The Uchiha Clan's terrifying tradition of brother obsession.
Hakken rolled his eyes.
What, was he really going to castrate Sasuke or something?
Of course not.
On the contrary, he found this strong-willed little brat rather interesting. After all, not just anyone had the privilege of blessing him with a stream of baby urine as their first interaction.
Still, Hakken understood—Itachi was merely humoring him. Now that he had a younger brother, Itachi had someone new to protect.
But the bond between Hakken and Itachi would never change. That much, he knew clearly.
Just like when Sasuke was born, Itachi had rushed over, insisting that Hakken hold the newborn himself. That gesture of sharing his joy said it all—Itachi saw Hakken as the most important person in his life.
Did he, perhaps, want Hakken to see him as a brother too?
Hakken smiled faintly.
Those two children of destiny would definitely find themselves under his discipline one day.
Sasuke had been born. Naruto would arrive soon after.
Some matters that needed to be addressed could no longer be delayed.
His visit to the Uchiha today wasn't just to see Sasuke.
After handing the baby back to Itachi, Hakken turned to the Uchiha clan head standing beside him and drew in a steady breath.
"Uncle, do you have time to talk?"
Fugaku blinked in mild surprise, then rose to his feet.
His wife and children were still in the room, yet Hakken hadn't spoken directly about the reason for his visit—he'd only asked whether Fugaku had time.
As clan head, Fugaku understood perfectly well what that implied.
Itachi's friend—Konoha's recognized hero—clearly wanted a serious discussion.
"Please," Fugaku said, nodding politely.
At this point, no one in Konoha treated this young man as a child anymore.
"Ken-san."
Feeling the subtle tension in the air, Itachi quickly stood, looking between the two.
"Go keep your brother company," Hakken said, stopping him. "And while you're at it, make sure to wash my clothes."
He stripped off his shirt right in front of him and tossed it over.
It wasn't that he was trying to hide anything from Itachi—between them, there was no need for secrecy.
But if Itachi overheard the conversation, he'd surely overthink it.
It was better to let him sense the changes on his own and make his own judgments. That was the right approach.
...
Inside the living room.
Hakken sat bare-chested while Fugaku handed him a cup of tea, his eyes filled with quiet curiosity.
As far as Fugaku could remember, this was the first time they'd ever spoken this formally.
"Uncle, there are some things I think it's time we talked about."
Hakken lifted the cup of tea, sniffed it, then awkwardly set it back down. Tea wasn't his thing—he preferred the sharp burn of erguotou down his throat.
Lately, he'd been giving a lot of thought to the Uchiha Clan's situation.
The tragedy that befell them in the original story—after forming a bond with Itachi, he couldn't bring himself to let it happen.
He didn't want to see Itachi carry a burden that was never his to bear—shouldering the agony of slaughtering his own clan and walking alone in darkness.
No normal person could endure something like that.
But changing the future wouldn't be easy.
After analyzing it carefully, Hakken concluded that the root of the Uchiha tragedy stemmed from two main issues.
The first was the distrust and unfair treatment from Konoha's upper echelons. That part could be resolved easily enough thanks to his influence.
Neither Danzō nor the Third Hokage had the authority to interfere anymore.
The Nine-Tails' attack had directly and indirectly triggered countless problems.
The belief that the Uchiha could control Tailed Beasts with their Sharingan had once again surfaced.
Did the higher-ups truly not know the Sharingan could manipulate the Nine-Tails?
Of course they knew. The battle between Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju couldn't possibly have left no record behind.
It was through controlling the Nine-Tails and activating his armored Susanoo that Madara had managed to fight the First Hokage on equal footing.
The leadership definitely knew the truth—they simply lacked a convenient excuse to justify suppressing the Uchiha.
Using that event as pretext, they began marginalizing the clan, forcing them to relocate their compound to the outskirts of the village and placing them under constant surveillance.
As for that first issue, with the Fourth Hokage Minato now in charge of Konoha—and with Hakken's own presence—it wasn't much of a concern.
The second issue, however, lay within the Uchiha themselves.
Pride wasn't the problem—excessive pride was.
The title of "the strongest clan alongside the Senju" from the Warring States Period still lingered in their hearts.
That pride had grown into an unspoken sense of superiority over the rest of Konoha's villagers.
And with the existence of the Konoha Police Force, they'd grown complacent—smug, even—believing they held the village's security in their hands, patrolling day after day with self-assured confidence.
Naturally, those who broke the rules were bound to be punished.
But in Hakken's eyes, there wasn't anything fundamentally wrong with the Uchiha Police Force.
When someone makes a mistake, they deserve punishment—but it has to be justified. That's the only way to earn respect.
The clan needed to shed its bad habits and truly integrate into Konoha.
Otherwise, stronger measures would eventually become necessary.
And before that happened, Hakken wanted to have a proper talk with Fugaku—to prevent any misunderstanding later on.
He genuinely admired the Uchiha.
They might be eccentric, even a bit unhinged at times, but once you earned their trust, they were the most reliable allies one could ask for.
Beyond Shisui and Itachi, there were countless other exceptional individuals within their ranks.
"Speak freely," Fugaku said, taking a deep breath, his expression turning serious.
"The Uchiha have been living quite comfortably lately, haven't they?"
Hakken smiled faintly at him, taking a bold swig of erguotou.
"Naturally. Everyone's quite relieved with the Fourth's attitude toward the Uchiha—at the very least, it's fair."
It was true.
Fugaku nodded. No longer did he have to face Hiruzen Sarutobi's stiff expression day after day, or constantly scheme against the village's upper ranks.
Nor did he or his clansmen have to suffer from the sting of exclusion.
Even the clan's share of benefits was now distributed evenly with the others—gone was the sense of inequality that had once festered.
Days like these left no one dissatisfied.
"In that case, I won't waste words."
Hakken nodded slightly. "Uncle, do you know what it takes to keep things this way?"
To gain something, one must also be willing to give.
Before Fugaku could reply, Hakken raised two fingers.
"Loyalty."
Loyalty—absolute loyalty.
"You know better than anyone the problems within the Uchiha Clan," Hakken continued evenly. "If you can show me the iron resolve befitting a clan head—if you can prove you truly understand what this word means—then I can guarantee stability."
He straightened slightly, his tone firm but not harsh.
"And here, I'll make you a promise in return."
"The Uchiha will always be Konoha's Uchiha."
"But if you can't do it, I'll lend you a hand."
At that point, there was no need to elaborate further.
As clan head, Fugaku Uchiha understood his people's flaws better than anyone.
Hakken's message was clear.
Show your strength as leader. Bring those defiant clansmen to heel.
If you can't… I will.
Simple as that.
Silence followed.
The air in the living room grew heavy, tense. Fugaku said nothing, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he finally exhaled slowly and met Hakken's gaze.
"I'll need time—and Konoha's trust."
"With those two things, the Uchiha will always remain Konoha's Uchiha."
At last, Fugaku spoke the words of concession.
From this moment on, he would act as a true clan head.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/PinkSnake