Kaoru took a deep breath and decided to just go for it.
"Lord Fugaku, what I'm about to say might sound strange, and I know you have no reason to believe me, but… Itachi has a serious illness."
Fugaku's expression didn't remain as unreadable as Kaoru expected. First, there was a flicker of shock, then his brows furrowed, something between anger and concern flashing across his face. But finally, his features settled into a tense, guarded mask. Yet Kaoru could tell—he had struck a nerve.
"Itachi spoke highly of you after your first meeting," Fugaku said, his tone had lost the warmth it had before but it was not cold either. "He doesn't praise people lightly. So I'll give you a chance - explain yourself."
Kaoru met the clan head's piercing gaze. He had expected skepticism, but the intensity in Fugaku's voice made it clear—if he didn't make sense, this conversation would end badly for him.
"I have an ability that lets me perceive a person's internal condition," Kaoru said carefully, he was choosing words in a way that would not be a lie. "When I first met Itachi and activated my dojutsu, well… then thanks to my unique trait I already knew that there was something off."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze assessing Kaoru in a way that felt like he was peeling back layers, searching for deceit. For a brief moment, there was a flicker of something - curiosity, maybe even concern.
"You're saying your dojutsu allows you to see inside a person?" His voice was unreadable.
Kaoru resisted the urge to sigh in relief. He had never outright said his Suijingan was responsible for this information, but Fugaku had made that assumption on his own. That was good. Very good.
"It's not like the Byakugan," Kaoru clarified quickly. "I can't see organs or anything. Just… the flow. And in some very rare cases, I can notice irregularities - disturbances in how someone's body is functioning. Back when I looked at Itachi, I saw clear signs something wasn't right."
That was true - at least, from a certain point of view. Kaoru wasn't about to tell Fugaku his source of knowledge was an anime from another world.
Fugaku's expression remained unreadable, but Kaoru could practically hear the gears turning in his head. He wasn't dismissing the information outright, but he wasn't convinced either.
"You expect me to believe that a ten-year-old from a minor village has a dojutsu that can diagnose my son?" Skepticism dripped from his words, but Kaoru caught something else beneath it, something Fugaku was trying to hide. A sliver of unease.
"I don't expect anything, Lord Fugaku," Kaoru said, keeping his tone steady. "I'm not claiming to know exactly what's wrong, nor am I saying it's something dire. I could be mistaken. But if it were me, if I noticed those signs in myself, I'd get checked by a medic. Just to be sure."
A heavy silence stretched between them. Kaoru knew he had to tread carefully now. He had given his warning. Pushing too hard might make Fugaku dismiss him entirely, but leaving it too vague might make him seem unreliable.
Fugaku exhaled slowly, his eyes searching Kaoru's face for any hint of deception.
"You're certain of what you saw?" His voice was quieter this time, but no less intense.
Kaoru held his gaze. "I'm certain in what I saw," he admitted, "but I'll say this again - I have no medical knowledge. I could be wrong. But just to be safe, please have Itachi checked. At worst, you waste a few hours of your time, and Itachi learns not to praise someone carelessly." He smiled faintly, trying to show sincerity while also diffusing some tension.
Fugaku remained silent, his expression impossible to read. Then, finally, after a long pause, he straightened. His face was calm, but Kaoru could tell, he was taking this seriously.
"I'll look into it," Fugaku said simply.
Kaoru gave a respectful nod, knowing that was as much of a victory as he could get. "That's all I ask."
Fugaku didn't say another word. He crouched, lifting Sasuke onto his shoulders, and turned, walking away without looking back.
Only when the Uchiha clan head was out of sight did Kaoru exhale.
'Well, that could've gone worse.'
Kaoru continued walking toward his original destination - a new betting stand. As he moved through the bustling streets, his mind kept circling back to his conversation with Fugaku.
'Was this worth it? I eased my conscience and there is a chance I'll benefit immensly, but I also put myself at risk by revealing something about my eyes.'
