The sudden arrival of an entire clan in vast numbers…
Shikamaru could already vividly imagine the chaos this would unleash. He had seen the impact just the Kage from various eras appearing had on a village. Look at the other four Great Shinobi Villages – the moment Kage from the past showed up, they practically seized control of the village government on the spot.
Konoha hadn't succumbed to the same fate for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, wasn't someone particularly greedy for power, nor was he excessively domineering. Secondly, Konoha's current Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, was incredibly powerful himself, strong enough to stand against any of the previous Hokage. While the current Mizukage was similarly capable, unfortunately for Kirigakure, the previous Mizukage weren't exactly supportive of the current leader's ideals, even ganging up on them. Such divisions inevitably led to internal conflict among the Kage within the village.
But now, something even more terrifying was happening: entire families were appearing!
Infighting among Kage might be fierce, the scale of their battles undoubtedly terrifying – they were all Kage-level shinobi, after all. However, the upheaval caused by a clan could potentially overturn the entire village structure. Ultimately, besides the civilian population, the most crucial foundation of any village lies in its clans. These families are the true bedrock, the source of a village's heritage and strength.
Watching the massive crowd of Uchiha clan members materialize before him, Shikamaru recognized that although they were from the past, figuring out how to settle them now was a major problem. The current Uchiha clan compound couldn't possibly accommodate so many people.
As Shikamaru wrestled with this headache, he noticed something else among the current Uchiha members present. Several were weeping tears of overwhelming joy, openly sobbing as they gazed upon their kin returning from bygone eras. This sight filled Shikamaru with even greater apprehension.
The Uchiha...
"What in the world is going on? Where are we?"
"Is this Konoha too?"
"How could Konoha look like this?!"
"This doesn't seem like the Konoha Village we remember!"
"Isshin, why are you here? Weren't you dead?"
"Morita, you've grown up?"
The Uchiha members arriving from the past weren't all from the same era, or even the same specific point in time. Each individual seemed to have been pulled from a different moment. Altogether, a rough estimate placed their numbers in the thousands.
Thousands... that was more than the Uchiha clan even had during its peak! Easily five to six thousand Uchiha clan members had appeared, including seven distinct clan heads from different generations.
These seven patriarchs quickly began interacting with each other. They rapidly pieced together that some bizarre phenomenon must have occurred, causing Uchiha clan heads from different times to manifest here simultaneously.
Amidst the crowd, one figure stood out starkly to Sasuke.
That man!
It's him!
Uchiha Fugaku lifted his head, his gaze locking onto Sasuke, who stood atop the Hokage tower. The instant their eyes met, Fugaku's own eyes welled up. Perhaps Sasuke had been too young when Fugaku died, looking nothing like the man he was now. But no matter how much time passed, how many years went by, a father could still pick out his son in a crowd at first glance.
Furthermore, seeing Naruto, dressed in the Hokage's attire and cloak, with Sasuke standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside him... it seemed that even though the Uchiha clan had been decimated, Sasuke himself was doing well.
That was enough for Fugaku.
Sasuke's strength must also be considerable, he reasoned. Otherwise, among so many shinobi, why was Sasuke the only one standing beside the Hokage, while all the others followed respectfully behind?
"Sasuke!" Fugaku whispered the name under his breath.
In the next instant, however, Sasuke appeared directly in front of Fugaku.
Staring at the man before him – so familiar, yet so fundamentally estranged – Sasuke felt unsure how to react. After all, he was merely a transmigrator, not the original Sasuke. He didn't truly possess any father-son feelings for the man standing before him. Under normal circumstances, he should be overcome with emotion. But try as he might, Sasuke couldn't force himself to feel that.
"I didn't expect you'd end up in this era because of the chaos too," Sasuke said instead.
Chaos?
Fugaku paused for a second, then a smile touched his lips. "Whatever the reason, just being able to see you again is enough."
Saying this, Fugaku lowered his head slightly. How could a father let his son see him cry?
"Clan Head Fugaku, who is this?" a nearby clansman asked.
Hearing the title "Clan Head," the other Uchiha patriarchs from different eras turned their attention towards them. Having arrived in an unfamiliar time, it was logical for these leaders from disparate periods to gather immediately and discuss how the Uchiha clan should proceed.
"Clan Head Fugaku?"
"That's Lord Itachi's father, the previous head of the Uchiha clan!" several members of the current Uchiha generation chimed in, drawing closer. A major reason they approached was, of course, Sasuke's presence. Although Sasuke wasn't the current clan head, he was Itachi's younger brother and, undeniably, the strongest Uchiha alive today. One might even argue he was the strongest Uchiha in history. With Sasuke there, they felt a greater sense of security.
"Lord Sasuke, is this truly your father, the previous Uchiha Clan Head?" one asked.
Sasuke nodded in confirmation.
Seeing these few remaining clan members, Fugaku grew more perplexed. "Does the Uchiha clan... still exist, Sasuke?"
"Ah. It exists," Sasuke replied. "But there are less than ten of us left now."
"We're just a small family in Konoha these days."
Hearing this, Fugaku felt no sorrow. Instead, a wave of relief washed over him. "That's good, that's really good!"
"Being a small family isn't bad. A small family doesn't become a target!"
As they were speaking, the other clan heads from past eras approached.
"You're a clan head too, aren't you? Fugaku? Never heard the name. Must be a later generation leader. Is this your son?" one of them asked, their tone carrying an air of superiority. It seemed the Uchiha were quite powerful in their time, leading them to adopt such a manner of speaking habitually.
A current Uchiha member quickly interjected, "Honorable Clan Head, this is Lord Sasuke. While he isn't our current clan head, he is the younger brother of the head, and also... the strongest member of the Uchiha clan today!"
Hearing this, the visiting clan heads scrutinized Sasuke from top to bottom.
"The strongest Uchiha of the current era, hmm?"
"So young! It seems the further down the generations, the weaker our clansmen become!" one remarked dismissively.
Sasuke merely offered a faint smile.
Just then, Naruto descended from above.
"Sasuke, these are all your clansmen. I'll leave them to you," Naruto stated. Despite the overwhelming numbers, Naruto figured entrusting the situation to Sasuke was the best course of action.
Sasuke nodded. "Since you're leaving it to me, then I'll handle it my way, Naruto."
"Alright!" Naruto agreed readily.
The various Uchiha clan heads from history watched the exchange, noting the apparent closeness between Sasuke and the Hokage. They found it strange; when had Konoha's Uchiha become so friendly with the Hokage?
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