Wen Lan strolled into the clan head's courtyard and saw Uchiha Fugaku sitting there drinking tea, while Uchiha Mikoto was carefully grinding tea leaves.
Wen Lan really couldn't understand it. You could just steep the leaves in hot water—why did the Japanese insist on grinding everything into powder until it looked like soup?
He walked over and plopped himself down in a chair without ceremony. Mikoto smiled gently when she saw him.
"Wen Lan is here."
"Aunt Mikoto, Clan Head," Wen Lan greeted them, taking the tea from Mikoto's hands. "Thanks."
"You've brought me quite a big headache," Fugaku said, setting his teacup down and looking at Wen Lan.
"The Rinnegan—pretty rare, huh?" Wen Lan curled his lips slightly.
"Hmph. Rare things mean trouble," Fugaku snorted. Still, he didn't intend to dwell on it.
After all, the people were brought back by Namikaze Minato, and he had no grounds to pursue the matter aggressively.
There was, however, one thing that had been bothering him deeply—how Wen Lan had known he'd awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
At first, Fugaku hadn't wanted to ask. But the more he thought about it, the more curious he became, and finally he spoke up.
Wen Lan took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Clan Head, what you know might actually be less than what I know."
He opened his Sharingan and pointed at his own eyes.
"Special dōjutsu abilities don't exist only with the Mangekyō."
"Your three-tomoe Sharingan has a unique ability too?" Fugaku frowned slightly.
"Yes," Wen Lan nodded. "My eyes are special. I can see the future."
Clatter—
Fugaku's pupils shrank violently. Mikoto dropped the teacup onto the table, staring at Wen Lan in shock.
Wen Lan looked quietly at the two of them as tea steam slowly rose.
"Clan Head, there are some things I can't explain clearly. You just need to know that everything I do is for the sake of the Uchiha."
Fugaku fell silent for a long time. His fingers trembled faintly before he finally spoke in a low voice,
"If that's really the case… then what will the Uchiha's future be?"
"You heard what I said that day too, didn't you?" Wen Lan replied.
I saw the future—under your 'wise leadership,' the entire clan dies out.
Those words Wen Lan had spoken that day echoed in Fugaku's mind, making his heart pound every time he recalled them.
"Was what I did… wrong?" Fugaku's fingers dug deeply into his palm, his voice hoarse as torn cloth.
In truth, the moment he had backed down when Wen Lan forcefully reclaimed his ninja blade, a crack had already appeared in his heart.
But hearing Wen Lan say this today shattered it completely.
His Mangekyō Sharingan had only lit up once—never again after that.
Yet Wen Lan knew its secret.
Because of that, Fugaku found it impossible not to believe Wen Lan's claim of seeing the future.
"If you can see the future," Fugaku asked, lifting his head, bloodshot eyes staring at Wen Lan,
"why not just tell me directly what I should do?"
"If I told you outright," Wen Lan said, tracing circles along the rim of his teacup with one finger,
"wouldn't you have just thought I was insane? Besides, my three-tomoe Sharingan awakened on the Kirigakure battlefield. After that, it was nonstop warfare—when would I have had the chance to talk?"
Fugaku fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded helplessly.
"Wen Lan… when you grow up, you should take over as clan head."
"???"
Wen Lan stared at Fugaku in shock, then sprang to his feet.
"What the hell?! Uchiha Fugaku, that's repaying kindness with betrayal!"
Fugaku's previously gloomy eyes instantly widened. He glared at Wen Lan angrily.
"You brat, you're getting more and more disrespectful! By seniority you're my nephew, by position I'm your clan head—and you dare call me by name?"
Wen Lan pouted.
"What's so great about being a clan head? You have to think about the entire clan, everything's restrictive.
Forget clan head—even if you gave me the Hokage position, I wouldn't take it!
Up earlier than a chicken, sleep later than a dog—even a dog wouldn't want that job!"
The last four words made Fugaku's veins bulge. He slammed the table, grabbed his teacup, and hurled it at Wen Lan.
"Get out!"
Wen Lan quickly dodged. Only then did he realize what he'd said—wasn't he basically calling Fugaku a dog?
Mikoto, instead of worrying, covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Wen Lan gave an awkward grin.
"Ahaha… Don't be mad! Sorry, sorry~ But I still have three serious matters to discuss."
Fugaku snorted and sat back down, his expression still dark.
Wen Lan's smile vanished as he spoke solemnly:
"First: from now on, aside from Uchiha clansmen, anyone—including ANBU or even the Hokage—who approaches the clan grounds without reporting first is to be killed on the spot!"
Fugaku frowned.
"Does that include Minato and your little girlfriend?"
"Uh…" Wen Lan scratched his head awkwardly. "They're exceptions."
He then continued,
"Second: in a remote, rarely visited area within the clan lands, build a secret chamber. It must be completed within three days.
"I can't explain the details, but the fewer people who know about it, the better. Once it's finished, no one is allowed near it—including you."
At this point, Wen Lan's expression turned deadly serious.
Fugaku's eyelids twitched. He could tell Wen Lan was planning something big, but when he thought of those eyes that could see the future, he finally nodded.
"…Third, I plan to leave Konoha for a while in the next couple of days."
"What are you going to do?" Fugaku frowned sharply, rejection almost spilling out of his expression.
"To find a few people. Don't worry—nothing major," Wen Lan said calmly, though his tone carried firm resolve.
Fugaku thought for a moment, then said,
"Take Uchiha Shisui with you."
"Uh…" Wen Lan looked at Fugaku speechlessly.
But after thinking about Shisui's 'gets sold out and still helps count the money' personality, it might actually be better to take him along.
Otherwise, things might end up like in the original story—brainwashed by the Third Hokage.
Even though Minato had become a Hokage candidate, Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't stepped down yet. There was still some time before Minato officially became the Fourth Hokage.
"Alright," Wen Lan agreed.
After finishing the discussion, Wen Lan left the clan head's courtyard and returned to his own home.
When he opened the door, he saw Pakura sitting by the pond, playing with the water again…
Wen Lan truly felt Sunagakure's obsession with water now. She'd been away from the desert for so long, yet whenever she had nothing to do, she still sat by the pond.
Hearing movement behind her, Pakura stood up and flicked the water droplets from her hands. She turned toward Wen Lan with a gentle smile in her eyes.
"You're back. You probably haven't eaten yet—I saved some food for you."
Wen Lan rubbed his stomach. He really hadn't eaten, so he nodded.
"Alright, thanks."
Pakura went inside to heat up the food, while Wen Lan headed to the bathroom to wash up.
His house had a proper bathing room. He used to enjoy soaking in a wooden tub while staring at the sky—but ever since Pakura moved in, that habit had quietly disappeared.
After finishing his bath, Wen Lan came out wearing a robe. Pakura was just bringing the dishes out of the kitchen. When she saw him like that, she froze for a moment—then let out a soft laugh.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer