Uchiha Returned

Kagato sat weakly on the ground. What was he supposed to do with three days left?

With his head lowered, Kagato kept thinking. Should he kill himself?

Meanwhile, Danzo quickly returned to the underground Root base and came to a prison cell. A man and a woman were locked inside. They were Kagato's parents.

Danzo spoke coldly.

"How have you considered what I just told you?"

Uchiha Takashi stared hard at Danzo.

"Is what you just said true?"

"Of course it's true. Can't you see what the relationship between the Uchiha and the village is like right now? Your whole family has been captured. Do you really think you can walk out alive? Uchiha Kagato is a genius. I think highly of him, and I don't want to watch him die, so I decided to save him. As long as you die in this cell, Hiruzen probably won't make things too difficult for a child. With me pleading on his behalf, Uchiha Kagato can survive. But as long as you remain alive, Uchiha Kagato cannot possibly be released. You are the true targets of this operation. Uchiha Kagato was merely caught in the same net.

"Do you really think a child like that could kill two Root members? Don't be ridiculous. This was nothing more than a frame-up, all to find an excuse to capture you and give the Uchiha Clan a warning."

Uchiha Takashi calmly shook his head.

"No. Your explanation doesn't make sense. The village should be trying to ease the conflict between the Uchiha and the village. Why would it warn the Uchiha at a time like this?"

Danzo narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You really think the village doesn't know that your Uchiha are planning a coup?!"

Uchiha Takashi's eyes widened. If the village knew that the Uchiha intended to stage a coup, then giving the Uchiha a warning in an emergency made perfect sense.

"But there's still something I don't understand. Our family is just an ordinary family within the Uchiha Clan. Can arresting us really intimidate the Uchiha Clan?"

Danzo looked at Uchiha Takashi as if he were an idiot.

"Are you really this stupid? Though this is called a warning, it's only a warning. Of course they would arrest an insignificant family. If they arrested an important family, wouldn't that make them mortal enemies of the Uchiha? In any case, I have neither the interest nor the need to lie to you. Your entire family is essentially doomed the moment you entered this place. I simply happen to admire Uchiha Kagato's talent and intend to save him. Whether you believe me is up to you."

With that, Danzo turned and left.

Yuko Uchiha looked at Uchiha Takashi with worry written all over her face.

"Takashi, what should we do now?"

Uchiha Takashi had clearly been frightened by Danzo's torrent of nonsense. He frowned.

"We... our family has probably become a sacrifice in the struggle between the village and the Uchiha."

There was nothing he could do. Danzo's words had been flawless, and Uchiha Takashi had no access to information from outside. Naturally, he had already begun to believe Danzo.

"What about Kagato?"

Yuko Uchiha asked anxiously.

"He should have been captured too. If even we, his parents, were caught, Kagato probably couldn't have escaped either."

"Then... then let's ask Danzo whether he can let me be the only one to die. I'll trade my life for Kagato's. Kagato is still too young. He can't die. I've lived a long time already. I've experienced everything I needed to. I met you and gave birth to Kagato. I've been very happy. I have no regrets."

Uchiha Takashi rubbed Yuko's head.

"You silly Yuko."

The next day.

Hokage's Office.

Shisui sought out the Third Hokage again.

"Hokage-sama, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

The Third Hokage nodded, signaling Shisui to continue.

A while later.

The Third Hokage stared at Shisui in shock.

"You're saying you intend to use your Kotoamatsukami to change the thoughts of the Uchiha leadership and thereby stop the coup?"

Shisui nodded.

"Yes."

The Third Hokage frowned.

"Are you confident you can succeed?"

Shisui spoke calmly.

"I'm highly confident."

"Will there be any negative consequences?"

"I'll only use Kotoamatsukami to change their thoughts about the coup. I won't alter anything else, so there won't be any negative consequences."

"In that case, all right."

Another day passed.

Counting the day Danzo had gone to see Kagato, this was already the third day. Tomorrow, Danzo would come to see Kagato. Kagato had to make a decision today.

However, before Kagato, there were two other people who had to make a decision.

Danzo looked into the pitch-black prison cell.

"Have you made up your minds? Once today is over, even I won't be able to save Uchiha Kagato."

No one answered.

Danzo frowned and raised his voice.

"You're not answering because you don't want to save your son?"

Still, no one answered.

Danzo seemed to realize something. He had the prison cell opened. It was too dark inside, and from outside he couldn't see what was happening. He had to go in.

Soon, Danzo entered. Then he saw Uchiha Takashi holding Yuko Uchiha as they lay quietly on the floor. Dried blood was clearly visible at the corners of their mouths. A pair of ordinary parents had died here.

Perhaps they had died too decisively, but—

"Hmph. That saves me the trouble."

Danzo had never intended to let Kagato's family leave alive. He had deceived Kagato's parents into killing themselves merely so he would have a convincing explanation for the Third Hokage.

Perhaps Uchiha Takashi had sensed Danzo's barely concealed killing intent, which was why he had chosen death so decisively. In this way, perhaps their deaths really would soften the Third Hokage's heart and lead him to spare Kagato.

In the end, what were they? They were nothing more than an utterly ordinary family in this world—a Chunin and his wife. In this shinobi world, such a pair was far too powerless when faced with true experts.

Before she died, Yuko Uchiha asked Uchiha Takashi a question.

"Takashi, do you think we'll be able to leave this place alive?"

Uchiha Takashi shook his head.

"I know Danzo's character well enough. Once we entered Root, there was practically no chance of getting out alive. The odds are too low. I just don't know how Kagato is doing. That brat had better not dare die. If he does, I'll skin him alive!"

Yuko Uchiha smiled faintly.

"Ah, yes. Takashi, kill me."

"Why?!"

"We're going to die either way. I'd rather die by your hand. Besides, if I die now, at least I'll believe in my heart that I died for Kagato. My death won't have been meaningless."

"No! What Danzo said may sound reasonable, but it isn't necessarily true. If Danzo is deceiving us, then our deaths will be completely meaningless!"

"Takashi, do you think we have a choice?"

With those words, Uchiha Takashi froze. Indeed, as mentioned before, there was practically no chance of them leaving Root alive. If that was the case, and death was inevitable, did they still have a choice?

Root was unlike the Anbu. Quite a few people entered the Anbu and came back out alive, but very few people who entered Root ever made it out alive.

Danzo bent down. He remembered that Uchiha Takashi possessed the Sharingan, but just as Danzo was about to dig out Uchiha Takashi's eyes, he stopped.

Forget it. Danzo was self-important, but he wasn't brainless. If he openly took the Sharingan from an Uchiha at a time like this, the Uchiha's hatred toward him would probably reach its peak instantly. He didn't want to jump out and make himself a target now.

He would wait a little longer.

"Someone, clean up these two corpses and return them to the Uchiha. Tell them they couldn't withstand the pressure of the prison and committed suicide."

"Yes!"

This part of the story may feel rather frustrating, but please bear with it. What I want to portray is the helplessness and sorrow of Uchiha clansmen evolving their Sharingan. I think the growth of the Uchiha Clan shouldn't be filled with laughter and happiness, but with tragedy and helplessness.

I'll tell everyone in advance where this part of Danzo's storyline ends. It ends in Chapter 44. In that chapter, the protagonist will leave Konoha, and from then on, this sort of tragic and helpless plot probably won't appear again.

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