Chapter 501: Is There No Other Teacher in Konoha? Why Must It Be Takuya?

A from the Hidden Cloud Village was truly a walking treasure chest.

"Damn it!!"

Unfortunately, the so-called treasure chest himself wasn't feeling even remotely happy.

What he thought would be an exhilarating duel—a chance to humiliate Takuya—had turned into nothing more than a moneymaking scheme for Konoha.

When A heard the news, he was so angry his nose nearly went crooked.

What made it worse? Konoha wasn't handing out tickets—not even to guests. If you wanted to watch, you had to buy a ticket. No exceptions.

A felt a surge of anger so intense it left him choking. The frustration was unbearable.

Dodai had no choice but to calm A down repeatedly while sending people to grab tickets as fast as possible.

Yes, grab tickets. If you were even a bit slow, you wouldn't get one.

Never underestimate people's desire to join the excitement and watch a spectacle.

If concerts could attract massive crowds, how much more so would a duel between two rising stars from different villages? Missing this kind of event would be a lifetime regret.

Buy them!

They had to buy them!!

"Do you think Sensei's eyes are really—"

"Impossible!!"

Konan was so furious she punched Yahiko straight on the head.

With a loud "thud," Yahiko slammed onto the table, clutching his head and groaning in pain.

Usually, Nagato would step in to mediate, but this time, he just watched Yahiko take the hit with a cold gaze.

"It was just a guess—a guess! Why did you hit me? Ow, that hurts!" Yahiko whined, rubbing the sore spot.

Konan puffed up her cheeks and raised her fist again.

"Guessing is unacceptable! Sensei's eyes are perfectly fine. How could they be blind? That guy A must be talking nonsense!"

Nagato, aren't you going to say something?

Yahiko glanced at Nagato pleadingly, hoping for intervention. But Nagato just smiled faintly, clearly enjoying the show.

Traitor! Yahiko thought, holding his head and dodging Konan's punches.

After giving Yahiko a solid beating, Konan finally calmed down.

Only then did Nagato casually add, "Although Sensei is covering his eyes, my sensing ability tells me they don't show any signs of blindness."

A blind person's eyes would be lifeless. Even with something covering them, Nagato's Rinnegan could confirm this wasn't the case with Takuya.

In other words, Takuya's eyes were fine.

"See? I told you Sensei's fine!" Konan huffed, glaring at Yahiko.

Yahiko smiled wryly. "We already bought tickets, so we'll see for ourselves tomorrow. I wonder how strong Sensei really is. Those tickets were ridiculously expensive."

The cost of three tickets made Yahiko's heart ache.

Despite Akatsuki's outwardly impressive image and the financial support they received from the Rain Country's daimyo, most of their funds were used for weaponry and disaster relief.

While they seemed prosperous on the surface, the organization was secretly broke.

"Watching Sensei's battle is worth any ticket price," Nagato said matter-of-factly.

Konan nodded in agreement.

Feeling outnumbered, Yahiko decided to keep his distance from his two companions, who were still fired up. Otherwise, he risked more punches.

Meanwhile, a drunk Tsunade arrived at the Uchiha compound with Sakumo Hatake in tow.

Uchiha Fugaku was taken aback but courteously welcomed them.

"Greetings, my lords."

Seeing Uchiha Itachi bowing respectfully, Tsunade said in surprise, "This is your son, Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yes," Fugaku replied with a rare, proud smile.

"Though young, Itachi has always been gifted. He picks things up quickly, and I'm considering finding him a teacher."

"Itachi, go play for now," Fugaku instructed.

"Yes, Father."

With his father's permission, Itachi left obediently, planning to find his friend, Uchiha Shisui, to play together.

Due to changes in Uchiha Mikoto's circumstances, Fugaku had remarried earlier than in the original timeline, which meant Itachi was born a few years earlier. As a result, he was now the same age as Shisui rather than being his elder brother.

"As an Uchiha, it shouldn't be difficult to find a suitable teacher for your son," Tsunade commented.

Instead of replying, Sakumo gave a polite but vague response, smiling slightly.

Unlike the Hatake clan, which was small and had limited options, the Uchiha clan had many strong jōnin to choose from. If one teacher didn't work out, they could simply try another.

Are you playing the mystic on me now? Fugaku thought, his lips twitching slightly.

"Fugaku is curious—why hasn't Lord Sakumo personally mentored Kakashi?" he asked bluntly.

"Ahem!!"

Sakumo hadn't expected Fugaku, normally so reserved, to strike back like this. Was this the same man?

It seemed that when it came to their children, even the most reserved individuals could show their sharp side.

The same was true for both Sakumo and Fugaku.

Tsunade: Why are all of you fixated on Takuya?

Fugaku's intentions were clear—he wanted Takuya as Itachi's teacher.

Normally, he wouldn't have to voice such a request; the Uchiha clan had no shortage of strong mentors.

This meant he was eyeing someone outside the clan.

Within Konoha, there were very few people suitable to mentor someone like Itachi.

"I won't interfere in such matters," Tsunade said, shaking her head and politely rejecting Fugaku's proposal. If he wanted Takuya as a teacher, he could approach him directly.

"What if this is an additional condition for the Uchiha's allegiance?" Fugaku countered, meeting Tsunade's gaze directly.

What?!

Tsunade's frustration grew.

Still, she decided to address the primary matter first. After some thought, she said, "Clan leader Fugaku, I believe you already understand our intentions. The conditions should be clear to everyone. I can promise that there will be no deliberate targeting of the Uchiha as long as you remain stable.

"As for the Uchiha's position in the Elders' Council, the appropriate authority can be returned."

She's agreeing to all of this?

Fugaku was surprised by Tsunade's straightforwardness. She had laid everything he wanted on the table at once.

The removal of discriminatory policies against the Uchiha and the restoration of their rightful authority in the Elders' Council—these were the goals Fugaku had been striving for.

As for some Uchiha members dreaming of becoming Hokage, Fugaku had never taken such ambitions seriously.

He knew all too well how difficult it was for an Uchiha to achieve that position—it was practically impossible.

Since that goal was out of reach, it was better to focus on securing tangible benefits.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Even if it meant making some compromises, the Uchiha clan had to secure these benefits.

"Clan leader Fugaku," Tsunade added, giving a subtle warning, "Konoha needs a stable Uchiha clan. After all, you are part of Konoha. Internal chaos benefits no one."

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DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING