I Am Fugaku Uchiha

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At night, amidst the tranquility of Kawa-no-kuni's camp, Tsunade stood atop the mountaintop, her hands clasped in front of her chest. Lost in deep contemplation, she gazed in the direction where Fugaku had departed.

The gusty winds from the peak brushed her blonde hair, making it sway gracefully from side to side.

Meanwhile, a little girl stood behind her. Shizune, holding a pink piglet in her arms, is making noises, and she tries to calm down the piglet.

"What's on your mind, Tsunade-sama?"

Shizune asked, peering at Tsunade with a puzzled expression. Tsunade had been lost in thought, standing in the same spot for hours in the afternoon.

"It's nothing, really. You should go get some sleep."

Tsunade dismissed Shizune with a wave of her hand, unsure of how to explain her troubled thoughts to her niece.

She was reflecting on what Fugaku had asked her the previous evening, his words ringing in her ears: "Or, maybe you can help me?"

His request brought to mind the shocking incident that she had accidentally glimpsed between him and his wife, Mikoto, in his garden.

Disgust had overwhelmed her at the time, but now she felt a strange pull towards him.

As a ninja, Tsunade knew the importance of controlling one's emotions in any circumstance, but Fugaku seemed just as shameless as Jiraiya when it came to indulging his desires, perhaps even more brazen. Did he actually go out of his way to pursue women?

"Tsunade...."

As Tsunade sat lost in her thoughts, a familiar voice jolted her back to reality. It belonged to Orochimaru, and her frown deepened as she recognized it.

It had been ages since they had interacted, and Tsunade couldn't help but wonder how he had changed with time.

Suddenly, Orochimaru took the initiative to climb up the mountaintop for her. She suspected that he wanted something.

Without turning her head, Tsunade asked, "What do you want?"

"It's nothing, really," Orochimaru replied with a smirk. "Just that night, I saw you leave the camp with Fugaku."

Tsunade's frown deepened. "And what does that mean?"

Orochimaru's accusatory tone made her feel bad. She didn't want to be embroiled in any conflict with him, especially considering their fractured relationship over the years.

"kekeke, Your temper hasn't changed at all," Orochimaru said with a twisted smile. "But of course, I know that you can't have anything with him. Your lover, Kato, is dead."

Tsunade's voice turned cold as she heard the name Dan. "Orochimaru, you should know my temper, right?"

"I know that you and Fugaku are nothing more than friends, right?" Orochimaru shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

Tsunade gave him a silent stare, ready to attack at any moment.

"I'm curious; what's the secret behind Fugaku's sudden strength? Do you know that?" Orochimaru asked in a mocking and sarcastic tone.

"That's not a secret, don't you know?" Tsunade replied.

"You're talking about that strange fruit he ate, right? Kekeke." Orochimaru ignored her question.

He was close to Danzo, and Danzo knew everything that was happening in the village. How could he not share that with Orochimaru?

But Orochimaru didn't buy it. He only trusted his knowledge.

He thought it was absurd that eating something could make someone stronger overnight.

If that were true, wouldn't there be plenty of ninjas who would know? with lots of ninjas roaming the world, and to stumble upon that cave would be out of the question.

Who wouldn't investigate if they stumbled upon one? Even if the cave was dangerous, it wouldn't stop ninjas from exploring it.

He knew there was a chance that it would happen, but he couldn't believe that Fugaku was so lucky. Orochimaru had his own way of thinking.

Tsunade frowned when she heard his question. "Are you saying he lied to the Hokage too?"

Ninjas were taught to be loyal to the village and the daimyo, and lying to the hokage was a serious offense.

"No, no, it's not lying. It's just that if you were in his shoes and gained such power, you would do the same. Don't forget, he's an Uchiha!" Orochimaru smirked.

Tsunade considered the matter carefully. She had to admit that Orochimaru had a point: if the Uchiha clan head had become stronger, he would not want to risk revealing his secret to Konoha's high-level

However, if Fugaku hadn't consumed the mysterious fruit, what was the source of his power? And what about his abnormal behavior last night? He didn't seem to be acting. Was there something wrong with him?

Curiosity about Fugaku's condition got the better of Tsunade, and she finally asked Orochimaru, "What do you want me to do?"

"I have a test tube here. You just need to get some of his blood and let me analyze it." Orochimaru tossed the test tube to her.

Tsunade shook her head. "This... won't work. I can't get near him."

She couldn't help but recall Fugaku's strange gaze and feared he might eat her if she got too close.

"Don't worry. The third ninja war has just begun, and there will be opportunities in the future."

Orochimaru replied with a sinister laugh. He was more obsessed with Fugaku's body than his research on Sharingan or Byakugan eyes and Hashirama cells.

"Orochimaru, you're still doing experiments?" Tsunade asked, "I don't think I should help you, but you've piqued my interest, so... I'll give it a try."

She was actually more interested in Fugaku's regeneration ability. If things were really as Orochimaru said, where did he acquire this ability, like her grandfather?

"Kekeke, then I'll wait for your good news," said Orochimaru, satisfied that Tsunade had agreed. With a smirk, he returned to camp.