Half an hour later, after a quick wash and change, Senya arrived at the shrine gates.
"I heard the clan head had a boy. They named him Uchiha Itachi."
"Fugaku's talent is incredible. His child should be no worse."
"Yeah, we have not had a clan head in years. The last one was..."
"Shh. Quiet. Are you crazy, saying that out loud."
"..."
Senya glanced at the flow of people, stopped listening, flashed his Guard Tower token, and entered the shrine.
He took a seat in a corner and sank into thought.
By the timeline, the Third Kazekage would vanish any day now.
Sasori, starved of parental love, blamed the Kazekage's neglect for his parents' deaths.
That disappearance would become the spark for the Third Great Ninja War.
Kumogakure would strike at Sunagakure, and chaos would spread as other villages joined in.
"Obito is already marked by Madara."
On personal grounds alone, Senya would not watch Obito get used and discarded.
Let the boy chase his dream as a willful youth.
He and Madara would clash sooner or later. Only a matter of time.
In his current state, Senya did not fear Madara.
By now the old man was living on borrowed embers.
When he came back, Senya might already have reached the Sage tier.
...
Elsewhere, beneath the shrine's lantern glow, Fugaku appeared in formal dress with a rare smile.
The joy of a first child.
"Ha, I have a son."
Watching Mikoto dress the baby, he could not help rubbing Itachi's soft cheeks.
"Say Papa."
Mikoto sighed and laughed.
"Fugaku, Itachi is only a few days old. He cannot speak."
"You never know. My son might be extraordinary."
Like every father, he wished to see his child soar.
"Clan head, everything is ready. Everyone has arrived."
A reminder came from the door.
At that moment, the panels slid open and the Great Elder strode in with bright eyes.
Childless himself, he looked on the chubby newborn with real fondness.
After a playful tease, his gaze turned solemn.
"Fugaku, this is your first formal address as clan head. Show a leader's gravity."
"And the borders are tense. Kumogakure and Kirigakure have reinforced their lines several times."
"War is coming again. You have just become clan head, so you must go."
Fugaku's face sharpened.
"I understand, Great Elder."
He knew the intent. War was a duty and an opportunity to rally the clan and build his own faction. Those people would be his backbone.
He glanced at Mikoto, then walked toward the front hall amid a ring of retainers.
...
"Congratulations, clan head."
"Blessings on your son."
"..."
With Fugaku's arrival, the hall swelled into a cheerful roar.
He stood at the center, calm and measured, greeting each group in turn.
Across the way, Mikoto held Itachi while well wishers pressed close.
"The truth is about to be revealed."
Senya's eyes gleamed.
He eased through the crowd and peeked at the newborn.
"Ha, Itachi is adorable at this age. And no laugh lines."
Satisfied in petty triumph, he slipped back to a quiet seat.
"System, begin today's check-in."
DING! Check-in successful. Reward: Wood Release Ninjutsu Suite.
A green sphere lit in his mind.
Wood Release ninjutsu suite?
Not Wood Release itself.
He frowned, then opened the details.
Wood Release Ninjutsu Suite: full knowledge of Wood Release techniques. Tap to expand...
He willed it open.
Wood Release: The Myriad of All Things
Wood Release: Diamond Binding Spears
Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison
...
Wood Release: Giant Sack Binding
Wood Release: Cutting Sprouts
...
Wood Release: (Blossom) Deep Forest Emergence
Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique / Wood Human Technique
Sage Art: Wood Release, True Several Thousand Hands, Toppled Buddha
Each entry was a heavy strike.
"What is this. I can know the forms, but I cannot use them."
It was like being handed sword arts without a blade.
The useless gift throbbed behind his eyes.
"Enough. If the Sage Body at full still does not awaken Wood Release, I will transplant Hashirama's cells. No more delay."
He was in the final stretch of the Sage Body. It would not be long.
By then Orochimaru and Danzo would likely be moving on Hashirama's tissue.
He could always take it from them.
While he mulled it over, the banquet wound to a close.
Few noticed Senya in the corner.
Those who did chose to ignore him.
He was, to them, a slacker who had slipped in on title alone.
On the dais, Fugaku did glance his way.
He remembered mistaking Senya for a clan elder long ago.
Thinking back, he could only sigh.
It was impossible.
He knew Senya had awakened a one-tomoe, which was progress.
But in his view, that was likely the ceiling of the man's life.
Fugaku was an elite jonin now and, as of today, clan head. The difference between them was too great.
To dwell on the past would be laughable.
As for the similar eyes, it was coincidence.
Years had passed. That elder might well be dead.
Soon after, Fugaku walked to the stage under countless gazes and began his final address.
...