Chapter 83: Meeting the Clan Head

"Okay, now what is the other thing you want to talk about?" Fugaku asked.

"Uncle, do you remember Aunt Aiko?" Shisui asked, once again becoming serious. This time, Fugaku could tell that he was not joking.

"Of course, I remember that dumb girl. She left everything for that Senju. Why do you think I would ever forget her?" Fugaku said.

"Are you still angry about that?" Shisui asked, his head dropping slightly.

"I was never angry, just sad that we had to lose such a genius because of clan politics. But why are you asking about her all of a sudden?" Fugaku said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"As I expected, you do not know about Kaida," Shisui said, shaking his head.

"Are you just going to talk to yourself? I don't have all day, you know," Fugaku said.

"Kaida is the son of Aiko Uchiha and Asami Senju. He not only awakened his Sharingan but is very close to evolving it to a two-tomoe Sharingan. Also, he has enough chakra to be considered a Jonin in the clan," Shisui said in one breath.

"What? Why the hell am I just finding out about this now?" Fugaku asked angrily, already having some idea of the answer.

"I only found out when the third elder called him to join the clan, most likely trying to recruit him into his faction. But since Kaida was in the orphanage after his parents' deaths and was only brought to the Uchiha compound when he awakened his Sharingan, he refused the offer."

"Those fools, still only thinking about increasing their power and nothing else. Now we’ve lost another talent because of them," Fugaku said, his voice even more frustrated.

"No, Uncle, we haven't lost him. As you know, he's my brother, and when I told my mom about him, she made me bring him to our house. After knowing about my mom and me, he agreed to stay here with his friend, a civilian ninja named Yomi. So, for that, I want your permission."

"Hmm, that’s a relief, but I want to meet him first. I just want to check if what you're saying is true or if you’re exaggerating his strength. You can set up a meeting with my secretary."

"But Uncle, he's already here, so if you want, you can meet him now."

"Okay, go call him. Also, tell the secretary to shift my next meeting by half an hour."

"Thank you, Uncle," Shisui said with a small smile and went to call Kaida.

…

Kaida was sitting on the sofa, waiting for Shisui to return.

Shisui went to Kaida and said, "Let's go, brother. The clan head wants to meet you."

Kaida simply nodded and followed Shisui. On the way, he noticed the contrast between the ground floor and the first floor.

It was more modern and secure. In front of some of the rooms, ninjas stood guard. From what Kaida could feel, he knew he wouldn't be able to win against the duo guarding the rooms. If it were a one-on-one fight, he might stand a chance, but Kaida was wrong about that too.

Those ninjas were Jonin-level with three-tomoe Sharingan. They had both experience and power, so even though Kaida had a similar amount of chakra, he wasn't as strong as them.

Also, because they had three-tomoe Sharingan, they had copied many jutsus throughout their lives, making them more versatile in ninjutsu. This further increased the strength gap between Kaida and the guards on the first and second floors.

"Brother, why are such powerful ninjas guarding these rooms?" Kaida asked Shisui.

"You're not qualified to know such details yet, Kaida. I'll tell you when you become an integral part of the Uchiha Clan and your strength increases a little more."

"Okay, brother."

They reached Fugaku's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a deep voice. Kaida could feel the authority in it. He had never met someone with such a leadership aura since coming to this world.

Although he had met Hiruzen many times, Hiruzen always portrayed himself as a grandfather figure to talented children.

In the normal world, leaders often have an air of authority around them. Now imagine how much more intense that aura would be in a world where they were far more powerful than normal humans.

They would subconsciously release an aura of authority, warning others not to mess with them.

This was the feeling Kaida got when he heard Fugaku's voice.

Shisui opened the door, and both of them entered. Kaida noticed that Fugaku looked much younger than he did in the anime.

In just 4-5 years, the Uchiha massacre was supposed to happen, but looking at Fugaku now, he seemed at least 10 years younger than he was in his last moments.

Coming out of his thoughts, Kaida remembered that he was standing in front of one of the most powerful people in Konoha.

"Good afternoon, Clan Leader," Kaida said, bowing slightly. He wasn't afraid, as he had the backing of both Hiruzen and Yukihiro, and somewhat Shisui too, so there wasn't much Fugaku could do against him. Not that Kaida was looking to offend such a powerful ninja.

Also, no one in Konoha knew that he had a Mangekyo Sharingan, which was why he was considered just an elite Jonin-level ninja. He might even be low Kage level, but if you considered the fact that he also had the Mangekyo Sharingan, he could be classified as a low S-Rank ninja.

"Good afternoon," Fugaku said in the same serious tone before continuing, "Shisui said that you want to join the Uchiha clan. Is that true?"

"I want to live with my brother and aunt, and if I have to join the Uchiha clan for that, I don’t have any problem with it," Kaida said, trying not to offend Fugaku, but at the same time not wanting to seem desperate to join the clan.

"Oh! So you're saying that you only want to join the Uchiha clan because of Shisui and your aunt? So, if I allow you to stay with them without joining the clan, you're perfectly fine with that?" Fugaku asked, intrigued by Kaida's response.

"Will I still have permission to learn genjutsu from my brother and ask questions about the Sharingan if I face any issues in the future?" Kaida asked after thinking for a moment.

"I can allow Shisui to teach you basic genjutsu, but not any techniques unique to the Uchiha clan. Also, you won’t be allowed to ask anything about the Sharingan, as you won’t be a part of the clan in that case."

Kaida became silent for a moment, then replied with a determined voice…