Uchiha Fugaku finished checking Uchiha Souji's unconscious body for any injuries. After a thorough inspection, he let out a slow sigh of relief.
Nothing serious.
The cuts inside Souji's mouth?
Almost certainly caused by Souji biting down too hard during battle, likely when he overloaded his Sharingan.
The faint bleeding on his lips?
Self-inflicted from sheer force of will.
The real reason Souji passed out was simple—mental shutdown.
His mind had been pushed beyond its limit, and his body forced an emergency "off switch."
"With eight hours of good sleep," Fugaku said, "he will be awake, loud, and complaining again by morning."
Hyuga Hiashi, standing silently beside him, fell deep into thought at those words. Souji had saved Hinata, fought beyond his limits, and unleashed something neither man fully understood. Hiashi's expression was dark, heavy with unspoken guilt.
At that moment, a young Uchiha investigator jogged over.
"Patriarch! We found traces over there—a C-rank Earth Style, probably Earth Flow: Double Suicide Decapitation. Also, when our team arrived, they saw a clone dissipating instantly."
Fugaku narrowed his eyes.
"So… the enemy planned this well."
Then he looked sideways at Hiashi.
"This time, Hyuga must decide—will you swallow this insult, or bite back?"
Hiashi felt like cursing.
Deep, long, endless cursing.
Now everything made sense:
Mamoi had escaped via earth-submersion.
He left behind a clone as a distraction.
He'd split off before Souji even moved.
Hiashi rolled his eyes hard—despite them being white, it felt like he rolled them twice.
"You Uchiha aren't going to pursue them?"
Fugaku shrugged and handed Souji to a nearby Uchiha clansman.
"That depends on Souji. He decides."
Hiashi stared at him, baffled.
"You… what?"
Fugaku waved lazily.
"Don't look at me. I didn't teach that kid anything. Swordsmanship? Battle strategy? All his own ideas."
But Fugaku paused.
Because he remembered something he had witnessed the night before.
That strange moment—when Souji's presence froze the world, when invisible force crushed the will of every person around him.
It was not Mangekyō Sharingan.
Fugaku knew exactly what Mangekyō was capable of, and this was not it.
It felt more like… pure, concentrated killing intent.
But even killing intent shouldn't have created that effect.
The memory left Fugaku uneasy.
---
Morning – Souji's Ward
When daylight crept into the room, Mizuki was already sitting beside Souji's bed, peeling an apple with unnatural seriousness.
"You know… yesterday, everything went well because of you," Mizuki muttered proudly while chewing.
Uchiha Fugaku walked in, sat down beside the bed, and eyed the unconscious Souji.
"No," Mizuki said quickly, "all thanks to clues Souji-sama left behind. I merely understood him well enough to follow them."
He bit into the apple again.
"The girl we saved yesterday—she was a Hyuga child, right?"
Fugaku nodded.
"Shameful, isn't it?" he sighed. "A Hyuga heir being kidnapped while inside Konoha. Letting herself fall into such—"
"NO. This is Souji-sama."
Mizuki cut him off instantly.
"Souji-sama doesn't see Hyuga or Uchiha. Doesn't see commoner or noble.
To him—a life is a life."
Fugaku raised a brow.
Mizuki continued passionately, eyes filled with worship.
"It's not 'become Hokage to gain everyone's approval.'
It's 'earn everyone's approval so you can become Hokage.'"
Fugaku blinked.
Mizuki leaned forward.
"Souji is building trust. Hyuga Hinata is the daughter of Hyuga Hiashi. Do you understand what this means?"
Before Fugaku could respond—
Mizuki grinned like an idiot.
"If a hero saves a princess… marriage could happen later!"
---
Inside Souji's Mind
Souji, half-conscious and unable to move, felt his soul ascend in rage.
WHAT PRINCESS!? WHAT MARRIAGE!?
YOU—YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?
I JUST FOLLOWED BASIC MORAL EDUCATION! I DIDN'T WANT A CHILD TO DIE!
Souji wanted to jump out of bed and strangle Mizuki with the apple peel.
---
Back in Reality
Fugaku quickly shook his head after Mizuki's wild theory.
"Impossible. The Hyuga clan has a long-standing grudge against us. They won't allow their main family bloodline to mix with an Uchiha."
"Why not?"
Mizuki asked so sincerely that Fugaku froze.
"Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama put aside their thousand-year hatred and founded Konoha together," Mizuki said.
"Why can't Uchiha Souji and Hyuga Hiashi put aside their clan conflicts?"
He leaned back, stroking his chin.
"And honestly… who wouldn't want their daughter to marry a future Hokage?"
Fugaku nearly choked.
But Mizuki wasn't done.
"Even if a marriage doesn't happen, Hinata will remember Souji-sama's kindness when she becomes clan leader! Even if she doesn't, the Hyuga elders would still publicly support him for Hokage, at least for appearances."
He took a bite of his apple.
"This… is Souji-sama's grand conspiracy."
---
Souji Internally Screaming
NO IT'S NOT!
STOP MAKING ME SOUND LIKE AN EVIL POLITICAL GENIUS!
MY PLANS ARE NOT THAT BIG! I JUST DIDN'T WANT A CHILD TO DIE!
I'M SEVEN YEARS OLD! SEVEN! LET ME REST!
Souji desperately wanted death just to escape Mizuki's nonsense.
---
Fugaku's Shock
"Souji is only seven years old," Fugaku whispered, stunned.
"Is he really capable of this level of strategy?"
Mizuki nodded confidently.
"My guesses are not even one ten-thousandth of his brilliance."
Fugaku inhaled sharply.
Hissssss—
Was Souji even human?
Maybe they should skip the next ten years and directly make him patriarch.
He might unite Konoha…
Restore the Uchiha clan's golden age…
Maybe even surpass the time of Uchiha Madara.
Fugaku's imagination soared.
---
Souji Has Had Enough
Even half-dead, Souji felt rage.
If he had been a corpse nailed inside a coffin, he would have clawed his way out just to shout:
"I AM NOT!
I DID NOT!
STOP TALKING NONSENSE!!!"
And then—
"...Ugh… ahhh!"
Uchiha Souji finally forced open his heavy eyelids.
He was awake.
--------------------------------
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