Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 350 I wouldn't even look down on a mere Hokage.

"Is it really necessary to go this far?"

Fugaku understands Aokiji's aggressive mindset, but he still feels that what he's doing is too extreme.

He also tried to persuade Aokiji to restrain himself: "If it's purely about revenge, then targeting only the higher-ups should be enough, right?"

Aokiji said in a deep voice, "We are all in this together, and we are all in this together. I don't need to explain the concept of being the head of the Uchiha clan to you properly, do I?"

Fugaku fell silent for a moment; he naturally understood this principle.

"Once the killing begins, it's usually accompanied by hatred. I can't solve the problem, but I can solve the people who created it."

Qing Zhi's face was expressionless, and his cold voice contained an unquestionable attitude.

"But they were, after all, fellow villagers."

Fugaku was a cold-hearted person on the outside, and he simply couldn't bring himself to exterminate his clan.

"Don't worry, I don't need you or the Uchiha to help. You just need to guarantee that you won't interfere when I make my move. If you can't even do that... then don't blame me for being ruthless."

There wasn't a single word of joke in Aokiji's words.

"But……"

Aokiji smiled pityingly and shook his head, as if a teacher were lamenting that his student was slow to understand: "You know what? Besides the reasons I mentioned before, there was actually another, more important reason why I opposed your coup d'état in that way. At that time, Itachi was present, so I couldn't say it outright."

"What's the reason...?"

"Politics is not child's play; once a coup occurs, it often means a fight to the death."

"Since the Uchiha clan has decided to launch a coup, they should be prepared for retaliation. And yet you plan to demand only fair treatment after the coup succeeds? Honestly, that's not just naive, it's almost endearingly foolish..."

A blatantly mocking smile appeared on Aokiji's face.

"I……"

Aokiji sneered: "Moreover, in my opinion, the Uchiha's coup plan is full of loopholes. Perhaps the village's higher-ups already knew you were planning a coup."

Fugaku looked incredulous: "This...this is impossible. We are all victims of oppression in the village. There's no way we would leak secrets."

"Walls have ears, you know. The Uchiha clan likes to gather at the Naka Shrine for meetings when they have nothing better to do. These things should be done in secret, but everyone knows about them now. Are you naive, or is the village naive?"

"..."

"Believe it or not, if I had returned any later, the village's higher-ups might have taken advantage of the Uchiha's moment of sanity to launch a sneak attack, and the Uchiha clan would have faced an unprecedented catastrophe."

"A catastrophe!?"

"That's right, for example..." Aokiji narrowed his eyes and uttered two words: "Extermination of the clan..."

Fugaku's pupils dilated suddenly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"You should know that the village has been displeased with the Uchiha clan for a long time. Now that the opportunity is right in front of them, do you think they will let it pass? Just like they plotted to kill me back then, the village could wipe out the Uchiha clan without hesitation..."

"..."

"Don't believe me?" Aokiji grinned. "You can think carefully about whether there's anything unusual about you lately."

"What's unusual?"

"That's right."

Fugaku pondered for a moment: "Everything is the same as usual. If there's anything different, it's that the security team got off work earlier today..."

"Hmph~ Here it comes, doesn't it?"

Fugaku's eyes widened slightly: "You mean this is related to a high-level conspiracy?"

"It's not impossible."

"Aren't you overthinking things?"

"Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? It happened just the day before the coup."

Aokiji spoke slowly: "The calm before the storm is always there! I taught you this lesson before..."

Fugaku lowered his head and remained silent.

"Stop having any illusions about the higher-ups. Does the Uchiha clan think they can't say anything about the oppression they've suffered at the hands of the village all these years...?"

"There must be a reason behind this..." Fugaku said in a deep voice, "But why would the village do this?"

Aokiji couldn't give a direct answer to this kind of thing, so he could only guide Fugaku step by step, gradually, to discover: "I don't know, there's too little information. Think about it carefully again, and it's best not to overlook even the things around you."

Things around us personally?

Fugaku couldn't figure it out and gave Mikoto an apologetic look: "I might have to ask Mikoto about this."

Aokiji deliberately cast a glance at him.

Fugaku sighed and explained, "When you're busy with work, it's inevitable that you won't be able to take care of your family sometimes."

Aokiji crossed his arms: "You should focus more on your family. Considering your relationship with Itachi, it's easy for someone with ill intentions to take advantage of you and use you as a kunai user."

Aokiji's words reminded Fugaku that, considering Itachi's usual behavior, he truly felt that his son might have been turned against him.

But after all, he was his own son, and he dared not and was unwilling to believe that Itachi would do something so disrespectful to his ancestors.

However, now, thanks to Aokiji's reminder, Fugaku really needs to seriously examine the issue of his son's loyalty.

Seeing that the groundwork had been laid, Aokiji knew it was time to reiterate the village's stance: "If the investigation reveals that the village truly intends to do that, will you side with me or the village?"

Fugaku opened his eyes, his gaze resolute: "If the higher-ups really intend to do this, then I naturally cannot be soft-hearted."

"Very good, you've made an absolutely correct choice." Aokiji smiled with satisfaction. "I will let you see with your own eyes that the Uchiha clan will surpass any previous era under my leadership."

"Are you planning to become Hokage?"

Aokiji raised his lip in disdain and said, "Hmph, a mere Hokage position..."

Fugaku stared in astonishment: "Merely..."

Aokiji slowly spoke: "The sky over Konoha is too narrow for me..."

"Aokiji, what do you want to do?"

Aokiji clenched his fist towards the air, declaring, "I don't just want Konoha, I want the entire Land of Fire..."

Fugaku's eyes widened, his breathing quickened, never expecting Aokiji's ambitions to be so great.

"Hmph, a bunch of weaklings who can't even kill a chicken think they can command me?" Aokiji gave the powerful and wealthy a look of disdain, then turned to Fugaku: "What's wrong, scared?"

Aokiji's words already indicate that he has restrained himself.

His real goal is the whole world, but saying that directly might scare Fugaku.

Fugaku took a couple of breaths and calmed down: "You really surprise me."

Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that Aokiji held the Daimyo of the Land of Fire in utter contempt, and given their past grievances, it's understandable that he would have such thoughts.

Aokiji smiled slightly: "If you're not willing, I won't force you."

"Don't underestimate me."

Three tomoe swirled around Fugaku's pupils, and his eyes emitted a brilliant red light.

The thought that the Uchiha clan had risen to such a position under his leadership made him, now in his middle age, feel as if he were young again, his veins throbbing with excitement.

Aokiji smiled slightly and said, "If we fail, the Uchiha clan might suffer some consequences..."

"What are you still saying now? And that confident look on your face doesn't look like you're going to fail..."

Fugaku paused, then said in a low voice, "The Uchiha clan has long been caught in a vortex called the Game of Thrones. The only way to break free is to keep winning and become the strongest."

Aokiji laughed heartily: "Not bad. I thought you'd become timid and hesitant since you have two children."

"Precisely because I am a father of two, I cannot afford to be timid or hesitant." Fugaku's eyes shone with determination: "I will completely resolve the situation of my clan being ostracized in my generation."

Aokiji narrowed his eyes slightly, "That's good."

Things are progressing smoothly. The next step is to make Fugaku discover the conspiracy of the Konoha leadership and completely bind himself to them.

(End of this chapter)