Chapter 18: The First Follower

Chapter 18: The First Follower

As time passed, the sun had already reached the center of the sky.

At the Naka Shrine in Konoha, two members of the Uchiha clan stood at the entrance, looking at the road while listening to the shouts coming from inside the shrine.

"Wow~"

One of them checked the time, leaning against the door, and said, "The jounin have been arguing for six hours."

"Yeah," the other said, stretching. "Seems like they'll keep going all afternoon."

"I don't get it, I thought the elder's proposal about 'raising talents' was pretty good. Why oppose it?"

"Maybe they oppose it just for the sake of opposing. I heard yesterday that the village meetings were the same, everyone obstructing each other."

Just then, they saw a small figure running quickly towards them down the road.

As the figure approached, they greeted with an impassive expression, "Young clan leader!"

Itachi Uchiha, panting a little, lifted the food box in his hands and asked, "Is my father still inside?"

One of the guards pointed inside with his head and warned, "The clan leader is discussing matters with the jounin. If you go in now, be careful."

"Understood."

Itachi Uchiha lifted the food box and walked into the shrine's courtyard. Just as he steadied himself, he heard a whistling in the air. Looking up, he saw a chair flying quickly towards him.

Itachi stepped back, planting his hands on the ground, and watched as the chair grazed his nose and crashed into the wall behind him.

Bang!

With a loud crash, the solid white wall cracked.

It seems the discussion inside is quite intense.

Itachi Uchiha brushed the dust off his hands, picked up the food box, and walked calmly inside. He had witnessed this many times; he had only suffered a few blows when he was two years old, but now he was already four years old.

And he didn't like clan meetings. He always felt they were a waste of time and never resolved anything.

A total waste of time.

"Old man, how can you have so much strength to be the seventh Hokage?"

"Tobio Uchiha. Plans, plans, do you understand what a plan means? If we follow the plan step by step, how can it not be possible for an Uchiha to be the seventh Hokage?"

"I want to be the fifth Hokage. Why don't you make a plan for me to be the fifth Hokage? The fourth Hokage isn't even dead yet and you're already thinking about the seventh. You have a lot of vision!"

Hearing the shouts from inside, Itachi Uchiha's thoughts were interrupted. Looking at the closed door in front of him, he hesitated for a moment and then gently knocked with his fist.

Knock! Knock!

With the creak of the door opening slowly, Itachi was about to step in when he felt the air inside tense up, and his raised leg froze mid-step.

Under the gaze of so many three-tomoe Sharingan, the pressure was overwhelming.

Nervously, Tobio Uchiha approached the main position, placed the lunch box on his father's table, then took a step back and stood behind him, observing the jōnin present.

One had a red nose, another a swollen face, the one next to him had singed hair, and the closest one was emitting black smoke from his mouth. It was a scene of fierce battle.

Seeing the situation from his position, Uchiha Itachi took a step back, his mouth slightly twisted.

It seemed the Second Hokage's assessment was correct: the Uchiha clan was a group of madmen. It wasn't that there were no normal people in the clan, but the normal ones couldn't become strong.

And at the Naka Shrine, all the strong ones of the clan gathered.

Tobio Uchiha, standing at the table, glanced at Itachi Uchiha before pulling out a paper from his pocket and saying:

"This is a compilation of the words and actions of Mr. Madara and his brother, Mr. Izuna, organized into a document after reading the clan's history before and after the village's founding. With the experiences of the past, we won't lose our way; with the experiences of the past, we'll see the future."

Seeing everyone looking at him, Tobio Uchiha cleared his throat and began to read:

"Izuna Uchiha: Now we want to take power in the village, we must create pretexts, attract the Senju, and then the other clans will join us. After that, we'll divide the power, taking 70% for the Senju and us 30%.

Madara Uchiha: Only 30%?

Izuna: Yes, 70% is for the Senju, we take 30% and still must consider the opinion of the Senju.

Madara: Whose opinion?

Izuna: His (picture of Hashirama Senju).

Madara: Did I come from so far just to consider his opinion?

Izuna: Yes.

Madara: And also create pretexts?

Izuna: Yes.

Madara: And attract the Senju?

Izuna: Yes.

Madara: And consider the opinion of the damn Senju? And only 30% of the benefits in the end?

Izuna: Yes.

Madara: Then will I become a beggar?

Izuna: Well, according to what you say, cooperating with the Senju is like begging, and still many clans don't have that opportunity.

Madara: Why do I have to activate my Susanoo when entering Senju territory? Because I can't kneel!

Izuna: So you want to take power standing? Then better go back to the mountains behind Konoha.

Madara: I don't understand, am I not one of the two founders of Konoha and can't I do better alone?

Izuna: To other clans, you are a founder. To the Senju, you are a beggar. Taking power is not shameful!

Madara: It's shameful, damn it!

Izuna: So do you want to do it standing or take power?

Madara: I want to take power standing and become Hokage.

Izuna: You can't do it!

Madara: I can't?

Izuna: You can't!

Madara: And this? (pointing to a Uchiha relic)

Izuna: Yes, but you must kneel.

Madara: And this? (pointing to the Uchiha clan emblem)

Izuna: Yes, and with other clans.

Madara: And this (relic) + this (clan emblem), can I do it?

Izuna: Where does your confidence come from?

Madara opens his Mangekyō Sharingan."

Tobio Uchiha paused to let everyone react before continuing:

"Afterward, everyone knows the story. Mr. Izuna died at the hands of Tobirama Senju, and Mr. Madara, for the sake of peace, buried his brother's death in his heart and, along with Hashirama Senju, founded the village of Konoha.

Later, Mr. Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't defeat the First Hokage.

Today I tell you this to remind you that the path for the Uchiha to become Hokage was already found by Mr. Izuna. We must attract the Senju and divide the power of the other clans."

The Uchiha present, though mentally unstable, were intelligent. After hearing the "speech of Mr. Madara," they looked at Fugaku Uchiha.

Although they didn't know if Madara had actually said those words, some elders had followed Mr. Izuna in their youth. Mr. Izuna was one of the few Uchiha who, after activating the Mangekyō Sharingan, remained relatively normal.

At that time, Izuna firmly opposed allying with the Senju and might have said things to provoke Madara and prevent the union of the two clans.

The most important thing is that now it's not like before; only one of the Senju remains.

Before, the Uchiha had to be second in command when joining the Senju. Now, they could be the first.

Maybe we should consider this, but not rush.

At that moment, Tobio Uchiha continued:

"Gentlemen, I maintain my point of view. If we want an Uchiha to be Hokage, we must attract the Senju and get the support of the majority of the village.

So, clan leader, for the bright future of the Uchiha, when are you going to divorce?"

Fugaku's face darkened upon hearing this.

Damn it, the meeting was supposed to be about discussing the war with the Cloud ninjas, and suddenly we're talking about Hokages, and after a while, my marriage.

These Uchiha can't stop thinking about the Hokage, and Tobio Uchiha can't stop talking about my divorce.

Just as he was formulating a response, a jōnin in the last row stood up.

"Jūdaime, what are you doing?"

Seeing his brother stand up, Uchiha Hachidaime frowned, crossing his arms.

"I'm going to change sides."

Uchiha Jūdaime lifted his table and looked at his older brother, saying:

"I have no hatred towards the Senju, I only care about the clan's bright future. Listening to those elders' plans, I feel I won't see the light in fifty years. If that's the case, why not change a bit?"

"Jūdaime... you..."

Seeing Uchiha Jūdaime heading towards Tobio Uchiha, Hachidaime felt a pang of sadness. His younger brother, whom he had taken care of for almost twenty years, was finally leaving him. He was no longer that child hiding behind his back.

The most important thing is that following Tobio has no future... It's a bad influence.

Tobio Uchiha looked surprised at Jūdaime behind him and smiled.

"Wow, Jūdaime, you come to my team at the right time! We're missing someone like you."

"Huh?"

Uchiha Jūdaime was puzzled, looking at Tobio and then at himself, finally turning to look around... A team of only two people, making him feel a lump in his throat.

The clan meeting, which was initially supposed to discuss how to participate in the battle, ended up focusing again on how an Uchiha could become Hokage.

When the meeting ended, Itachi Uchiha ran home to report the discussed news.

Fssh!

Reaching the kitchen, Itachi stopped abruptly, putting his feet together at the entrance and poking his head in.

"Mother, I'm home."

"Itachi! You're back."

Mikoto, who was preparing ingredients in the kitchen, looked at her son and smiled, then directed her gaze towards the Naka Shrine, hinting at something.

"Today's meeting was quite long, did they discuss intensely?"

Itachi Uchiha hesitated for a moment. One reason he stayed so long at the meeting was that his mother had asked him to tell her what happened.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have wasted half a day in such a boring meeting.

With his mother's expectant gaze, Itachi organized his thoughts and began to recount what happened at the meeting.

Chop! Chop!

The sound of chopping vegetables in the kitchen grew heavier as Itachi spoke.

"Mo... mother..."

Seeing his mother's smile turn cold and that she accidentally cut herself, Itachi pointed worriedly at her hand.

"You seem to have cut yourself."

"It's nothing."

Mikoto shook her hand to get rid of the blood and rinsed it under the tap. While biting her lips, she said softly, trying to console her son:

"Chopping vegetables... it's normal to have some cuts."

(End of Chapter)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.