Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san

Seeing this surprised expression on Tōshirō's face seemed to amuse Clan Leader Itachi, as a sarcastic smile spread across his lips: "With your mind, you should have suspected something by now. I treat you differently than the rest of the clan."

Tōshirō pretended not to understand, replying, "What do you mean? I don't fully get it."

"You really like pretending not to understand, but that's exactly what makes you clever."

Clan Leader Itachi slowly raised his right hand, forming a one-handed seal: "Look into my eyes."

The moment their gazes met, Itachi directed his chakra into Tōshirō's body.

Tōshirō felt a mild headache, and after a few moments, memories that had been locked away surfaced in his mind. He smiled bitterly, with the last remnants of hope fading away as he let out a deep sigh: "As I expected, you knew from the beginning..."

Itachi laughed triumphantly: "Boy, don't assume everyone is a fool."

Tōshirō shrugged in surrender. It was time to reveal the truth.

The irises of his black eyes turned a deep red, and a black tomoe appeared beside his pupil, spinning and forming into a prominent symbol.

Clan Leader Itachi's eyes narrowed, his eyelids half-closed, as his deep eyes sparkled calmly: "What laziness... The power of the Uchiha, and you haven't even trained it. You're still at just one tomoe."

Tōshirō closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, returning them to their normal state: "No, it's called caution."

"..."

Tōshirō asked with genuine confusion, "Why are you suddenly explaining everything to me now?"

"If I didn't, you wouldn't agree to cooperate peacefully."

Clan Leader Itachi smirked cunningly: "Tōshirō, I don't think you'd want everyone to know that you possess a 'dual kekkei genkai,' right?"

Tōshirō retorted sarcastically: "With that approach, you might lose me..."

"It doesn't matter, as long as you serve the clan."

Tōshirō felt frustrated.

He had tried everything to avoid responsibility, so why did things keep slipping out of his control? He had expected things to play out like in the stories he read, where the hero's plans were perfect, and no mistakes were made. But it seemed his scenario didn't follow those rules.

"Alright, enough complaining. I'm revealing things now so you can stay calm. There's one more important thing I need to tell you."

Tōshirō tilted his head, puzzled.

Itachi spoke in a low tone: "I hope you won't use the power of the Sharingan again."

"Not use the Sharingan?"

Tōshirō didn't fully understand what he meant.

"More precisely, don't use the power of the Sharingan until you become Hokage."

Hokage?

A look of sheer confusion appeared on Tōshirō's face: "What do you mean?"

Itachi responded calmly: "There's no mystery. Just take the words literally."

Tōshirō's confusion only grew: "I don't understand. Why do I need to become Hokage? I don't even want to be a ninja, let alone the Hokage."

"It's all for the Uchiha clan."

Itachi placed a heavy burden on Tōshirō by mentioning the "interest of the clan," adding to his confusion.

"But what does that have to do with not using the Sharingan? Besides, even without you telling me, I had no intention of using its power."

Tōshirō didn't understand and insisted like a child: "The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Being a ninja means serving the village and the people. I'm tired of these hollow words we were taught in books. I don't want to be Hokage."

"No, you must become Hokage. This is about the survival or destruction of our Uchiha clan."

Itachi's voice grew more serious and firm, surprising Tōshirō with the depth of his foresight.

Itachi's tone softened, becoming more persuasive: "Do you remember my earlier talk about the bijū?"

Tōshirō answered thoughtfully: "What about it?"

"Our Uchiha clan is born with powerful eye abilities, and this power is one of the two forces capable of controlling the bijū. The other is the Mokuton techniques, but those techniques have vanished, leaving the Sharingan as the only force capable of controlling the bijū.

"Hashirama's wife, Mito, may seem young, but in reality, she's grown old, and no one knows when something might happen to her. It's not easy to find someone else to be a perfect jinchūriki like her. When that time comes, the eyes will turn to us Uchiha, which might make Konoha's leaders wary of us."

"Wary?"

