Uchiha Patriarch !

"C, how is everything?"

"Everything is normal."

"Not a single anomaly?"

"I might lack the ability, but I can't find anything wrong with Yugito-senpai." C was helpless. His sensory ninjutsu was among the top five in all of Cloud Village, so if Yugito was under any genjutsu control, he should have noticed. 

But the problem was, no matter how closely he observed, he saw no clues on Yugito. To ensure accuracy, he had checked three times. Yugito's chakra flowed smoothly, and her mental energy showed no abnormal fluctuations. Other than a trace of Matatabi's chakra, there were no signs of a third party's chakra. Yugito appeared completely clean and without issue.

"Not genjutsu?"

Tsuchi frowned deeply, even more confused.

"But it doesn't make sense! Knowing Yugito's personality, she would never suggest something like peace talks." He rubbed his forehead, racking his brain, but he just couldn't figure out what was going on with Yugito. If she wasn't under genjutsu, could she have been so frightened by that Uchiha from the Leaf?

After considering it for a while, this seemed like the only possible explanation, even if it was quite weak. He didn't want to believe that Yugito was so fragile. As a perfect Jinchūriki, it took an indomitable will and immense strength to control such power. But after ruling out genjutsu, this explanation was all they had left.

"Have the medical-nin do a full check-up on Yugito later," A commanded.

"Raikage-sama, are you worried... about drugs?"

"Yugito's behavior isn't right. Tsuchi, have someone keep an eye on her. Whether her changes are natural or due to external control, we need to consider every possibility. I don't want to see her get hurt." A didn't say everything he was thinking. He actually hoped that Yugito was being controlled by a Leaf ninja, because if they could figure out their methods, the issue could be resolved. 

What he feared was that Yugito's behavior was coming from her own heart and not because she was being controlled. 

Cloud Village didn't need a Jinchūriki who was afraid of battle, yet training a new one was no easy task for any village. Cloud was lucky this generation to have both Killer B and Yugito perfectly control their tailed beasts. That was one of the key reasons A felt confident in waging war against the Leaf.

If anything happened to Yugito, the village couldn't easily find a new Two-Tails Jinchūriki, and even if they did, they might not be able to control the beast as perfectly as she did.

Unless absolutely necessary, they would never replace a Jinchūriki lightly.

A continued lifting his dumbbells, seemingly unchanged from before. But those who knew him well could see the dark cloud of concern lingering over his brows, as he silently planned his next steps. The Leaf Village was proving to be tougher than expected.

A weakened beast is still stronger than a horse, and the Leaf was no dying beast—it was just in a vulnerable state.

"Tsuchi, investigate Leaf's reinforcements, especially Uchiha clan. I want the name and detailed information of Uchiha who fought Yugito." As Tsuchi reached the door, A suddenly gave this new order.

"Understood, Raikage-sama. That was already a priority," Tsuchi replied. He lingered at the door for a few seconds, then, seeing no further instructions, left.

---

Walking through the sparsely populated streets, Yugito looked at the tightly shut shop doors on both sides. Occasionally, she'd spot a few hurried locals, who would immediately lower their heads upon seeing her Cloud Village headband, not daring to make eye contact. But even in that brief moment, she caught the hatred in their eyes.

Hatred wasn't new to her.

It wasn't the first time she had seen such looks. 

In the past, she felt nothing about it. This world was cruel, and sympathy was reserved for her comrades in Cloud Village. As for everyone else? They could die for all she cared. She didn't even care about Frost Country, so why would she care about the people of Land of Hot Water?

But now, when she sensed that deep-seated hatred, her heart felt like a jar of mixed emotions had been spilled, flooding her with unfamiliar, complex feelings. The turmoil in her heart was even noticed by Matatabi.

"Yugito, what are you thinking about?"

"Matatabi?"

"Your mind is restless."

"...I can't understand why Raikage-sama insists on attacking the Leaf. Life in the mountains might not be rich, but it's not so difficult that we can't get by. Fighting the Leaf again and again hasn't brought us any real benefit, and it's only made sure that many of our comrades never return to the mountains."

"If… if there were no conflicts, wouldn't that be better? Then no one would have to die on the battlefield."

Yugito stopped at a small bridge, resting her hand on the railing. She seemed to be watching the stream below, but her mind was immersed in her inner world, confiding in Matatabi. 

Matatabi, serving as her listener, remained silent. 

Though the tailed beast had lived for a thousand years, it wasn't human, and human conflicts never made much sense to it. It had never cared about them. Since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, Yugito was the first human it had cared about. 

"I don't understand what you're talking about, but Yugito, you never used to care about such things."

Matatabi was confused. 

It didn't understand human conflicts, but it knew Yugito well. She had always been fierce and cared about her comrades, but only to a limited extent. Even if a close friend died, she'd mourn briefly but never talk about how much better it would be without war.

In fact, Yugito had always been known for her ruthlessness in Cloud Village, someone who reveled in battle. 

So this sudden change to being so compassionate seemed odd. But despite being with her constantly, Matatabi couldn't find any changes in Yugito's soul or spirit.

Yet Matatabi, having been enslaved by Uchiha many times over centuries, knew that their Sharingan could control others. It suspected that Yugito's change was connected to her fight with that Uchiha boy. However, the change wasn't as simple as mind control—if it were, Matatabi would've sensed it.

"I was too young back then," Yugito said, unaware of anything wrong. She looked regretful. "I didn't understand what comrade meant. I was consumed by fighting. Now I realize how much I regret those times."

Matatabi was even more certain something was wrong.

There`s something off. But despite recognizing the problem, it couldn't pinpoint the exact cause. As a tailed beast trapped in a seal, it couldn't do much to help Yugito. All it could do was reflect on the recent battle with that Uchiha, hoping to find a clue.

---

Meanwhile, in the Leaf Village...

The dusty group of travelers finally arrived at the village gates. Even though the north was still at war, seeing the familiar sights of home lifted Sougen's spirits. After dealing with the Mist Village, he was finally back!

"Sougen-kun, welcome home."

Acting Fifth Hokage, Torifu Akimichi, had been waiting at the gate for a long time. Smiling, he stepped forward to shake Sougen's hand. Behind him, a crowd of Leaf villagers had come to greet their returning heroes. Even the normally stoic Uchiha clan members were visibly touched by this grand welcome.

"Lord Hokage, Mist Village has surrendered."

"Excellent! Sougen-kun, you've done well!"

As they chatted, Torifu led Sougen and his troops through the village gates. Crowds lined the streets, watching in awe as the returning warriors marched home, while prearranged Leaf Cnobi spread word of their victory over the Mist Village.

They praised the Mist ninja for joining forces with the Leaf to stand against the Cloud's aggression, glorifying each of the heroes who had earned renown on the battlefield.

As long as Sougen and the others make their move, they could instantly send the Cloud Ninjas running back to the Land of Lightning with their tails between their legs, listening to the gods bang their drums! This was a performance that had been prepared in advance, carefully planned to boost the village's morale.

After all, the village had first gone to war with the Mist Ninjas, followed by the invasion of the Cloud Ninjas from the south. On top of that, spies from various villages were secretly stirring up trouble, making the villagers' morale unstable. To prevent the village from panicking, a performance like today's was devised by Nara Shikaku and the others to stabilize the situation.

Sougen knows, before they returned to village, they had already received a letter from Akimichi Torifu informing them about this performance, hoping that Sougen and the others would cooperate. To prevent any resistance from Sougen, the letter explicitly stated that performance would highlight contributions of Uchiha clan during the war, slowly change away their bad reputation in village.

Logically and emotionally, Sougen had no reason to refuse—this was a mutually beneficial arrangement. The chance to improve the Uchiha clan's tarnished reputation in village was something Sougen was eager for. The more opportunities like this, the better.

As the saying goes, "A man lives for his face, and a tree lives for its bark." The clan's reputation and honor are very important.

Due to their ruined reputation, the members of Uchiha clan avoided going out unless they were on a mission. Otherwise, they would stay secluded within their clan's territory, leading to a vicious cycle where, by isolating themselves, they had fewer and fewer allies in the village. This growing divide created an enormous rift between Uchiha and Konoha.

Even if the catastrophic "Night of the Clan's Destruction" never happened, if the Uchiha didn't change and continued to distance themselves from the village, their end would still come. In the past, the Uchiha clan had no choice, but now that they had a chance, they had to seize every opportunity. Integrating into the village was the best way for the Uchiha to change their future.

"Hokage-sama, it looks like your plan is working well!"

As he walked slowly along the street, Sougen observed the large crowd and listened to the thunderous cheers of the villagers. It was enough to know how excited they were.

"As long as it's effective! To be honest, many villagers have a strong aversion to war. These past few days, they've been clamoring that we should find a way to negotiate with the Cloud Ninjas instead of sending wave after wave of ninja to die on the front lines," Akimichi Torifu murmured, expressing his frustrations without reservation.

"Trying to negotiate with Cloud Ninjas before we hit them hard... Do you think their attacks wouldn't just get even more aggressive?" Sougen replied with a soft sneer.

"I understand that. Cloud Ninjas aren't the kind of people who will be talked down easily. But many people in the village feel that it's not worth going to war with them, especially with the northern front not progressing well. Many have seen this as an opportunity to stir up trouble... Even though I've suppressed it on the surface, there's no denying that the unrest is real. This performance today was a last resort."

