Takuya laughed heartily:
"So, you have to keep a close eye on Danzo. Don't let him mess around; he's always had plans to control Kushina. For people like him, you have to be tough. If you're too soft, he'll be the first to play dirty tricks on you."
Cough cough!!!
Minato interrupted with a bitter smile:
"Takuya, enough. I'm afraid if you keep talking, the Anbu will invite us for tea later."
"Oh, stop it. What are you scared of? Your teacher is Jiraiya; the Anbu wouldn't dare mess with you."
"I'm not even worried, so why are you?"
In the past, wherever Kushina went, the Anbu would always keep a close watch on her.
But things were different now. Kushina had full freedom as long as she didn't leave Konoha.
"I really wish I could go with you all to the Land of Whirlpools."
Since arriving in Konoha, Kushina had never left the village. She longed to visit the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.
But the village wouldn't allow her to leave.
With her strength, Kushina could easily force her way out if she wanted.
But being kind-hearted, she didn't want to cause trouble for Tsunade.
Takuya ruffled her hair and smiled.
"There will be an opportunity. Who knows? Maybe it'll come soon."
"What kind of opportunity?"
Tsunade put down her chopsticks, her ears perking up.
Not just her, but Minato and Nawaki also looked over curiously, while Kushina grew even more excited.
Seeing their curiosity, Takuya acted mysteriously:
"Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed!"
"Ugh!!"
Minato and Nawaki instinctively flipped him off.
Kushina and Tsunade rolled their eyes in sync.
Is he messing with us? "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed"? Seriously?
After a few years apart, Takuya's squad was finally reunited and headed back to the battlefield.
The three of them left Konoha alongside the third wave of reinforcements heading to the front lines.
What surprised Takuya was seeing Mikoto Uchiha among the support forces.
"You're coming too?"
Even though Mikoto had the strength of a Jonin, Takuya didn't think the Uchiha would be desperate enough to send someone like her, who usually handled administrative tasks, into war.
"Because you're going to the front lines, I arranged with the clan to switch roles. Besides, I haven't been out of the village in a few years."
Mikoto smiled gently as she opened a lunch box she had brought.
"You probably haven't eaten yet, right? Here, have something to eat. There might not be much time to rest on the road."
"Always so thoughtful, Mikoto. You know I haven't had a chance to eat."
"As long as you like it."
Mikoto smiled sweetly.
Not far away, Minato and Nawaki felt like they were full before they even started eating.
Dear heavens, if I've committed a sin, just strike me with lightning as punishment!
Don't make me suffer through watching these two shove their affection in my face!
I'm going to burst from all this forced sweetness.
"Minato, Nawaki, come on, I made some for you too."
"Sigh~ coming!"
Who cares about being single? Fill the stomach first, then worry about it!
As much as the love was overwhelming, hunger was a real problem.
What a couple of hopeless fools.
Takuya looked at them with disdain.
Just moments ago, they were acting all disgusted, pretending to cringe.
But now, as soon as they heard there was food, they rushed over without hesitation.
Nawaki being a clown was expected, but even you, Minato?
Turns out, being a clown is contagious.
Due to the large number of people, it would take the entire group two days to reach the front lines in the Land of Whirlpools. If it were just a small squad traveling at full speed, they could have made it in a day.
"Takuya, could we talk for a moment?"
On the way, Uchiha Fugaku, who was personally leading the support troops, approached Takuya.
"Sure."
At this point, Takuya no longer needed to avoid being associated with the Uchiha clan. As long as he didn't officially rejoin the clan, the Third Hokage wouldn't use it against him.
"I heard your wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy."
"Yeah."
Mentioning this brought a rare, warm smile to Fugaku's usually stoic face.
"Itachi. His name is Uchiha Itachi."
Without Mikoto, Uchiha Fugaku had gotten married much earlier than in the original timeline.
So, their child was born earlier too.
Perhaps it was fate. The dutiful son had still come into this world and was named Uchiha Itachi.
Though now, Itachi was a little older than he was in the original series.
He was about the same age as Shisui Uchiha.
Ignoring the looks from the nearby Anbu ninja, Fugaku and Takuya distanced themselves from the group, walking at a leisurely pace.
Looking up at the blue sky, Fugaku sighed deeply.
"I once thought my father was too stubborn, that he mishandled many things, especially the relationship between the village and the clan. But now that I'm in his position, I realize things aren't nearly as simple as I imagined."
A family with three different factions—how could it be simple?
Takuya couldn't help but admire the Uchiha's complexity.
But if the Uchiha could unite as one and Fugaku stopped being so cautious, would the village still dare to target them so blatantly?
At that point, even the Third Hokage wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
For example, if the Uchiha caused some unrest during the war, the higher-ups would be in big trouble.
During wartime, many of the village's strongest fighters were away, battling outside. If the Uchiha stirred up trouble at that moment, the village wouldn't be able to respond harshly.
If things got out of hand, it could lead to mutual destruction.
Konoha's enemies would probably laugh themselves awake from dreaming of such a scenario.
"There are just too many people vying for power," Takuya said bluntly, pointing out the Uchiha's biggest problem.
"There are too many factions—hawks, doves, centrists. And on top of that, there's a clan head who lacks resolve."
Uchiha Fugaku: "..."
The first part of Takuya's statement made Fugaku feel somewhat validated, but the final comment left him stunned.
A clan head who lacks resolve? Was Takuya talking about him?
"You don't understand, I..."
"Don't give me that."
Takuya cut him off without hesitation.
"Look, I don't like some of the old men in the Uchiha clan, but they're still my mother's family, so I'll give you some advice. If you keep compromising, certain people will just take advantage and push you further."
"Given the current situation, if you don't have the courage to make changes, you might as well hand over the power to those hawkish elders."
"At least they can make the higher-ups feel threatened. But you..."
Takuya shook his head, showing no mercy in his critique.
"All I see from you, Fugaku, is compromise and retreat, with no sign of strength."
"Actually, you do show strength—but only within the clan. Outside of it, you're all about compromise."
"Wake up. If you don't even have the resolve to reform your own clan, what right do you have to improve relations between the Uchiha and the village?"
"This so-called bad relationship isn't even about the whole village. It's just the higher-ups targeting the Uchiha. Sure, the clan's actions have made them unpopular with the villagers, but that's just dislike."
"The higher-ups? It's not just dislike—they genuinely want to get rid of you."
"I just hope the Uchiha don't disappear on your watch. After the war, I'll have Mikoto and Auntie move out of the Uchiha compound."
"If your clan wants to self-destruct, don't drag them down with you."
Leaving the dumbstruck Fugaku behind, Takuya returned to the group.
______________Bonus____________
Next Bonus: 500 Power Stones. When restarting I will give you two chapters╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon,com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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