Kazuki and Kushina attending Uchiha Mikoto's birthday banquet—
The news spread through Konoha almost instantly.
Every major clan knew.
What were the Uchiha planning?
What were the Senju and the Uzumaki thinking?
Was this an alliance?
A reconciliation?
A power shift?
All the clans were watching closely, dissecting every detail like it was a battlefield report.
"This glass," Mikoto's father said, raising it with a dignified smile, "I will drink first. Thank you both for honoring my daughter's birthday."
The elegant woman beside him—Mikoto's mother—smiled warmly.
Everyone raised their glasses together.
"To Mikoto."
The wine was drained in one smooth motion.
At the main table sat:
Uchiha Mikoto.Her parents.Uchiha Fugaku.Kazuki.Kushina.
It was obvious.
The Uchiha clan clearly intended to match Mikoto and Fugaku.
Fugaku was already a captain in the Police Force at a young age.
The future clan head.
Talented. Respected. Powerful.
The golden son.
After a while, Mikoto's parents excused themselves.
The formal atmosphere loosened.
Kazuki, bored of stiff politeness, introduced something new—
Dice.
Specifically, bluff dice.
He managed to "sell" the game to the group, and soon the stiff Hokage-era drinking turned into something much livelier.
Dice required skill.
You needed nerve.
You needed sharp eyes.
And most importantly—
You needed the guts to lie convincingly.
Fugaku, who had grown up in strict clan structure and discipline, found it surprisingly thrilling.
"Six sixes!"
"Twelve sixes!"
"Call it!"
"Split!"
The table erupted.
Faces turned red.
Voices got louder.
Even Fugaku loosened up.
Between rounds, he casually spoke to Kazuki.
"Kazuki-kun, that day you mentioned there was someone from the Uchiha among the ten Root members?"
Kazuki nodded.
"Yes. I saw the Sharingan."
Fugaku lowered his voice slightly.
"Fortunately, you told us."
"Otherwise… we might still be in the dark."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Fugaku's eyes sharpened slightly.
"In our clan, no one joined Root."
"Even ANBU members are recorded."
"That man… was not from the Uchiha clan."
Kazuki's fingers paused slightly on the dice.
"You're saying…"
Fugaku nodded.
"He was something else."
He rolled the dice again.
"Twelve threes."
"Split!"
"Counter-split!"
They revealed the results.
Fugaku had five threes.
The others were bluffing.
He laughed and drank without complaint.
Then he continued.
"The clan head went to negotiate with Hokage-sama."
"That Sharingan user… was an artificial creation."
"Made using Uchiha blood."
"A surviving experimental subject."
"Hidden inside Root."
"If you hadn't exposed it… we never would've known."
"It was a disgrace."
"A stain on our clan."
He looked at Kazuki seriously.
"Thank you."
"For eliminating it."
Kazuki's mind shifted quickly.
An artificial Sharingan user?
An experiment?
He immediately thought of Yamato—created from Hashirama's cells.
So this one…
Was some kind of Uchiha-based experiment?
Not a natural-born Uchiha.
Naruto's world always had shadows beneath the surface.
Even knowing the general storyline—
There were still secrets buried deep.
If he hadn't killed that man—
Would it have remained hidden forever?
Fugaku thanking him wasn't just gratitude.
It was goodwill.
The Uchiha clan understood something.
Peaks never last forever.
After the peak—
Comes the fall.
If they could secure an ally like Kazuki now—
The future would be steadier.
After several more rounds, the alcohol hit harder.
Fugaku started talking more openly.
Whether he was pretending to be drunk or actually drunk—
It was hard to tell.
"That experiment," he muttered, swaying slightly, "was funded by Danzo… in cooperation with Orochimaru."
"All of Orochimaru's experiments have been halted."
"And Danzo… after what he did…"
He laughed bitterly.
"He's being sent to Kumogakure as an undercover operative."
"To redeem himself."
"No major achievement—no return."
With that, Fugaku slumped sideways.
Completely out.
Kazuki looked at him.
Yeah.
That wasn't fake.
He really was drunk.
No wonder he spilled confidential information.
"Drink!"
Kushina's cheeks were flushed pink.
She looked dangerously cute.
Mikoto leaned over slightly, laughing.
"Drink, Kazu!"
Kazuki looked at them both.
"Drink what? You two are already halfway gone."
The party had officially entered chaos mode.
And somewhere, in the shadows of the village—
The balance of power was shifting again.