His initial plan had been much safer. He was going to wait until after the tournament, then pull Itachi aside and warn him privately. He would have also asked him to keep the source of the information secret - something Kaoru was sure Itachi would honor without question. But then Orochimaru happened.
The second time the snake-like man cornered him, Kaoru panicked. Not just because Orochimaru was terrifying, but because he realized something chilling - if Orochimaru truly decided to take an interest in him, there was no one who could protect him.
Maki would try, of course. But she wasn't anywhere near the level of a legendary Sannin. In the worst-case scenario, she would die trying, and that was an outcome Kaoru couldn't accept.
So when he spotted Fugaku, an opportunity presented itself. By warning him about Itachi's illness, Kaoru was hoping to gain favor with the Uchiha - both father and son. Fugaku was already an S-rank shinobi, and Itachi would undoubtedly become one in the future. Having their goodwill could make a difference, especially if things ever took a turn for the worse.
Kaoru was hoping that inside Konoha Fugaku would become his shield, or at the very least his presence would make anyone who would want to target Kaoru think twice.
More than that, though, this experience opened his eyes - Takimura was simply too weak compared to the major hidden villages. Right now, he had no real safety net. If he wanted long-term survival, he had to start playing the game differently.
[Maybe, if things go well, I can even steer the Uchiha toward Takimura. If the massacre doesn't happen… if they have somewhere to go… or if the massacre happens, maybe I could bring Itachi in…]
It was a long shot, but for now, he had to focus on the present. First, place his bet. Then, keep climbing.
<<<>>>
Akito flickered away just in time to dodge the scorching heat of Itachi's fireball, reappearing mid-air with three shurikens already leaving his fingers. The moment they left his grasp, he flickered again, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Their battle was a complete nightmare for civilians to follow. Spectators could barely track their movements - one second, both fighters were in one spot, and in the blink of an eye, they were clashing mid-air, exchanging a flurry of blows in a completely different location. It was a relentless display of speed and precision, a fight that only trained shinobi could fully observe.
Yet, despite Itachi's reputation, Akito was holding his ground far better than anyone expected. However, there was a reason. Itachi never activated his Sharingan, not even once. He was playing along, fighting Akito purely with speed, taijutsu, and his natural battle instincts. From time to time, they unleashed bursts of ninjutsu at each other, but almost immediately, the fight would transition back into a melee exchange, neither allowing the other to gain too much ground.
Akito could feel himself nearing his limit. His breath was coming harder, his muscles screaming at him. He knew he couldn't last much longer. Itachi might not have monstrous chakra reserves like Toji Senju, but his control was inhumanly precise. He wasted nothing. Akito, on the other hand, was burning through his reserves just to keep up. He had no chance in a battle of attrition.
'I'll go for one final attempt. Even if I lose, I have no regrets.'
He couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all - he was fighting someone that Kaoru, the strongest among them, openly admitted he had no chance against. For the Takime kids, Kaoru was a figure of admiration, but for Akito, it was something deeper. He respected him immensely - not just for his strength, but because Kaoru had saved Sugeru's life when he nearly died because of Akito's mistake.
'If nothing else, I want to make sure this ends with a bang.'
Akito's hands flew into seals.
"Water Release: Flowing Wave!"
A rolling mass of water surged forward, carving a path through the soaked arena floor. It wasn't one of the biggest waves, but that wasn't the point.
Akito flickered beside Itachi before the wave reached him, kunai slashing toward his ribs. Itachi caught his wrist effortlessly, but Akito didn't let up. He twisted his body mid-air and used the momentum to drive a knee toward Itachi's stomach.
Itachi pivoted, dodging by a hair's breadth, and countered with a rising elbow strike aimed at Akito's chin. Akito barely managed to duck, rolling under it and attempting a sweeping leg kick. Itachi jumped to avoid it, but that was exactly what Akito wanted.
He launched himself into the air, twisting his body to bring his foot down in a powerful hammer kick from above. Itachi, mid-air, had nowhere to dodge.
'Got you!'
