The Hyuga Shall Stand Above, In The Heavens!

Land of Fire. 

Konohagakure. 

Uchiha Clan Compound, Rear Courtyard. 

A group of long-haired Uchiha women were preparing to take the stage. 

Meanwhile, Hyuga Natsu, the head maid in charge of taking care of Hyuga Hitoshi, was speaking seriously to the candidates. 

Not far away, Yugito and Samui were also sharing their experience with the younger participants.

Even Fugaku himself hadn't expected this. 

What started as a simple beauty pageant designed to flatter Hyuga Hitoshi had now become more and more official. The competition was fiercer than ever. 

At first, it was only among the Uchiha clan. Then, it expanded to all of Konohagakure. Now, it seemed to be spreading across the entire ninja world. 

Any young woman of the right age had a chance to go through the selection process and join the Sun God's personal maid squad. Once selected, their status would rise significantly. 

With such intense competition, the process naturally became more brutal. 

It wasn't just about looks—candidates also had to learn how to be proper maids. That was why Head Maid Natsu personally came to train them. 

At first, the Uchiha girls only participated because it was their clan leader's order. But once the Sun God Kingdom stabilized and the status of the maids was solidified, things changed. Now, no one needed to be forced. 

Everyone understood the concept—being close to power meant higher status. Not just anyone could join the Sun God's personal maid squad, but if they did, their future was set. In addition to receiving a strengthened version of the Sun God Seal, they might even have a chance to become a royal consort if they caught his eye. Their dreams were within reach. 

Of course, for now, Hyuga Hitoshi had toned things down since he already had plenty of women by his side. 

But those who knew him well believed it was only a matter of time before he made his move again. He was just waiting for the next generation of beauties to grow up. 

"How's Orochimaru's Sharingan supplement working out?" 

Seated at the judges' table for the beauty pageant, Hyuga Hitoshi curiously turned to Fugaku. 

"Pretty good. At least my eyesight isn't getting worse, and my eye power has improved a little." 

Speaking of the supplement, Fugaku looked impressed. He had initially asked Orochimaru to research the Sharingan just to see if anything could be done, and he hadn't expected actual results. 

"As long as it helps. But just replenishing eye power isn't enough. Orochimaru and I are working on a way to stabilize the Mangekyou Sharingan and evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyou." 

There was precedent for this. 

Obito, who had Hashirama's cells, could use Kamui almost endlessly. After becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he could even restore his eye power and, in his final moments, give Kakashi a full-body Susano'o. At that point, he had already reached the Eternal Mangekyou level. 

The problem was clear—it was tied to the fusion of Indra and Asura's chakra. That's why Naruto was the key to this research. 

Once Naruto grew a bit more and fully mastered Asura's legacy, they might be able to recreate a version of his power and stabilize the Mangekyou Sharingan. 

"Hitoshi, you're a true brother! I'm not good with words, so let me put it this way—every single long-haired Uchiha girl is now your second harem! Pick whoever you want!" 

Damn. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. 

Hyuga Hitoshi twitched at Fugaku's words, unsure how to respond. 

But to be fair, Fugaku's presence made things far more entertaining. 

With the Sun God Kingdom growing steadily, his wives finding their own interests, and his clan members getting stronger step by step, the ninja world had become more peaceful thanks to the Kingdom's influence. Trade between nations flourished, and unexplored areas beyond the known ninja world were finally being mapped. 

His actions had expanded the world's horizons. 

As for his Golden Wheel Tenseigan, after years of effort, it had nearly reached perfection. He had already fed it everything he could absorb, including the Six Paths Ninja Tools. The mysterious Grail Stone was now under the Kingdom's control and was being used to forge a special mineral vein for the royal guard. 

The only regret was his weak control over time. Because of that, he hadn't dared to absorb the energy of the Dragon Vein. 

However, during his travels in the desert, he had met Queen Sara of Roran and helped her deal with some corrupt ministers and the issue of succession.

Hyuga Hitoshi planned to go through the entire process before absorbing the power of the Dragon Vein. He intended to refine the Golden Wheel Tenseigan using the power of Infinite Tsukuyomi, fully merge with it, and only then consider absorbing the Dragon Vein's energy. 

People often pay the price for their recklessness and ignorance. Hyuga Hitoshi was self-aware—he knew he couldn't control the power of time. If used incorrectly, it could lead to disaster. He didn't want to absorb the Dragon Vein, only to open his eyes and find himself a thousand years in the past with no way back, or look around and see that everyone he cared about had already turned to dust. That would be an incredibly irresponsible choice. 

So, for now, he decided not to act recklessly. He would simply keep the Dragon Vein under control. 

The shinobi world was getting better. 

Just as Hyuga Hitoshi had said, as long as he remained passionate about the Sun God Kingdom, his presence would bring peace to the shinobi world. And that passion wouldn't fade—not until he had overthrown the Otsutsuki Clan's rule over the universe. 

"By the way, if Itachi really goes down the wrong path, what do you plan to do with him?" 

Hyuga Hitoshi playfully blinked at Uchiha Hikari, who stood in the distance. The girl panicked and ran off, and Hitoshi casually turned to ask Fugaku. 

"Itachi, huh…" 

Fugaku let out a long sigh, then forced a bitter smile. 

"To be honest, he's been a disappointment, but he's still…" 

Still his only son. 

Fugaku had already told Hitoshi about his plan to find Uchiha Hikari and arrange a meeting between her and Hyuga Hitoshi, partly to test his own son's temperament. 

Some might think that offering Uchiha Hikari to Hyuga Hitoshi was no different from the usual act of desperate flattery. 

But Hyuga Hitoshi understood—this was the move of a truly smart man. 

A few years ago, the news about the Uchiha Clan's secret weapon being discovered in a Sarutobi Clan seal couldn't be kept hidden. 

And since the Hyuga Clan was also a powerful noble family from the Warring States period, they naturally knew about Uchiha Hikari's existence. 

So instead of hiding it, Fugaku made a statement—he willingly handed over control of Uchiha Hikari to Hyuga Hitoshi. Rather than keeping such an unstable factor within his own clan, he let Hitoshi decide her fate. 

After all, even his own son had been conditioned to believe that the Uchiha Clan sought out an ultimate weapon to overthrow Hyuga Hitoshi's rule and establish their own dictatorship. If his son thought this way, what about everyone else? 

To avoid suspicion and ensure there was no rift between him and Hitoshi—who he had worked so hard to win over—Fugaku made the smartest move. 

He gave up the ultimate weapon. 

To achieve this, he had even ruthlessly eliminated many of the reckless radicals within his clan. 

That's right. 

Releasing Uchiha Hikari from her seal wasn't just about testing his eldest son's temperament—it was also a way to see if any within the Uchiha Clan would get overconfident. 

And sure enough, some did. 

Some truly believed that by harnessing Uchiha Hikari's power, they could increase their clan's influence. 

Human nature always fails when tested—especially among the Uchiha, a clan known for their arrogance. 

Some even thought: If the Hyuga Clan, once one of the two great dojutsu clans of Konoha, could build their own nation, and do it so well, then why couldn't the Uchiha?

As long as Uchiha Hikari's power is used wisely, creating a shadow nation similar to the Sun God Kingdom wouldn't be a problem. At that point, it wouldn't just be the Twin Eyes of Konohagakure—it would be the Twin Eyes of the entire ninja world. That alone sounds impressive. 

Simply put, these people didn't want to settle for being second in the ninja world. They were dangerous figures who were fully aware of their own identity and ambitions. But now that Fugaku had become Hokage and had his most trusted allies by his side, he wasn't going to tolerate them anymore. Instead, he quietly took advantage of his position as Hokage to eliminate these unstable elements. 

This move made Fugaku realize what a true Hokage should do. It also helped him understand why Sarutobi had been so lenient with Danzo in the past. 

At first glance, it seemed like they were doing the same thing, but in reality, it was different. 

The old Hokage's repeated indulgence only made Konohagakure weaker and more unstable, while Fugaku's actions were truly for the good of the village. The nature of their decisions was completely different. 

Through these actions, Fugaku also wanted to show Uchiha Itachi that he had no intention of using Uchiha Hikari's power. He simply wanted to hand over this dangerous force to Hyuga Hitoshi for safekeeping. 