"In the end, it's Sarutobi Hiruzen's fault. Back then, he sacrificed Hyuga Hizashi to temporarily shut up the Cloud Ninjas. Now, I bet many people think we should follow his example and sacrifice one or two members of a prominent clan to end the war, right?"

Even though Sarutobi was already dead, Sougen didn't mind dragging his name through the mud from time to time.

Akimichi Torifu held back a laugh. "Sougen-kun, there's no point dwelling on the past. Let me ask you, do you still have the strength to head north?"

"Dealing with Cloud Ninjas is no problem, but the issues within the village are just as important. You've been acting as the interim Hokage for nearly half a year now. Honestly, it's not sustainable to keep this up. I think it's time for the village to settle on a permanent Fifth Hokage."

Torifu's heart skipped a beat.

He glanced at Sougen, who was wearing crimson armor and carrying Uchiha clan's signature fan on his back. For a moment, he saw the image of a man who had once lost the race to become the First Hokage. Jokingly, he asked, "What's this? Sougen-kun, are you also aiming for Hokage seat?"

Even though Torifu clearly remembered that when Sarutobi Hiruzen was overthrown, Uchiha Sougen had personally stated that he had no interest in the position of Hokage.

But truth be told, who would believe that?

"I'm still too young."

This time, Sougen didn't deny his desire for the position but clarified that he had no immediate plans to vie for it.

As one of Konoha's two founding clans, Uchiha clan certainly needed to produce a Hokage someday, but there was no rush. The clan's reputation hadn't yet been fully restored. Forcing his way into the position through strength would only invite endless trouble and problems.

After all, he was only fifteen years old.

There was no need to rush to the top.

"Hokage-sama, what village needs right now is a leader who can make the majority feel safe and reliable—an elder figure, not a young, reckless fighter in his teens. Didn't they say that Jiraiya-sama returned to the village? What's his situation?"

Whether Torifu believed Sougen's words was his own business, but he didn't press further, instead following the conversation to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya said he needs some time to think. He hasn't given me a clear answer yet, so we're just waiting."

"And Tsunade-sama?"

"She's still nowhere to be found. According to reports from the ANBU, it seems she's deliberately avoiding them."

Torifu sighed as he spoke, then quickly adjusted his expression into a friendly smile as they walked through the streets. He inwardly lamented how he couldn't understand Sarutobi's two disciples—both treating the position of Hokage like a hot potato...

As they discussed Jiraiya, the man himself stood on the rooftop of a building in center of konoha, holding a telescope and watching Torifu and Sougen. "Uchiha Sougen, fifteen-year-old clan leader of Uchiha... Impressive for his age."

After watching Sougen for a few seconds, Jiraiya change his focus, scanning crowd for the real reason he was here.

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. Several children were positioned at the front of the parade, and after spotting Sougen, Jiraiya's eyes quickly fell on a particular group of young kids. "...Naruto!" His gaze locked onto a boy with bright yellow hair through the telescope.

To be fair, Naruto hadn't perfectly inherited Minato's good looks. The whisker marks on his face, a result of the Nine-Tails' chakra, made it hard for most people to associate him with the Fourth Hokage.

But that was just the average person's perspective.

The moment Jiraiya saw Naruto, he knew immediately that this was the child of Minato and Kushina. Those bright blue eyes were just like Minato's, full of spirit, and the smile on his face was as bold and confident as Kushina... though his frame was a bit small.

Looking at Naruto, who was even shorter than the girl standing next to him, Jiraiya was filled with a deep sense of regret and guilt.

Throughout his life, Jiraiya had trained many students, but the one he was most proud of always been Minato. Minato was his favorite disciple, someone he had nurtured almost like a son, teaching him all his best techniques, even his secret Sage Mode.

Not even Nagato, the so-called "Child of Prophecy," had received such special treatment.

Minato's child... was like a grandchild to him!

"Naruto..." Jiraiya softly whispered the name he had taken from his book *Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Cnobi*, his heart heavy with guilt. He regretted not being there for Naruto, blaming himself for his negligence, which led to Naruto's difficult childhood.

Over the past few days, Jiraiya had roamed the village and learned almost everything about Naruto's life.

Naruto hadn't thrived—he had *survived*.

What hurt the most was that much of Naruto's suffering had been caused by his own teacher, Third Hokage.

With no interference from acting Hokage, Jiraiya had gained access to many classified documents, revealing things he had never known before, and his heart ached even more.

"Sarutobi-sensei... It's just as well that you've passed on. I don't know how I'd face you otherwise," he whispered, his words carried away by the chilly autumn wind.

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