Naruto: The Shadow Lord of the Nara Clan

Sasuke was unaware whether he was being distracted or not.

But since Lu Ying had asked, he honestly started talking about everyday family matters.

Whether Sasuke was distracted or not, Shikakage was equally unsure.

Anyway, we've achieved our goal, haven't we?

After a series of back-and-forth exchanges, seeing that it was almost time, Lu Ying took the initiative to speak:

"That's enough for today. If you go home late, you might get a beating."

"All right."

The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. Although Sasuke wanted to refute them, his family had indeed imposed a curfew on him.

So he reluctantly got up and headed towards the Uchiha clan's territory, walking with a limp that looked particularly funny.

But Lu Ying didn't laugh.

"That little Deng, he actually didn't let me get 'Shadow Kin'."

Looks like I'll have to practice even harder tomorrow!

Thinking of the trivial family matters that Sasuke had just blurted out, Shikakage's eyes flickered slightly.

—Is Itachi in a good mood lately?

……

Exhausted, Sasuke returned home, changed into indoor shoes, and staggered toward the living room.

Upon seeing the figure kneeling before the prayer mat, Sasuke's face suddenly lit up with a joyful smile.

"elder brother!"

Calling Itachi Uchiha affectionately, Sasuke ran forward in three quick steps and leaped into Itachi's arms.

Seeing this, Itachi smiled slightly, then opened his arms to catch Sasuke and gently stroked his younger brother's hair.

Just as he was about to speak, a stern rebuke from the side interrupted him.

"Sasuke, covered in mud and sweat, what kind of appearance is this!"

It was only then that Sasuke noticed that his father was sitting cross-legged across the low table, exuding a fearsome aura.

He quickly got up, and after realizing he had dirtied Itachi's shirt, his cheeks turned red, and he stammered an apology.

"It's alright, Sasuke."

Itachi lightly touched Sasuke's brow with his finger and smiled:

"Go wash up, Mother is cooking, it'll be ready soon."

"OK!"

After Sasuke rushed to the bathroom, Itachi and Fugaku exchanged glances, and the room fell silent.

Fugaku broke the oppressive atmosphere by continuing the conversation that had just begun.

"Itachi, you did a great job."

Although he praised it verbally, Fugaku kept his eyes fixed on Itachi.

"Remember this: you are Itachi of the Uchiha clan first, and Itachi of Konoha second."

"Any news about the Uchiha clan from the Anbu must be reported to the clan in a timely manner."

Itachi's eyes were half-closed, and he parted his lips slightly:

"I see."

But he didn't say the second half of the sentence.

—But the prerequisite is that the Uchiha clan cannot betray them…

Having received Itachi's affirmative answer, Fugaku nodded without a smile, and then the two fell into a silent stillness once again.

Itachi spoke again only after Sasuke walked in with his head of wet black hair:

"Let's go, Sasuke, let's go help Mother."

"Uh-huh!"

Perhaps because Itachi rarely eats at home, the atmosphere at the clan head's family dinner tonight was exceptionally warm and harmonious, without any of the oppressive feeling that Itachi and Fugaku had when they were alone together earlier.

Sasuke, who was usually quiet during meals, was now chattering incessantly, recounting his experiences at school and discussing his training with Shikakage.

Seeing Sasuke's overjoyed expression, Itachi said apologetically:

"I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"I've been too busy lately to teach you in person."

Sasuke shook his head understandingly:

"It's okay!"

"And Brother Luying teaches very well!"

Information about Nara Shikakage flashed through Itachi's mind, and he nodded in agreement:

"Nara Deer Shadow is indeed quite good."

"When Shuimu defected last night, he was the one who intercepted and killed him halfway."

"The Hokage admires him greatly."

Itachi didn't tell the whole story; he only gave a brief summary.

Sasuke, of course, was unaware of the hidden reasons; he was simply delighted by Shikakage's increasingly outstanding performance.

But Fugaku, as the head of the Uchiha clan, was different.

He knew very well that Mizuki had bewitched Naruto and was trying to steal the Book of Seals.

I never expected that the person who stopped this was Nara Shikakage.

Thinking of Itachi's evaluation, Naruto's birth, and Shikakage's identity, Fugaku's eyes flickered, and some thoughts came to mind.

He took out 500,000 taels of silver and said to Sasuke:

"Tomorrow, take this money to Nara Shikakage as tuition for the rest of the course."

"Five hundred thousand taels a month. If he's not satisfied, we can increase it."

Sasuke was somewhat surprised, but seeing that Fugaku looked like he wouldn't allow him to refuse, he accepted it anyway.

Itachi was also somewhat surprised, but what surprised him was Fugaku's "friendly" attitude towards Nara Shikakage.

—Nara Shikakage is clearly a member of the Hokage faction.

—Is Father trying to curry favor with the Hokage?

The thought of this possibility gradually eased Itachi's usually furrowed brows.

Because this is the scene he most wanted to see.

After dinner, Fugaku returned to his bedroom. He sat on the side of the bed, gazing at the cold, bright moon in silence.

A coat was slowly draped over his shoulders. Uchiha Mikoto placed her hands on his shoulders and asked:

"What are you thinking about? You look so serious."

"I have a bad feeling."

Fugaku sighed softly; only with his wife could he open his heart.

"Itachi's attitude is a bit strange."

"Although he keeps saying he would never betray the family, we raised him from childhood."

"No one knows Itachi's character better than I do."

"But today he seemed to have figured things out; the usual entanglement and sorrow were gone from his brow."

"Something's not right."

"I'm a little worried; he's hiding something very important."

Considering the current state of the Uchiha clan, the suppression from the Konoha leadership, the exclusion by other major ninja clans, and the increasingly oppressive atmosphere within the clan, Fugaku unusually showed signs of exhaustion.

"well……"

……

Several days later.

Konoha Village, underground where the sun never shines.

Hidden in the darkness, the roots crisscross and frantically draw nourishment from the earth.

In the deepest room, Danzo sat on a replica of the Hokage's chair, his chin resting on his hand, listening to the report from the person in front of him, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

"That's enough!"

Interrupted, Suzaku Nara clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Lord Danzo, my son is dead!"

"He's going to be a member of Root!"

"This matter cannot be left unresolved!"

"It must have been that brat Nara Shikakage who did it!"

"We'll get our revenge!"

Seeing that Nara Suzaku not only refused to obey but also tried to force him, Danzo narrowed his eyes and lightly glanced at the armrest:

"I told you to shut up, didn't you hear me?"

Do you have any evidence?

Nara Suzaku gritted his teeth and spat out:

"no."

If he had evidence, why would he need to come to Danzo?

The key issue is that he couldn't find any clues about the killer.

His son died at home without any warning!

"You want to retaliate against others without any evidence?"

"Besides, it might not even have been made by Nara Shikakage."

"We are the roots, the roots that protect Konoha!"

Danzo sat up, stared at Suzaku Nara, and warned him righteously:

"This is not the root cause of abuse of power!"