Right now, if Uchiha Itachi just took a moment to carefully observe his own clan, listen to their thoughts, and then sit down and have a proper conversation with his father—asking the questions he wanted to ask—he would definitely learn the truth about Uchiha Hikari from his father himself. 

Fugaku was clearly waiting for Itachi to come to him and have an open and honest conversation. 

Just like how Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted his son to become Hokage, Fugaku also wanted to train his own son, to help Itachi develop the qualities of a true Hokage. 

Hitoshi once told him that someone like Uchiha Itachi would never be a proper Uchiha clansman, but he could become a proper Hokage—as long as he could fix his twisted mindset. 

Fugaku was giving his son a chance. But now, it seemed like Itachi had no intention of seizing that chance. Instead, he kept making sarcastic and passive-aggressive remarks. 

Itachi even got upset, thinking that his father, as Hokage, was forcing people into a beauty pageant and ignoring the feelings of the girls involved. That annoyed Fugaku so much that he slapped his son across the face, sending him flying. 

That was completely missing the point! 

"Hopefully, he figures it out soon." 

With a long sigh, Fugaku admitted to himself that he had failed as a father. He had done everything he could, but he never expected his son to be this stubborn. 

"Fugaku, you should start preparing now, just in case he gets manipulated by some schemers and ends up harming the Uchiha clan." 

No one really cared about the rest, as long as it didn't interfere with the beauty pageant. 

As Hyuga Hitoshi pulled Uchiha Izumi into his arms, he announced that she was the winner of the competition, with Uchiha Jiri as the runner-up. And with that, the event came to an end. 

Looking at Uchiha Izumi, whose face was slightly flushed, Hyuga Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. He believed that life should have a sense of ceremony, so he reached out and gently tapped her forehead. 

"Forgive me, this will be the last time." 

No way! 

Uchiha Izumi panicked and immediately bit Hyuga Hitoshi's finger. 

"Ahem, no need to worry too much about this matter." 

Fugaku looked away, his expression unreadable. Now that the burden was off his shoulders, his mind was at peace. 

"Just like how this older brother loves his younger brother, Sasuke wouldn't want to see his brother go down the wrong path. If things ever get out of control, Sasuke will make Itachi understand that his so-called tolerance isn't worth much."

The moment Sasuke came to mind, Fugaku's expression became a little unnatural. It wasn't because of the boy's lineage, nor because he was actually the son of his brother and sister-in-law. That didn't matter to him. As long as Sasuke carried the Uchiha name, he was his son. 

What really unsettled Fugaku was what had happened the other day when he was teaching Sasuke the Great Fireball Technique. It was so shocking that he still hadn't fully recovered from it. 

Heaven knows, Fugaku had only just realized that when someone is strong enough, even a basic Great Fireball could be powerful enough to evaporate an entire lake! 

In terms of talent and strength, Sasuke had already reached an exceptional level—far beyond normal standards. And with Hitoshi later granting him the Sun God Seal, the gap in power became even more terrifying. 

But Itachi, who hadn't trained with Sasuke in a long time, had no idea how strong his younger brother had become. So, if Itachi ever strayed from the right path, Sasuke would be the one to set him straight. 

In the end, after seeing Sasuke's performance, Fugaku became even more determined to send more Uchiha black-haired beauties to Hyuga Hitoshi's side. 

As for the troublemakers… 

This was the perfect opportunity to prove Uchiha's strength to Hitoshi and to show everyone that he was a worthy Hokage. He planned to handle it himself. If things got out of hand, he could always ask Hitoshi for help later. 

"I just hope Itachi makes the right choice this time." 

Life is full of choices, and each one shapes a person's future.

This time, Fugaku sincerely wanted his son to understand him. He wanted to correct Itachi's way of thinking once and for all. This was Itachi's last chance. 

The beauty contest ended smoothly, and Orochimaru, who showed up late, somehow placed third after Shisui registered him. He was surprisingly popular. 

But Hyuga Hitoshi had no interest in dealing with that. He quickly reminded Orochimaru that the research department couldn't function without her—just like Uchiha couldn't function without Fugaku. Then, without wasting any time, he grabbed Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Jiri and left the scene. 

What Fugaku didn't know, however, was that the son he had placed so much hope in had once again made the wrong choice—and was heading even further down the wrong path. 

