The Goal

In the quiet of the night, the world was still.

Yet Tenshin still couldn't sleep, his bright eyes fixed on the ceiling.

After some time of contemplation, he had roughly formulated a plan in his mind.

That was, to find a way to make Uchiha Fugaku the Fourth Hokage!

However, this would only change Fugaku and Shisui's fate, and the process would be extremely difficult.

After all, the Uchiha clan was naturally proud, and due to their role in the police force, their reputation among the villagers wasn't great.

Not to mention the powerful competitor from the original timeline—Minato Namikaze. That guy was a pain.

Moreover, the higher-ups of Konoha probably wouldn't agree, especially Danzo and the two advisors.

In the original timeline, they were only known for bossing people around, but never actually doing anything useful.

However, Tenshin didn't mind helping them rewrite their fates—dying a few years earlier might actually be a good thing.

As for the more crucial figures—Kakashi and Obito—if Tenshin wanted to change their destinies, he would need to have enough strength, at least to withstand attacks from the elderly Uchiha Madara.

Fortunately, it was still early, and Tenshin had plenty of time to improve his abilities.

Sigh, he could no longer rely on the God's hand to slack off; to improve, he would ultimately have to rely on himself.

Tenshin sighed wistfully but had no regrets about his decision. After all, no one disliked a happy life.

Since there was a chance to make it happen, it was worth going all in for.

The next day, Tenshin arrived early at the Hokage Tower, where he saw Kakashi, who was eager for their first mission.

Tenshin, with dark circles under his eyes, walked over and yawned, saying, "Don't get too excited. Our missions as Genin are usually pretty dull."

"Dull? Why?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.

Tenshin lazily closed his eyes and waved his hand. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Tch," Kakashi clicked his tongue, raising an eyebrow. "You weren't practicing your sword skills all night, were you?"

At these words, Tenshin's eyes widened as he shouted at Kakashi, "No way! Swordsmanship is such an easy thing, I could pick it up in no time!"

"Oh, really?" Kakashi's cold face suddenly cracked a smile, clearly not believing Tenshin's words.

Seeing this, Tenshin helplessly closed his eyes again to rest. He couldn't exactly say he was up all night planning to change history.

Even though Kakashi might not believe him, this was the Hokage Tower, surrounded by Anbu. Tenshin didn't want to expose anything.

In the silence, a figure suddenly appeared before them.

"You're up early. Let's go. Time to take on the mission," Uchiha Fugaku said.

Tenshin and Kakashi snapped to attention and replied, "Yes, sir."

Soon, the trio slowly left the Hokage Tower, with Kakashi's enthusiasm noticeably drained.

As they walked, Fugaku explained, "The first few missions are like this—catching cats, moving things around, helping the villagers with problems."

"You should know, many ninjas died during the Second Shinobi World War. Some lost their sons and daughters, others became orphans."

"They really need our help, understand?"

Hearing this, Kakashi's gloom lifted, and he energetically responded, "Understood."

Fugaku turned to Tenshin, who was still looking drowsy, and asked with a slightly colder tone, "And you, Tenshin?"

Tenshin, realizing Fugaku was upset, quickly opened his eyes and energetically replied, "I understand too!"

"Good, stay sharp," Fugaku said solemnly. Tenshin could feel the change in Fugaku's demeanor—there was no warmth in him now.

As expected from someone who could become the clan leader, Fugaku was firm in his public and private matters and had a great deal of compassion, understanding the pain that war had caused the villagers.

Fugaku, let me help you reach the peak of power!

Under the morning sun, the three walked down the gradually recovering streets of Konoha toward the mission site.

After completing their mission, the trio returned to the Hokage Tower.

"That's it for today. Everyone, go home," Fugaku said, then walked into the building to submit the mission.

Kakashi nodded and slowly walked out with his head down.

Tenshin glanced at him before turning and following Fugaku.

"You're still not heading home?" Fugaku, having shed his serious face, smiled as he looked at Tenshin.

Tenshin chuckled and said, "I need to discuss something with you."

"Oh? What is it? Are you looking for something, or do you want to learn a new jutsu?" Fugaku said, looking at the young Tenshin and instinctively guessing.

Tenshin's brow twitched slightly as he said seriously, "It's something important."

"I see." Fugaku mused for a moment but still didn't seem too concerned, saying lazily, "Well, let me turn in the mission first."

Tenshin knew that with his current age, to an adult, he probably seemed like just a clueless kid, so he didn't say anything else, waiting in silence at the entrance.

After a while, Fugaku finally walked over and ruffled Tenshin's head. "Alright, what is it you want to talk about?"

Tenshin didn't waste time with pleasantries and decided to go straight to the point. "Fugaku-nii, you want to become clan leader, right?"

Fugaku's eyes widened for a split second but quickly returned to normal as he smiled, "Who told you that?"

"Of course, it was the clan. Everyone says you're a strong contender for the position," Tenshin said, pretending to be innocent.

Fugaku glanced around and led Tenshin outside the Hokage Tower, onto the busy streets of Konoha.

As they walked, Fugaku asked calmly, "If I really want to become clan leader, would you support me?"

"Of course, you're my brother! Who else would I support?" Tenshin replied, acting excited.

Inside, he was thinking, Not only will I support you as clan leader, but I'll help you become Hokage and change the tragic fate of the Uchiha clan!

Fugaku smiled appreciatively, realizing that his efforts over the past year had paid off—he had successfully built a close bond with Tenshin.

A moment later, Fugaku spoke again. "The current clan leader, Fuyou-sama, is getting old. If nothing changes, the clan will elect a new leader either this year or next."

"Although many of the clan support me, until the final moment, no one can know the result."

Fugaku turned to Tenshin. "You're the genius of the new generation in the clan. With your support, I'll have a better chance of winning."

"But... time is still too short. A genius who hasn't fully grown yet has limited influence."