How to Survive as an Uchiha

"Hokage Advisor?" Everyone present showed expressions of surprise.

In the unique environment of the Land of Water, Kiri prioritized safeguarding its secrets above all else. Due to its lack of an intelligence network on the continent, it was always one step behind in obtaining external information.

However, as the chaos in Kiri worsened, its ability to gather information about the outside world had not just fallen behind—it had practically collapsed.

This was partly due to some of the strategies implemented by Obito. The systematic dismantling of their information networks had been thorough, leaving them blind to the outside world.

In his vision, Kiri was to become a completely isolated place, disconnected from the continent's information flow—a tool-producing ground exclusively for him.

As a result, no one present was even aware that Konoha had appointed a new Hokage Advisor.

"That's correct," Masashi nodded. "Therefore, the Uchiha clan's position in Konoha has changed compared to before. I trust you all understand this."

"I see," an elder said as he stroked his beard. "That is unexpected. I didn't think the Uchiha clan would regain such a position. You must have paid a significant price."

The elder appeared to be the spokesperson for the group; when he spoke, the others remained silent.

"You're mistaken about that," Masashi shook his head. "It's mainly because others made us look good by comparison."

The group's expressions stiffened immediately.

They weren't sure if he was making an insult, but they didn't believe the Uchiha clan could have easily gained the advisor position. They assumed he was simply exaggerating his clan's advantage.

Still, it was undeniable that the balance of power had shifted.

Kiri didn't have an advisor to its Mizukage, but they understood the significance of such a position. Their own situation had worsened as the internal conflicts within Kiri became more public.

"The Uchiha clan truly lives up to its name," the elder said deeply. "No doubt, the fame of the White Ghost and the Teleporter played an important role. But to claim it came without a price is unreasonable. Our cooperation remains mutually beneficial."

"So you don't believe me?" Masashi laughed.

"It's not disbelief—it's just not realistic," the elder shook his head. "We should be honest with each other."

"What about a new plan?" Masashi said. "Interactions between ninja clans don't need to be so complicated. Let's lay everything on the table."

The group furrowed their brows, exchanging glances in the silence. They couldn't come up with a plan on the spot.

Originally, it was the Uchiha who had proposed building closer ties, and the Kiri clans had a rough idea of their motivations. It had been a welcome suggestion.

The clans had assumed that the Uchiha's future involved a complete break with Konoha and migration of their entire clan.

In Kiri's initial plan, they had prepared to officially invite the Uchiha clan to relocate to the Land of Water when the timing was right.

The ninja clans of Kiri had always tightly banded together to safeguard their collective interests. Marriage alliances were a common strategy, and in this, they were less restrained than the ninja clans of Konoha.

Their unity was renowned, though it came with a reputation for xenophobia.

That said, their xenophobia depended on the target.

For the Uchiha clan, they would open their arms in welcome. These ninja clans understood one key principle: if the pie wasn't growing, their unity would eventually fail under pressure.

They also hoped to strengthen Kiri and had worked hard toward that goal.

The Uchiha joining them would drastically transform Kiri's power.

The person they valued most was Masashi himself. To them, he was more like a Kiri ninja than anyone else—someone they even considered a future Mizukage candidate.

Their transparent plotting almost made him want to laugh.

They had even begun selecting candidates for marriage alliances within their clans. Before the Yuki clan's downfall, Hikari had been their chosen candidate.

The Hōzuki clan, however, believed Mei would be a better choice. To the Hōzuki, who admired strength and combat, Hikari—who wasn't even a ninja—seemed far inferior to the White Ghost. In their view, Hikari would be nothing more than a concubine if she married into the Uchiha clan.

Of course, now that the Yuki clan was gone, Hikari had lost that status. Still, her past reputation had drawn plenty of wolves.

This was Kiri's way—if someone messed up their own game, they couldn't expect others to honor past alliances.

Even Ketsuki, who had placed Hikari in the guesthouse and hadn't acted on her, was considered more decent than the rest of the wolves.

"We may not be able to give you an answer right away," the elder said after a long discussion. "How long will you be staying in Kiri?"

"The village hasn't set any restrictions on me," Masashi replied, pointing to the ceiling with deliberate casualness. "After all, my cousin also has an important task here."

"The Fourth Mizukage, huh..." The elder's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, analyzing various possibilities. "Could it be that you're here to deal with your own clan's traitor?"

"The Hokage is aware of his identity," Masashi said. "He was once his student. Out of past sentiments, we hesitated to act. But his actions—clearly betraying the village and attacking the Hokage—leave us no choice."

