Inside the residence of the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku and Kisuke were sitting near the pond.
Fugaku was drinking tea calmly, but Kisuke's expression was a bit unsightly.
"Kisuke-kun, this mission is very important and confidential. I don't know the details." Fugaku took a sip of tea, then continued with a smile.
"But I believe that once you complete this mission, you will definitely become a hero of Konoha, and the bridge between us!"
"But, Patriarch, I just came down from the battlefield of Kirigakure. Isn't this..."
Kisuke didn't want to accept this task at all, even though he had a hint in his mind—
[Obtained new branch mission]
[1. Assist the Minato Squad in blowing up the Kannabi Bridge]
[2. Help Iwagakure protect the bridge]
[Mission Reward: Unknown]
Kisuke wasn't lucky during his transmigration, as he just happened to catch up with the Third Ninja War, when all things were thriving and vibrant.
Without his parents' status as protection, he became a glorious cannon fodder.
Of course, even if they had survived, it might not have made much of a difference.
Because of the chaos in various lands, Konoha—sandwiched in the center of the map—felt that it had reached a crossroads.
Fortunately, there were still many people in Konoha proud of their ruthlessness who offered helpful advice:
When students graduate, don't they become qualified cannon fodder?
For Konoha, it was time to make a decision.
As a result, a large number of students graduated with honors and threw themselves into the mission of protecting Konoha.
Kisuke was one of them. It's unclear whether it was due to talent or ideas carried over from his previous life.
After encountering a bloody battle on the battlefield for the first time, he awakened the Sharingan.
However, the more familiar he became with the battlefield, the more numb he grew—and the harder it became to advance his Sharingan.
Fortunately, his system finally arrived.
The system couldn't be considered high-end, but at least it wasn't completely useless.
Put simply, it randomly issued tasks based on his identity as a ninja and the situations he encountered, allowing him to gain rewards.
There was no artificial intelligence. It wouldn't chat with him. It could only issue tasks in a dull, mechanical way.
The missions were strange, usually offering two opposite options, and he could choose whichever he wanted.
He could take on three side quests. If completed, they would grant rewards. If not, they would remain stuck.
As for the main quest, there was only one—and his current one was called:
[Survive]
This system was what allowed Kisuke to survive Kirigakure's onslaught until now.
But he never expected that, just as he returned home and hadn't even eaten a bite of hot food, Fugaku would go crazy again.
He didn't know the full details of the mission, only that he was to assist the Minato team in an important and confidential task.
But Kisuke's system and memory had already given him the answer.
"For the sake of the village and the family, it may be a little hard, but I believe you can overcome it, Kisuke-kun."
Fugaku put down the teacup, looked directly at Kisuke, and spoke calmly.
"I don't think you would want Elder Sato to know that you refused and feel disappointed, right?"
"."
Kisuke almost cursed when he heard this. If he were strong enough, he would've attacked him right then.
Kisuke was an orphan, but both his deceased parents were hawks, so he had been labeled as one from a young age.
Yet, before he awakened his Sharingan, he had never even seen the leader of Hawks, Uchiha Sato.
He relied on the support of the family and help from some of the lowest-ranking clan members—those unable to become ninjas—to survive until graduation.
After awakening the Sharingan, his treatment improved dramatically.
He gained access to useful intel and jutsu, but the reason behind this was painfully simple.
What made things worse was that, although he wanted to keep a low profile, the hawkish faction went out of their way to announce that "a new genius has appeared on our side."
As a result, the dove faction completely ignored him, and he might have even ended up on Konoha's unofficial blacklist.
As for Fugaku's line about doing it "for the family," Kisuke really felt that this man's brain and cerebellum weren't fully developed.
It was fine for others to talk like that, but if it were Fugaku? Are you even worthy?
"Okay, Kisuke-kun, I'll leave this matter to you."
Fugaku clearly didn't want to keep talking. He tapped the table lightly.
"Shisui wanted to take over this mission, but I rejected him. You are the true genius of the family, and I hope you can take on this important task. I've already submitted the list. You have two days to prepare. I look forward to hearing good news from you."
"I see."
At this point, Kisuke no longer had a chance to object.
The list had already been submitted—how could he object now?
But now he was more certain than ever about one thing:
I want to replace this guy.
What Fugaku did to his own clan couldn't be described as "leading a harmonious family."
His failures were simply too many to list.
The Nine-Tails incident was handled by Danzo, giving him the excuse he needed.
Then, when Konoha was redistricted, Fugaku never fought the higher ups and chose to move the clan elsewhere—into a remote, marginalized zone of the village.
At that time, rumors were already spreading that the Uchiha clan had ties to the Nine-Tails incident.
Fugaku's actions only made the clan look guiltier.
Worst of all, three Mangekyō users existed in the clan, yet two supported Sarutobi Hiruzen—while the third just sat and waited to be killed without lifting a finger.
And it wasn't just one person who died. Everyone died.
Old, young, guilty, innocent—it didn't matter. They were all wiped out.
All of that, just to satisfy Fugaku's pride—and to ensure Sasuke lived.
"If a guy like that can be a clan leader, then why can't I?"
Suddenly, Kisuke had the thought—and at the same time, the system responded.
[New Mainline Mission: He can take his place!]
[Task details being generated]
[Main Quest: Survive - Completed]
[Rewards being counted...]
Seeing this, Kisuke raised his eyebrows.
He calmly accepted the mission to assist the Minato Squad in blowing up the Kannabi Bridge, then stood up and said:
"I'll try to do it. But before I go, I hope to look through some of my family's secret records. I want to improve my Sharingan further, but I can't do it alone. Maybe the writings of my ancestors can give me some inspiration."
"Okay, you can go tonight. I'll inform them."
Fugaku thought for a moment, then nodded.
Kisuke turned and left. He didn't want to say another word to Fugaku.
After he walked out of the clan leader's residence, the system finally refreshed:
[Main Mission: Survive]
[Reward Acquired: Extraordinary]
[Adapt to the current world. When the host's power reaches its current limit, a bloodline evolution can be completed.]
[Number of Evolutions: 4]
"???"
Kisuke was stunned by the reward.
His side quests had mostly granted other ninjas' techniques or passive boosts.
He didn't expect the reward for the main quest to be so incredible.
But before he could celebrate, the system refreshed again.
[New Mainline Mission: He can take his place!]
[Your heart is filled with anger toward Fugaku, and you are sure you can replace him]
[Overthrow Fugaku's tyranny, become the head of the Uchiha clan—and raise his wife]
"."