Naruto: Unhinged Uchiha

[Read up to Chapter - 106 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]

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Hokage's residence.

At the moment, the Sandaime Hokage was recuperating, having just been treated by a medical-nin.

"How is he?" Jiraiya asked the medic.

The medical-nin replied, "Hokage-sama has suffered mental trauma. There are only two possible paths to recovery. One is slow recuperation, which may take several months—possibly even a year."

"What about the other option?"

Hiruzen immediately asked, frowning at the first suggestion.

A year of debilitating headaches was unacceptable—especially in his position.

Even a few weeks of downtime could be enough for Danzo to make his move and try to force his retirement.

"The second option," the medic said, "is to seek out Tsunade-sama. She may have a solution."

A flicker of reverence crossed the medical ninja's eyes at the mention of Tsunade.

Though he was currently the most skilled medical-nin in Konoha, his abilities weren't even a tenth of hers.

"Tsunade…" A complex emotion flashed through Hiruzen's eyes.

After the Second Great Shinobi War, she had fallen into depression and developed a severe case of hemophobia following the deaths of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover, Kato Dan.

For any ninja—especially a medical one—hemophobia was a crippling condition.

Tsunade left Konoha shortly afterward, taking Dan's young niece, Kato Shizune, who was only a year or two old at the time. She never returned.

Still, was that the real reason Tsunade left the village?

Even Hiruzen wasn't sure.

"I'll go find her," Jiraiya offered.

Hiruzen didn't object. He needed Tsunade's help—only she might be able to heal his mind.

Of course, Jiraiya had another reason as well.

Beyond wanting her help for Hiruzen's sake… he had always held quiet feelings for Tsunade.

After Jiraiya left, Orochimaru came to visit Hiruzen.

During the visit, Orochimaru managed to learn a few things about the Mangekyō Sharingan from the Hokage.

"Orochimaru… I hope you don't stray down the wrong path," Hiruzen warned quietly.

There was a time when Hiruzen believed that Jiraiya, of all his three disciples, was the least dependable. But now, it seemed Jiraiya was the one he could trust the most.

Back when Orochimaru was still under his tutelage, he had been considered a potential successor. However, as he grew older, Orochimaru's nature became increasingly dark.

He wasn't just merciless toward his enemies—he seemed utterly indifferent to his fellow villagers as well.

Eventually, Hiruzen had crossed him off the list of possible Hokage successors.

Just then, Fugaku entered the room.

"Hokage-sama," he said respectfully.

"What is it?" Hiruzen asked. Despite his weakened state, he showed no signs of vulnerability in front of Fugaku.

"I came to report the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan," Fugaku said.

As the son of a former Uchiha patriarch, Fugaku was well aware of its risks.

Overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan could eventually lead to total blindness.

"Side effects? Go on," Hiruzen said calmly, though his eyes flickered with interest.

"Although the Mangekyō Sharingan is powerful, usage drains the user's visual prowess and vision, which can't be replenished," Uchiha Fugaku explained. "Eventually, it leads to blindness."

Fugaku played the loyal subordinate well, revealing everything he knew without hesitation.

He wasn't doing it out of blind loyalty—far from it. He didn't want to come off as sycophantic, but if he wanted revenge, he had no choice but to rely on Hiruzen for now. On his own, he couldn't defeat Kanzou, especially not now that Kanzou had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Still, Fugaku intended to return to the Uchiha clan, reclaim his position as clan head, and take back everything that had been stolen from him—starting with his dignity.

Most of all, he wanted revenge.

Kanzou had turned him into a disgraced outcast, was indirectly responsible for his father's death, and even stolen his fiancée—publicly humiliating him in the process.

It was obvious he was unable to swallow that.

"Overuse can lead to blindness," Hiruzen murmured, nodding slowly. "I see."

As for the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Hiruzen had known about them for a long time—after all, he was the disciple of Senju Tobirama.

No one understands you better than your enemy.

The Uchiha and Senju clans had been enemies for generations, and during that time, there has been no shortage of Mangekyō awakeners, so it was only natural that the Senju clan studied the power the Uchiha prided themselves on.

They knew well that using the Mangekyō Sharingan would eventually lead to blindness.

In fact, Hiruzen even knew about the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan that Fugaku didn't tell him about…

Although whether Fugaku knows of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan or not is still not certain…

Perhaps he learned of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan after awakening his own Mangekyō and reading the secret inscriptions on the Uchiha Clan's stone tablet—a tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, which only reveals deeper truths to those with Mangekyō Sharingan.

Or perhaps he already knows of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan but chose not to reveal it…

Regardless of the case, Hiruzen also knows of these secrets… so he didn't care much about what Fugaku told him…

"You should report to the ANBU Headquarters," Hiruzen said, dismissing Fugaku with a wave.

As he left, Fugaku couldn't help but frown. 'Why did it feel like Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care about the matter at all? Did he suspect that I was lying?'

Fugaku couldn't be sure. There was not even a flicker or surprise on Hiruzen's face when Fugaku told him about the weakness of Mangekyō.

It seemed as though he didn't believe Fugaku's words at all!

'Is it that he doesn't believe me, or is it that he looks down on me?' thought Fugaku with a scowl.

"Hmph," Fugaku grunted in frustration.

'Once that bastard Kanzou is dead, I'll take back my position as head of the Uchiha clan—and after that, I'll get rid of Sarutobi Hiruzen too.'

He had no intention of being someone's pawn for the rest of his life. The only reason he aligned himself with Hiruzen was to take down Kanzou. Once that was done, and once he reclaimed his rightful place, it would be time to sever ties with Hiruzen as well.

Right now, he played the role of a loyal subordinate—but what would Hiruzen think if he knew what Fugaku truly had in mind?

But Fugaku was being naïve. Did he really think Hiruzen was someone so easy to manipulate or escape from? If Hiruzen dared to use him, it was only because he had already prepared for the possibility of betrayal.

To Hiruzen, Fugaku was nothing more than a tool—one he intended to use carefully and discard if necessary.

The belief that the Uchiha clan could never be fully trusted was a conviction deeply etched into Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!

[Read up to Chapter - 106 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]