Chapter 1 — I Am an Uchiha
Land of Fire, Konoha Village — Uchiha Settlement, Naka Shrine.
Today is the Uchiha clan's monthly gathering.
The purpose of these gatherings is to foster unity among the different factions within the clan, resolve internal disputes, and, incidentally, discuss how to rise into Konoha's upper echelons—or perhaps even claim the title of Hokage.
Although the Uchiha are disliked by Konoha's leadership, the situation hasn't yet escalated to a life-or-death conflict. For now, it's merely mutual disdain.
Bang!
A white-haired, wrinkled Uchiha elder slammed his fist on the table, glaring furiously at the clan head seated at the front. His voice rose into a shrill pitch from sheer indignation.
> "The position of Second Hokage was personally handed to Tobirama Senju by his brother Hashirama!
Because of Kagami Uchiha's death, the Third Hokage seat went to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and now the Fourth belongs to Minato Namikaze!
Whatever happened to our grand plan—'Secure Second, Strive for Third, Aim for Fourth'?
What kind of nonsense plan was that?
Decades have passed, and I haven't even touched the Hokage's chair once!"
The other old men avoided his gaze, suddenly fascinated by the floor or ceiling.
> "What? You're aiming for the Fifth Hokage now?
Minato's only twenty-four! Judging by that baby face, he'll live to fifty at least.
Fifty years?! By then, your sons will already be dead!"
Fugaku Uchiha sighed inwardly, withdrawing his hands from his sleeves and regarding the elder with calm patience.
As clan head, he had seen such outbursts many times before.
The Uchiha's temperaments were notoriously volatile. Some clansmen were so high-strung that they'd challenge his leadership over the smallest slight.
After a pause, Fugaku gestured for the old man to sit. His eyes swept over the hall—every person present was a three-tomoe Sharingan wielder.
> "Elder Ryoichi, please sit."
> "No!"
Uchiha Ryoichi brushed off the command. He stepped toward another elder, seized his collar, and snarled.
> "Old man! Wasn't it you who proposed that 'Secure Second, Strive for Third, Aim for Fourth' plan?"
> "That's right."
> "Then the plan has failed!"
> "Calm down, Ryoichi. I have a follow-up plan."
"A follow-up plan? Your grandfather—"
"My grandfather died following Lord Madara into Konoha!"
Bah!
Wiping the spit from his cheek, Uchiha Asuka stared at the two bickering elders, then gazed up at the ceiling, his mind drifting blank.
He had lived in this ninja world for eighteen years. At first, he was thrilled to realize he'd transmigrated into the Uchiha clan.
But that excitement vanished quickly—by his first birthday, the Second Shinobi War had orphaned him.
By age three, when he discovered he possessed no special abilities, he began plotting an escape from the clan. Maybe he could defect, become a seed agent for another village, and live peacefully.
That idea died fast.
Defecting meant being hunted by both Konoha and the Uchiha. And besides, there was a secret agreement among the Five Great Villages not to harbor rogue ninjas.
Any village that did take him in would likely kill him after extracting his bloodline.
After reading that particular line of history, Asuka couldn't help but suspect Black Zetsu's unseen hand behind it all—perhaps ensuring Indra's lineage never strayed from his control.
Realizing defection was a death sentence, Asuka turned his attention to business.
That, too, failed spectacularly.
The ninja world's "technology tree" was absurd: electricity, chakra power, and wind turbines existed—but the economy still ran on cheap paper and chakra-made tools. Agriculture and medicine were practically magic; who needed machines when ninjas could grow food or heal wounds by hand?
With no hope in commerce, Asuka decided to walk the ninja's path instead.
Everyone said hard work could change destiny.
But in this world, bloodline determined destiny.
As an Uchiha, he had the right genes. He trained diligently, studied hard, mastered the basics, and believed that—at worst—he'd be a strong ninja, maybe not Itachi-level, but certainly capable of protecting himself.
Then came the battlefield.
His first mission in the Third Shinobi World War shattered that illusion.
When Itachi Uchiha saw corpses scattered across the field, he pondered the meaning of life.
When Asuka saw the same sight, he pondered the possibility of immediate defection.
Swords and kunai had no eyes—he had no desire to die.
Itachi's trauma awakened his Sharingan.
Asuka's trauma awakened his survival instinct.
Still, through persistence and circumstance, Asuka climbed the ranks: Academy → Graduation → War → Sharingan → More War → Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
By the war's end, he was one of the few Uchiha Jonin, granted the privilege of attending clan meetings.
"Clan gathering," huh?
Watching the old men bicker, Asuka's lips twitched.
He had expected serious debate—discussions about politics, power, or the Hokage seat.
Instead, it was a circus of senile warriors rehashing the same arguments they'd been making for decades.
Utterly boring.
His stomach growled in protest. Gurgle~
With a sigh, Asuka stood and stepped into the center of the hall.
> "Elders, stop arguing. I have a way for the Uchiha to secure the Fifth Hokage position."
The chatter halted instantly.
All eyes turned toward him—the young Jonin with the audacity to speak.
Ryoichi raised an eyebrow, amused.
> "Oh? Let's hear this grand idea of yours, boy."
"My proposal is simple."
Asuka took a deep breath, rubbing his empty stomach.
"Clan Head Fugaku… why not divorce Lady Mikoto and pursue Lady Tsunade, the current head of the Senju clan?
The Senju have all but vanished—Tsunade is the last of them.
If our two clans unite through marriage, the future Fifth Hokage will surely be an Uchiha.
Our ancestors once dreamed of absorbing the Senju. If you accomplish this, Clan Head, your name will be engraved in the stone tablet itself!"
The hall fell silent.
Even the faintest sound—a pin drop, a cup falling—would've been deafening.
Every elder's gaze darted between Fugaku and Asuka.
Finally, a scar-faced elder rose to his feet.
"A noble Konoha clan… relying on its patriarch to sell his body for power?
Even if I agreed to this disgrace, no one else would—and certainly not the clan head!"
"That's right!"
A one-eyed elder nodded fiercely.
"How dare you suggest mixing Uchiha and Senju blood! Even if our 'Secure Second, Strive for Third, Aim for Fourth' plan failed, that doesn't mean we've given up on the Fifth!"
"Nonsense!"
Ryoichi jabbed a finger at the one-eyed elder, veins bulging.
"When Lord Madara was alive, we aimed for Hokage! But after the village's founding, he and your fathers handed the position to the Senju!
After Madara left Konoha, our sword broke.
Then Uchiha Kagami served as Tobirama's bodyguard—another chance! But he died in the Land of Lightning, and our sword broke again!
Later, we chose another fool to represent us—he fought more losing battles in one year than I visit the toilet! Our reputation fell into the dirt!
Then came the Third War—we finally had a shot at the Fourth Hokage seat, but that freak Minato appeared, and our blades shattered before we could even draw them!"
He paused to catch his breath, then pointed again.
"And now you want to aim for the Fifth?
Fine! If the clan head can become Hokage by selling his body, I'll accept it. But when I meet Lord Madara in the Pure Land, I'll personally explain everything!"
As the hall split into two arguing factions, Asuka quietly backed toward the door and slipped outside.
Tsk tsk.
Watching the chaos behind him, he couldn't help smirking.
The Uchiha were brilliant—but utterly insane. Their meetings always devolved into either philosophy or fistfights. His proposal had at least given them something new to scream about.
"Crazy…" he muttered.
With that, Asuka vanished into the night.
He planned to pack his belongings, witness the Fourth Hokage's wedding, and then disappear from Konoha for good.
No more stubbornness. I've changed.
(End of Chapter)