"Agreed."
Hearing that, Shinichi nodded without asking for a reason and simply replied: "Please, Clan Head Fugaku."
In truth, he already knew what Fugaku wanted to discuss—nothing more than keeping his Mangekyō Sharingan a secret.
He also knew that the last thing Fugaku wanted right now was for anyone to learn that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Yet Shinichi had come anyway.
If he didn't, how was he supposed to tie Uchiha Fugaku—or even the entire Uchiha Clan—to his war chariot?
Some trust begins with honesty, while deeper trust begins with sharing a secret.
Besides, before revealing himself, he had already examined the wounds on Hōzuki Hangetsu's corpse and more or less figured out the effects of Fugaku's dōjutsu.
One of them was naturally Amaterasu, virtually identical to the dōjutsu later awakened by Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi.
Like father, like sons. Even their awakened dōjutsu followed the same lineage.
As for the other one, although Shinichi didn't know its exact name, the pattern of continuous wounds covering Hangetsu's body made its nature fairly obvious. It was most likely an analytical and predictive support-type dōjutsu.
It allowed Fugaku to seize the initiative in battle, perceiving opportunities in advance and predicting every move his opponent would make.
The two dōjutsu—one offensive, one supportive—possessed tremendous potential.
But Fugaku had only just awakened them. His chakra consumption had been severe, his eyes were still adapting, and he hadn't even fully mastered their use yet.
Under those circumstances, even if Shinichi appeared before him right now, Fugaku's personality being what it was, no matter how much he wanted to keep the Mangekyō's existence hidden, he neither had the ability nor the courage to do anything to Shinichi.
Attack him?
The Uchiha Clan Massacre might end up happening ahead of schedule.
Fugaku fell silent for a moment. The Mangekyō pattern in his eyes gradually faded, returning to ordinary black pupils.
His lips moved slightly, as though he found the subject difficult to broach. After hesitating for quite some time, he finally spoke in a somewhat stiff voice: "About my... my eyes..."
"Understood."
Shinichi picked up where he left off.
"I'll keep this matter confidential, Clan Head Fugaku."
"Thank you."
At those words, the enormous weight hanging over Fugaku's heart finally eased somewhat.
Yet as he looked at Shinichi's completely unsurprised expression, another question surfaced in his mind.
After a brief pause, he asked tentatively: "Still... Shinichi-kun, aren't you going to ask why?"
Shinichi's expression remained unchanged as he gently shook his head.
"There's no need. If Clan Head Fugaku wishes to explain, he'll do so himself."
So he really does know about the Mangekyō Sharingan!
The realization flashed through Fugaku's mind like lightning.
At first, he was startled, but he quickly came to terms with it.
Higashino Shinichi was already one of the core figures of the Hokage faction and enjoyed the trust of Konoha's upper leadership. He had access to many secrets that ordinary people could never reach.
Moreover, he was famous for his exceptional intelligence and keen insight.
It wasn't strange at all that he knew about the Mangekyō.
Once he thought it through, Fugaku actually felt more at ease. Deciding not to hide anything further, he spoke openly: "To be honest, Shinichi-kun, because of that man's actions several decades ago, the relationship between the village and the Uchiha has remained somewhat delicate over the years. If news of my awakening the Mangekyō were to spread, I'm afraid it would create unnecessary waves and suspicion."
After a brief pause, as though worried that sounded inappropriate, he added: "Perhaps I'm just being petty and making unfounded assumptions about the village..."
"I understand."
Shinichi interrupted him and nodded.
"In my view, Clan Head Fugaku awakening the Mangekyō is a good thing. It strengthens the village as a whole. That said, I also understand your concerns. As far as today's events are concerned, they will remain between the two of us."
"Thank you, Shinichi-kun."
"You're injured, Clan Head Fugaku. Let me treat those wounds first."
"Then I'll trouble you."
Shinichi activated his medical chakra. A gentle green glow spread across his palm as he placed it over Fugaku's wounds.
After a period of silence, Fugaku suddenly asked: "Shinichi-kun... what is your opinion of that man? And what is your opinion of the Uchiha?"
"Uchiha Madara?"
Shinichi continued treating his injuries as he pondered for a moment before answering: "He had merits, and he had faults. Merit is merit, fault is fault. Simply record them clearly and let people judge for themselves. Deliberately concealing things only makes them seem more suspicious. Even Clan Head Fugaku is reluctant to mention his name."
"Whatever Uchiha Madara did is what he did. There's no need to avoid the subject, nor to exaggerate it. The more you try to hide it, the more it invites speculation."
He paused briefly before continuing: "As for the Uchiha, in my view, they are simply part of the village, no different from anyone else."
