"Obito!!!"
Black Zetsu's furious roar echoed in his ears. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation? Weren't you supposed to just have a conversation with Uchiha Itsuki? So why are there so many ninjutsu attacks coming out of that 'talk'?"
What kind of nonsense is this?
Black Zetsu felt a wave of frustration wash over him, as if thousands of curses were surging through his mind.
Even White Zetsu got dragged into this 'conversation.'
"Explanation? Explanation for what?"
Obito glanced at Black Zetsu with indifference. "White Zetsu's main body died. Just pick another one from the clones to be the new White Zetsu."
"As for Uchiha Itsuki..."
Obito's face turned dark.
Because of the mask, Black Zetsu couldn't see his expression.
"I just couldn't communicate with him."
Black Zetsu: "..."
You call that a communication failure?!
Do you think I don't know how fast you ran away?
And besides!
Your so-called communication failure cost us White Zetsu.
Black Zetsu muttered a few curses and turned to leave.
The moment he turned around, his anger subsided.
White Zetsu is dead, but so what?
Just like Obito said, they can always find another White Zetsu among the clones.
But!
In front of Obito, he needed to show fury.
After all, he and White Zetsu were one entity!
After Black Zetsu left:
Obito remained seated in the same spot, until after a long while, he finally cursed through gritted teeth, "Damn Uchiha Itsuki, you almost scared me to death!"
So close!
He had been just inches from being killed!
...
"Elder Zongyi, do you have any questions? If you do, why don't you go first?"
Itsuki looked helpless.
He really wanted to get straight to the point.
But…
Zongyi's gaze sent chills down his spine.
Why was an old man looking at them with such a sorrowful expression?
Zongyi hesitated slightly before asking, "Why do all of you have Mangekyō Sharingan?"
I want one too!
Five pairs!
This is the most the clan has ever had. If I got one too, wouldn't that make six pairs?
Six for six, a perfect number! How beautiful would that be?
The other Uchiha members didn't try to hide anything.
The Uchiha clan had records about the awakening of Mangekyō Sharingan.
If Zongyi could awaken it, even as a pacifist, they'd welcome it.
Fugaku said, "Just like in the clan records, I awakened my Mangekyō during the Third Shinobi World War when the death of a comrade deeply affected me."
Shisui hesitated, then said, "I awakened mine suddenly after the war."
Itsuki asked with interest, "How did you feel before and after awakening? Tell me in detail."
"Urgency."
Shisui ignored Itsuki and sighed, "I was worried that the relationship between the clan and the village would deteriorate further. I was desperate to change things. That sense of urgency nearly drove me mad, and then I awakened the Mangekyō."
Itachi added in a low voice, "For me, it was pretty similar."
Of course, it wasn't. There were some feelings he didn't want to share.
He didn't think his experience would help Zongyi.
Sasuke waved his hand dismissively, "I don't need to say much. I inherited the eyes of an Uchiha elder."
He touched his eyes and said calmly, "These eyes have already been used several times. I don't think I can use them much longer."
Swoosh!
Everyone turned their gaze toward Itsuki.
They were genuinely curious about this strongest guy!
Itsuki pondered for a moment before speaking, "I awakened mine after discovering the darkness within the village, when I was greatly shocked."
"Darkness?"
The group was stunned.
"Yes."
Itsuki smiled and said, "The so-called 'Will of Fire' only applies selectively."
"For example..."
"The Will of Fire is like a sword in the hands of the Third Hokage and his followers. When someone goes against their will, that sword is turned against them, while the Third Hokage holds the hilt."
"Itsuki!"
Shisui's voice grew serious.
"Do you think I'm wrong?" Itsuki looked at Shisui, sarcastically. "Let me give you two obvious examples."
"One is Sakumo Hatake."
"He prioritized his comrades. Isn't that the essence of the Will of Fire?"
"Though his failure caused Konoha great losses, he was still driven to death. How ridiculous is that?"
The group fell silent.
"Oh, right!" Itsuki suddenly asked, "I'm young, so I don't know. What exactly did Sakumo Hatake's failure cost the village? Elder Sasuke, Elder Zongyi, Fugaku, do any of you know?"
"How would I know?" Fugaku replied first.
Zongyi and Sasuke exchanged glances and shook their heads. "We don't know either!"
Sasuke added, "Maybe there wasn't any loss at all."
That statement once again left everyone silent.
A chill ran down their spines.
If there were no losses, it meant that the person targeting Sakumo wasn't just Danzo—or at least not Danzo alone.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
He had been involved too!
Itsuki picked up where he left off, "The second person I'm talking about is none other than the Third Hokage!"
"This is just my personal suspicion, but it's quite curious."
"What's curious?"
"The Third Hokage's longevity!"
Itsuki smiled slyly, "He keeps talking about the Will of Fire, yet both the Second and Fourth Hokage died, leaving only him alive as the Third."
"This..."
Itsuki's words left everyone stunned.
Itachi couldn't help but ask, "What are you trying to say?"
Itsuki shrugged and said, "When the Second Hokage died, the Third Hokage was there, and afterward, he became the Hokage."
"When the Fourth Hokage died, the Third Hokage was also there. And after that, he regained power even after stepping down."
"Are you telling me this is all a coincidence? It's quite the coincidence."
Itsuki grinned, "In terms of value, the Second and Fourth Hokage seem to be more valuable than the Third. Especially the Second..."
He looked lost in thought.
In the original story, Konoha had Hokages up to the Sixth generation.
In fact, the Hokage Itsuki admired most was the one most unfriendly to the Uchiha—Tobirama Senju.
He was the most well-rounded Hokage!
A natural politician!
A natural Hokage!
While Hashirama Senju laid the foundation of Konoha, it was Tobirama who refined it.
If Itsuki had lived during Tobirama's time, they might have been great collaborators.
In terms of ninjutsu, Tobirama created countless techniques, and he was known as the strongest Water-style user.
In terms of politics, Tobirama established the Anbu and the Konoha Police Force, centralizing power while subtly isolating the Uchiha.
The Uchiha gladly accepted their roles, not realizing they had been isolated.
In terms of society, Tobirama founded the ninja academy, giving commoners a chance while suppressing the great clans, even dismantling his own Senju clan.
Even though Itsuki was an Uchiha, he had to acknowledge, "Great Tobirama Senju!"
In fact, Itsuki suspected that Tobirama never intended to eliminate the Uchiha.
Isolating them was likely his way of teaching them the importance of the village, showing them that a single clan was weak compared to the village.
… "Let's see how well you do on your own!"
Itsuki even had a theory.
If Tobirama hadn't died, his next move would've been to dismantle the Uchiha clan and then support an Uchiha to become Hokage!
Kagami!
Uchiha Kagami!
Suddenly, a name popped into Itsuki's mind.
No, not Kagami!
Itsuki's head stiffened as he turned toward Shisui.
Oh crap!
Tobirama groomed Kagami, and Shisui perfectly inherited Kagami's will.
Could Shisui be Tobirama's chosen candidate for Hokage?!
(End of Chapter)