Everyone understood.

No wonder Konoha wanted him dead.

The major ninja clans had already learned about the Fourth Mizukage being under someone's control, though the information had been tightly guarded.

Each clan had hoped to use this as leverage when the time was right. But now, it seemed Konoha intended to eliminate all these clans as obstacles.

If it weren't for their desire to avoid an all-out civil war in Kiri, they would have leaked the information already.

"We can discuss future cooperation later," the elder said sharply, leaning forward with more intensity. "For now, why don't we join forces to resolve the Mizukage issue? Konoha likely sent you here because they're concerned Kiri's chaos could affect them."

"That's true," Masashi acknowledged, keeping his face carefully neutral.

"In that case, let's finish what Zabuza failed to do. We'll help you take him out."

"I never said I wanted to assassinate the Mizukage," Masashi shook his head. "Our first task is simply to renew the agreement."

"A man under control—what's the point in meeting him?" The elder gestured to the group. "With us here, you can eliminate your traitor easily. The Fourth Mizukage will have no choice but to step down, and we'll elect a new Mizukage to renew the agreement with Konoha."

"If that can be achieved, it's worth considering," Masashi nodded.

Inwardly, he almost laughed. This tedious game was nearly over.

If he was still Muzo, he would have forced them to do what he wanted, but Muzo was already dead, and he didn't want to be that person again.

"So, it's a deal?"

"Yes, a deal," Masashi stood up. "You can discuss the details at your leisure. I'll take my leave."

"Since you're already here, why not stay for a meal?" The elder stroked his beard and glanced at Hikari, his eyes glinting with self-satisfaction as if he'd uncovered some grand secret. "Young people need to take care of themselves. Speaking of which, Hikari was yours to begin with. This is quite a coincidence."

Masashi paused, and said, "Is that so? We really are fated, then." 

He wasn't Obito—he had no desire to slaughter ninja clans like chickens, especially with so many ordinary people caught up in the mess.

But watching these Kiri elders, Masashi could only shake his head at their outdated ways. Their mindset was so backward that even trying to work with them seemed pointless. The best he could hope for was avoiding direct conflict.

Back in Konoha, people often criticized the Uchiha and Hyūga for their traditional values. But at least they had evolved with the times. These Kiri traditionalists, with their arranged marriages and power games, were still living as if the Warring States Period had never ended.

After saying everything that needed to be said, Masashi left.

Being with those people made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Compared to them, Mangetsu and his group were far more agreeable—even Zabuza's deadpan face appeared cute.

Of course, he took Hikari with him when he left, noting the subtle way she kept close to his shadow.

The destruction of the Yuki clan was something he hadn't anticipated. He had thought that after his action on the beach back then, if this ninja clan had even a modicum of intelligence, they wouldn't have been wiped out.

Turned out, he overestimated them.

In the original timeline, the true cause of Kiri ninja clans' destruction wasn't Obito, but their own arrogance, which completely alienated the masses.

Neither the civilian ninjas nor the ordinary people of the Land of Water had any sympathy for these ninja clans; they were full of hatred instead.

This wasn't something that could be swayed by mere words.

In contrast, in the original timeline, although the Uchiha clan wasn't well-liked, before the Nine-Tails showed up to flaunt its big eyes in the village, the villagers didn't have much of an issue with the Uchiha.

Even in the early days of the village, with Madara, people were more afraid of him than they were disgusted. In fact, he had quite a bit of popularity at the time, with many people genuinely admiring him.

Many truly believed that being born in the same era as Hashirama was simply his misfortune; otherwise, he would have been invincible.

Madara could also sense the villagers' true opinions about him—he'd even get anxious and run over to help kids up when they fell on the road.

Though he did scare the kids half to death.

It couldn't be helped. He possessed the most handsome deadpan face in the world. After Izuna's death, he had hardly smiled a few times.

Perhaps his smile was something only Hashirama had ever seen.

But Masashi wasn't interested in the smiles of men.

After leaving the banquet hall, he returned to his room.

Once again, he felt that this room was excessively fancy. Especially that sofa—so tiny it couldn't even be comfortably laid on.

The only redeeming feature was the large bed, perfect for someone restless who might start sleeping vertically but wake up sprawled horizontally.

His initial mission had been successfully completed. Now, he just had to wait for the right opportunity.

It was up to Shisui's genjutsu to create that opportunity.

He was curious to see whether Obito would dare to let the Mizukage, whom he controlled, meet Shisui.

Shisui's genjutsu was renowned within the clan, and his ability to break genjutsu was also top-notch.

