, everyone who saw Itachi said exactly what you just said."
Obito felt awkward. He realized he needed to change his approach to praising Itachi to make Fugaku happier.
After thinking hard for a while, he finally came up with something.
"Clan Leader Fugaku, Itachi really has the potential to be Hokage. After all, even at such a young age, he already thinks like one."
Fugaku rolled his eyes, "That's exactly what I used to say about you. You didn't even change a word."
Obito suddenly remembered, 'Oh, that's right.'
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