Fugaku shot to his feet. "How is that possible? I thought it required a fusion between blood relatives!"
The era Kawasaki came from was ravaged by war. Forget brothers or parents; even his uncles were gone. He was completely alone.
Unable to reveal the existence of his system, Kawasaki explained, "Perhaps my dōjutsu is special. My ocular power has been steadily increasing, and this year it naturally evolved into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Excellent... excellent!" Fugaku clapped Kawasaki firmly on the shoulder.
Although Kawasaki's situation was impossible to replicate, the Uchiha had gained another supreme warrior. Kawasaki was sure to become a solid cornerstone for the clan.
Fugaku calmed himself and asked with a hint of confusion, "Madara had many admirers back in the day. I heard his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan pattern was a combination of his and his brother's patterns. Why hasn't yours changed?"
Kawasaki spread his hands. "That, I don't know. Mine is the only new Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in nearly a century. There's nothing to compare it to."
Fugaku quickly accepted this explanation. The pattern didn't matter; what mattered was the power.
Kawasaki continued, "I'll be leaving the village for an indefinite period. The clan needs to keep a low profile. We should conceal this for as long as possible. The captain of the Military Police Force is Hizashi, from the Hyuga branch family. Wealth can sway a person's heart... In the future, someone from the Hyuga main family might try to cause trouble by bypassing him. You need to be prepared for that."
Having been in power for years, Fugaku understood that there were no permanent friends, only permanent interests. He nodded in acknowledgment.
"If an unknown force targets us," Kawasaki added, "it must be him."
"Who?" Fugaku's expression grew grave.
"The man who orchestrated the Nine-Tails' attack!" Kawasaki said.
Fugaku leaped to his feet again. "Kawasaki, you've discovered his identity?" He had been waiting for this moment for far too long. Because of that incident, the Uchiha clan had been unjustly blamed for years, nearly bringing them to the brink of annihilation.
Kawasaki nodded. After a long period of building a foundation, there were some things he could finally tell Fugaku.
"He is a hero of our clan, Uchiha Obito!"
"What?!" Fugaku was stunned. He slowly sat back down. Countless Uchiha had been sacrificed in the Great Ninja Wars, and Obito was one of the more famous ones, mainly because one of his Sharingan was still out in the world. Although Obito had given his eye to Kakashi on his own accord, the Sharingan was ultimately a treasure of the Uchiha clan. Back then, the Third Hokage had to do a lot of talking and offer some concessions to settle the matter.
"However, Obito is merely the one carrying it out. There's someone else behind him: Uchiha Madara!" Kawasaki dropped another bombshell.
Fugaku's brows furrowed deeply. "Uchiha Madara is still alive?"
Kawasaki shook his head. "He's dead now." He then recounted the entire story of how Obito was saved by Madara and became the inheritor of his will. The tale of Kakashi, Obito, and Rin was also explained in detail.
"And so, Obito's heart fell into darkness," Kawasaki concluded. "He wants to fulfill Uchiha Madara's wish to create a perfect world through the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Fugaku didn't mock Obito's twisted view of love. As an Uchiha himself, he was never surprised by the kind of people his clan could produce. He only felt a bit of melancholy and regret that no one had recognized Obito's talent back then. To jump directly from a two-tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyo Sharingan was simply incredible.
However, Fugaku glanced at Kawasaki. It seemed Kawasaki had also been an ordinary person back in the day. Both of them had changed suddenly within two years. It appeared the potential of every Uchiha clan member could not be easily underestimated.
In the time that followed, Kawasaki revealed almost everything he knew about Obito. Then, he brought up the Akatsuki, that super-powered organization. Kawasaki introduced every member he could remember, with a special focus on their leader, Nagato.
Nagato viewed all powerful factions as a major threat, believing that the stronger a force was, the more likely it was to start a war. In the previous timeline, Konoha had been the strongest village and also housed the Nine-Tails, which was why Nagato had attacked it. Now, the Uchiha clan was developing rapidly. Kawasaki worried that Nagato might one day get the idea to destroy the Uchiha, which would be a complete disaster.
Kawasaki and Fugaku spoke at length, discussing everything from the Rinnegan Madara gave to Nagato to contingency plans for the Uchiha civilians should Nagato ever attack Konoha. The future was filled with too many variables. Kawasaki could only do his best to warn Fugaku about the dangerous individuals he remembered. If things went south in Konoha, the Uchiha would have to retreat. They already had an escape route prepared in the Land of Rice Paddies.
"Creaak..."
The door to the meeting room opened. To their surprise, it was Uchiha Mikoto. She carried a tray with some food on it.
Kawasaki nodded at her. "Mikoto-san."
Fugaku looked at her with a hint of reproach. "Why are you here?"
Mikoto first smiled at Kawasaki before setting down the tray. "You two lose all track of time when you're talking. It's almost dawn. Aren't you hungry?"
Kawasaki scratched his head. He was going to be away for a long time and was worried about the clan, so he had gotten a bit carried away. Without realizing it, he and Fugaku had talked through the entire night.
