"Danzo..."
Uchiha Fugaku's mood was exceptionally bad right now, because he had heard a very unpleasant piece of news.
His son's crushing defeat had already made him somewhat displeased.
Of course, he didn't think his good son could contend with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
As clan head, he naturally knew that historically, Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Madara's younger brother, was killed by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, using the Flying Thunder God.
Moreover, Uchiha Izuna even had the Mangekyō Sharingan at that time.
Itachi was only ten, almost eleven years old now; it was perfectly normal for him to be unable to resist the Flying Thunder God.
He believed his son would definitely not repeat the same mistake in the future.
Because in his opinion, Uchiha Izuna lost not because the Mangekyō was ineffective, but because he was careless.
The Mangekyō was one of the Uchiha's most powerful abilities.
But now, Itachi had to face the Flying Thunder God and was directly defeated by it in front of everyone.
How could Fugaku feel good about that?
"Even for a normal assessment, there's no need to make it so difficult for Itachi, is there?"
Fugaku was in a bad mood, and when they returned home, Itachi gave him another piece of news that left him dumbfounded.
As the examiner, that kid who mastered the Flying Thunder God had actually asked Itachi a specific question.
And that question immediately gave Fugaku an answer.
That kid did it on purpose, Konoha did it on purpose; this was an act of revenge.
"Itachi, I'll ask you one more time, are you sure he said that?"
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku asked with extreme gravity.
"Yes, father."
Itachi sat obediently across from Fugaku, lowering his head slightly and repeating it.
"He asked me if I still remembered the Root ninja I once defeated."
However, he quickly looked up again, hesitating for a moment before asking.
"Father, what exactly is the Root?"
"Root..."
Fugaku was conflicted; he didn't know whether to tell Itachi these things now.
After all, too much was involved.
But one thing was clear: Danzo had always harbored malice towards the Uchiha.
Fugaku still couldn't forget that during the Nine-Tails Attack, it was Danzo who directly intervened and stopped them from reinforcing the Fourth Hokage.
And then it was Danzo who presided over the subsequent ninja clan arrangements after the Nine-Tails Attack, exiling their Uchiha clan to this remote corner where they now resided.
All these things combined led to a great many subsequent problems.
For example, countless people were saying that the Nine-Tails Attack was related to the Uchiha; otherwise, why didn't they go to reinforce the frontlines?
For example, because they were forced to relocate to their current position, it had caused immense dissatisfaction within the clan, allowing the radical faction to gain more influence.
Everything, absolutely everything, was Danzo's fault.
Thinking of this, Fugaku's heart truly burned with rage.
Unfortunately, he never once considered whether any of it was his own fault.
"I cannot answer that question for you yet, as too much is involved."
Fugaku forced himself to calm down, speaking seriously to his son.
"Perhaps you will know in the future, but for you now, it is still too early for all of this."
(TL Note: You can take him to war at 4 years old, but for this he wasn't old enough?)
"Is that so? I understand, father."
Itachi nodded and asked no further questions; he was already accustomed to such situations.
From a young age, his father always emphasized to him that as a qualified ninja, he could only rely on himself for answers.
Therefore, he became accustomed to thinking for himself, contemplating things, and making his own decisions.
His father not speaking about it wasn't a big deal to him.
However, he thought for a moment and still asked, "Then, father, should we inform Shisui about this?"
"Shisui is in Anbu, and he's Shigen Hidezawa's teammate. I believe he can handle it."
Fugaku pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
Shisui served as a bridge in Anbu, through whom some messages could be relayed to the Third Hokage.
For now, it was best not to change anything.
"I understand, father."
Seeing this, Itachi didn't dare to say anything more. He nodded and then stood up.
"Then, I will take my leave."
"Mm, go rest."
Fugaku nodded slightly, watching his good son's retreating back, and his fists slowly clenched.
"Third Hokage, what exactly are you thinking?"
In front of his son, there were some things he didn't want to mention, but he couldn't help but ponder some matters in his mind.
Did the Third Hokage not know that Shigen HIdezawa was Danzo's subordinate?
If he did, then why would he allow Danzo's subordinate to assess his son?
Why would he allow Danzo's subordinate to team up with Shisui?
Unless...
"Do you still not trust us?"
Fugaku closed his eyes. He had always been committed to resolving their conflicts through peaceful means.
But the result was this, and this also began to shake Fugaku's resolve.
…
Under the hazy moonlight, in Konoha's cemetery, Uchiha Obito stood quietly before a tombstone.
This tombstone belonged to Nohara Rin, the resilient, smiling girl from Obito's memories, who now rested here.
After witnessing Rin's death back then, he had been utterly despairing, but he hadn't forgotten Rin's inner wish.
Therefore, he didn't retrieve Rin's remains but allowed Konoha to bring them back, where she became a hero of Konoha and was laid to rest here.
"Soon, the time for us to meet again isn't far, Rin..."
Obito spoke softly, but soon he frowned slightly.
On the ground beside him, a pitcher plant suddenly emerged, its white half-face smiling as it spoke to him.
"Obito, we've completed our investigation. Itachi has a mission in a few days. I think this will be an opportunity for you."
"Oh? He's leaving the village?"
Although Obito was very annoyed at being interrupted during his 'soul communication' with his beloved, he still controlled his emotions and asked.
"What about that kid, Shigen Hidezawa? If he has a mission, things will be very troublesome."
"He doesn't seem to have any missions recently."
Black Zetsu spoke then, smiling sinisterly.
"Even if he does, it will be within the village. I think we can deliberately attract his attention then, wouldn't that be good?"
"Mm."
Obito nodded. Deliberately attracting his attention and bringing him to the scene of the incident was by no means a bad thing.
If he was discovered, everything would be even better. Even if he left, it wasn't a big deal; he still had subsequent arrangements anyway.
Thinking of this, Obito's mood improved considerably.
After all, whether it was obtaining Shisui or his eyes, or making his carefully cultivated seed sprout, these were all good things for him.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
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✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]
✓ The Academy's Saint Is Too Popular, But He's Not the Protagonist [R-18]