Chapter 8: A Heart-to-Heart with the Clan Leader
Upon hearing Uchiha Fugaku speak about the clan's dire situation, Yusuke nodded.
"I'm aware of all that," he said calmly.
Fugaku let out a weary sigh. "Danzo has always been at odds with the Uchiha. In past internal conflicts, the village elders consistently favored him. Even the Third Hokage seems to be using us to keep Danzo in check."
He paused, then continued with a trace of exhaustion in his voice, "Since I became clan head, I've done my best to maintain balance. But my abilities are limited. Despite my efforts, I've failed to secure the clan the influence it deserves. Instead, the rift between the village and our clan has only deepened."
Itachi looked up at his father, concern written across his young face. These were things Fugaku had never shared before. At just six years old, Itachi's mind was already far more mature than that of most children. From his father's words, he could feel the weight of the clan's crisis and the heavy burden on Fugaku's shoulders.
Seeing that Fugaku was willing to speak of things normally kept tightly sealed, Yusuke realized just how much the clan head had been worn down. For a proud leader like Fugaku to reveal such concerns to someone younger—someone technically still a junior—meant the pressure had grown unbearable.
Sensing his son's worry, Fugaku softened. He smiled faintly and gently patted Itachi's head, silently telling him not to worry. Then, he turned back to Yusuke.
"Our clan has few shinobi capable of standing on their own, and among those, I've yet to see anyone with the potential to become the clan's true pillar. That is, until I heard about your outstanding performance in the Third Great Ninja War. I was truly pleased and have been keeping an eye on you ever since."
Fugaku's tone suddenly shifted, becoming firm and intense. His gaze locked onto Yusuke's eyes.
"But based on what I've seen, you lack the pride and sense of duty an Uchiha should carry. Tell me, Yusuke—what does the clan mean to you?"
His voice grew sharper as he emphasized the last words, especially Yusuke's name.
Yusuke felt a flicker of guilt. He had spent most of his time immersed in training and developing new jutsu. He hadn't made any real contributions to the clan.
But abandoning the clan? That was never his intention. Ever since he'd awakened in this world and confirmed his Uchiha identity, Yusuke had quietly resolved to change the clan's tragic fate. He just didn't intend to do it through politics.
"Clan leader," Yusuke replied evenly, "I am a member of the Uchiha, through and through. But tell me—do you truly see a path forward for the clan?"
Fugaku closed his eyes and let out a long breath. After a pause, he reopened them—his gaze sharp as ever.
"Even if we can't see the path ahead, we must keep walking. The Uchiha must not fall on our watch! And you, Yusuke, with your talents—you must shoulder that responsibility. Not turn away from it!"
"I haven't turned away," Yusuke said quietly. "I've only turned away from politics as the way to save the clan."
Fugaku's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"For years now, our clan has been squeezed by every faction in the village. Our place in Konoha keeps shrinking. Perhaps there are ways to reverse it—but I don't have the political mind for that," Yusuke admitted. Despite the pressure in Fugaku's eyes, he met his gaze without flinching.
"That's why I've focused everything I have on strength. If the Uchiha had someone with the power of our ancestor—Uchiha Madara—then none of this suppression, none of these schemes, would matter. Every problem facing the clan could be crushed beneath sheer force."
Yusuke's voice was calm but carried the edge of fierce ambition. For the first time, he laid bare his true aim: strength—absolute strength.
Fugaku stared at him, stunned. He never imagined Yusuke harbored aspirations of becoming a figure on par with Madara Uchiha himself. Since the era of the Sage of Six Paths, only two had ever reached that height—Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, and Madara Uchiha.
"That's also why I rarely attend family meetings. While you and the other high-ranking members of the clan are busy scheming and fighting amongst yourselves, I've been diligently honing my skills," Yūsuke said confidently, disregarding the slightly stunned look on Uchiha Fugaku's face.
The living room fell silent for a moment, no one spoke. Uchiha Fugaku was deep in thought, contemplating Yūsuke's perspective, while Yūsuke quietly awaited his response. To Yūsuke, his goal had never changed: he missed previous clan meetings, and he would continue to avoid them in the future.
"Perhaps only someone with your ambition and vision could reach the heights of our ancestor Uchiha Madara," Uchiha Fugaku sighed after a long pause and then asked, "So, in your opinion, what should the clan do now?"
Yūsuke thought for a moment before replying, "If it were me, given the growing pressure from other factions, I might adopt a strategy of retreating to advance. Of course, 'retreating to advance' means being prepared to retreat completely. But I think the clan should consider stepping back, relinquishing power, and focusing on improving the strength of its members. It might be a way to ensure our survival."
