A few days later
"Did you hear about the fight of that Uzumaki prince with the Uchiha that happened a few days ago,"
"Yes, I heard that that Uzumake beat up one of the genius of the Uchiha clan,"
"Those Uchiha they brag all the time about their sharingan but they can't even beat a spoils prince that's not even a ninja,"
"You talk like you think that you could have beaten him!?"
"You better be careful how you talk about any of them, they aren't people that we can afford to offend,"
"Don't forget that the Uzumaki were also a great ninja clan,"
"And now they are nobles, right?"
"Weren't they always noble,"
Since the end of the fight a few days ago, the streets of Konoha have been filled with gossip about that event.
People had different reactions. Some were happy that the round Uchiha were beaten, some were unhappy about it because it was a bad look for Konoha, and others just found it entertaining.
But one thing was for certain the fight was on a lot of lips.
...
"Thanks for meeting me, master Furuma," Akashi said to the patriarch of the Uchiha as he got up.
"Thanks for coming by young man, it was a pleasure to have you again," he responded escorting Akashi outside.
"Mikami's estate is just there..." Furuma said giving instructions to Akashi
"Thanks," he responded walking away.
On the road, Akashi wasn't stopped by the Uchiha, but they looked at him with animosity.
Akashi wasn't surprised after all he was the reason their standing in the village had been lowered right now.
'Did Danzo or one of the Hokage faction do something,' he pondered a little after all it was a fight between two people of the young generation even if they were far from ordinary ninjas, his fight with Iruma had caused too much polemic.
'There I am,' he thought looking at the massive estate.
"Welcome,"
The door was opened by a woman in servant clothing.
"Elder Mikami is waiting," she said guiding him inside.
'So he is already waiting. I see!'
"crack," the door was pushed to the side, inside Akashi saw the old man, Uchiha Mikami the leader of the actual hawkish faction of the clan, seated in the room slowly and peacefully enjoying his tea.
"Welcome, I was waiting for you," he said as Akashi took his seat in front of him.
"I didn't expect you to wait for my visit. If I knew I would've come earlier," Akashi said looking at the old man who was pouring him a cup of hot tea in a cup.
His heart was beating faster, a little more wildly 'When did it start?'
'Am I nervous?!' he questioned himself before regaining control over his emotions.
"Soo, how is Iruma, hope he is well, I promised him to come by and convince you of..."
« I can see my son Hiroto in you, but you look a lot more like your mother!" the old man said calmly when he opened his mouth again.
Akashi scrutinized the calm and collected expression of the old man who was fixing him.
After a few seconds of silence until
"Twish," Before he could respond he found that his eyes started to act behind his control, and before he was able to stop it his Sharingan was activated.
"Three tomoe! At your age! That's incredible," for a few seconds the old man seemed to lose control of his emotions.
"How!?" Akashi asked incredulity
"Secret technique, Your clan has them too right!" he responded nonchalantly after regaining control of his emotions.
"Right, I was- just surprised!"
After a few seconds
"So you knew, since the begining?" Akashi looked at the old man in front of him as if trying to find some resemblance, he had wrinkled face hairs nearly completely white but his eyes were still sharp and unflinching.
"Does that mean that others know?" he asked, his mind wandering toward the possibility that others such as the Uchiha patriarch or even the Hokage faction knew.
But he was quickly reassured by the calm voice of the old man,
"No! I know, and I made sure that it remains so. I received the information from his cat plus there are other ways that we have to confirm that kind of thing, we aren't one of the oldest and strongest clans in the world for nothing," The old man explained,
Akashi immediately understood "The cat summons, huh, I see, it means that he has probably known about me from the beginning," he thought
"I see!" Akashi finally responded with a little sigh, a mix of relief and at the same time anxiety and many other emotions
"Well, I guess it would be stupid to continue to pretend," getting on his knees he bent down toward the old man until his head nearly touched the floor.
"It's an honor to meet you grandfather, I'm Akashi Uzumaki, son of Hiroto Uchiha and Kana Uzumaki."
A flash of a smile appeared on the face of the old man but it quickly disappeared.
Akashi didn't see that as he was still face down as he remained face down.
"No need for that, get back up!"
Once he did the old man talked again
"You are a lot more respectful than you were the first time we met,"
"I hope you don't mind too much grandfather! I thought it would be better to keep that a secret."
"Grandfather, already acting so familiar. You are a particular case, You are called Uzumaki but the Sky Daimyo already gave you his name and technically made you his heir right? Do you also want to be recognized as a Uchiha,"
The old Uchiha asked his stern expression still placated on his face
After a moment of silence, Akashi finally responded
"Ideally yes!"
"Ideally, but it's probably not going to happen," He said looking at the old man who nodded.
"So! What was your plan?" The old man asked putting his tea to his lips.
"Huh," Akashi showed a bewildered expression.
"Your plan to put the Uchiha clan or me Or your pocket. I'm too old for that!" the old man elaborated slurping his tea.
"Nothing special, I knew that roaming around the village I would attract a lot of attention, I was bound to have to pissed-I mean angered someone and knowing the members of the clans or maybe provoke it, create enough trouble to have to come here in person to make amand by offering a few missions to the clan so that ties can be built..."
The old man, while drinking his tea, seemed quite pleased as he listened to Akashi describe his plan and tried to evaluate its feasibility.
He also recounted a few other plans that he had.
"You have indeed been defied by a lot of kids of my faction of the clan those last few days," the old man remarked.
"It's a good plan, let's follow it then," He said slowly at Akashi surprised.
"What!" He exclaimed
"Let's follow your plan benefit a lot, my clan, you have already created a lot of trouble anyway,"
"So! Are you going to inscribe me on the book of the clan?" Akashi asked
"It depends on a lot, and you need to be evaluated, and trained according to the clan practice, I will be the judge. In the meantime ti"
"Thank you, grandfather,"
At that, the old man smiled a little.
Looking at that Akashi fell silent for a few seconds
"I'm a little surprised,"
"By what!?" The old man asked
"By you, my mother talked a little about you, according to what my father told her when they got to know each other, she was half sure that you would have tried to kill me the moment I met you, but I don't feel that from you, I feel strangely at peace."
Silence reigns in the room after Akashi says those words,
The old Mikami looked rather surprised before his expression became offended, before it changed understanding, then to pensive,"
"I would say that it's because I'm old now," he said letting out a sigh
"Do you know Sasuke Sarutobi. He is the father of the third Hokage. He killed his daughter because she was pregnant with a Uchiha child?"
"What?" Akashi exclaimed in surprise
"It was the warring state period so it's not that surprising, and morale is very subjective for ninjas."
"I don't know anything about that Sasuke Sarutobi,"
"The actual Hokage tried to make everything disappear, asked the old Kuroko he is old enough, he can tell you a lot of atrocity committed by the clans that they wish to make disappear including yours."
"What I'm trying to say is that I would have indeed killed you just ten years ago that's one of the reasons that I never told anyone about you," The old man said and Akashi couldn't help but feel a chill on his spine for a second.
"A lot of things happened in the meantime, I grew older, weaker, calmer, and I lost a lot more people, Your father, my daughter and her husband, my wife, my closest clansmen."
"I'm but a weak old man now full of nostalgia anger and regret,"
Akshi looked at the little smile on the lips of Mikami and suddenly he could feel the weight of and strain that it took to rise to the position of elder of a ninja clan.
***
A\N: The info of Sasuke Sarutobi is in one of the light novel, I forgot which one.