A look into Fugaku's mind during chapters 21 and 22.
I do not own Naruto.
youngblood
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At first, he glances at her and catalogs her impression in his mind like all the other children of prominent village figures: someone to avoid, if possible, and to treat with detached respect.
Uchiha Fugaku is not a man who changes his mind easily.
The war breaks out and before he realizes it, Sarutobi Chiyuki is all over the village, all at once. She trains and she studies. She makes friends - connections - at a rapid speed with her charisma and honesty. She quickly learns everything she puts her eyes onto. She treads carefully on social situations.
Fugaku begrudgingly admits she may be brighter than he'd first thought.
A child who boldly claims to want the Hokage's hat, who may just have what it takes for it to become a reality. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Uchiha patriarch changes his opinion for the third time when the Sarutobi Princess comes to him with issues regarding the orphanage.
Fugaku is neither blind nor stupid. He knows Konoha is not perfect, but he's sworn allegiance to the Sandaime Hokage, and trusts the man enough to leave it in his hands-
-until his military leader's own child comes to him - him!- and the Uchiha wonders why it is that Chiyuki cannot go to her own father with this.
He wonders, and wonders.
The police chief then thinks she's a kid who's a little too smart for her own good; someone who was born in unfortunate circumstances and oddly happens to be at the center of every major event in the village.
When he goes home that day, Fugaku has dinner in silence and locks himself up in his study. He thinks, investigates, wonders, and arrives at conclusions of his own. Despite himself, he smirks.
The Sarutobi Princess - and the Nara lazyhead, by proxy - think they can test him, and he'd be offended if he didn't feel so-
-so alive.
His clan's situation has been precarious for years now, and it only seems like it's bound to get worse. His clansmen resent the village and the treatment they get after decades of sworn loyalty. The Council attempts to limit their movement every chance they get. Civilians don't like them, and only look for the Police Force when they really cannot help it. Other shinobi are hesitant to work with them, intimidated by their red eyes.
Despite it all, Uchiha Fugaku feels his soul roar, fire flowing in his veins. Sitting in his study alone, his red eyes glow in the dark, a rare smirk gracing his features.
The audacity of that child!
Like a predator circling his prey, he's having fun. He bumps into Chiyuki a few times after that, exchanges a few sparks with Shikaku, and all the while he uncovers more and more dirt under the village his clan so painstakingly helped build. Fugaku looks deeper than he's ever had, finding rat nests hidden all over Konoha's roots.
For a brief moment, on a rare day off, he wonders what it'd be like if all that information leaked out to the public. The police chief lets his imagination run wild for a little while, letting the power of knowledge go to his head.
He invites Sarutobi Chiyuki for dinner at his house on that same day.
It's a carefully thought out move, of course. Fugaku waits for the perfect time to invite her into the lion's den, wondering how she'll act in a place that's so clearly controlled by him. By this point, he doesn't dare stick her to old stereotypes and beliefs, no. He'd rather wait to see how she'll surprise him this time, and he's actually excited for it. The Uchiha patriarch wants her to change his mind over and over again, to challenge him and his authority-
-he wants her to challenge the very system they live in, to break the vicious hate cycle, to dismantle this village and break it apart bit by bit before she builds it back again with her own hands.
Sarutobi Chiyuki is smart. Extremely so. She quickly realizes what kind of situation he places her in and throws all her cards on the table - she makes a gamble, a fight or flight response when faced with a stressful situation. When the child shows her true colors, her emotions so vividly felt, her face an open book, he feels compelled to do the same.
Suddenly, they're not in a lion's den anymore. They're both buried deep underground, right next to the rotten roots of their village, and Fugaku wants to rip it all off. There are rats all over the place, dancing right under the cat's nose, but the feline seems awfully content in letting them do as they please.
In the end, Fugaku discards the thought that Chiyuki is anything like he's seen before. The child with far too intelligent and expressive eyes, a prodigy in a league all of her own. Not even Itachi, who learns at an amazing speed, might compare to her.
A diamond in the rough, with near unlimited potential. A jewel that polishes itself, shining so brightly at such a young age. He's sure she'll only keep on shining brighter and brighter in the future, if she works on controlling her emotions a bit better.
A god-sent, or a demon.
A monster.
A monster, although a young one, with sharp teeth and claws, with a heart that bleeds far too much and a brain that needs saving from overthinking itself.
Chiyuki, the little monster, might just find reprieve inside the Uchiha's den. They'll keep her safe until she grows to be the most fearsome being the ninja world has ever seen, a fully-grown monster with iron-like defense and an even deadlier attack. She'll wreak havoc wherever she goes, destroying and rebuilding as she pleases.
And as for the Uchiha?
They'll sit back and watch, praise themselves for a job well done, and get rid of any rats there might be in the monster's absence.
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Constructive criticism is more than welcome, but if you're going to be an asshole about it, then just don't bother.