Back at the palace, Masashi first went to see the daimyō.
He stood before the daimyō and his council to explain his recent absence.
"The recent situation required implementing layered chakra detection barriers," he explained. "Our sensor array picked up fluctuating chakra frequencies in the 800 to 1200 range—typical of long-range reconnaissance techniques."
"To counter this, we had to recalibrate our chakra dampening field to create interference patterns at matching wavelengths while maintaining a stable baseline for our own defensive jutsu."
"Additionally," Masashi continued, "we detected attempts at chakra resonance mapping, likely trying to identify gaps in our security grid. This required us to temporarily suspend all active chakra circulation and switch to passive detection methods using natural energy readings."
The palace officials exchanged knowing glances, nodding with impressed expressions. One elderly advisor stroked his beard. "Most thorough, as expected of an Uchiha."
Amazing how easily people accept what they expect to hear, especially when it comes with a touch of technical jargon, even when all of it was complete bullshit, Masashi noted as the palace officials nodded along.
If only they knew the real reason—he'd simply been delayed by an empty stomach.
As time passed, the mission to protect the daimyō was coming to an end. The final security review showed no gaps in their defenses, exactly as expected.
Throughout the mission, the daimyō had been well-protected, dining comfortably and sleeping soundly.
The presence of two Konoha jonin was enough to deter almost all ninja organizations outside the Five Great Nations, and the other four Great Ninja Villages wouldn't risk assassinating a daimyō.
When it came to a country's daimyō, the major villages would only take on protection missions, not assassination jobs. It was an unspoken rule that kept the balance of power stable.
And so, the last day passed peacefully.
Masashi and Shisui bid farewell to the daimyō and began their journey back to the village.
"Think we'll get another mission like this?" Shisui asked as they traveled.
"Depends on how the politics play out," Masashi replied, keeping his pace steady. And how many more complications we can avoid.
After three months away, Shisui missed Konoha's snack street immensely. Masashi also missed a few specialty snack shops in the village.
Protecting the nation's leader was a high-pressure task. Masashi had looked forward to unwinding back home, but given how things were developing, that would have to wait.
With their minds on their favorite hometown foods, the two raced back home as fast as possible.
When Konoha's gates appeared on the horizon, they both felt a sense of comfort. "The village has changed since we left," Shisui observed, scanning the skyline.
"The village always changes. We just notice it more when we're away," Masashi responded, his eyes catching subtle differences in the guard rotations. And some changes are more concerning than others.
Entering the village, the two headed straight to the Hokage's office to report the mission.
Where they had accepted the mission, they had to register its completion, and so, after three months away, they saw Minato once again.
This time, the Hokage looked much busier, sitting diligently at his desk, going through a stack of paperwork.
The First Hokage's hands-off leadership style led to the early establishment of the Hokage Council and its team of advisors.
While the Hokage and Council formed Konoha's ultimate decision-making body, it was the elders' pre-decision group that handled most of the daily paperwork, freeing experienced Hokage to focus on more crucial matters.
"You're back."
The 'rookie' Hokage looked up from the pile of documents, appearing happy but sporting dark circles.
"Hokage-sama, have you been working overtime?" Masashi asked with curiosity.
"Lately, everyone's been out on missions, so the administrative work has piled up," Minato said, relaxing his brow. "Did the mission go smoothly? Any issues?"
I ran into your student, who's after your wife, Masashi thought, but knew he couldn't say that out loud. Too misleading, and there was no way to explain the source of that information.
Besides, the Fourth Hokage's true opinion on the Uchiha was still unknown; it couldn't be judged based on personal impressions from the manga. Too risky.
Hiruzen, commonly seen as a sly veteran, was actually someone who avoided all actions that could cause turmoil. He opposed any direct conflict with the Uchiha and insisted on confining them to the Police Force.
Danzō seemed outwardly hostile toward the Uchiha but was actually opposed to anyone outside Hiruzen being Hokage or trying to become Hokage.
The two elder advisors, though often appearing indifferent, were highly skilled administrators. They could generally resolve conflicts among departments through systemic adjustments.
They were more guarded than trusting toward the Uchiha but held no significant malice, aiming for a balanced middle ground.
Minato, while appearing the most friendly to the Uchiha, was in fact the most ruthless among them.
Like the First Hokage, the village was his utmost priority. If anyone, even close family, threatened the village, he would not hesitate to act.