But just before impact, Itachi shifted his position, catching Akito's ankle with both hands. Without hesitation, he spun mid-air, throwing Akito toward the ground at high speed. Akito gritted his teeth, flipping at the last moment to land on all fours. He barely had time to look up before Itachi was already in front of him.
"That was reckless," Itachi chuckled, his voice as calm as ever.
Akito exhaled sharply, hands on his knees as he tried to steady his breath. He grinned. "Well, I had to try. That was my last move, after all." He straightened and raised his hand in surrender. "I give up."
For a brief second, there was silence before the judge stepped forward.
"The winner is Uchiha Itachi!"
The crowd erupted into applause, but Akito wasn't listening. He was still catching his breath, still replaying the fight in his mind.
'I lasted longer than I thought I would. Not bad…'
<<<>>>
The next two fights ended too quickly. Hyuga Yuki defeated Sabakaze Rina, and Ishigane Akatsuchi took the win against Harukaze Riko. With only one match left in this round—Kasai Mizuki vs. Saburashi Suzuka - the tournament was put on hold for an hour-long break.
During this break, Kaoru sat with a guilty expression, while Maki loomed over him, her face showing a mix of frustration and fury.
"When did you become so stupid?" she snapped.
Kaoru flinched. He had expected her to be mad, but not this mad.
"We've been trying to keep Suijingan's abilities under wraps, letting the world think you can only manipulate water and then you go straight to the Uchiha clan head and invent some nonsense about your eyes seeing illnesses?" She was pacing now, running a hand through her hair as if trying to physically rid herself of the frustration.
Kaoru tried to explain. "Maki, I was trying to secure an alliance with the Uchiha, and besides, Itachi's actually sick. I wanted to help him."
Maki turned sharply, her eyes blazing. "Alliances aren't secured like that, Kaoru! This is the shinobi world, we kill to survive. Do you honestly think that just because you did them a favor, the entire Uchiha clan will suddenly become your best friends?"
Kaoru opened his mouth, but Maki wasn't done. "I'm all for helping people, you know that, but not at the cost of endangering our clan. You disappointed me today, Kaoru. Not only was your decision reckless, but it was stupid. Not even well-thought-out." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Let's just hope this doesn't backfire. But even if it somehow works, promise me - no, swear to me - that next time, you'll think three times before making such a…" She paused, searching for the right word.
"Moronic?" Kaoru offered.
Maki didn't even blink. "Yes. Moronic decision. You're going to be the next clan head, Kaoru. It's time you start thinking like one."
With that, she turned and left the room.
Kaoru sat in silence, the weight of her words settling on him. Maki had never spoken to him like that before. She had never even called him Kaoru before. It hurt. But… deep down, he still didn't think he had made a mistake.
'It was risky, sure. But even if I was wrong, Fugaku won't do anything to me, and I know I can explain everything to Itachi. Even if he doesn't agree with me, he won't be angry.'
He told himself that over and over. That he understood what he was doing. That his decision had been a calculated risk.
Kaoru was still naïve. Even after witnessing battles, after spilling blood with his own hands, he still didn't truly understand the world he lived in.
But that would change very soon.
**
A/N -
I wanted to shift the tone of the story into something harsher and more brutal, and there was no better way than having Kaoru make a mistake and Maki tearing into him, forcing him to confront the reality of the world they live in.
That doesn't necessarily mean Kaoru's move won't work, but it was reckless and naïve. This moment also serves as an important reminder: just because Kaoru thinks, analyzes, or rationalizes something doesn't mean he's always right. Every character in this story is flawed. They'll all make mistakes, and they'll grow the hard way - through pain, failure, and consequences.
Anyway, I gotta go eat or my stomach is making aquatic sounds xD See you in the next chapter.
Character Notes:
Kaoru - The Seer - "Itachi is sick, Naruto will save the world, and Sakura… will remain useless. Hehe."
Maki - Furious - "I called him Kaoru. That's right, he deserves it! No more Ru… for at least a few hours!"
Fugaku - Confused - "What an absolutely bizarre day…"
**