Hearing that, Fugaku opened his mouth as if to say something, but Shinichi continued before he could speak: "If Clan Head Fugaku is referring to that incident back then, hasn't the Uchiha already made their choice? From the day the Uchiha chose not to leave Konoha with Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha became nothing more than Konoha's Uchiha. Nothing more."
The Uchiha... are simply Konoha's Uchiha.
Those words struck Fugaku to his core.
The young man's tone was calm, as though he were merely stating an obvious fact.
Yet it was precisely the fact he had wanted to hear—and needed to hear—more than anything for many years.
After a long silence, it seemed that Fugaku finally made up his mind about something. He suddenly raised his head and looked directly at the young man.
"Shinichi-kun, I hope that one day, my Mangekyō—no, not just mine, but every Uchiha who awakens the Mangekyō—will be able to serve Konoha openly and proudly."
"Shinichi-kun, can you help me? No... can you help the Uchiha?"
The request came abruptly, almost without context.
But Fugaku believed that with the young man's intelligence, he would understand the true meaning behind his words.
In the future, the Uchiha Clan would devote all of its strength to supporting him in becoming Hokage.
In exchange, they sought his future acceptance, trust, and protection of the Uchiha.
It was a political alliance with the future of the entire clan at stake.
Shinichi did not stop healing him. After pondering for a moment, he replied: "I can."
Then he changed the subject slightly.
"However, when that day comes, the Uchiha must voluntarily relinquish control of the Police Force."
"The Police Force is not the Uchiha's Police Force—it is Konoha's Police Force. Every Konoha shinobi should have both the right and the responsibility to help maintain the village's security."
At those words, the burden that had weighed on Fugaku's heart for so long finally disappeared.
A condition... good!
The fact that Shinichi was making demands meant he was genuinely considering the proposal and taking it seriously.
If he had agreed to everything without asking for anything in return, Fugaku would have worried that he was merely placating him and might go back on his word in the future.
With that thought, Fugaku nodded solemnly.
"When the time comes, the Uchiha will accept any arrangements made by the Hokage-sama."
Neither of them explicitly clarified whether "the Hokage-sama" referred to the Third Hokage or someone else in the future.
A short while later, Shinichi withdrew the hand resting on Fugaku's wound.
"That should do it, Clan Head Fugaku. Our comrades are still fighting outside. We should go support them."
Fugaku nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Wait, Shinichi-kun. As for Hōzuki Hangetsu's death, since he was originally killed by you anyway, why don't we agree on a single version of events? I'll say that I grew overconfident and advanced recklessly, suffered heavy losses, and was severely wounded. Then you arrived in time, saved me, and personally killed Hōzuki Hangetsu."
A slight change appeared in Shinichi's expression.
"How could that be? It was clearly Clan Head Fugaku who gravely wounded him after a desperate battle. I merely finished him off from the side and picked up an easy victory. The credit should belong to Clan Head Fugaku."
Fugaku shook his head firmly.
"If Hōzuki Hangetsu and I had truly fought to the death just now, it would have been impossible to say which of us would have survived. If Shinichi-kun hadn't arrived in time, I might not have walked out of here alive. That is the truth."
"And this version of events will also help conceal the matter of my Mangekyō."
"In this battle, my greed for merit and reckless advance cost the lives of valuable comrades. I must bear responsibility for that."
"As for you, Shinichi-kun, you merely came to reinforce us, saved my life, and avenged the fallen Uchiha by personally slaying their enemy."
"Let us settle the matter that way."
The meaning behind Fugaku's words was not difficult to understand.
He was handing all the credit for killing Hōzuki Hangetsu over to Shinichi while portraying himself as a clan head who had paid a terrible price for his recklessness and ultimately had to be rescued by Shinichi.
That way, on the surface, Shinichi would become the benefactor of the entire Uchiha Clan.
He had traveled a great distance to reinforce the Uchiha forces, saved their clan head at a critical moment, and personally avenged the Uchiha who had fallen in battle.
With that relationship established, Fugaku would have ample justification when he returned to persuade the various voices within the clan—whether stubborn, cautious, or unconvinced.
From that point forward, no matter how strongly the Uchiha supported Higashino Shinichi, they would have a perfectly legitimate and natural reason for doing so.
This was not merely a story for outsiders.
It was a political pledge of allegiance.
By sacrificing part of his own prestige, Uchiha Fugaku was paving the way for Shinichi to gain the support of the Uchiha, while also demonstrating his determination and sincerity in upholding their alliance.
Shinichi fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"If Clan Head Fugaku insists, then we'll handle it that way for now. However..."
"Someday, I still hope the truth of this matter will be revealed to everyone, so that Clan Head Fugaku receives the honor and recognition he rightfully deserves."
"Also, Clan Head Fugaku, there's no need to blame yourself too much for the sacrifice of those four clansmen. On the battlefield, circumstances can change in an instant. No one can guarantee a flawless plan. What matters is that those who survive carry on their will."
Fugaku was momentarily stunned before nodding lightly.
"Thank you, Shinichi-kun. I hope that day comes soon."
Neither of them spoke again as they walked side by side toward the battlefield outside, where the fighting was still raging.
From this day forward, the Uchiha Clan would go all in and fully support Shinichi's future bid for the position of Hokage.
And yet, Shinichi's core support base extended far beyond that.
Aburame Shibi, the married couple Inuzuka Ryō and Inuzuka Tsume, Kurama Murakumo...
These were all shinobi who, in the original timeline, would eventually become the heads of their respective clans.
But at this moment, they were all veterans of Shinichi's battalion. They had followed him through countless life-and-death battles and had even disobeyed a retreat order at a critical moment, willing to throw away their own lives in order to return and save their captain.
The loyalty forged through blood and fire was stronger than any political alliance.
And then there was the support of the Senju Clan represented by Tsunade...
The war had been underway for barely more than half a year.
Even excluding Konoha's leadership and civilian population and counting only the ninja clans, more than half of Konoha's clans had already taken his side, either openly or in secret.
And Shinichi believed that this network of connections would only continue to grow as the war dragged on, eventually coalescing into an enormous force after the war ended.
Minato... you've already fallen too far behind me.
The thought crossed Shinichi's mind calmly.
With Hōzuki Hangetsu's death and Shinichi's timely arrival on the battlefield, the deadlock was quickly shattered, and Konoha's advantage began snowballing.
However, the enemy force had prioritized breaking through and retreating from the very beginning.
As a result, when they finally withdrew from the coast under the cover of dense mist, although the shoreline was left littered with corpses, the bulk of their forces survived. Their losses were nowhere near as catastrophic as those suffered by the Kaguya Clan.
...
June 3, Konoha Year 47.
On the very same day that Konoha was peacefully holding the preliminary rounds of its new Chūnin Exams, and the Land of Iron was preparing to open its nationwide swordsmanship tournament, another event occurred—one powerful enough to shake the entire shinobi world.
Kirigakure declared war on Konoha without warning.
Multiple elite forces launched large-scale invasions of the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire simultaneously from different directions.
At the same time, Sunagakure, which had remained quiet for a full six months, launched a fierce offensive from the southwest with remarkable coordination.
War erupted on both fronts.
From that moment onward, the Third Shinobi World War escalated completely, with all Five Great Shinobi Villages now directly involved.
Yet Konoha appeared to have anticipated everything in advance.
Every defensive line had already entered a state of maximum readiness, with comprehensive defensive measures in place.
Whether against Sunagakure on the southwestern front or Kirigakure along the southeastern coast, the enemy gained no meaningful advantage whatsoever.
Kirigakure, in particular, suffered a devastating blow.
On the very first day of the war, none of its four landing forces succeeded in breaking through Konoha's defenses.
Among them, the two main forces led by the Three Great Clans—the Kaguya Clan and the Hōzuki Clan—suffered especially heavy losses.
Their respective clan heads, Umemaro of the Kaguya Clan and Hōzuki Hangetsu, both died on the battlefield.
And behind both of these critical victories stood the same person.
Higashino Shinichi.
According to reports released after the battle, both clan heads of these major Kirigakure clans had been personally killed by Higashino Shinichi.
There were even rumors that Konoha's ability to predict the coordinated actions of Kirigakure and Sunagakure so accurately and complete its deployments in advance was largely based on strategic analyses produced by the young shinobi himself.
For a time, the name of this eleven-year-old boy once again swept across intelligence desks and the front pages of newspapers throughout every nation and every shinobi village.
The already astonishing reputation of his military talent and strategic vision gained an even heavier—almost terrifying—weight in the eyes of the world.
The first publication to report the story, World Weekly, was reportedly issued a stern warning by Konoha afterward, leading it to greatly tone down its wartime coverage.
But the news had already spread.
Those who needed to know, knew.
In addition, another piece of information was quietly circulating among the upper echelons of Konoha, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
Higashino Shinichi had created yet another completely new Nintaijutsu system.
Wind Release Nintaijutsu.
Everyone who learned of it found themselves shaken once again by Shinichi's terrifying talent.
"I hereby acknowledge you as the strongest."
Nine months earlier, when the Land of Iron samurai named Isshin had made that evaluation in Konoha's arena, many of those who received the intelligence report had paid little attention to it.
But now, the weight of those words was growing heavier with each passing day.
More and more people were beginning to accept a single fact.
If Higashino Shinichi continued growing at this pace, he would inevitably become the strongest shinobi in the world.
And that day...
Would likely arrive long before he reached adulthood.