Arrangement

Most of the Uchiha Clan were simple-minded.

They were also a clan that believed most strongly in the supremacy of the strong. Uchiha Senyo had already displayed his Mangekyō Sharingan and his strength.

Everyone tacitly acknowledged Senyo's command over this operation.

Most of these people were representatives, and they each had a number of weaker Uchiha clan members under them.

Thus, these twenty-odd people already represented more than half of the Uchiha Clan's strength.

The Great Elder brought them all into a room.

Though it was somewhat cramped, they had to make do.

Once everyone was seated, Senyo sat at the front and spoke:

"This matter was already extremely dangerous to begin with. The odds of survival are slim."

"But regrettably, I have two pieces of bad news to tell you."

"First, there is a traitor within our clan. News of our planned coup has already been leaked to Konoha."

The clan members below were both shocked and enraged. Once something like this was leaked, Konoha would be prepared, and their chances of success would plummet.

Before anyone could question him, Senyo continued:

"Second, this traitor is very powerful. He also possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan, but Konoha has already brainwashed him and turned him against us. He is preparing to wipe out the Uchiha Clan."

"What!?"

"Bastard! Who is it!?"

"Damn it! How dare he betray the clan!"

The Uchiha clan members below erupted into furious shouts they could no longer suppress. To them, this was simply unbelievable.

Senyo calmly shook his head.

"He awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age, so naturally he is headstrong and arrogantly self-assured."

"A sly old fox like the Third Hokage only needs to flatter him a little, and he will naturally fall under his control."

The people below looked at one another. "Could it be Itachi!?"

"It must be Itachi. He's the only one younger than Senyo, and he's in the Anbu."

Moreover, Itachi's arrogance had long been notorious throughout the Uchiha Clan.

After Shisui's death, Itachi had always kept to himself.

He had clashed with clan members several times, always spouting things about the limits of his own capacity.

But Itachi's strength was beyond question. Anyone who clashed with him would basically be taken down by Itachi within seconds.

Everyone turned to look at Senyo, who confirmed their suspicions.

"That's right. It's Itachi."

A commotion broke out below.

After all, Itachi was only thirteen this year. Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan at thirteen made him a genius among geniuses.

Yet this genius had been brainwashed by Konoha.

Their coup plan had also been leaked long ago.

Everyone's thoughts were in complete chaos. This was no longer a question of whether the coup would succeed.

It was a question of how their clan could survive.

Once everyone had calmed down, they all looked toward Senyo.

Only then did Senyo speak again:

"Fugaku naively placed all his hopes on Itachi, hoping Itachi could control Konoha's higher-ups and achieve a bloodless revolution."

"What do you think Fugaku will do after learning that his son has betrayed the clan and chosen Konoha?"

Mayumi spoke up. "Fight to the death?"

The mockery on Senyo's face was obvious. "Do you think Fugaku still has that kind of fighting spirit?"

Most of the clan members below wanted to speak but held back. After all, Fugaku had done a truly terrible job as clan head.

Seeing that he had guided them far enough, Senyo finally said:

"Our situation is extremely dangerous. We cannot place the lives of the entire clan in the hands of an indecisive clan head."

On the Night of the Massacre, Fugaku had meekly awaited death and allowed Itachi to slaughter the clan members. Naturally, Senyo had no trust in Fugaku whatsoever.

So, here and now, he directly pointed out Fugaku's unreliability.

"Therefore, only people like us can overcome this crisis."

Everyone's expressions were exceedingly grave. This operation was dangerous.

Perhaps they would not live to see tomorrow's sun.

"Senyo, do you have any good ideas?" Kiyohiko asked in a deep voice.

He was more mature and steady. Since Senyo wanted command, he naturally had his own plans.

"The Third Hokage is a qualified politician, so he won't openly lead the Anbu to wipe us out."

"Even the other Ninja Clans won't get involved in this matter."

Rinto asked in confusion, "But didn't the Third Hokage receive intelligence that we were planning a coup?"

Senyo chuckled. "Then have we staged a coup?"

Rinto suddenly understood. That was right—they had not done anything yet.

"The only ones who might come to wipe us out are Danzo's Root."

"So the enemies we need to deal with are Danzo and his Root organization."

"Itachi and the helper he hired."

Hearing Senyo's analysis, everyone gradually calmed down.

As long as they clearly knew which enemies they would face, there would naturally be more ways to handle them.

The Great Elder coughed at the right moment. "It has also been a long time since our Uchiha Clan elected a new elder."

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I hereby appoint Uchiha Senyo as the Fourth Elder. Does anyone object?"

Everyone looked at one another, but no one had any objections.

After all, if they could not get through tonight, the Uchiha would cease to exist. If they could, Senyo's contributions would more than qualify him to become an elder.

"Greetings, Fourth Elder." Kiyohiko was the first to bow to Senyo, showing his approval.

The others also stepped forward one after another to bow to Senyo, acknowledging him as the Fourth Elder.

Senyo nodded to the Great Elder, then said:

"We have a great deal to do today. From this point on, no one is to question any order I give. Carry them out seriously."

"Yes! Fourth Elder!" This time, everyone answered much more uniformly.

"Great Elder, Fugaku must already know about our gathering."

"Next, go visit Fugaku so that he cannot disrupt my plans."

The Great Elder replied, "Don't worry. Leave Fugaku to me."

Senyo's order was necessary. Although none of them respected Fugaku, Fugaku was still the clan head. Sometimes, a single wrong command could render all of Senyo's efforts useless.

"Kiyohiko, lead your men to set traps around the clan grounds. Anyone who dares covet our Uchiha must die!"

"Yes! Fourth Elder!" Kiyohiko quickly got into the spirit and accepted the order.

"Mayumi, take your people and gather all our clansmen back. Then patrol the clan grounds and set up barriers."

"Itachi's helper is someone who knows Space-Time Ninjutsu. He could appear in the clan at any time."

"Rinto, go wait at the Security Force headquarters. Itachi's helper is very likely to attack there."

"I'll tell you his detailed information shortly. The moment he appears, notify me immediately."

"No matter who finds his trail, don't fight him head-on. Just keep him there. I'll rush over to support you."

Mayumi and Rinto wore grave expressions. They naturally knew how troublesome someone proficient in Space-Time Ninjutsu could be.

"We understand, Fourth Elder!"

"Yusuke, bring five men and follow me. Everyone else will be under the Great Elder's command."

"Great Elder, go to Fugaku's place. If he isn't thinking clearly, act as you see fit."

The Great Elder nodded solemnly. Of course, he understood what "act as you see fit" meant.

"The rest of you, don't let Fugaku's people notice anything during the day."