Konoha Notes

Chapter 62 Chicken talking to duck
Speaking with the Sharingan is a habit of the Uchiha clan; only equal eye power represents equal right to speak.

Fugaku saw it; he saw Shuji and Itachi talking.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were just a pair of ordinary black eyes.

"I understand."

"I will handle the rest."

Then he got up to leave.

“Clan leader…” Zhi Shui spoke, trying to say something.

Fugaku merely glanced at him and said, "This is not something you can decide. Let me consider it before we talk about it."

Itachi remained silent. He already understood his father's reaction. What else could he do?
-
Kachi Onju is a bespectacled, refined-looking middle-aged man who is the vice-class leader of the Sealing Squad. Hayami Shigenori always has a cheerful demeanor and serves as a section chief in the Administration Department.

Neither of them held a high-ranking position in the village, but they each had some influence in their respective fields.

They didn't talk about anything when they met; the older person just gave a few compliments, and the younger person responded with a few smiles.

Although we weren't familiar with each other, we had met at the old house, so it wasn't too awkward to get along.

The mother-in-law simply brewed tea for the three of them without saying a word, and only made arrangements for the people they were to meet later after the two left.

"Those who think about those things are mostly people who have secured stable positions in various departments within the village. They go to the front lines less often, so they have more free time to fuss over these things."

"Listen to their voices. If you want to do something, you can consider using them. But if you really encounter trouble, don't worry too much."

"The clan has finally disbanded." Senju Momoka wiped the last teacup dry and gently placed it back on the tray. "Everyone has their own home, and what they care about most is still the affairs of their own family."

She worried that Shujima might have unrealistic expectations of these people, treating them as members of the ninja clans, and would ultimately only be disappointed.

Xiu Si had anticipated this situation; the so-called clans and families of his previous life were essentially the same in the modern world. They weren't really needed or required to be used desperately; being useful in certain situations was enough.

With these people speaking out at crucial moments, those who had previously been scattered and no longer cared much about the name "Thousand Hands" might subconsciously lean towards the direction represented by Shuji when faced with major decisions involving themselves or their villages.

When combined with ordinary villagers and ninjas who themselves do not have a clear stance, they form a force of public opinion that cannot be ignored.

After entertaining his guests, Shuji sorted out his thoughts. The village had promised him the chance to enter the forbidden jutsu room and choose a ninjutsu, so he decided to go and take a look today. However, as soon as he stepped out of the old house, he had to stop.

"Chief Fugaku."

Standing under a cherry blossom tree, the man who had been hiding his figure turned around and walked out.

He had been waiting here for a long time, long enough to watch Kachi Onki and Hayami Shigeru go in and then come out again.

Seeing Fugaku dressed in ninja attire, who had probably been to the police department before coming here, Shuji was about to ask if he wanted to come in and sit down when he saw that Fugaku did not look at the entrance of the old house, but turned around and walked straight towards the quiet woods behind the old house.

I understand you want me to go with you, but couldn't you just say "Let's talk in private"?

Is speaking human language a complicated thing?
"Shuji-kun, Senju, do you want to reorganize?"

He pondered this problem all night.

This might be the true purpose behind Shuji's advice to Itachi: to reunite the scattered Senju clan members and revive the clan by leveraging the power of the Uchiha. The Uchiha could also profit from this process.

As another founding member of the village, the Senju clan, after losing their position as Hokage, rightfully deserved an independent administrative department.

In this way, the Uchiha's monopoly on the police department would no longer be so conspicuous.

Today, the village's high-ranking officials, such as the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura, were all once disciples of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Faced with the Senju clan's demands, they could neither easily agree nor directly oppose them.

This provided an excellent opportunity for the Uchiha and Senju to reunite.

You actually think that way...

That seems to make sense, given the original owner's character, there are indeed reasons to do so. However, Xiu Si doesn't think it will work. First, for the current former Senju clan members, maintaining the existing loose ties and pushing a blood relative to a high position is enough to preserve their interests. Reorganization means constraints, additional responsibilities, and potential internal strife.

Secondly, how should the clan's assets that were distributed back then be accounted for when the clan is rebuilt? What resources or forces does the clan still have to attract people and serve as a core of cohesion and motivation? Without sufficient incentives, after the reconstruction, people will not only have to obey the village's orders, but also the orders of the new clan chief and elders.

Can we really succeed if we insist on doing it? If we manage to pull off a small one and then become a laughing stock, it would be a waste of the reputation left behind by the Thousand Hands. It would be better to maintain the status quo.

If we really want to strengthen the current connections, we can change the clan into an association, and rebuild a group with the existing manpower as the core. It would be faster, more inclusive, and with less resistance.

However, it seems that Fugaku still hasn't figured out why he would bring up this idea.

"No, the Senju will not reunite." Shuuji set the tone first, not wanting to waste time on this topic.

Fugaku's brows furrowed instantly, a hint of displeasure and confusion flashing in his eyes at being rejected.

"Shuji-kun, there's no need for you to be wary of me, Uchiha..."

"Clan Chief Fugaku, I'm not hiding anything."

Seeing that the man in front of him seemed to have suddenly become speechless, Xiu Si shook his head and sighed inwardly.

"If you have nothing else to say, then please forgive my rudeness, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

After Shuji took two steps, Fugaku Uchiha spoke again.

"I don't want the worst to happen. Only by the combined efforts of the Uchiha and Senju can things move in a positive direction."

"That's what Shuuji thought too, which is why he said that to Itachi."

"If the Uchiha clan and the village continue like this, both sides will suffer heavy losses."

"Ah……"

Shuji couldn't help but exhale through his nose and let out a laugh.

“Uchiha… Fugaku, please forgive my rudeness for now.”

He turned around, and the calm on his face was finally broken, replaced by an expression that was almost pity mixed with disbelief.

"Where do you get the confidence to say that both sides have suffered heavy losses?"

"If the village were completely unprepared, this might have been possible, but..."

The higher-ups in Konoha have always been on guard. As for the Uchiha clan's fighting strength, they have the police department and they know that one of them has a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan, and Fugaku may have another pair.

And then what? Shisui Uchiha won't use his skills to help the Uchiha clan; he might even use them to trade weapons with Fugaku Uchiha. In this situation, which side will the other ninja clans side with?
There was even Obito Uchiha outside, lurking with predatory intent. Obito truly wanted the Uchiha clan to die.

If one had to say that a rebellion by the Uchiha clan would result in mutual destruction, it would probably mean that the village would lose a renowned clan that was famous throughout the ninja world, while the Uchiha clan itself would be wiped out.

"If calling you by your first name makes you uncomfortable, Fugaku Uchiha, please bear with it."

"Where does the Uchiha clan get the confidence to change their situation without giving anything back or changing anything?"

"Are we just going to rely on a few people running around hoping that the higher-ups will issue a decree informing all the villagers that the Uchiha clan has no problems and that no words or actions expressing dissatisfaction with the Uchiha clan are allowed?"

The current situation is—

“In the village, apart from the Uchiha clan, no other clan has monopolized all the positions and finances of an entire core department.”

"The village suffered enormous losses due to the Nine-Tails' rampage, and the origin of the Sharingan that controlled the Nine-Tails remains a mystery."

"Neither of these two issues has been resolved! Under these circumstances, why should the Uchiha clan's situation—" Shuji emphasized, "Why should it be improved?!"

Fugaku stood there, his face ashen, his chest heaving slightly, his eyes swirling with astonishment, anger, embarrassment, and... a hint of bewilderment that even he himself was unaware of.

(End of this chapter)