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head. "I've considered that approach too, but unfortunately, most of the clan members wouldn't agree."
Yūsuke nodded without further comment. There was something he wanted to add: "If the clan leader's authority were strong enough, decisions could be made with a single word." But that was a hypothetical scenario that didn't need to be mentioned.
"From now on, I'll make arrangements so you no longer have to attend regular clan meetings. However, for some important meetings, I will personally ensure you are notified in advance. You must attend those," Uchiha Fugaku said, looking at Yūsuke with a determined gaze, one that left no room for refusal.
Yūsuke nodded. "Understood, and thank you for your understanding, Clan Leader." Given that Fugaku had made such a concession, it would be impolite for Yūsuke to push back any further.
With the conversation about the clan nearly concluded, Uchiha Fugaku's expression softened, and he revealed the real reason he had invited Yūsuke today. "Actually, I also wanted to discuss something else with you."
"Please, go ahead," Yūsuke responded.
"What do you think of Itachi?" Fugaku asked, lightly patting the shoulder of his son, Itachi, who was sitting next to him.
Yūsuke was slightly surprised but quickly grasped the underlying purpose. Fugaku was likely hoping to have Itachi become his disciple. There didn't seem to be any other reason for Fugaku to ask such a question. It's not as if he was planning a marriage arrangement between Itachi and his own sister, Izumi.
"Itachi is six now and about to enter the ninja academy. I've only recently started teaching him ninjutsu. You might think I'm exaggerating, but from my perspective, he has talent that rivals yours! I hope you can become his teacher and guide him in his future ninjutsu training," Uchiha Fugaku said seriously. He actually believed that Itachi's talent might even surpass Yūsuke's, though he kept his words modest.
Itachi, who was quite perceptive, had already figured out his father's intentions. He looked at Yūsuke with an eager expression, hoping for an opportunity to be taught by him.
Yūsuke smiled and nodded. "I can see that Itachi has extraordinary talent. I would be very happy to be his teacher. However, I never expected to take on two disciples on the same day. It's a bit overwhelming, honestly."
Yūsuke had already planned to get closer to Itachi eventually, knowing that Itachi would play a key role in the Uchiha clan's future. Now that Fugaku had explicitly asked him to become Itachi's teacher, it was even better than he had imagined.
As for the other disciple Yūsuke mentioned, Fugaku didn't inquire further but instead instructed Itachi to formally pay his respects and perform the teacher-disciple ceremony.
Itachi stood up from the cushion, knelt on the floor, and respectfully bowed to Yūsuke. "Itachi Uchiha, please guide me well from now on."
Yūsuke helped Itachi up and officially accepted him as his second disciple. Looking at Itachi's youthful appearance, Yūsuke couldn't help but think of his own little sister, Izumi.
"Izumi will soon be going to the ninja academy as well. With Kabuto and Itachi, maybe I should just apply to take on a Genin class," Yūsuke thought to himself.
At this moment, Yūsuke didn't yet know that his sister, Izumi, would eventually become Itachi's love interest in the "Itachi Shinden" story. If he did, he might not have thought of this arrangement. To Yūsuke, Itachi seemed like an extreme "brother complex" type, so he never considered such possibilities.
"Yūsuke, is it true that your Sharingan hasn't awakened yet, or have you been hiding your abilities?" After the teacher-disciple ceremony, Fugaku asked.
"It's true, I haven't awakened it. I've done a lot of research, and according to my findings, it takes intense mental stimulation to activate the Sharingan. So I gave up on it," Yūsuke replied helplessly.
Fugaku nodded. "Generally, that's true. But the Sharingan is actually activated by spiritual energy, or 'Yin power.' According to my understanding, with your current mastery of spiritual energy, you should have been able to awaken your Sharingan without external stimulation."
Fugaku thought for a moment before suddenly eyeing Yūsuke strangely. "Your father wasn't a member of the Uchiha clan, so could it be that you didn't inherit the Uchiha bloodline limit?"
Hearing Fugaku's words, Yūsuke wasn't particularly surprised. "To be honest, I've been suspecting that myself."
Although the Uchiha clan's bloodline was incredibly powerful, even when a non-Uchiha person married into the clan, their descendants usually inherited the Sharingan. However, if the non-Uchiha spouse also had a strong bloodline limit, the child could inherit that instead. There was also a very small chance that a child might inherit two bloodline limits.
But Yūsuke's father was an ordinary man with no special powers, so it made no sense that he could have overshadowed the Uchiha clan's bloodline, preventing Yūsuke from inheriting the Sharingan.