I will traverse countless worlds and become a god entirely on my own!

Could it be because I haven't seen myself in a long time?

Itachi chuckled inwardly. Come to think of it, he had been busy with missions and working to improve relations between the village and the Uchiha clan.

So it seems like I don't have much time left to spend with Sasuke, and even the training I promised Sasuke has been postponed for quite some time.

"Onii-chan, I have some good news to tell you!"

"what?"

Seeing Sasuke's eager eyes, Itachi smiled, then looked at Sasuke expectantly, waiting for Sasuke's good news.

"I ran into Clan Chief Baiye at the clan's gate this afternoon after school. Clan Chief Baiye said he would teach me cultivation tomorrow!"

Sasuke spoke with excitement in his voice. He had already told Fugaku and Mikoto about it when he returned earlier today.

Although Fugaku was forced to step down by Byakuya, he admired Byakuya's courage. When he learned that Byakuya was going to teach Sasuke, he did not refuse at all, and even wanted to thank Byakuya.

Byakuya is known as a genius ninja within his clan. He reached the level of an elite Jonin at the same age as Itachi and is now a three-tomoe powerhouse. Teaching Sasuke is a piece of cake for him.

Besides, he was the clan leader, and despite having a lot of things to do every day, he still managed to find time to teach Sasuke. It would be impossible for Fugaku not to be grateful.

Moreover, Fugaku felt somewhat indebted to Sasuke. He had poured his heart and soul into Itachi, placing all his hopes on him, and seemed to have shown little concern for his younger son, whose talent was inferior to Itachi's.

Unlike Fugaku, Itachi's expression immediately changed after hearing what Sasuke said.

He considered many possibilities. Could it be that Byakuya wanted to use Sasuke to blackmail him?

"What's wrong, Onii-chan?!"

Sasuke had been looking at Itachi the whole time he finished speaking, and he could clearly sense that Itachi's expression seemed to have changed slightly.

He didn't know why either.

"It's okay."

Itachi shook his head, calming himself down. He knew there were many possibilities, and his current guess might not be accurate.

"How about I take you there tomorrow?"

Itachi decided to go and test the waters tomorrow, especially since Shisui was involved. He also wanted to see how Byakuya managed to get Shisui to switch sides.

"Ok!"

Sasuke was puzzled, but seeing that his brother not only didn't object but even wanted to send him there, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sasuke, you should go and get some rest."

"Yes, Onii-chan, remember our promise!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

After coaxing Sasuke back to his room, Itachi sighed, hesitated for a long time, and finally went to Fugaku's door: "Father, Mother, are you asleep?"

"Itachi?"

"Yes, there are some things I'd like to ask Father."

Itachi originally didn't want to seek out Fugaku, but he couldn't resist his concern for Sasuke.

"Itachi, you speak."

Inside the room, Fugaku looked at the ceiling and roughly knew why Itachi had come to find him.

This child

Should we continue to go our own way?

"Father, you must know that Sasuke is going to train with the clan leader, right?"

"Yes, this is good for Sasuke. Byakuya is very strong, and he's much more suitable to teach Sasuke than any of the teachers at the Ninja Academy!"

The ninjas in one's own clan are definitely better trained than those in ninja academies.

People on the same side know each other well.

"But his ideas are dangerous!"

That's right.

He didn't object to others teaching Sasuke; in fact, if it weren't for Byakuya, he wouldn't have asked any more questions.

Just as Fugaku said, the ninja instructors in the clan are much better than those of other ninja teachers.

However, Bai Ye's thoughts were too dangerous. He was afraid that Bai Ye would transmit some of his thoughts to Sasuke, and he was also afraid that Bai Ye was planning to use Sasuke to blackmail him.

"Itachi, do you know why the people in the clan are gradually getting closer to Byakuya?"

Fugaku sighed. For a moment, he regretted letting Itachi go down this path.

"Because he reclaimed his original clan territory, but this also deepened the hatred between us and Konoha."

Itachi was well aware of this, but this matter was not without consequences. The relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha clan was now even more tense, and Byakuya needed to take responsibility.

"Itachi, what the clan members really want is very simple: respect and to reclaim what belongs to us. That's all. The Uchiha clan doesn't want to fight with anyone. When I was the clan leader, I didn't get any of these things. Instead, we became increasingly cowardly in our interactions with Konoha, and we suffered more and more losses. This caused dissatisfaction within the clan. Now, what you're saying is clear to everyone. Rather than being worn down like this, everyone would rather fight to the death. That's why Byakuya became the clan leader; he represents the current thoughts within the clan."

Even without Byakuya, he would still be the head of the Uchiha clan, because the neutral faction has always remained neutral, and neither the radical nor the conservative faction could do anything to either of them.

So this strange balance was maintained, but the appearance of Baiye broke this balance.

At least that one time it shook the neutral faction a little, so Bai Ye came to power by a narrow margin.

“But this would not only harm the Uchiha clan, but also Konoha. If war breaks out, it would mean mutual destruction and give other ninja villages an opportunity to take advantage. If the village is gone, where will the clans survive? Shouldn’t we consider the village?”