If they didn't allow such a meeting, then half of the plan would already be complete.

"Go back and rest," he said to Hikari, who was following him.

However, she showed a hesitant expression.

"Can I stay here?" she asked,

Masashi thought about it—she was probably afraid of exposing the plan.

"Alright, let's chat then," he replied, carefully observing her body language.

Since Hikari was originally a member of the Yuki clan, he also wanted to know how the Yuki clan had managed to destroy themselves.

Because he was genuinely curious.

Even if Obito controlled the Mizukage, he couldn't have wiped out a ninja clan for no reason.

Otherwise, if this group rebelled, while Obito himself wouldn't have been harmed, he would definitely have had to abandon Kiri as his base.

Masashi took off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the bed, and patted the spot in front of him, signaling for Hikari to sit down as well.

It wasn't that he didn't want to sit on the sofa—he literally couldn't fit. It was ridiculously small, like a decoration.

Hikari carefully climbed onto the bed and knelt politely, hands folded in her lap.

"Alright, tell me—how did the Yuki clan meet their end?" Masashi asked with a serious expression.

"The elders..." Hikari took a deep breath, steadying herself. "They became obsessed with producing a Mizukage."

"Pride before the fall," Masashi nodded. "Continue."

"They believed our bloodline made us destined for greatness. That we were chosen by the snow itself."

"And the younger generation?"

"They took action without understanding the consequences. They thought our recent successes meant we were ready."

As someone who had managed the Yuki clan's business, she had access to plenty of information and had a sharp, logical mind. In the eyes of others, her only flaw was her lack of talent as a ninja.

Any organization sows the seeds of its own destruction during its most prosperous period.

Ninja clans were no exception.

Even the powerful Ninshū had disappeared.

From Hikari's account, he pieced together what had happened.

In short: "If the Hōzuki clan can do it, so can we."

With such a mindset, it was no surprise that the new generation started acting on their own.

The Second Mizukage had the ability to defeat the entire Kiri, but the Yuki clearly lacked such power.

The Yuki clan wasn't the first to destroy themselves for the dream of producing a Kage, and they wouldn't be the last.

"Do you have any family left?" Masashi asked, watching her expression carefully.

"I have a younger brother," Hikari replied, a genuine smile appearing on her face for the first time.

"Just one younger brother? What's his name?"

"His name is Haku."

"Oh, Haku, huh?" Masashi nodded, finding the name oddly familiar.

The more he thought about it, the more familiar it sounded.

Wait—damn! That Haku? The one who figured out the Yuki clan's secret techniques on his own without any guidance?

Even though Masashi didn't think much of the technique itself, he knew it was impressive, showing just how solid the clan's foundation was.

A kid like Haku, who could master such abilities, was definitely on the genius tier.

In the original timeline, Konoha had a similar genius—Neji, the son of Hizashi, who managed to learn the Palm Rotation entirely on his own.

The Hyūga clan shared everything with their clan members, except for the Palm Rotation, which was reserved solely for the main family.

"How old is your brother?"

"Five."

The age checked out.

He made up his mind—his obsession with collecting prodigies wouldn't let him miss even a small chance.

Considering he had already taken in Karin, and now possibly Haku...

If he picked up one more, he could start his own little study-abroad class.

What could be more satisfying for a collector?

He was definitely taking this one.

"You'll stay here for now—you can have the bed." Having decided, he acted quickly. Whether out of conscience or his collecting tendencies, Hikari and her brother had to stay under his protection.

Nothing could happen to them.

"When this matter is over, I'll bring your brother too. From now on, you two will join Konoha. Don't worry, the people there are normal—none of the craziness you see here."

Hearing this, Hikari froze.

She understood that as long as Haku remained under the Hōzuki clan's control, she would remain their slave—a toy to please the powerful.

The only reason she hadn't been used yet was to maximize her value.

Once she lost her purity, she would become no different from the other women in this building.

Masashi's words were like a bolt of lightning in a clear sky, promising her and Haku a new life. But after the destruction of the Yuki clan, she had learned to close herself off, never revealing her true thoughts.

The risks were too great.

Even if this man had once been her betrothed—though it was entirely one-sided and in the past.

She lowered her head, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart. This was the limit of what she could manage.

"Alright, go to sleep," Masashi said.

Having learned everything he wanted, he got out of bed and put his shoes back on.

He left a Flying Thunder God mark in the room, carefully placing it where it wouldn't be easily noticed.

"Take me to Shisui's room first, then come back to rest. If anyone stops you, just say I need you to keep me company tonight."

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86/150 reached for bonus chapter.