Konoha's Tatsuya

"Brother!"

Within the Uchiha Clan compound, the moment Sasuke spotted Itachi returning home, he practically flew towards him.

"Oof–!" Before Sasuke could even reach him, Itachi gently poked him on the forehead.

Sasuke dropped his usual aloof act entirely, pouting with his head tilted, clearly displeased.

"Sasuke, how has your shuriken practice been coming along?" Itachi asked warmly, his eyes filled with affection for his younger brother.

"Hmph! I can hit six targets now too!" Sasuke declared, puffing out his chest with a proud little expression, his eyes darting around, clearly fishing for praise.

"That's excellent, Sasuke. You're doing great," Itachi offered the desired praise readily, reaching out to ruffle Sasuke's hair.

"Sasuke, your brother just got back. Why are you pestering him already?" Mikoto Uchiha's gentle voice came from the house. She appeared at the doorway, a warm smile gracing her features as she looked at her eldest. "Itachi, welcome home."

"Mother," Itachi replied, a smile touching his own lips.

Beside him, Sasuke pouted again, clearly unhappy his moment was interrupted.

Once inside, Sasuke immediately began badgering Itachi for stories about his experiences in the Land of Water. Unable to resist Sasuke's persistence, Itachi selectively recounted some minor, unimportant details.

"Brother," Sasuke asked once Itachi finished, "is Tatsuya Akimichi really stronger than Shisui-nii?"

Sasuke had met Tatsuya a few times before, thanks to Shisui and the others. He hadn't seen anything particularly special about the ordinary-looking big guy.

"Why do you ask that all of a sudden?" Itachi looked at Sasuke in surprise.

"I heard some people at the Ninja Academy saying Tatsuya Akimichi is the strongest in the village now," Sasuke mumbled, biting his lip, a look of indignation on his face. "But Brother Inabi and Brother Tekka from the clan clearly said Shisui-nii is the strongest!"

Evidently, the rumors at the Academy bothered him greatly.

A flicker of surprise crossed Itachi's face before settling. He looked intently at Sasuke. "Sasuke, does this bother you so much? As long as the village and our clan are safe and sound, what does it matter who is number one?"

"Of course it matters!" Sasuke nodded vehemently, his expression frustrated. "We Uchiha are Konoha's number one ninja clan! How can we lose out to the mere Akimichi clan?"

The surprise on Itachi's face slowly faded into calm contemplation. He studied Sasuke from head to toe, making his younger brother shift uncomfortably and call out his name softly.

Unconsciously, the little brother he had practically raised had grown up somewhat, beginning to form his own opinions. And it seemed those opinions already differed slightly from his own.

After a moment's thought, Itachi said, "Sasuke, many factors can influence the outcome of a ninja battle. Until a true life-or-death fight occurs, victory or defeat is uncertain. Obsessing over whether Shisui is the village's strongest holds no meaning. On the contrary, having someone else bear the burden of that pressure instead of Shisui might actually be more beneficial for our Uchiha clan."

"Huh?" Sasuke blinked, his face a mask of confusion.

Seeing this, Itachi smiled again and gently tapped Sasuke's forehead. "You'll understand eventually, when you're older."

"Hmph! I'm not a kid anymore!" Sasuke retorted, rubbing his forehead with a dissatisfied grunt.

That evening, after dinner, Fugaku summoned Itachi to his room.

"Itachi," Fugaku began, his expression stern as they knelt opposite each other, "did you witness Tatsuya Akimichi in action during this mission?"

"Yes," Itachi nodded.

"What is the true extent of his strength?"

"Tatsuya-san completely defeated the fully transformed Fourth Mizukage using only two techniques," Itachi stated calmly. "And it appeared he wasn't even using his full power."

Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply at the words. The information he had received from the village only mentioned that Tatsuya had learned Sage Art and defeated the Fourth Mizukage; the specific details were unknown to him. But from Itachi's brief statement, Fugaku gleaned everything he needed.

Defeated a fully transformed Jinchūriki with just two techniques!

Tatsuya Akimichi's strength had grown again, even compared to two years ago.

Fugaku had personally witnessed the power of the Nine-Tails during the attack years ago. While he didn't know the exact power difference between the Three-Tails Isobu and the Nine-Tails, the Fourth Mizukage, being the leader of a major village, surely wouldn't have been weak. Combined with the power of Isobu within him... Fugaku, even having awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, admitted to himself he definitely couldn't defeat such an opponent easily.

By that measure, Tatsuya Akimichi's combat prowess was undoubtedly superior to his own. In just a few short years, the boy had reached such terrifying heights.

Fugaku sighed softly. "Itachi, work hard. In the future, restoring the prestige of our Uchiha clan… might fall solely upon your shoulders."

"Yes, Father," Itachi replied, bowing his head in acknowledgment.

Late at night, tranquility settled over Konoha.

Shimmer~

Atop the Hokage Monument, a spatial distortion materialized, and the masked figure of Obito appeared suddenly. Beside him, the giant pitcher plant form of Zetsu slowly emerged from the stone.

Haaaah. It had been a while since he'd last returned.

Obito took a deep breath of the night air, gazing down at the peaceful village below, lost in thought.

"What's the situation in Konoha these past few years?" Obito finally asked, breaking the silence after observing the village for a moment.

White Zetsu spoke up, "Obito, because of Tatsuya Akimichi's rise, the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership has been suppressed quite a bit these last two years. Plus, with the leader of the radical faction, Yashiro Uchiha, being killed in an attack, the extremist rhetoric within the clan has died down significantly. Give it a bit more time, and maybe the Uchiha clan will be truly tamed!"

"Heh! Tamed?" A smirk twisted Obito's lips under the mask, his voice carrying a strange undertone. "The proud Uchiha clan can never be tamed. They are merely lying dormant for now."

"So, what are your plans?" Black Zetsu inquired.

"No rush," Obito replied easily, shaking his head. "Let's gather more information first." He then turned to White Zetsu. "The suitable candidates I asked you to identify earlier – have you found any?"

"There is one," White Zetsu confirmed. "But I haven't approached him yet."

"Who is it?" Obito asked.

"An outcast," Black Zetsu interjected, "abandoned by the Uchiha clan!"

"An abandoned outcast?" Obito nodded, pleased. "Excellent. Someone like that is exactly what I'm looking for. White Zetsu, keep a close eye on him for the time being. Once I've finished my current business, I will go see him personally. If he's suitable, we'll recruit him into the organization first."

In Obito's grand plan, the Akatsuki needed a dependable Uchiha member of reliable strength among its ranks.