On a spring afternoon, Rēn walked beneath blooming cherry trees, listening to the soft sound of wind brushing through the branches and leaves. He arrived at a grand residence with an imposing gate that stood open. Inside the courtyard, the plants were trimmed beautifully. A stone-paved path of gray-blue tiles led to a sliding door at the far end.
He walked in without hesitation, slid open the door, and called out, "Anyone home?"
No one responded.
Rēn removed his shoes at the entrance and stepped onto the wooden hallway. This wasn't his first time visiting the clan leader's house. With a grandfather who served as an elder, he had visited here several times before as a guest. Otherwise, Sasuke wouldn't have called him "Rēn-nii" when they met.
He couldn't say he knew the layout like the back of his hand, but he was familiar with the main guest areas. On the right side of the corridor were the kitchen and dining room, which were currently empty. The clan leader's wife was probably not home.
On the left was a six-tatami room, where a low table and floor cushions were neatly arranged. Seated in the center was the current head of the Uchiha clan—
Uchiha Fugaku.
A man with an air of authority. Short black hair, a rectangular face, and expressionless features that gave off an intense sense of pressure. He wore a deep-blue long robe, with the clan's flame fan crest displayed prominently on the back.
"Rēn, come in."
Uchiha Fugaku spoke.
"Clan Leader, sorry for disturbing you."
Rēn stepped into the room and sat down across from Fugaku without needing to be told.
On the table sat a teapot and two cups. The tea inside still let off gentle steam, and green tea stems floated within.
"I've heard lately that you're planning to replace me as clan leader?"
There was no pretense in his words. Uchiha Fugaku got straight to the point.
"Oh? You already know? I was hoping to save it as a surprise for when the knives were already drawn."
"A surprise? More like a shock."
"Not much difference, is there? Surprise, shock... the important part is that it makes you flinch."
"Cut the nonsense. Rēn, you've been spouting nonsense since you were a kid."
Uchiha Fugaku stared at him with his stern, icy expression.
"So, since you already know... you're not angry?" Rēn asked with some curiosity.
That Fugaku had caught wind of his actions wasn't surprising. The Uchiha clan wasn't that large—just over a thousand people. Some things simply couldn't be hidden. The closer the plan got to completion, the harder it was to keep quiet. Being discovered was inevitable.
Fortunately, Rēn never intended to rely on underhanded tricks. Such methods would only breed distrust among a clan as prideful as the Uchiha. He would take the title of clan leader openly and directly from Uchiha Fugaku.
"If this were five years ago, I'd have strung you up and whipped you, then dumped you in the border guard unit so you'd never have the time to cause trouble again."
Five years ago?
The Nine-Tails incident?
Rēn pondered. It was true that in recent years, Fugaku's brow had been increasingly furrowed, and the dark, heavy air about him had only grown.
"And now... if you truly have the ability to replace me, that may not be a bad thing—for me or for the clan."
Uchiha Fugaku rubbed his forehead. The deep circles under his eyes showed he likely hadn't slept all night.
Maybe not just last night. Perhaps it had been a long time since he last had proper sleep.
The conflict between the village and the clan was becoming sharper. How could a clan leader rest peacefully in such times? If not for this, he might even have had a third child by now...
"Of course, all of this depends on whether you truly have what it takes."
Uchiha Fugaku stared directly at Rēn and spoke clearly. "If you want the clan leader's position, fine. It's right here. Come and take it. Show me what you've got."
Rēn didn't blink. "You won't have to wait long."
Fugaku gave a slight nod "Then I'll be watching closely."
With that, the room fell into silence. Rēn picked up his teacup and took a slow sip, his eyes drifting to the lush garden outside the veranda. Under the spring sunlight, the plants in the garden flourished. It was clear they had been carefully tended. Every leaf and branch was in order. The entire garden was harmonious and balanced, with no signs of disorder.
Just like what the clan leader hoped to be, who upheld order and rules.
"Did you invite me here just to expose my ambitions, Clan Leader?"
Rēn broke the silence first, lifting the teapot to refill both cups.
Uchiha Fugaku pushed his empty teacup over without a word.
The cup once again filled with green tea. As the liquid swirled, it sent out ripples with every movement of the hand.
"I called you here because..."
Uchiha Fugaku looked into the tea as he spoke slowly.
"Last night, I met with the Hokage. He subtly expressed that you should not get too close to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki... More precisely, he hoped the entire Uchiha clan would keep a certain distance from him."
"Is that supposed to be a threat?"
"Yes. It's a threat. The Hokage wasn't alone. The heads of the Hyūga, Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Kurama, Inuzuka clans... they were all there. No one wants to see the Uchiha getting too close to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. That night five years ago is still burned into many people's memories."
"Hyūga... I thought losing Hyūga Hizashi would have left them with some resentment toward the Hokage."
"The Hyūga branch house exists solely to protect the main house. In the eyes of the Hyūga main family, Hizashi probably deserved to die that way."
Mentioning the Hyūga's main and branch families, Fugaku's face showed rare disdain.
"So, what do you plan to do, Clan Leader? Are you going to punish me for it? The Third personally praised me last night for protecting the Jinchūriki."
Rēn asked.
"The Hokage praising you doesn't mean I can't punish you."
"That's seriously shameless."
"I need to give the village an explanation."
Fugaku paused, then continued.
"The Uchiha are a part of the village. Matters involving the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki aren't just internal clan affairs anymore. The other clans in the village are all watching us. If we don't provide an explanation... those so-called neutral clans might all turn against us."
"Neutral clans?"
Rēn laughed mockingly. "I didn't know the village had any neutral factions. Aren't their members all widely embedded in ANBU or Root? You call that neutral? Maybe the only one that's untouched is the declining Kurama clan."
"Don't confuse individuals in ANBU or Root with the clans themselves. Those people don't represent their entire clans. Didn't Shisui also join ANBU? Does that mean he represents the Uchiha?"
"...Fine. Let's say you're right. So—what's the punishment?"