"My apologies, Mikoto-san. I'll be more mindful of the time from now on."
Mikoto shook her head. "You're the Vice-Patriarch. You and Fugaku must be discussing important matters, but you still need to take care of your health. Eat something first."
Fugaku and Kawasaki were indeed hungry, so they began eating the food Mikoto had prepared. Kawasaki sighed inwardly. If he hadn't returned, Fugaku and Mikoto would likely be dead by Itachi's hands right now.
The next day.
Naruto woke up and rubbed his eyes, only to find another person in his home. He was a bit groggy, but after shaking his head, he recognized the Third Hokage.
"Grandpa Hokage, what are you doing here so early?"
The Third Hokage gave him a kind smile. "Naruto, do you have enough money lately?"
"Plenty, plenty!" Naruto said happily. "I can eat whatever I want now."
"Have you run into any trouble at the Academy recently?" the Third Hokage asked, sitting down to make small talk. In truth, the ANBU reported all of Naruto's daily activities to him; he was just trying to get closer to the boy.
After chatting a little longer and seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary, the Third Hokage left.
Once he was gone, Naruto closed the door and let out a heavy sigh. Acting was exhausting, but he had to do it. Master Kawasaki had told him not to let the Third Hokage know how much he had already learned.
Naruto tidied up his room, ate the bento he had bought yesterday, and then headed out. The moment he stepped outside, the ANBU began tailing him. But Naruto only went to the river, where Sasuke was already practicing his Fire Style.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke took a deep breath and unleashed a massive fireball, then quickly dispelled it. He leaped into the air and threw two kunai forward.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The fireball skimmed across the water's surface and vanished, while the two kunai accurately struck the target behind it.
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Naruto applauded enthusiastically. "Sasuke, you're amazing!"
Sasuke turned his head haughtily. "Hmph, of course I am."
"Come on, let's go to the forest."
Naruto followed Sasuke into the woods, where two tall, straight trees stood before them. Sasuke cleared his throat and said with feigned seriousness, "Yesterday, my master said my chakra control wasn't good enough, so he taught me tree-climbing. It's too boring to do it alone. So, Naruto, I'll teach you now, and we can practice together."
Naruto sat on the ground obediently and nodded repeatedly. He knew this was part of Master Kawasaki's plan.
Sasuke was a little surprised by how compliant Naruto was. Just this morning, Master Kawasaki had come to him and asked if he was willing to be Naruto's teacher. Given his constant rivalry with Naruto, Sasuke had naturally jumped at the chance. Since the Academy was currently teaching chakra molding, Kawasaki had immediately thought of the tree-climbing and water-walking exercises.
With the ANBU watching around the clock, the Third Hokage would surely freak out if he personally trained Naruto. Although he now possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and didn't fear the Third Hokage, Kawasaki was about to leave the village and preferred to keep a low profile. Besides, Sasuke and Naruto got along well enough. If Sasuke taught Naruto, the Third Hokage wouldn't think much of it.
After Sasuke gave Naruto a thorough and serious explanation, the two boys began their climb. Sasuke made it five steps before he fell. Being an Uchiha, his body coordination was excellent, and he landed gracefully with a backflip. When he turned, he saw that Naruto had also made it five steps.
Naruto had been nervous when he first focused chakra into his feet, afraid the Nine-Tails would disrupt its flow. To his surprise, it had worked perfectly this time.
"Thank you, Nine-Tails," Naruto said silently in his mind. Although the fox didn't respond, Naruto was overjoyed. In his excitement, he too fell from the tree.
While Naruto's movements weren't as elegant as Sasuke's, it was clear he had put a lot of effort into practicing his taijutsu. He didn't panic during the fall, simply adjusting his posture to land on both feet, bending his knees, and rolling to dissipate the impact. The landing wasn't pretty, but it was effective at preventing injury. It was just a bit rough on his clothes; when Naruto stood up, he was covered in dirt.
"Naruto, look how filthy you are," Sasuke laughed at his pathetic state. But then he remembered that Naruto had climbed just as high as he had, and his smile vanished.
"Again..."
Inside the Hokage Residence.
The Third Hokage was reading a report from the ANBU. It detailed how Naruto and Sasuke had spent the entire day practicing tree-climbing. What surprised him even more was that Naruto was able to keep pace with Sasuke, a stark contrast to his performance in ninjutsu classes at the Academy.
The Third Hokage lit his pipe and took a deep drag. *So be it.* As the Third Hokage, he was hailed as the Professor of jutsu, but his research on jinchuriki was still lacking. As long as Naruto remained under Konoha's surveillance, it was enough. As for Sasuke teaching him to climb trees, it was just a trivial matter. He instructed the ANBU to continue their close watch and dismissed them.
As Hokage, he had many matters to attend to. There had been no word from Danzo for a long time, but the Third Hokage knew him well. Danzo would never give up so easily; he was surely hiding somewhere, building his strength.
The bloody reign in the Land of Water had turned many of its skilled Mist Ninja into rogue ninja, causing turmoil in the black market. The Land of Rain had sealed its borders long ago, making it impossible for outsiders to enter. Hanzo had also been quiet for years, which made him a potential threat.
