What's the point of the Hyuga even trying to compete with the Uchiha when they're not on the same level in any way?
Takuya couldn't wrap his head around it.
"This way, Tsunade-sama, Takuya-sama," a member of the Uchiha clan respectfully guided them to the clan leader's estate before leaving.
Despite it being the wedding of the clan leader, the atmosphere at the estate was less lively than Takuya had imagined. Not many Uchiha were allowed into the estate, and after glancing at a few of the annoying elders, Takuya handed over his gift and found a place to sit.
Tsunade wasn't shy about following his lead, plopping down next to him and immediately grabbing one of the bottles of sake on the table, taking big swigs without a care.
Her lack of manners went unchecked—no one dared to stop her.
"The Hokage has arrived!!"
Just before the wedding started, the Third Hokage finally arrived, a bit later than expected.
Everyone in the courtyard stood up as the Hokage entered. With a warm smile, he waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Today is Fugaku's happy day. I'm just here to celebrate with him. Please, take your seats."
"Right this way, Hokage-sama."
The Uchiha gave the Third Hokage all the respect due, with the head elder personally rising to greet and seat him. If it weren't for the fact that Fugaku was the groom, he'd have been the first to greet the Hokage himself.
The Third Hokage smiled and nodded at Takuya and Tsunade before taking the seat prepared for him. He leisurely sipped his tea while engaging in polite conversation with the Uchiha elder.
"What a fake," Tsunade muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes and turning back to her sake.
Takuya, feeling equally bored, resigned himself to snacking on some seeds. He had no interest in drinking, and it wasn't the right time to dig into the food yet. So, he was left to crack open some seeds and watch the event unfold.
"Captain."
Thankfully, the Uchiha clan weren't completely oblivious. Seeing Takuya's obvious boredom, they had Uchiha Ryoji come over to keep him company and chat.
Takuya glanced up at the young man who had grown quite a bit stronger since the last time they met. He smiled and said, "Not bad. Looks like you've been working hard on your training. Have you unlocked your Sharingan?"
"How did you know?" Ryoji asked in surprise.
Even Tsunade raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Ryoji with curiosity. Could Takuya really tell at a glance if someone had unlocked their Sharingan?
Ryoji was only eleven, and unlocking the Sharingan at that age was pretty impressive.
People often misunderstood Obito, labeling him as weak. But compared to Kakashi, of course, he seemed like the underdog. In reality, Obito was quite strong. He just had some... mental issues.
Before graduation, Obito had mastered several Fire-style jutsu, was proficient in taijutsu, and had solid shuriken-throwing skills. How could anyone call that weak?
If Obito was considered weak, then three-quarters of the academy graduates would have to be considered failures.
And really, if Obito was such a "failure," would the Third Hokage have placed him on a team with Kakashi?
"How did you know, Captain? Did Mikoto tell you?" Ryoji asked, still looking stunned.
Takuya chuckled and shook his head. "No, Mikoto didn't say anything. I could just sense that your spiritual energy is much stronger than most people your age, so I guessed you must've awakened it."
Other people might not have noticed, but with Takuya's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he could feel these things clearly.
"So, how's working in the police force going?" Takuya asked, deciding to continue the small talk. He didn't mind chatting with Ryoji, even if he had some grievances with the older members of the Uchiha.
"It's been alright, just a bit tiring," Ryoji admitted. Over the past two years, his personality had shifted. Perhaps due to his work in the police force, he'd mellowed out a lot, losing some of that icy, sharp attitude.
As they continued chatting, the real event finally started.
The bride and groom made their appearance.
Takuya had to admit, the bride was as beautiful as Mikoto had described. It wasn't surprising, really. The Uchiha clan wasn't lacking in attractive members, and Fugaku, as the clan leader, wasn't about to marry someone plain.
Even if this was a political marriage, the clan would still choose someone fitting.
After all, it wouldn't reflect well on the clan if the clan leader's wife wasn't attractive.
The bride was stunning... but Fugaku? In his formal attire, he somehow managed to look worse than usual. Especially with that perpetually stoic expression of his.
Takuya raised an eyebrow. It was his wedding day, and the guy couldn't even manage a smile?
Seriously?
Takuya couldn't help but shake his head.
"What are you shaking your head for?" Tsunade asked with a smirk. "Is the bride not pretty enough for you?"
Ryoji, sitting nearby, also looked curious.
Takuya grinned mischievously. "I'm just thinking... how long will it take for the bride to get depressed, having to live with Fugaku and that emotionless face every day?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "..."
"Cough!" Ryoji quickly turned his head, pretending not to hear. Takuya might be bold enough to say such things, but as a member of the Uchiha, Ryoji wasn't about to risk repeating that.
Even if his grandfather was an elder, if he was caught making fun of Fugaku, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Alright, enough with the jokes," Tsunade said, shooting Takuya a sideways glance. "The poor guy's just getting married."
She glanced over at Mikoto, who was serving as a bridesmaid, looking even more beautiful than the bride. Tsunade sighed. "I still don't understand how you ended up with such good luck."
The wedding dragged on with one ceremony after another, typical for a clan leader's wedding. Takuya found himself nodding off, stifling yawns.
When everything was finally over, the Third Hokage was one of the first to make his exit. And with him gone, the other guests began to leave as well.
"Captain, the clan leader would like a word with you," Ryoji said quietly, approaching Takuya just as he was about to leave with Tsunade.
"Of course," Tsunade grinned, settling back down with another bottle of sake. "I'll wait for you. Don't take too long, or I might end up needing you to carry me home."
Takuya chuckled and nodded. He was curious about why Fugaku wanted to talk. On his wedding day, no less.
When Takuya entered the upstairs corner room, Fugaku had already changed out of his wedding attire and greeted him politely. "I apologize for the location, but there are still a lot of people around."
"It's fine. It's quiet here. Congratulations, by the way. Your bride is beautiful," Takuya said, waving off the apology.
At the compliment, Fugaku's stiff face awkwardly tried to form a smile.
Takuya immediately wished he hadn't.
The attempt at a smile made Fugaku look... significantly less attractive. The guy went from looking a little plain to just straight-up weird.
Bro... please stop smiling. You're killing me here.
Takuya quickly took a seat, hoping Fugaku wouldn't try smiling again.
Once they were both seated, Fugaku poured some tea and began speaking. "I used to think being the clan leader would be prestigious. But now that I am one, I've realized how hard it is to be a competent leader."
"There's so much internal strife. Some support me, others form their own cliques, and a few want to get close to the village's higher-ups."
Takuya said nothing, sipping his tea and listening quietly.
Suddenly, Fugaku asked, "Takuya, if you were in my position, how would you handle the Uchiha's current situation?"
Takuya paused, slowly putting down his tea as he considered the question. After a moment, he smirked.
"I'd start by crushing anyone who doesn't respect me."
"Pffft!"
Fugaku had just taken a sip of tea, and immediately spat it out all over the floor.
Coughing and sputtering, he stared at Takuya in disbelief.
"If I were you, Fugaku, I'd get rid of anyone who's not on board. Every single one of them. Even if it weakens the Uchiha's overall strength, it's better to have a united front."
A clan with so many conflicting voices?
Forget about it. How could they ever expect to rise if they weren't even unified?
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These three chapters were for the review I received.
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Next Bonus 4100
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