Chapter 89 089: Taiga's Diary
Uchiha Fugaku didn't consider this condition to be much of a hurdle. In fact, he had mentally prepared himself before even coming here.
Yes, he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. It happened during his recent deployment to the battlefield.
Originally, Fugaku believed that with two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan—his own and Uchiha Taiga's—the Uchiha clan would no longer have any issues dealing with the village's targeted hostility.
However, he never expected to return and find out that Taiga had left the village, completely dashing his plans.
Fortunately, they now had Uchiha Setsuna's Mangekyo Sharingan. Even with its impaired vision, it was still a Mangekyo.
Not to mention, with the assistance of Orochimaru, the Hokage, Fugaku could find no reason to refuse.
Therefore, he agreed without hesitation.
Hearing this, Orochimaru grinned. Without wasting any words, he handed over the diary.
"Before you read it, I should give you a warning."
Orochimaru licked his lips, a hint of amusement in his golden, slit-like eyes. "You won't find many kind words in Taiga's diary."
Fugaku took the diary, his fingers pausing on the cover.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll understand once you read it. It's best to keep an open mind," Orochimaru cautioned again.
Fugaku was actually mentally prepared.
Given Taiga's usual personality, it would be a miracle if he wrote anything nice in his diary.
Ever since he was a child, that boy had never respected anyone. Whether it was the clan, the village, or the Hokage, he always criticized and mocked them whenever he pleased.
What kind of gentle thoughts could possibly be written in his diary?
Yet, when Fugaku opened the first page, the corner of his eye still twitched.
The first entry was dated a certain sunny day six years ago.
*'Today, Uchiha Fugaku brought people over to show some warmth. They called it showing warmth, but it was really just an attempt to win me over. I know exactly what he's thinking. He's entirely focused on strengthening the Uchiha, but in reality, he's all bark and no bite. He's been the clan head for so many years, but what else can he do besides hold meetings, give speeches, and put on airs? The clan gets targeted, and he endures it. The Police Force gets infiltrated by the ANBU, and he endures it. The clan members' treatment drops again and again, and he still endures it. Endure, endure, endure—he's going to endure until he drives the entire Uchiha clan into a dead end. With this kind of person as the clan head, the Uchiha are hopeless.'*
Fugaku's hand trembled slightly.
He took a deep breath and turned to the second entry.
*'Today, I heard a few clan members gossiping behind my back again, saying I don't see the big picture and don't fit in. Heh, their idea of the big picture is unconditionally obeying the clan's arrangements, and fitting in means being a coward just like them. Each person in the Uchiha clan is more delusional than the last. They constantly shout about Uchiha glory, but when it comes time to actually do something, they all freeze up. They only know how to resort to violence, whether it's against their own people or outsiders. No wonder they're so unpopular in the village. A clan like this is doomed sooner or later.'*
Fugaku's brow furrowed even tighter, but he suppressed his emotions and continued flipping through the pages.
The subsequent diary entries covered a wide variety of topics.
There were complaints about the Hokage, the advisors, the ANBU, and the various systems and unspoken rules within the village.
The language was sharp, sarcastic, and merciless, yet every single sentence accurately hit a sore spot.
*'The Third Hokage's Will of Fire is somewhat useful, but not much. A Will of Fire that is spoken of but never acted upon is completely meaningless. Doesn't the Third constantly talk about protecting the village? Is this the result of that protection? He shouts slogans loud enough to shake the heavens, but he can't solve a single practical problem.'*
*'The essence of a village being a village is that everyone's interests align. When someone within it feels their interests are being harmed, it means there's a problem with the village. You either completely eliminate the outlier, or you find a way to align their interests. Shimura Danzo's core idea isn't wrong; maintaining the village's stability is correct. But his methods are absolute garbage. The man has something wrong with his head. All he knows is murder and arson, schemes and trickery. The way someone like him does things will only escalate conflicts.'*
*'The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, lacks drive. He is more than capable of maintaining the status quo but lacks the initiative to push forward. He is suited to be a village chief in times of peace, not a leader in times of chaos. Unfortunately, the ninja world has never been peaceful.'*
Fugaku's hand stopped moving.
He looked up and glanced at Orochimaru. Orochimaru was leaning against a desk, arms crossed over his chest, watching him with a smiling expression.
