บท 19: Chapter 19: This is the Uchiha Clan's Carnival

As Fugaku walked along the road, the heads of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans quickly avoided him.

In the past, they could still exchange a few laughs with him, pretending to have casual conversations.

But now, the combined power of their three clans might not even be enough to topple the Uchiha clan's police force.

The Konoha Police Force is now the second most powerful faction, just after the Hokage.

They had underestimated the Uchiha before!

That was because, back then, the Uchiha clan didn't have anyone particularly powerful.

The only strongest, Madara Uchiha, left soon after the founding of Konoha.

The remaining members were just nobodies.

They were easily suppressed by the Hokage faction until now.

But ever since Reijin stepped up, they finally witnessed the true strength of the Uchiha clan.

"Hmph! A bunch of fair-weathered sycophants!"

Fugaku snorted coldly, feeling a bit displeased that not a single person spoke to him.

But in the blink of an eye, his dissatisfaction vanished without a trace, replaced by excitement that filled his entire mind.

He never imagined that the Uchiha clan would hold such immense power.

Even Danzo Shimura was a head shorter than them.

Fugaku originally thought the Uchiha clan would suffer a huge loss this time.

But unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the Uchiha clan was flourishing.

The Uchiha clan's expansion of power, even without someone in Konoha's top leadership, meant little.

The Uchiha clan had already become Konoha's second-in-command!

At that time, how many people in Konoha could afford to ignore his opinions?

"Clan leader, how did it go?"

Several members of the Uchiha clan gathered around, hurriedly asking.

"As long as I'm here, there won't be any problems."

Fugaku put on his usual serious expression as he spoke.

The group exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what he meant.

No problems.

Could it be that Reijin had already been convicted by Konoha?

But Reijin had just walked out, and he seemed to be smiling.

It didn't look like he had been convicted by Konoha.

"I'll explain everything when we get back. Also, call in a few elders."

Fugaku immediately began to organize a meeting.

But it was just a small meeting among his own faction.

There was no need to have any meeting with Reijin.

Otherwise!

It would just be Reijin showing off in front of everyone.

After returning, Fugaku's faction members quickly gathered together.

His youngest son was also among them.

Itachi looked at the people around him, his eyes filled with a hint of resentment.

These people were stubborn and only thought about how to gain personal benefits for the Uchiha clan.

They never had Konoha in their hearts; Konoha was surrounded by enemies on all sides now.

Yet these guys were still thinking about internal strife.

"Today, I bring good news to everyone: the glory of our Uchiha clan has returned."

Fugaku roughly recounted what had happened in the Hokage's office today.

But when it came to Reijin, he mostly skimmed over it!

Still, he had to mention Reijin, which left him somewhat resentful.

If it had been him who elevated the Uchiha clan's power, he could have easily unified the clan.

But it was Reijin who brought this up; that alone was a bit unfortunate.

So what!

He was the head of the Uchiha Police Force, not that young brat.

**This Kid, Even If He Says It, It's Just to Boost His Reputation.**

"We Uchiha really have such great power."

"In that case, we don't need to let Itachi and Shisui join the Hokage's Anbu anymore; they can just enter the police force directly."

"That's right, there have been rumors about our Uchiha clan spreading within Konoha. This is the perfect chance to capture those spreading the rumors."

"The Uchiha clan is about to rise!"

A group of Uchiha members burst into maniacal laughter.

Compared to their wild laughter, the famous Four Mad Laughter seemed almost reserved.

After being suppressed for so many years, hearing about their liberation felt like they could even overpower Konoha.

"Father, I think we should return the power."

At this moment, a voice that seemed out of place echoed from within the crowd.

*Whoosh!*

Every Uchiha's gaze immediately shifted to the source of the voice.

Even though the young Uchiha Itachi was being stared at by so many people, his expression didn't change in the slightest.

"What's your reasoning, Itachi?"

Fugaku's smile faded as he looked at Uchiha Itachi calmly.

At that moment, Fugaku felt that his son seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him.

It seemed that in the past, he had cared too little for Itachi and had overlooked his inner thoughts.

To think that at this moment, Itachi would stand on the opposite side of the Uchiha clan.

"We Uchiha have already become very distant from the rest of Konoha."

"Previously, it was already difficult for us to integrate into the village."

"Now that we hold even greater power, it will only make it harder for us to be accepted by the village."

"For the sake of the Uchiha clan, and for Konoha, I ask you, Father, to return the police force to the village."

Uchiha Itachi spoke with utmost seriousness.

*...*

The room fell into dead silence.

Everyone's gaze darkened as they looked at Uchiha Itachi.

The Konoha Police Force was the pride of the Uchiha clan.

When they moved to Konoha, they lost their ancestral home.

Even the title of the strongest clan in Konoha had slowly slipped away.

Now, the police force was one of the few things they had left.

And now Uchiha Itachi was suggesting they return it to Konoha.

If they gave it back, what would the Uchiha clan have left?

How would they rise, how would they restore their former glory?

*Smack!*

Without saying a word, Fugaku slapped Itachi hard across the face.

Itachi's small body flew backward, crashing into the door frame.

A clear red handprint appeared on his face.

A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at Fugaku with disbelief.

"Itachi, you need to remember your surname."

"You are Uchiha Itachi, not Sarutobi Itachi."

"Your heart has strayed. I haven't cared for you enough in the past."

"It seems Shisui hasn't been able to guide you properly. You'll stay home for the time being."

"I will personally discipline you to make sure you don't bring shame to the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku spoke coldly.

Just when they were all excited, Itachi had poured cold water over them.

He had originally planned for Itachi to join Anbu to gather intelligence for the Uchiha.

But what he hadn't expected was that Itachi had gradually started favoring Konoha over the clan.

"Yes."

Itachi nodded unwillingly, not daring to defy Fugaku.

"You must understand that our Uchiha clan once tried to integrate into Konoha."

"But those profit-seeking scoundrels in Konoha never accepted us."

"We can't lower our dignity to deal with them."

"If that's the case, then the Uchiha clan should stand firm."

"Now that we have control of the police force, we can adopt a tougher stance."

"The Uchiha clan will flourish under my leadership!"

Fugaku spoke boldly to the gathered Uchiha members.

His Sharingan spun continuously, the blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan watching over everyone.

And everyone in the meeting, without exception, activated their three-tomoe Sharingan.

Encouraged by Fugaku, they all did the same.

This was the Uchiha clan's celebration.

(Sometimes I type using my phone, so there may be many typos and awkward sentences. Please forgive me, and feel free to point out any issues so I can correct them later.)

(End of Chapter)