Chapter 127 Another Concealment
"Haruko? This is... What happened to Sasuke?"
When Itachi Uchiha opened the door, he found Sasuke Uchiha leaning against Haruko Hayama with his eyes slightly closed, his head occasionally nuzzling against her.
Haruko, carrying his hand and struggling to hold his waist, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Itachi Uchiha come out.
"Sasuke accidentally drank alcohol, but I didn't expect him to get drunk so quickly."
Itachi Uchiha found it somewhat amusing and stepped forward to take the still unconscious Sasuke Uchiha from him.
Sensing that she was being taken away from Hayama Haruko, Uchiha Sasuke immediately turned around and grabbed Hayama Haruko. In the instant that Uchiha Itachi dragged her away, Hayama Haruko also staggered.
Itachi Uchiha quickly released his grip on his younger brother, which allowed Sasuke Uchiha to hug Haruko Hayama even tighter.
Although it was Haruko Hayama who was holding him, the height difference made it seem more like Sasuke Uchiha was completely embracing her, not allowing anyone to covet her.
Seeing Itachi's helpless expression, Haruko Hayama smiled and said, "I'll take him inside."
Itachi Uchiha kept an eye on their path, making sure Haruko Hayama wasn't overpowered by Sasuke Uchiha.
After finally settling Uchiha Sasuke into bed, Haruko sat down in the reception room and drank the tea that Uchiha Itachi had poured for her in one gulp.
"Ugh... I'm exhausted. Sasuke's alcohol tolerance is so low." Haruko complained, recalling the strange looks they received from countless people as they walked with her arm around him.
Uchiha Itachi smiled slightly and poured her another cup of tea. "You've really worked hard, Haruko. Drink some more, and I'll pour you another one when you're done."
Haruko put down her cup, fidgeted with her fingers under the table for a while, and hesitated whether or not to speak.
"What's wrong?" Itachi Uchiha asked, puzzled.
"Well... It seems like Itachi has been spending more time at home lately. Has something happened within the clan?" Haruko Hayama finally asked.
This kind of matter involves the Uchiha clan, and it shouldn't be her place to interfere as an outsider. However, she often saw Uchiha clan members coming to Sasuke's house before, and considering Itachi's situation, something might have happened to the Uchiha clan.
Haruko felt uneasy all morning; this unprecedented worry seemed to have resurfaced in her mind and wouldn't go away.
But how could this be? Isn't this the first time something like this has happened to the Uchiha clan? Why is she worried again?
Itachi Uchiha paused upon hearing her words, surprised that Haruko Hayama was so perceptive. He had been carefully concealing this from Sasuke Uchiha, yet Haruko Hayama had noticed it all along.
"It's nothing, it's just that there have been some major conflicts within the clan recently, and the Dark Division doesn't have any particularly urgent matters at the moment, so I came to help my father appease the clan members."
Itachi Uchiha carefully crafted his words, trying not to let Haruko Hayama notice anything amiss.
But Haruko Hayama acted out of character, looking at him seriously and saying, "Itachi-nii, I'm not a child anymore. I'm a Chunin now. I can bear the truth."
When Itachi Uchiha met her probing gaze, he felt both gratified and bittersweet, and finally decided to move on from the topic.
"It's just minor squabbles within the clan, nothing serious at all."
"..." Haruko pursed her lips, her entangled hands clasped tightly together.
She was kept in the dark once again.
＊
After calming down another member of his clan, Itachi Uchiha wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Several days have passed since the Fifth Hokage took office, but the discontent among the clan members has not subsided and has even intensified, with the Konoha Police Department showing signs of a potential strike.
It's not their fault. There was no place for the Uchiha in the higher-ups to begin with, and after the Fifth Hokage took over, the higher-ups seemed to be ignoring them completely. In addition, the villagers of Konoha's attitude towards them became worse and worse.
Therefore, the clan members collectively petitioned Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head, hoping that he would lead the Uchiha clan to seize control of Konoha and restore the Uchiha name.
However, Fugaku Uchiha did not respond for a long time, but instead called on Itachi Uchiha to help appease everyone.
Itachi Uchiha couldn't help but recall the conversation his father had with him that day—
"You know there's a rally in three days, right?"
Fugaku Uchiha stood in the corridor, looking at Itachi Uchiha with an ambiguous expression.
"A gathering?" Itachi Uchiha was slightly taken aback, guessing that it might be related to his clansmen.
Fugaku Uchiha continued, "After the gathering, go to Naka Shrine alone, without taking anyone with you."
What exactly does "father" mean?
After the gathering, Itachi Uchiha went to the Naka Shrine and saw Fugaku Uchiha standing in front of the stone monument. Fugaku had his back to Itachi and remained silent.
"Father?" Itachi Uchiha walked to within five steps of him.
Upon hearing his voice, Fugaku Uchiha slowly spoke: "Only those in the clan with the Sharingan can read this stone tablet, but they can only understand a portion of it. With the Mangekyou Sharingan, you should be able to understand more."
"Does Father want me to interpret this for you?"
"No need for that."
Fugaku Uchiha turned around, revealing the crimson Mangekyou Sharingan in his eyes.
Uchiha Itachi was astonished, "The Mangekyou Sharingan... Father had it too?"
Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan locked onto him, and he spoke under Fugaku's tense emotions.
"That was during the Third Shinobi World War. My friend saved me at the cost of his life, and it was through blood and tears that I awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan."
"This stone tablet records the Uchiha clan's path to redemption, but even with the Mangekyou Sharingan, we can't read the text at the end. It seems we still have a long way to go."
"However, even though you can only read a part of it, once you read it, you will understand the wrong environment that the Uchiha clan is currently in."
Itachi Uchiha vaguely guessed what was going on. He clenched his fists, frowned, and looked back at him defiantly. "Wrong environment?"
Recalling the high-ups' wariness of them and the villagers' dissatisfaction with them over the years, Uchiha Fugaku said in a deep voice.
"The village's higher-ups are afraid of us. They are afraid of the power of the Sharingan. There are even rumors in Konoha that the Uchiha can use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails."
"That's the legend of Madara Uchiha. No one has done that since him, and we don't even know if they can. Despite this, the higher-ups are still terrified of the spirits of the dead and isolate us Uchiha because of that fear."
"Since you're afraid, then we'll have to take control."
Fugaku Uchiha's words struck Itachi Uchiha like a thunderbolt, leaving him with an incredulous expression.
"Father, do you intend to become Hokage through force?"
Fugaku Uchiha lowered his eyes. "This is the clan's wish, and I cannot stop everyone. However, in order to avoid the use of force, I have been hiding the fact that I have the Mangekyou Sharingan."
"Why?"
Itachi Uchiha felt a sense of déjà vu about the scene before him, and the turmoil within the Uchiha clan seemed like a distant memory.
Fugaku Uchiha raised his hand, staring intently at his palm. "Because the Mangekyou Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails, and many people in the clan harbor resentment towards the village, if pushed too far, both sides will suffer heavy casualties."
"..." Itachi Uchiha pursed his lips, his anger unable to find a way to vent.
Fugaku Uchiha looked at him and said, "Don't run away."
"Escape? What am I escaping from?"
"Escape your destiny as an Uchiha."
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