[Bond] Ch 7: The Uchiha Clan's Inevitable Crisis

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Watching the two little ones leave, Fugaku's smile gradually faded, replaced by a cold, serious expression. He turned to the two guards and ordered:

"Double the mission workload next week. Inform everyone—whenever Shimura Yami comes by, no one is to stop him."

The two Uchiha guards trembled slightly but quickly nodded and returned to their posts.

Fugaku then took his son home. On the way, he instructed him:

"Itachi, make sure to build a good relationship with Yami at school. His attitude could be key in easing tensions between our clan and the village's higher-ups."

Even though Uchiha Itachi was only six years old, his exceptional maturity meant Fugaku never treated him like an ordinary child.

"Yes, Father," Itachi responded respectfully, fully understanding what his father meant.

Seeing his son's agreement, Fugaku finally revealed a satisfied smile—though it didn't last long before his face darkened again.

The current situation made it impossible for him to truly smile.

The isolation of the Uchiha Clan was growing more severe. Around the clock, there were village spies monitoring their compound.

Fugaku wasn't sure whether it was Danzo or the Third Hokage who arranged this, but he could only pretend not to see it. Deep inside, however, he hated the mysterious figure who had controlled the Nine-Tails that night.

If the Nine-Tails incident had never happened, the higher-ups wouldn't be so wary of them, and the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have died so young.

Namikaze Minato wasn't just a prodigious genius—his character was impeccable. He was a shining figure, free of any darkness.

Unlike Sarutobi and Danzo, those scheming old politicians.

More importantly, Minato held no prejudice against the Uchiha. He even had a Uchiha student.

Well… though that student was already dead.

During Minato's short tenure as Hokage, he had already begun easing the tensions between the village and the Uchiha. Fugaku had even seen a chance to fully mend the rift.

But all of that ended in a single night, and things only got worse from there.

Now, not only did he have to deal with Sarutobi, Danzo, and their relentless scrutiny, but he also had to suppress the radical elements within his own clan to avoid escalating the conflict. Caught in the middle, every single day felt unbearable.

However, the appearance of Shimura Yami and his close relationship with Uchiha Izumi gave Fugaku a sliver of hope.

Fugaku knew that Danzo had only one true family member in this world—Shimura Yami. If they could use him to extend an olive branch to Danzo, then maybe.....

At that thought, Fugaku looked at Itachi with a new sense of expectation.

— — —

Meanwhile, Shimura Yami, who was spending time with Uchiha Izumi, had no idea that Fugaku was setting his sights on him.

He simply assumed that Fugaku's earlier kindness was just out of respect for Danzo.

But even if he knew the truth, he probably would've just laughed it off. It wasn't something he cared about.

At this point in time, there was no one in the world who could resolve the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha.

The only person who might have had a chance—Namikaze Minato—was already dead.

This rift had been planted as far back as the days of Senju Tobirama. The students he trained had all inherited his wariness toward the Uchiha.

Forget being Danzo's grandson—even if he were Danzo himself, reconciliation with the Uchiha would be impossible.

Sarutobi Hiruzen might appear weak and indecisive, but in reality, he was the one who feared the Uchiha the most.

An independent and powerful armed force was the greatest nightmare for any leader who lacked the strength to control it.

Add in Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura—two old relics who had once been Tobirama's personal guards, deeply influenced by his ideology—they, too, despised the Uchiha.

There wasn't a single person in Konoha's upper ranks who harbored goodwill toward the Uchiha.

And the Uchiha themselves weren't blameless either. Their inherently proud nature and their long-held monopoly over the Konoha Police Force had only bred arrogance. Expecting them to bow their heads and seek reconciliation? Impossible.

Fugaku was indeed an ambitious clan leader, but he lacked both the strength and the decisiveness to truly change anything.

All he could do was wait for his prodigious son to grow up.

"Izumi, Yami, dinner's ready!"

A gentle female voice called out from outside. The two little ones exchanged a glance and smiled before setting down their pens and heading out.

For someone as well-mannered and understanding as Uchiha Izumi, it was no surprise that she had an equally kind and gentle mother.

Uchiha Shizune urged them to wash their hands first while she set the table with grilled fish, sushi, and three bowls of miso soup.

When Yami returned, she smiled at him and said: "I didn't know you'd be coming over today, so I didn't prepare anything special—just some simple home cooking."

"No way! Everything smells amazing! I'm already starving." Yami made full use of his natural advantage—his youthful charm—and flashed a big, bright smile.

Sure enough, Uchiha Shizune's gaze softened even more.

Bratty kids could be annoying, but a well-behaved little boy? That was a different story.

"Then eat up! You're both at the age where you need to grow strong," she said warmly, pushing a plate of pan-fried fish toward him.

In truth, she felt deeply grateful to Yami. Not only had he saved Izumi when she got lost last year, but he had also taken care of her ever since, helping her slowly recover from the loss of her father.

"I'm gonna grow super tall! Itadakimasu!" Izumi cheered, full of energy, making both of them smile unconsciously.

Indeed, nothing was more heartwarming than an adorable little girl.

Yami felt satisfied—today had been an incredibly rewarding day. Not only had he earned a favor from Itachi, but now Uchiha Shizune had gifted him a priceless opportunity.

[Bond Established: 'Mother-in-Law's Approval']

[Reward Acquired: 'Mother-in-Law's Blessing']

[Mother-in-Law's Blessing: When the host is within 500 meters of Uchiha Izumi, both parties' training speed increases by 100%.]

A training buff. In terms of value, it wasn't any less significant than the Uchiha bloodline itself.

It hadn't imposed any limits, meaning whether he was practicing ninjutsu, taijutsu, or refining chakra, his growth rate would double.

Looks like it was time to "kidnap" Izumi from the Uchiha compound.

Yami's thoughts raced, but before anything else, he had to deal with Danzo first.

That old man wouldn't make this easy.

After dinner, the sky had already darkened.

Yami stayed a bit longer to practice taijutsu with Izumi, testing the effects of the buff, before finally heading home.

---

When he arrived, he was surprised to find Danzo there.

"Old man, what are you doing back?" he asked in surprise.

Danzo practically lived at the Root headquarters. Even when Yami was younger, he had spent most of his time there.

Root's base was underground, and Yami had used his distaste for sunlight deprivation as an excuse to escape that lifeless place.

Danzo smiled faintly. "Last time I came back in a hurry, I forgot to give you your birthday present."

He slid a long, antique wooden box toward him.

"Go on, open it."

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