Itachi was puzzled. His father, who had always been a dove, now seemed to be speaking up for Byakuya.

He suddenly felt abandoned by everyone.

"Itachi, remember, you belong to the Uchiha clan first!! As for Sasuke, just let him be. Byakuya won't harm Sasuke. It's getting late, you should get some rest too!"

Fugaku Uchiha's tone betrayed his disappointment. Although he had never wanted to start a war, he considered himself a member of the Uchiha clan first and foremost.

And shouldn't Itachi's idea of ​​"thinking from the village's perspective" also include thinking from the perspective of his clansmen?

"I understand, Father. I won't bother you any longer."

Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath, lowered his head, and no one knew what he was thinking. After a moment, he also left.

Inside the room, Mikoto Uchiha looked at Fugaku Uchiha with some concern and asked, "Should we make Itachi leave the Anbu? I feel like his mind is a bit off lately, and if Byakuya leads him into war against Konoha, what will happen to Itachi?"

In fact, given the current situation, most people in the clan believe that Byakuya might lead the Uchiha and Konoha into war, or at least that they will not get through this peacefully.

The Uchiha clan will not back down; either Konoha will back down, which inevitably means that all the other ninja clans besides the Uchiha are watching closely.

If Konoha backs down now, other ninja clans will also become more interested in making concessions.

Therefore, this game is no longer just about the Uchiha and Konoha; other ninja clans are also waiting to see what happens.

"It's not necessarily going to war, but the tension between the village and the Uchiha is too high right now. Sometimes I'm not really sure what Byakuya is trying to do."

Fugaku Uchiha sighed. In truth, even he didn't know what Byakuya wanted to do.

If you say you're going to war, it doesn't seem like you're giving the radicals any signals; if you say you're not going to war, it's making the relationship with Konoha so tense.

"As for Itachi, he probably won't listen to us. He's a person with his own ideas, so we'll just have to wait and see."

He wanted to persuade them, but what could he do?

Will Itachi Uchiha listen to me?

Fugaku felt there was no way he could do it, so he simply gave up and patted Mikoto on the shoulder: "Get some rest. Anyway, I'm not the clan leader anymore. It's Byakuya who should be worried!"

After stepping down as clan leader, Fugaku's mindset improved considerably.

the next day.

Sasuke approached Itachi early on, because it was his first time being instructed by Byakuya, and Sasuke wanted to make a good impression on Byakuya as soon as possible.

The two arrived at Bai Ye's place quite early.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Chieftain, what is this?"

Sasuke curiously leaned forward for a look; it was the first time he had ever seen this thing.

"Cola, it's really good. I'm planning to sell this and start a soda business in Konoha. Itachi, you should try it too."

The cola was obtained from the everyday world.

Anyway, it's cheaper to buy from there, and this kind of soda isn't available here, so Bai Ye plans to bring it over to sell.

Konoha has red bean soup with rice cakes, and some things similar to soda, but compared to cola, Byakuya feels that the taste is still a bit lacking.

Aside from weapons and explosive tags, the Uchiha clan doesn't have many side businesses, unlike the Akimichi clan which has barbecued meat, or the Nara clan which has medicinal herbs.

During wartime, the Uchiha clan was very wealthy, but in this peaceful era, their business is not doing so well.

So, in order to improve the clan's economy even slightly, he also planned to start a side business.

Moreover, this is the first step in Baiye's preparations: an economic war.

Everything you eat, drink, and use is supplied by the Uchiha clan. You want to turn against them? Then forget about it!

Ultimately, it all comes down to interests. The Uchiha clan doesn't have many conflicts of interest with other clans, but if there are conflicts of interest between the two sides, they will naturally have to consider the Uchiha's attitude in many matters.

Why are Hiruzen Sarutobi and his ilk so popular in Konoha?

It's precisely because he controlled too many interests and had been in power for too long that many clans needed to cooperate with him and the clans behind him. From this perspective, it's natural that he had many more supporters.

“Delicious!”

Sasuke felt the energy rush straight to his head with his first sip, and the cola, which had been specially chilled by Byakuya, gave him an even more refreshing and exhilarating feeling.

"It does taste quite good. Is the clan leader planning to sell this?"

Although he is very aggressive in his actions, Bai Ye is surprisingly suitable to be the clan leader in every aspect.

Itachi muttered to himself, realizing that after all that had been said, he felt that Byakuya was more suitable to be the clan leader than his father.

"That's right, business within the clan isn't easy. Everyone's waiting to eat. The ninjas are doing alright, but ordinary Uchiha clan members really need some opportunities to survive."

Despite being a large clan, not everyone in the Uchiha clan lives a wealthy life; some live in poverty.

“But what you’re doing now, Chieftain, is completely different from what you said.”

Itachi lowered his eyes, somewhat surprised that Byakuya wanted to change the living conditions of the lower-class Uchiha. But if he continued down this path, even if he provided some living conditions, everyone would eventually die.

"Sasuke, if you had to choose between living on your knees and dying standing, which would you choose?"