Shinya’s expression settled into calmness.
“The key problem right now is that you, as clan head, are too weak.”
“You never even show the slightest willingness to resist.
No wonder people think they can walk all over you.”
If you acted like a pushover, then no matter how much military power you possessed, people would still dare bully you.
Konoha’s troublesome civilians were the perfect example.
They were equal-opportunity bullies, willing to harass practically anyone—
only for most of them to tragically die when Pain eventually attacked the village.
But if you made it clear that you were willing to risk your own life just to tear a chunk of flesh from anyone who tried to hurt you…
Then even if you were an ordinary person, others would think twice before deciding whether provoking you was worth the cost.
While Fugaku contemplated the meaning behind Shinya’s words, Shinya continued.
“Have you ever considered something?”
“You refuse to rebel because you don’t want to drag the Uchiha clan toward destruction.”
“But what about Konoha?”
“Do you really think they aren’t afraid that pushing the Uchiha too far could drag the entire village into war?”
If someone accused you of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, it was better if you actually had one.
Likewise, if Konoha’s leadership feared the emergence of another Madara Uchiha…
Then the Uchiha were better off actually possessing a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Because Konoha no longer had a Hashirama Senju.
Shinya continued patiently.
“The Third Shinobi World War has only just ended.”
“Konoha is surrounded by wolves and tigers waiting for weakness.”
“Especially Iwagakure and Kumogakure.”
“Which one of them wouldn’t love another opportunity to tear a piece of flesh from Konoha?”
“With the Uchiha clan’s combat strength—and including your Mangekyō—we account for at least a quarter of Konoha’s military power.”
“Possibly even a third.”
“So what happens if Konoha actually forces the Uchiha into rebellion?”
Before Fugaku could answer, Shinya gave him the conclusion.
“Even if Konoha successfully crushes the Uchiha rebellion, the village would suffer catastrophic losses.”
“It might never recover.”
“And when that happens, the wolves surrounding the Land of Fire will descend all at once.”
“They’ll tear apart both the weakened Konoha and the entire Land of Fire.”
“The Uchiha truly has no realistic chance of defeating Konoha.”
“But we absolutely have the ability to drag Konoha into the abyss with us.”
Fugaku was completely stunned.
He had never considered that the enemies they had fought on the battlefield could, under the right circumstances, become indirect “allies” that restrained Konoha from acting against the Uchiha.
Shinya continued.
“Hiruzen Sarutobi understands this much better than you do.”
“He knows Konoha absolutely cannot afford an Uchiha civil war.”
“That’s why he’s never tried to cut us down all at once.”
“Instead, he uses a dull knife.”
“A little pressure here.
Another concession there.”
“He keeps testing your limits piece by piece.”
“And whenever Danzō tries to use more aggressive methods, Hiruzen steps forward and plays the peacemaker.”
“But somehow, you never even noticed.”
Fugaku drew in a deep breath.
He looked at the young man sitting across from him, someone only a few years older than his own son.
For the first time, he felt as though he had wasted decades of his life.
He had lived all these years, yet this young man saw the situation far more clearly than he did.
“Then according to you…”
“What should I do?”
Fugaku himself didn’t even realize that he had straightened his posture and was now seriously asking Shinya for advice.
Shinya answered calmly.
“Nothing.”
Fugaku blinked.
Shinya continued.
“The next time Konoha demands that the Uchiha make another sacrifice, reveal those eyes of yours at the appropriate moment.”
“Make it clear that you’re furious.”
“And no matter what they say, refuse to compromise.”
“As long as you withstand the pressure, someone will eventually step forward to mediate.”
“Most likely one of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans.”
“After all, politics is fundamentally about mutual compromise.”
“If you refuse to compromise, and neither side wants mutual destruction, then Konoha’s leadership will eventually be the one forced to back down.”
Shinya looked directly at Fugaku.
“Remember this.”
“Having no sword in your hand and having a sword but choosing not to use it are two completely different things.”
After saying that, Shinya drained the rest of his tea in one gulp.
Then he stood up and prepared to leave.
He had already explained things this clearly.
If Fugaku still proved completely hopeless after all this, then Shinya couldn’t be blamed for eventually “removing the corrupt influence beside the ruler.”
There was an old saying:
A powerful enemy wasn’t frightening.
What was terrifying was having an idiot for an ally.
Before Shinya truly began making moves, he absolutely would not tolerate unstable elements within the faction he intended to control.
He had no idea exactly how powerful Fugaku was.
But Shinya had complete confidence in his own eyes.
The moment he thought about the abilities contained within those eyes, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Fugaku watched Shinya’s retreating back.
Just as Shinya was about to step through the doorway, Fugaku suddenly spoke.
“Shinya.”
“There’s something I still haven’t asked you.”
“What abilities did your Mangekyō Sharingan awaken?”
Every pair of Mangekyō Sharingan possessed different abilities.
Most ocular techniques were useful but not overwhelmingly dangerous.
Some, however…
Were terrifying.
In certain situations, a Mangekyō’s unique ocular ability could pose an even greater threat than Susanoo itself.
As someone who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku understood this better than most.
Susanoo’s power was known.
It was incredibly strong, but with sufficient external force, it could still be broken.
But a Mangekyō ocular technique?
The unknown was what truly made something impossible to guard against.
Shinya turned around and glanced at Fugaku.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Clan Head…”
“Would you tell someone else what your Mangekyō abilities are?”
With that, Shinya walked away.
Fugaku remained silent for a long time as he watched him leave.
Eventually, he let out a heavy sigh.
Once again, he had compromised with Shinya.
He hadn’t pressed him to reveal his Mangekyō abilities.
Still…
No matter what happened, they were both members of the Uchiha clan.
The stronger Shinya became, the stronger the Uchiha became.
That much would never change.
As for Shinya’s suggestion…
Fugaku intended to find an opportunity to test it.
Shinya was right.
Even if the situation became messy, it couldn’t be much worse than continuing to be carved apart piece by piece during peacetime.
…
On the way home, Shinya wasn’t remotely surprised that Fugaku had stopped questioning him.
Compromise had already become instinctive for Fugaku.
Even after Shinya had taught him how to resist, whenever the matter wasn’t important enough, Fugaku would still subconsciously choose to give way.
If used properly, a personality like that made him the perfect figurehead.
After returning to his home in the Uchiha district, Shinya began his usual chakra training.
Although awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan had caused his chakra reserves to increase dramatically, pushing them firmly into the Kage level, cultivation was something that could never be neglected.
Even with the system helping him, the gradual accumulation from daily training remained important.
Sometimes, the mentality required to continually pursue strength mattered even more than external advantages.
With the divine weapon Musou Isshin assisting him, Shinya’s chakra training had become remarkably efficient.
The improvement was especially noticeable when he practiced Lightning Release.
Everything seemed to come naturally.
Because of that, Shinya had even begun considering whether he should make Lightning Release his primary area of training in the future.
And when talking about Lightning Release…
There was one technique that couldn’t be ignored.
Kakashi’s Chidori.
It was a ninjutsu perfectly suited to the Sharingan’s enhanced dynamic vision.
At this point in time, Kakashi should have already completed Chidori’s development.
And even if he hadn’t fully perfected it yet, his experience developing Lightning Release techniques would still be extremely valuable.
Fortunately…
The arrangements Shinya had made during his battle with Kakashi earlier today should soon begin producing results.