Clan Leader Itachi replied in a serious tone, his eyes filled with concern: "Yes, the Uchiha and the Senju are the two founding clans of Konoha. When Senju Hashirama was elected as the First Hokage, we didn't object. But when the Second Hokage was also from the Senju clan, the Uchiha started having reservations. Not to mention that the Third Hokage wasn't from the Uchiha either, but that boy Sarutobi Hiruzen. If this pattern continues, I can't imagine the reaction of the entire Uchiha clan. As a member of our clan, you should know how others view us from the outside.

"It's not far-fetched to think that the Uchiha clan might do something drastic. Even though we have the power, the risk is too great. If we fail, it would bring complete destruction to the Uchiha."

"Have you heard the saying, 'uproot the grass by its roots'? If something happens, do you think just being an Uchiha will protect you? Do you think you'd come out unscathed?"

Tōshirō took a deep breath and replied in a weak voice: "That can't be true... The Third Hokage seems like a good person."

"Fool, let me tell you, the promises of others don't matter. The only thing that matters is what you can do for yourself. Do you understand?"

Tōshirō nodded, pretending to submit under the pressure.

Itachi immediately noticed the pretense and shouted in anger: "No, you don't understand."

"You're still young and don't truly know the evils of the world."

"I once believed in the village and worked hard to earn its trust. But later, I realized I was wrong. Konoha's leaders fear our power and continue to marginalize and suspect us.

"Take an example from recent years: when a relative of the daimyo was tortured by genjutsu and became an idiot, Konoha's leadership's immediate reaction was that the Uchiha were responsible.

"It's utterly ridiculous, a clear conspiracy."

"Just because we're the only ones with the Sharingan and have a natural talent for genjutsu? That's absurd. There are plenty of ninja in Konoha who excel in genjutsu, so why are we immediately assumed to be the culprits?"

Itachi paused for a moment, then looked at Tōshirō carefully: "The Uchiha aren't guilty, but having something valuable is a crime in itself, and it's easy to accuse us without reason."

"Ah~~"

Tōshirō sighed, filled with frustration.

The Uchiha clan had a strong political nature, and Konoha's leaders wouldn't miss an opportunity to suppress them and keep them away from the center of power.

"Ninja rely on information to win. In the eyes of others, you don't have the Sharingan, and that's your greatest strength. They'll misjudge you and underestimate you. In the end, the Uchiha's power will be the key to tipping the scales in your favor."

Itachi's face became serious, and he said, "Tell me honestly, who knows about your dual kekkei genkai aside from me?"

Tōshirō sighed and said, "Besides you, three others know. Tsunade and her team."

"What? You mean the Third Hokage's three disciples?"

Upon hearing this, Itachi's expression changed completely, his eyes widening in anger and shock.

"What about them?"

Itachi shouted in frustration and sorrow: "You're an idiot! Weren't you supposed to be cautious? How could you be careless about something like this? Wait, are you saying you'd rather tell them instead of telling me directly? Are you really an Uchiha?"

Tōshirō smiled sarcastically and said: "Uh... if I had told you then, you would have caught me and forced me to train, just like you're doing now. At that time, I wouldn't have been able to execute my plan of giving up being a ninja."

Itachi growled, "And why did you tell them? Isn't your fear of your abilities being discovered the reason you want to stop being a ninja?"

Tōshirō replied, surprised: "I felt that friends shouldn't keep too many secrets from each other. Don't you think keeping the secret inside is exhausting? Of course, you'll need some people to help you bear the burden."

In the future, the situation could change quickly. He might face difficult opponents and be forced to reveal the power of the Sharingan to defeat them.

That's why it's better to prepare the trio now to avoid any conflicts later.

Once he had the support of those three, it would be hard for him to lose to Minato Namikaze.

Oh, and why not? He could also bring Minato to his side. Then Sarutobi Hiruzen would have no choice but to make him Hokage.

Tōshirō added reassuringly, "Don't worry, Itachi. I've already spoken with them, and they won't tell anyone else."

Itachi laughed coldly and said, "You can't be certain of that. You should know that the one who betrays you is often the person closest to you. This happens frequently in the ninja world."

Tōshirō lowered his head, thinking for a moment, then looked up and accidentally glanced at a certain someone.

But there was no one else beside him.

Itachi furrowed his brows and asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

(End of Chapter)

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