Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

The fastest to ever graduate from the Ninja Academy was Uchiha Shisui. He enrolled at the age of five and graduated in the same year. Though what awaited him after graduation was the darkest period of his life, it was seen as a glimmer of hope for the Uchiha clan.

His achievement surpassed even Tatsuya and the Sannin of Konoha, who also completed their schooling in a single year. Today, another genius has followed in his footsteps—Uchiha Itachi. Like Shisui, Itachi is hailed as a prodigy, a rising genius of the Uchiha clan. The two young geniuses embody the Uchiha Clan's greatest hopes of one day becoming Hokage.

There are even whispers among the Uchiha, speculating who among Shisui or Itachi will one day become Hokage. These rumors have reached the ears of both prodigies.

On a cliff behind the Uchiha training field, not far from Naka Shrine, Shisui and Itachi sit together. Itachi, who has just received his forehead protector, listens as Shisui speaks.

"Hokage..." Shisui's voice carries a tone of longing and ambition as he utters the word. "Itachi, do you want to become Hokage?"

Itachi's youthful yet serious face reflects a moment of hesitation. He furrows his brow slightly before replying, "...I'm not sure. Until now, I've only followed my father's wishes. If he wanted me to become Hokage, for the sake of the clan... and the village, I would."

He had already begun to see the growing divide between the Uchiha clan and the village. Becoming Hokage might be the only way to bridge that gap. If it meant uniting the two, Itachi was willing to take on that responsibility and the hardships that came along with it.

"It's a pity. The title of Fifth Hokage won't go to a Uchiha, but maybe we can aim for the Sixth," Shisui remarked, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Itachi frowned, confused by his words. "What do you mean, Shisui?"

Without hesitation, Shisui explained, "Tsunade-sama's enthusiasm for being Hokage is nearly exhausted. She might step down soon."

He then posed a question, "If Lady Tsunade does abdicate, who do you think will take her place?"

Itachi paused for a moment, considering his response. "Tatsuya-sama doesn't seem interested in the position of Hokage, so it would likely be one of two people: Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo-sama, or The Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato."

Though he had a guess, Itachi was cautious not to mention his father's name.

Shisui nodded but looked thoughtful as his gaze drifted to the river below the cliff. "Yeah, I can't imagine what would happen if Tsunade-sama steps down and no Uchiha claims the title of Fifth Hokage."

He sighed, his voice dropping as he added, "In the worst case... a rebellion might break out."

Itachi's eyes widened in shock. "What?! That can't happen!"

Shisui's expression turned grim as he shook his head. "If the Nine Tails incident hadn't happened, the people might've been dissatisfied at most. But things are different now. The tension is higher."

With a bitter smile, he added, "To start a civil war after finally winning peace—it would be foolish."

Itachi's voice was firm, brimming with righteousness. "It would be senseless to break out in conflict over something like this!"

His tone shifted, filled with urgency as he asked, "Is there a way to stop it?"

Shisui stroked his chin, lost in thought for a few moments before looking at Itachi seriously. "Itachi, can you join the police force?"

Itachi's expression shifted, clearly startled by the suggestion.

The Uchiha Police Force, composed entirely of ninjas from the Uchiha clan, maintained order in the village. It had also become a hub for many of the clan's more radical members.

As soon as Shisui brought it up, Itachi understood his meaning. Shisui wanted him to join the police force to keep an eye on and control the radicals within the Uchiha clan.

"Alright, I understand," Itachi said, nodding without hesitation.

Shisui extended his fist toward Itachi. "You'll be in the police force, and I'll be in Anbu. Together, we can use our positions to prevent a tragedy from happening."

For the first time in a while, Itachi allowed himself a small smile. He nodded and bumped his fist against Shisui's, a silent promise shared between them.

...

...

"Do you think this will solve the problem?" Tatsuya asked quietly, reclining on the back of his Summoning beast, a large husky. It had been only a few hours since he heard Shisui's report.

Shisui had joined Anbu, and now Itachi was going to be part of the police force. This was completely divergent from the original timeline... but it didn't matter to Tatsuya.

Shisui, looking troubled, responded with a bitter expression, "No? Won't it?"

Tatsuya sighed, "I don't know." The plot had veered off its course, and even he couldn't predict where things would go from here.

"The only thing I can do is stop the Uchiha rebellion if it comes to that..." Tatsuya yawned lazily. Unlike Danzo, he wasn't out to actively target the Uchiha. But if they did choose the path of rebellion, he wouldn't hold back.

Shisui's face darkened, but his voice was resolute. "We won't let that happen! We'll prevent the tragedy!"

"Don't be so sure." Tatsuya stood up, his tone matter-of-fact. "The seeds of conflict between the village and the Uchiha were planted long before you were born."

He stretched and turned to leave. "Follow me."

"Huh? Wait... what?" Shisui blinked, confused. "Where are we going?"

"To the Amegakure," Tatsuya replied.

"Why are we going to the Rain Village?" Shisui asked instinctively.

Thwack!

In response, Tatsuya knocked him lightly on the forehead, causing Shisui to flinch. "Why do you ask so many questions? Just follow along!"

Shisui, with a pained expression, rubbed the bump on his head which resembled the cartoonish bumps seen on Luffy or Shin-chan after facing the wrath of an angry woman. Silently, he fell in step behind Tatsuya, following without a word.

Master Tatsuya asked me to accompany him... does that mean I've become his trusted confidant? Shisui couldn't help but indulge in the thought, feeling a bit proud.

However, as if reading his mind, Tatsuya doused his brief moment of self-satisfaction with a cold remark, "Don't overthink it. Tsunade refused to let those girls come with me, so I had no choice but to drag you along to run errands."

Shisui's expression instantly shifted to one of a bewildered husky. So much for being special... he thought, inwardly sighing at his misplaced enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya casually glanced at the secret letter delivered to him earlier that morning by a Summoning snake. The letter came from Orochimaru, who claimed that the Akatsuki had attempted to recruit him. Although previously rejected by the organization, Orochimaru expressed a newfound interest in their plans and decided to join them.

Tatsuya, however, had his plans. His objective was to head to the Rain Village and eliminate Nagato—specifically, to destroy the Rinnegan, which had originally belonged to Uchiha Madara. That eye was a key element in the success of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's millennia-old resurrection plan.

If I destroy that, a whole chain of troublesome events can be avoided, Tatsuya thought. He knew that while it wasn't impossible to face future threats like Six Paths Obito, Six Paths Madara, or even Kaguya herself, it would be far easier to cut things off at the source.

They've made themselves targets, he mused with a smirk. It would be a shame not to take them down now, wouldn't it?

---

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