"This was... written when he was eight?"
Fugaku's voice was a little hoarse.
Orochimaru nodded.
"That's right, Clan Head Fugaku. Don't you find it incredible that Taiga could write something like this at the age of eight?"
Fugaku didn't answer. He lowered his head and continued reading.
The following entries were even more profound.
They contained analyses of the ninja world's political landscape, evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of various hidden villages, reflections on different ninjutsu systems, and visions for the village's future development.
In some places, there were simple charts and diagrams, using arrows and lines to map out various logical relationships.
*'What would I do if I were Hokage? Step one: curtail the power of the advisors; the Hokage must hold absolute authority. Step two: abolish the existence of Root; the ANBU must report directly to the Hokage. Step three: reform the mission assignment system to give capable ninjas more opportunities. Step four: push for educational reform in the Ninja Academy, no longer solely training combat-oriented ninjas, but also cultivating professionals in medical, intelligence, and logistics fields. Step five: establish a regular communication mechanism with the various ninja clans, bringing conflicts to the table instead of playing petty tricks behind their backs. And finally, the most important point: develop productivity! A ninja's role shouldn't only be reflected in combat. A power like chakra should be used to boost productivity.'*
*'The foundation of human existence is productivity. Without productivity, everything is in vain. Ninjas possess this miraculous power called chakra, yet they only use it for slaughter. It's truly brain-dead. The First Hokage was a moron. The Second Hokage was a bit smarter, but he was still missing a screw; the ninjutsu he developed only focused on killing enemies. Otherwise, with the Second's intellect, he absolutely could have developed ninjutsu to increase crop yields, but unfortunately, he just didn't do it. The Third... forget it, he's just blind.'*
*'As for whether these visions can be achieved, that has to be taken one step at a time. If it can't be done in one step, break it into ten. If it can't be done in ten, break it into a hundred. The most crucial part of making a mark in this world is actually stepping out to do it. If you do nothing, you will never succeed.'*
*'Konoha's current problem isn't that its enemies are too strong, but that the village itself is too rotten.'*
*'Sure enough, in this ninja world where everyone is competing to see who is the worst, as long as you are slightly better than the rest, you become a beacon in the eyes of others. Konoha... heh heh heh.'*
Fugaku closed the diary.
His hands were trembling even more violently now.
Orochimaru watched him and said softly, "Do you see it now? Compared to you, and even to all of us, Taiga's way of thinking is far beyond our own. He should have been a natural-born leader, but unfortunately... heh heh heh..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was perfectly clear.
Uchiha Taiga's existence should have been a miracle for Konoha. But unfortunately, his surname was Uchiha. He had been unique since childhood and was ostracized by the people in his own clan, which fostered his apathetic personality.
To the point that now, with Taiga leaving the village, he had completely drawn a line between himself and Konoha.
Fugaku remained silent for a long time. He handed the diary back to Orochimaru and let out a long breath.
"Lord Hokage, what is your intention in telling me all this?"
Orochimaru took the diary and placed it back inside his robes.
"What I want to say is, Clan Head Fugaku, although Taiga is gone, his ideas remain. The problems he mentioned still exist. And the methods he proposed are still effective."
He walked up to Fugaku, looking directly into his eyes.
"If the Uchiha clan wants to change, you cannot rely on waiting; you must rely on action. I can help you restore the Mangekyo Sharingan, but I cannot help you change the Uchiha. That is something you must do yourselves."
Fugaku looked into Orochimaru's eyes. There was no calculation in those golden, slit-like pupils, only a sense of calm.
He took a deep breath.
"I understand."
He turned around and walked toward the door, pausing just as he reached it.
"Lord Orochimaru."
"Hmm?"
"The Uchiha clan will make changes. If possible, I would like to send out personnel to search for Taiga."
Hearing this, Orochimaru chuckled softly. "My personal advice is that it would be best if you didn't do that."
Fugaku turned back around. "Why?"
Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged. "Because you still don't understand Taiga. That child sees things far more clearly than you do."
As he spoke, as if thinking of something, his smile widened slightly.
"Just watch. I imagine it won't be long before news about Taiga makes its way back here. And it might just be something massive."