If it weren't for the deep attachment I felt to Konoha, I might have long ago quit my position to travel the world, Masashi mused.
"The mission went smoothly, with no interference," he said to Minato.
"Yes, it went smoothly," Shisui agreed, adding, "The daimyō of the Land of Rain... has quite a personality."
"Oh, that's good to hear," Minato said, quite pleased. This meant another successful protection mission for Konoha, which was something to celebrate.
Although he wanted to chat longer with them, the paperwork awaited him. After a few encouraging words, he sent the two off to rest, and he returned to his work.
Masashi couldn't have asked for a better outcome and left quickly.
At home, he took a proper bath, then went to visit Fugaku, only to be told he was still at the Police Force.
After some thought, he realized it had been a while since he had been there himself. So, he changed into his Police Force uniform and headed there.
As soon as he entered, he attracted the attention of his colleagues. Since his last sparring match, he had gained some recognition among the clan.
"Masashi, you're back at work?" A clan member greeted him, pulling out a cigarette.
"Smoking's not good for your health," Masashi commented dryly.
"Says the guy who dodges kunai for a living." The clan member quickly formed hand signs and lit his cigarette with a tiny fire jutsu.
He took a drag and started to say something with a smirk, but broke into a smoker's cough.
His next cigarette-lighting attempt ended with the fire sputtering out pathetically. "Being a shinobi is way more—" another cough interrupted his defense.
Masashi suppressed a smile. The legendary fire techniques of the Uchiha, reduced to lighting cigarettes—and failing at even that. "I just finished my mission, just dropping by," he said, glancing around. "Where's Tetsuka?"
"Oh, he took some time off to pick up his younger brother from the Ninja Academy."
"I see. Is Fugaku-sama in his office?"
"Yes, you should go find him. He doesn't seem to be busy right now."
"Alright, see you. And stay healthy!"
Masashi left the break room, went upstairs, and stopped at Fugaku's office door. He knocked.
"Come in."
Opening the door, he caught Fugaku trying to coax a stubborn cat with bits of dried fish. The cat seemed thoroughly unimpressed by his authority.
"You're back. Where's Shisui?"
"He might have gone to see the Third Hokage," Masashi replied, noticing a freshly brewed tea set on the table.
"Did someone just visit you?"
"No, this was for you both; I thought you'd come by," Fugaku said, sitting on the sofa. "Have a seat. Tell me about the mission."
"Overall, it went as expected, though we did encounter an unexpected person," Masashi said, not planning to keep it from Fugaku.
In the original timeline, Obito had been fixated on eliminating the Uchiha, but now that Masashi had exposed his identity, he would likely abandon that approach. However, he might have other plans.
"That sounds intriguing," Fugaku said, sipping his tea. "Knowing your nature, if you're bringing this to me directly, I assume this person has ties to our clan?"
"Yes, I encountered Obito."
"I see..." Fugaku said. He put down his tea and stroked the cat, which had settled in his lap. "Does he bear a grudge against the clan?"
"No, he doesn't."
"That sounds promising, then. But why hasn't he returned?"
"It seems he holds a grudge against the entire shinobi world."
"..."
As the clan leader, Fugaku had an obligation to be fully informed about the circumstances of every clan member who had awakened the Sharingan.
When the news of Obito's sacrifice first came back, he did his research. But after mulling it over for a long time, Fugaku still couldn't figure out what unrequited love had to do with hating the entire ninja world.
Why does the Uchiha clan keep producing these strange individuals? Fugaku thought to himself irritably.
"Did you try talking some sense into him?" he asked the person in question.
He remembered that the two had been close.
"I did. At first, he even tried pretending to be Madara."
"Oh? That's quite a piece of information." Fugaku nearly lost control of his usual stoic expression.
"How did you respond? You know, the clan has its difficulties too. After all, at that time, he hadn't awakened his Sharingan. Your understanding of clan policy among your peers is exceptional. Did you explain that to him?"
"I just told him his act wasn't very convincing, and he got mad. We ended up fighting." Thinking back on the situation, Masashi couldn't help but sigh. "Kids these days have no patience."
"Mm." Fugaku regained his composure. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's understandable; just thinking about it, that kind of feeling must be difficult to bear."
"It's all right, Fugaku-sama. I'm fine."
"I wasn't talking about you."
Fugaku decided to stop asking questions and picked up his teacup again. No point hoping; if he were in Obito's place, he wouldn't come back either.
"Do you have any idea what Obito's planning?"
"He's after the Nine-Tails."
"Hm?" Fugaku put down his teacup again. "Are you certain? Is the information reliable?"
"Extremely reliable. He told me himself." Masashi, feeling thirsty, gulped down his tea and continued. "There's this strange thing next to him claiming to be the Will of Madara. That thing isn't simple."
"Obito's strength has transformed—he's even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
At this point, Fugaku could hardly sit still in his office.
"Can you describe that so-called Will of Madara?"
"Well… it actually looks pretty unique. Fugaku-sama, you understand. Let's say, it's like a sheep letting out a goat-like fart—both flashy and outrageous."
Understand? What nonsense is that? Fugaku almost couldn't hold back from giving Masashi a taste of Mangekyō as well.
This generation's young people were indeed strong—two Mangekyōs, and a third with the potential to awaken one. Since the founding of the village, the Uchiha clan had never been so powerful.
But each had a quirk more serious than the last, and Masashi was probably the most stable among them.
Fugaku decided to focus more on training Itachi from now on.
Looking at Masashi, he reflected on how the boy possessed three chakra transformations—fire, wind, and water, just like his own son.
Perhaps that was precisely why he needed to ask this now.
"Masashi."
"Yes?"
"Do you have a girl you like?"
"Huh?" Masashi was caught off guard.
The ninja clans shared many characteristics with noble families, such as the importance of lineage and the encouragement of the younger generation to marry and have children.
The Uchiha clan had an official matchmaking corner, though the young people never went. It was always the parents and grandparents.
For someone like Masashi, who had awakened the Sharingan, the clan would do everything it could to encourage an internal match. If he were to find a girlfriend outside the clan, her entire family history would be thoroughly examined to ensure there were no genetic issues.
As for Masashi, he was openly averse to marriage. What if he had to go through it a third time?
Besides, he felt more suited to assigning work than doing it himself.
"Fugaku-sama, you understand…"
"I don't understand." Fugaku interrupted. "Just tell me whether you do or not."
"Of course I do."
"Hm!?" Fugaku was shocked, but then he really did understand.
Looks like this guy needs a match. He lacks discipline.
Thinking about how his wife had changed after marriage, he smirked internally. You think you understand women? No, kid, you have no clue.
"All right, I get it. I'll arrange something later; there's no need to stress. It won't hurt to meet a few people. Also, there's something I want to discuss personally."
Not giving Masashi a chance to deflect, Fugaku quickly switched topics. "About Itachi, what do you think of him?"
"Itachi?" So this was his real agenda. "Something up with him lately?"
"I asked Shisui to help train him before, but now I'd like you to mentor him for a while. He has the same chakra nature transformations as you."
"Oh?" Masashi tried to recall.
He vaguely remembered that Itachi used water-style jutsu, but he wasn't sure. Previously, Masashi wouldn't have wanted to teach anyone, but now he didn't mind.
"Sure, no problem. But Fugaku-sama, everyone's busy with missions, right?"
"Don't worry. Over the last three months, the clan's mission frequency has slowed, and at least there won't be as many high-level tasks."
Masashi nodded. Indeed, three months was about right.
In the shinobi corps, ninjas with official positions didn't usually take on missions unless there was a special need. If not for the previous rush for high-level missions, the Uchiha wouldn't have had as many opportunities.
High-level missions were limited in peacetime, and three months was plenty of time to complete most of them.
However, with the year's end approaching, the available missions for the Uchiha were likely mostly taken.
"Got it. When should I start? Also, is there any guidance on what I should teach?"
"No specific requirements—teach as you see fit."
"All right then, Fugaku-sama, about—"
"Mm, that's all for now. You may go. Your information is critical; I need to call a council meeting immediately."
Once again, Fugaku cut him off.
He realized this was deliberate, muttering to himself but not really bothered.
A matchmaking session? It was hardly a big deal.
There was a fine line between a matchmaking session and just messing around. It was only thanks to his principles that he didn't get involved with clan members. Otherwise, would Fugaku need to set him up?
His family members, whenever they visit, always brought home a stack of profiles. Before Obito's sacrifice, his grandmother brought even more.
But what was the point?
Nothing could stop him from shining brightly for this world.
He would always be the man the women of Konoha couldn't fully have. At most, they could have him temporarily, but his heart—never. His heart belonged to everyone.
After all, he was a man from the Clan of Love.
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