--- 

Land of Fire. 

The ruins of the Fire Temple. 

Ever since the Daimyo was executed five years ago at the Ninja World Conference, both the conservative Guardian Ninja led by Chiriku and the radical faction led by Kazuma had completely vanished. 

Without Chiriku, the Fire Temple had fallen into ruin. No one cared about it anymore, and it had long since been abandoned. 

But an abandoned place had its uses. 

The last time Uchiha Itachi and Sarutobi Asuma met, they had agreed to meet here again. This place had become their secret meeting spot. 

Rustling— 

A figure moved swiftly through the dense forest. Feeling something was off, Uchiha Itachi quickened his pace. 

But when he arrived at the overgrown, desolate courtyard of the Fire Temple, the scene before him made his eyes widen in horror. 

Deadly chains had locked down Asuma's legs—the foundation of his strength. A sharp kunai had already pierced through his broad chest, and blood was spreading across the ground. 

Even so, surrounded by enemies, Asuma still stood tall, refusing to give in. He struggled to fight back. 

As if sensing Itachi's presence, Asuma's eyes lit up despite his severe injuries. He gathered the last of his strength, trying desperately to shout something. 

"Uchi—" 

Shhk! 

But reality was cruel. Before he could finish, a shuriken sliced through his throat. His artery was severed, and blood gushed out like a fountain. 

Watching this unfold, Uchiha Itachi let out a cry of anguish. 

"Asuma!"

The scarlet Three Tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes. As blood-tears streamed down his face, a Mangekyou Sharingan emerged in his pupils—he had awakened a new power! 

But before he could even use it, the people who had ambushed Asuma, seeing that he was as good as dead, decided not to stick around. They had no interest in fighting Itachi and immediately turned to flee. 

Itachi, more concerned about Asuma than chasing them, rushed over and pressed his hands against Asuma's neck, trying to stop the bleeding. But the bright red blood continued to flow. 

"U—" 

Asuma could no longer speak, but he was still trying to tell Itachi something. 

"I understand, Asuma." 

Itachi shook his head, his blood and tears dripping down onto Asuma's face. But as he lay there on the verge of death, Asuma just looked confused. 

Understand what, exactly? 

"It was the Uchiha! They killed you to stop you from interfering with their plan to unseal the Uchiha's ultimate weapon!" 

Itachi's voice was filled with anger. 

Wait, what?! 

That wasn't it at all! 

Sure, those guys were Uchiha, but something about this didn't add up. 

But that didn't matter now. 

Asuma's face had turned dark purple, clearly holding on to his last breath. He didn't want to die—not like this. 

Because this was a massive misunderstanding! 

They were just trying to hand over an unstable weapon to the Hyuga clan for safekeeping and set up an arranged marriage between Hitoshi and Uchiha Hikari. Dude, why do you always assume the worst?! 

He had told Itachi so many times not to judge Uchiha Fugaku this way, not to twist the intentions of the Fifth Hokage. He had warned him again and again—don't jump to conclusions before knowing the truth. 

But Itachi never listened. 

"Go... ask... your father..." 

Using the last bit of strength he had left, Asuma struggled to speak, desperately trying to tell Itachi the truth. 

But— 

"I know! My father is the mastermind behind all of this!" 

Itachi nodded with absolute conviction, his heart filled with sorrow and rage. 

"Don't worry, Asuma! I will carry on your will! I won't let the clan's conspiracy succeed! I'll deal with my father's Mangekyou myself! And I'll put an end to the Uchiha's evil plans!" 

But this time, Asuma didn't respond. 

Itachi looked down. 

Asuma's eyes were wide open, frozen in disbelief. 

At that moment— 

Sarutobi Asuma died. 

Not from blood loss. 

But from sheer frustration. 

Yet in Itachi's eyes, it was a peaceful, dignified departure—a noble sacrifice after passing on his final message. 

And so, in that moment, he made yet another terrible decision. 

What Itachi didn't know was that, watching from afar, Obito and Danzo had fallen completely silent. 

They had planned to smear the Uchiha's name even further and pull Itachi to their side. 

But now… they were just confused. 

"This guy is something else," Obito finally muttered. 

"Yeah," Danzo nodded slightly. "He was born to be a villain."

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