Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

In the residence of the Uchiha patriarch, Uchiha Sasuke, the patriarch's second son, returned home for dinner after finishing his usual post-school training with his friends. It had been over two years since he enrolled, and in the beginning, there hadn't been much interaction with his classmates—except for a loud blond kid named "Namikaze Naruto" and the overly enthusiastic "Haruno Sakura." Mostly, no one had shown much interest in talking to him.

However, as time passed, Sasuke began noticing a shift. The other students' attitudes toward him were changing. Occasionally, he overheard murmurs about his older brother, Itachi, and their cousin Shisui. The words "Uchiha genius" were spoken with reverence, and he couldn't ignore the growing admiration his peers seemed to have for his family. Those two were his inspiration and his goal.

"That's it for me." Uchiha Fugaku, his father, put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood as if preparing to leave. Sasuke, still reaching for more vegetables, paused, sensing a weight in the room's atmosphere that had grown heavier in recent months.

"Dad... are you going out?" Itachi asked, setting down his bowl and chopsticks momentarily.

Fugaku simply nodded, his face unreadable, and without further explanation, he stepped away, leaving Sasuke to ponder the growing tension that seemed to hang over their home.

"There's an issue at the police department; take your time with dinner," Uchiha Fugaku said, turning his back to his wife and two sons. He donned his police department uniform, opened the door, and left without another word.

Itachi, still seated, didn't pick up his chopsticks again. Instead, he rose to his feet. "Mom, I'm done too. I need to head out."

"Is Onii Chan leaving too?" Sasuke asked a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes, I have a report to deliver to Lord Hokage," Itachi replied, tying his forehead protector before heading out quickly.

Sasuke watched him go, his brow furrowed with concern. "Mom, what's going on with Brother and Dad?" he muttered quietly to himself.

"Don't worry too much, Sasuke," Uchiha Mikoto said with a gentle smile. "Finish your dinner and then go work on your homework." Despite her reassuring tone, worry flickered in her eyes as she watched her son.

...

...

"Not here?"

Itachi muttered under his breath, hidden in the shadows of a large tree across from the Uchiha Police Department. He had rushed here as quickly as he could, hoping to find answers. Yet after hours of waiting, watching as the lights in the building gradually went out one by one, only the security office at the entrance remained dimly lit.

By now, Itachi was certain: his father had never arrived at the police department. He had gone somewhere else.

But where?

...

In the southern outskirts of Konoha Village lay the Naka Shrine, a sacred site passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan. Only a select few among the Uchiha knew of its true significance. Beneath the tatami mats of the shrine was a hidden chamber, containing an ancient stone tablet preserved for thousands of years. The writing inscribed upon it was a mystery to most, legible only to those who wielded the Sharingan.

With a regular Sharingan, one could decipher the tablet's first message, a chilling path to awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan: experiencing the deep loss of a loved one. Those who gazed upon it with the Mangekyō Sharingan could read even further, uncovering that only by transplanting the eyes of a sibling could one attain the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

In the flickering candlelight, Uchiha Fugaku stood silently, his gaze fixed on the ancient tablet.

"Senju Tsunade's resignation and Namikaze Minato's appointment as Fifth Hokage are all but confirmed." A distorted ripple in the space behind him interrupted his thoughts. From the shadows emerged Obito, cloaked head to toe in a black robe. His voice was low, almost a whisper. "Given Minato's age, he'll hold the Hokage position for decades. You know your window of opportunity for Uchiha Hokage is closing."

Fugaku turned, meeting Obito's hidden gaze with his own intense, scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan. His tone was icy.

"And you're here to urge me toward rebellion, Uchiha Madara?" Uchiha Fugaku's voice was sharp, tinged with both disdain and curiosity. He stood tall, his gaze unwavering as he faced the masked figure before him. "Eight years ago, you summoned the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha, didn't you? The discrimination the Uchiha face now—the distrust—it all started with you."

Obito chuckled softly, his voice smooth, though his words held a deeper edge. "You could say that," he replied, his smirk hidden beneath the mask. "But if you take a long, hard look at history, you'll see that it all began much earlier—when I founded Konoha with Hashirama. The divide between the Uchiha and the village was inevitable. It was always destined to happen."

Fugaku clenched his fists at his sides, frustration bubbling within him. "So, you claim it's all fate then? That we were always doomed?"

Obito raised a single finger, subtly pointing it toward Fugaku as though emphasizing his next words. "The village will never fully trust the Uchiha," he continued, his tone careful, calculated. "No matter who holds power. Be it Senju Tsunade, or Namikaze Minato... the result will always be the same. The Uchiha will always be seen as less—just as it was with me and Hashirama."

A bitter laugh escaped Obito's lips, his eyes narrowing. "And yet, no one ever asks why I rebelled. They only remember that I did. That's what they always tell the children—the story of Madara Uchiha, the traitor, the villain, who attacked Konoha. It's easier for them to paint me with the same brush. But no one stops to think why. Why did Madara rebel? Why did I—why does the Uchiha clan feel betrayed by the very village we fought to protect? The very same village I and Hashirama created."

Uchiha Fugaku fell silent, the weight of Obito's words pressing down on him, unspoken yet palpable. Sensing his hesitation, Obito knew his bait had found its mark.

"Say what you will, but it's pointless," Fugaku finally spoke, his voice rising in frustration. "Even if we wanted to, Uchiha doesn't have the strength to rebel against the village!" His choice of words caught Obito's attention—he had said "not capable" rather than "won't."

Amused, Obito was confident he'd deciphered Fugaku's true intentions. Deep down, Fugaku wanted to be Hokage. Although the Nine Tails' attack eight years prior had turned the village's suspicion toward the Uchiha, it hadn't led to the severe ostracization Naruto suffered in the original story. Thanks to Shisui and Itachi's efforts, the villagers' perception of the Uchiha had softened somewhat over the years. Discrimination remained, but it was bearable enough for most Uchiha to live peacefully.

Yet this desire for stability was the view of the clan's average members, not its leader.

The Uchiha, particularly the radicals among them, looked down on many villagers, an attitude that made peaceful coexistence nearly impossible. Uchiha Fugaku aimed to change this by becoming Hokage. While personal ambition played a role, he believed that only by leading could he alter the village's distrust of the Uchiha.

But Fugaku was realistic. He knew he couldn't compete with Namikaze Minato, even if he revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan. And if the radicals within the clan found out that the village was about to appoint a Fifth Hokage—and that, once again, it wouldn't be a Uchiha—they would undoubtedly revolt. Such a reaction would only deepen the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha.

Obito, smirking under his mask, suddenly tossed something to Fugaku. It was a slim book, which Fugaku first mistook for a simple notebook. But as he examined it, he realized it was a list of black-market bounties.

"No need to turn through it. Check the first page," Obito sneered.

Curious, Fugaku flipped it open. His eyes widened as he read:

"Hatake Tatsuya. Bounty: 1 billion ryō."

The highest bounty in the black market.

Obito's voice was sly, "That bounty? It was issued by the Third Raikage of Kumogakure. Do you understand what this implies?"

Obito's smile grew as he watched Fugaku's expression shift, his mind racing with the implications.

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