The Sand Village had been peaceful for the past two years, but that was mainly because they were too poor. After the Third Great Ninja War, Rasa had been focused on developing the Sand's economy, so they were not an immediate concern. He had heard that Onoki's genius disciple from the Stone Village was causing trouble everywhere, with Onoki constantly cleaning up the mess.
But this Sound Village in the Land of Rice Paddies...
The Third Hokage held a thick stack of intelligence reports, flipping through them page by page. Itachi and Shisui had vanished without a trace after leaving the village with a hundred elite ninja. The Third Hokage had sent ANBU to track them, but they were quickly detected and shaken off. The next time news surfaced, the two had appeared in the Sound Village.
Konoha couldn't say much about it. The Uchiha clan within the village had surrendered its authority and was coexisting peacefully. The Uchiha outside the village were simply seeking a new life elsewhere. If Konoha were to forcibly label Itachi and Shisui as rogue ninja, it wouldn't be in the village's best interest. After all, the power of four Mangekyo Sharingan was difficult to contend with. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it.
What bothered the Third Hokage even more was the "Zhonghua Cuisine" business the Uchiha had started. What did "Zhonghua" mean? Was it some kind of special code name? He had tried the food himself and had to admit that, after eating it, everything he had eaten before tasted like bland fare. From the diverse main courses to the dazzling array of specialty snacks, it had completely upended the existing culinary world. He heard that it had already gained the support of the daimyo in the Land of Rice Paddies and was flourishing there, with an even richer menu than in Konoha.
As the Third Hokage suspected, these culinary creations were likely the work of Uchiha Kawasaki. He knew that the Mangekyo Sharingan could unlock unique dōjutsu. Could it be that Kawasaki's awakened ability was related to food?
He had his subordinates estimate their income. Just the few shops in Konoha were raking in a fortune. The Uchiha clan had never publicly disclosed the exact figures, but the rising standard of living among ordinary Uchiha civilians showed they had earned a great deal of money in recent years. And all of it was thanks to Uchiha Kawasaki.
If only Uchiha Kawasaki wasn't around, he thought.
In the Hokage's office inside the Hokage Residence.
The Third Hokage stared at the report in his hands, somewhat stunned. Just a few days ago, he had been thinking about how much better things would be if Uchiha Kawasaki weren't around. Today, an application from Uchiha Kawasaki requesting to leave the village to travel had appeared on his desk.
The Uchiha were still nominally part of Konoha, so any long-term departure had to be approved by the Hokage himself, especially since Kawasaki was a former Jonin. Kawasaki's reason was amusing: to gather ingredients and develop new recipes. A reason that sounded so unreliable was, surprisingly, somewhat believable. The Uchiha were in a period of rapid development, largely thanks to a massive influx of funds, and the creator behind "Zhonghua Cuisine" was very likely Kawasaki.
Refusing was impossible; the Third Hokage had no grounds to do so. The ninja world was relatively stable at the moment. Aside from the internal turmoil in the Land of Water, all the other nations were focused on economic development. Besides, the fact that Kawasaki had submitted an application at all was a sign of respect. Even if he had just left secretly, there was nothing the Third Hokage could do about it.
In the Uchiha compound.
Kawasaki was busy packing his luggage. He had no idea that the excuse he had casually made up had been taken as fact by the Third Hokage.
Since he would be gone for a while, Kawasaki had specially invited Naruto and Sasuke for a meal at Ichiraku Ramen. When Naruto learned that Kawasaki was leaving the village, he almost couldn't eat his ramen. To Naruto, Kawasaki had become an indispensable person in his life. It was Kawasaki who had brought light into his world two years ago. His life had only gotten better since meeting him. Not to mention, he was his master. But now, just like that, he was leaving.
Naruto's eyes turned red, and he was on the verge of tears. Kawasaki hadn't expected Naruto to be so dependent on him.
He patted Naruto's head comfortingly. "It's okay. I'm just leaving for a while, not forever. You and Sasuke are at a crucial stage for building your foundations. You need to study everything at the Academy seriously... it will all be useful in the future. I'll try my best to be back before you graduate."
Naruto wiped his eyes and nodded solemnly.
Nearby, Sasuke felt a pang of jealousy seeing how reluctant Naruto was to part with Kawasaki. But Kawasaki was his master, after all, and was naturally closer to Naruto. With that thought, Sasuke felt a bit better. Kawasaki had told him the news earlier, so he was mentally prepared and not as sad.
Kawasaki leaned in and whispered to Naruto, "Naruto, I've told Sasuke about your training plan... You have to show me what you've learned when I get back, okay? If you don't understand something, ask Uncle Fugaku, got it?"
Naruto was touched that his master had arranged everything so thoughtfully and nodded eagerly. Sasuke, thinking about getting to guide Naruto again, felt a small thrill of excitement.
The next day, at the gates of Konoha.
Kawasaki's shadow stretched long behind him. A large crowd of people stood there, seeing him off.