Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Uchiha Fugaku

"Are you holding back, Haneda? With your strength surpassing Kakashi Hatake, getting first place in your class should be no problem, right?" the clan leader said with a smile.

"Something like that, but my theoretical scores aren't great. Surpassing Kakashi is tough; he's probably already close to mastering everything in the Ninja Academy," Haneda replied.

"Haha... Well, you've got to keep working hard," the clan leader patted Haneda on the shoulder, smiling warmly.

First, they strengthened their bond, then came business. Once the connection was solid, it was natural to discuss serious matters.

However, before getting to the main point, the clan leader shot a stern glance at his son, Fugaku, before turning back to Haneda.

"Haneda, I've heard you've already awakened your Sharingan, is that right?" the clan leader asked softly, sipping his tea.

"Yes." Haneda nodded, confirming it without hesitation. There was no point in hiding it, especially since he had already decided to lean on the Uchiha clan as his support.

"Clan leader, I don't know exactly when I awakened it. I just felt like I couldn't lose to Kakashi, and then the Sharingan appeared. But at the time, I felt really sad, like the feeling came from my parents."

This explanation was something Haneda had prepared beforehand. His Sharingan had awakened, but not fully. It still needed a specific trigger. This pattern had been seen before with characters like Sasuke and others.

One triggered his Sharingan by the massacre of his clan, igniting a single-tomoe Sharingan. The other, Obito, hid his Mangekyo Sharingan for years until a specific moment triggered it.

Of course, Haneda knew that the Uchiha clan would have records of this, which is why he chose this story.

As expected, the clan leader didn't doubt him. He smiled gently and explained:

"You probably awakened it when you were around four. At that time, you didn't have enough chakra to fully activate it, but later, when you faced emotional stress, it naturally emerged."

The clan leader was considerate, not mentioning Haneda's parents' death at all. This gave Haneda a good impression of him, though he had already been testing the clan leader's attitude toward him.

It seemed clear to Haneda that the clan leader wanted Fugaku and him to build a brother-like bond, strengthening ties between them.

From calling the clan leader "Clan Leader Uncle" instead of just "Clan Leader," it became clear.

"I heard that when you were about to lose, you said something like, 'As a Uchiha, I can't lose,' right?" the clan leader said cheerfully.

"Yes." Haneda nodded confidently, pretending to be proud.

Of course, the reality was... he just wanted to show off.

"Haneda, you've done a great job of upholding the Uchiha's honor at the academy. As the clan leader, I'm very proud."

"Fugaku heard about what you did and asked me to give you a small reward."

"I thought about it and decided that geniuses should be treated accordingly, so I agreed."

The clan leader's smile seemed genuine, making him appear very sincere.

However, when Haneda heard Fugaku's name, he immediately understood that the clan leader was paving the way for his son.

"Really, Fugaku-brother?" Haneda turned to Fugaku, appearing happily surprised.

"Of course," Fugaku replied, though a little nervously. His gaze flickered to his father's sharp look, and he quickly steadied himself.

"What would you like, Haneda?" Fugaku asked, continuing.

"Umm..."

Haneda pretended to be deep in thought. Neither Fugaku nor the clan leader interrupted him. The room was silent for about half a minute before Haneda finally spoke.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Kakashi used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to trick me during the fight. I don't want to lose the same way again!"

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu? That's a B-rank technique," the clan leader said, feigning hesitation while repeatedly glancing at his son.

"Father, we should agree to Haneda's request! He's right—an Uchiha can't fall twice in the same place!" Fugaku said with some enthusiasm, despite the clan leader's subtle prompting.

The clan leader looked between his son and Haneda before finally sighing and agreeing.

"Alright, Haneda, the Shadow Clone Jutsu is a B-rank technique. It's rare and valuable, but a genius deserves special treatment."

"Thank you, Fugaku-brother!" Haneda immediately expressed his gratitude to Fugaku.

But then, noticing the clan leader's slightly displeased expression, he quickly turned to him and added:

"And thank you, Clan Leader Uncle."

After the heartfelt thanks, the three of them shared a laugh.

Haneda felt fortunate. He had originally hoped the clan would help him withstand the pressure from the higher-ups in Konoha. But now, not only did he receive that support, but he also gained the Shadow Clone Jutsu—one of the techniques he had longed for.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu's value went beyond reconnaissance and trickery. Its most incredible feature was the shared experience between the clones and the original. This meant that whatever a clone learned, the original would also gain.

What did that mean?

It meant Haneda could essentially multiply his learning speed several times over, maybe even dozens of times!

Just imagine Naruto, the reincarnation of Ashura, using hundreds of shadow clones to train simultaneously...

Wasn't that basically a cheat?

Of course, Haneda didn't expect his brain to handle as many memories as Naruto did. But being a transmigrator, his mental strength was likely higher than average, so he could withstand more strain.

Plus, he had the Sharingan as a boost.

This meant that Haneda could afford to bend the rules a little and get an advantage.

As for Fugaku and the clan leader, Fugaku was genuinely pleased with Haneda's gratitude, feeling good about helping someone. Meanwhile, the clan leader was happy because he had successfully linked his son with a promising young genius.

The three of them continued chatting until the sun began to set. Of course, most of the conversation was guided by the clan leader, who ensured that Haneda and Fugaku talked to each other.

As the clan leader and Fugaku saw Haneda off at the gate, the clan leader smiled at Haneda's departing figure and said:

"Haneda, if you ever have questions about jutsu, don't hesitate to ask your Fugaku-brother!"

"Can I, Fugaku-brother?" Haneda turned back, looking a little shy.

Upon hearing this, the clan leader gave his son a discreet nudge to remind him.

"Of course you can, Haneda. I don't mind at all," Fugaku replied, albeit reluctantly.

He wasn't particularly fond of teaching others, not even his own children. It took Itachi a long time to finally learn the Fireball Jutsu from him. As for Sasuke... well, that was a whole other story.

When comparing Itachi's talent with Sasuke's, Fugaku's frustration in the original story was evident. But, without a doubt, he loved both his sons dearly, even if teaching them was exhausting.

***

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