Uchiha Shisui, the Traitor

"A traitor has appeared? No, that's impossible!"

First Elder Uchiha Setsuna instinctively refuted it.

As members of the Uchiha Clan, Konoha's foremost great clan, every one of them took pride in being Uchiha.

How could a traitor possibly emerge from such a clan?

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"

Third Elder Uchiha Sima shook his head repeatedly as well.

Though the Uchiha Clan's members were arrogant, they possessed an exceptionally strong sense of clan honor. How could they possibly commit betrayal?

He would not have been surprised if any other clan in the village produced a traitor, but he simply could not believe that the Uchiha Clan had one.

"Clan Head, could there be some misunderstanding?"

Second Elder Uchiha Moru asked skeptically.

Although he differed from the First Elder and Third Elder on many matters, they shared the same view when it came to the possibility of a traitor appearing within the clan.

The Uchiha Clan's members were proud, took honor in their clan, and would never commit betrayal.

"Take a look at this scroll."

Uchiha Fugaku tossed a scroll he had prepared in advance to the three of them, and they hurriedly passed it around.

Afterward, all three turned livid. Veins bulged on their foreheads, and uncontrollable fury showed on their faces.

"A traitor! That traitor!"

First Elder Uchiha Setsuna braced himself against the table, his body trembling uncontrollably with extreme rage.

"He deserved to die. Too bad he got off easy!"

Third Elder Uchiha Sima's eyes were bloodshot, filled with intense hatred.

"How could he be a traitor?"

Second Elder Uchiha Moru seemed dazed. The news had struck him far too hard.

The scroll Uchiha Fugaku had shown them was the investigation report on Uchiha Sen.

Like him, Uchiha Sen was one of the few clan members who had "kept their reason" and did not support a coup d'état. He had also been quite close to him.

When he learned of the man's death several days ago, he had felt deeply saddened. He never expected him to have been a traitor.

"He lurked within the Uchiha Clan for a full sixteen years. That white-eyed wolf got off easy by dying!"

First Elder Uchiha Setsuna said bitterly.

The thought that the man had infiltrated the Uchiha Clan for sixteen whole years made his fury impossible to contain.

Over those sixteen years, far too many secrets must have been leaked by him.

"Of course I couldn't let him off easy."

Uchiha Fugaku said coldly.

"After confirming his identity as a traitor, I executed him myself."

"However, to avoid alerting the Third Hokage, I deliberately disguised it as him being killed by a Wood Style Kekkei Genkai Ninja!"

Now that Uchiha Sen's identity as a traitor had been revealed, there was naturally no need to conceal the truth of his death.

As for whether the three men were traitors, or whether there was a traitor among them, he had long since investigated and ruled out that possibility.

Moreover, given their positions, it was impossible for them to be traitors.

As the clan's only three elders, they held high positions and had long been bound to the Uchiha Clan's interests. They prospered and suffered alongside the Uchiha Clan.

Betraying the Uchiha Clan would bring them no benefit.

As for the Third Hokage's so-called Will of Fire, it might still be useful for "brainwashing" some young people, but it was useless on the three of them.

Given their age and experience, they could not possibly be swayed by such a thing.

"Well done!"

"Good! Well done!"

First Elder Uchiha Setsuna and Third Elder Uchiha Sima both looked at Uchiha Fugaku in surprise.

Over the years, under pressure from the Konoha High Command, Uchiha Fugaku had compromised time and again, yielding the Uchiha Clan's interests again and again.

They had been extremely dissatisfied and deeply disappointed, believing Uchiha Fugaku to be far too weak-willed and unfit to lead.

Yet the ruthlessness and decisiveness Uchiha Fugaku had shown in dealing with the traitor Uchiha Sen won their approval and made them see him in a new light.

"Since Uchiha Sen was an informant, doesn't that mean the Third Hokage already knows about the clan's plans for a coup d'état?"

Suddenly, Second Elder Uchiha Moru's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat even trickled down his forehead.

Uchiha Sen had lurked within the clan for sixteen years, while the clan's intention to launch a coup d'état had arisen several years ago.

Judging by the timing, it was highly likely that Uchiha Sen had already conveyed news of the clan's plans to the Third Hokage.

A chill rose in his heart, coldness constantly burrowing into his body.

"The Third Hokage already knows... the clan intends to launch a coup d'état?"

Hearing Second Elder Uchiha Moru's words, First Elder Uchiha Setsuna and Third Elder Uchiha Sima's pupils contracted sharply, obvious panic appearing on their faces.

Thinking of all the calls for a coup d'état they had voiced at past clan meetings, an intense sense of danger and panic rose within them.

Before their coup d'état plan could even be carried out, the Third Hokage had already learned of it.

Both men could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of crisis.

"With Uchiha Sen, an informant who had lurked for a full sixteen years, the Third Hokage naturally knew of the calls for a coup d'état within the Uchiha Clan from the very beginning. The reason he did not act immediately was that he wanted to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan in one stroke."

Uchiha Fugaku said.

"If I had not used my authority as Clan Head to suppress the calls for a coup d'état, leaving the clan with talk of a coup d'état but no actual action, the Third Hokage would have had no excuse to wipe out the Uchiha Clan in one stroke."

"The Third Hokage would likely have acted against the Uchiha Clan long ago, and there is a high chance that the Uchiha Clan would no longer exist."

"..."

Cold sweat had already soaked the backs of First Elder Uchiha Setsuna and Third Elder Uchiha Sima. Their entire bodies were drenched as if caught in the rain, yet they did not notice.

If they had truly launched a coup d'état, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Even they had to admit that with the Third Hokage prepared in advance, the chance of a successful coup d'état was practically nonexistent.

"Clan Head, you personally dealt with the traitor Uchiha Sen, but you just said that only the four of us are attending this meeting because traitors have appeared within the clan."

"Could it be that, besides Uchiha Sen, there are other traitors in the clan?"

Second Elder Uchiha Moru wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly asked.

"The Third Hokage has been laying plans for more than a decade. Naturally, Uchiha Sen is not the only traitor within the clan."

Uchiha Fugaku said.

"There are more traitors? Clan Head, who else is a traitor?"

First Elder Uchiha Setsuna and Third Elder Uchiha Sima clenched their fists until they cracked, their fury so great that their eyes seemed ready to bulge from their sockets.

They had never expected that the clan had other traitors besides Uchiha Sen.

The vast Uchiha Clan was practically riddled with holes.

After a moment of silence, Uchiha Fugaku finally spoke in a grave voice.

"Among the traitors uncovered so far, besides Uchiha Sen, there is one more—Uchiha Shisui."