Konoha The autumn night of 1956 brought a hint of coolness.
Naka Shrine Hidden deep in the dense maple forest, the vermilion torii gate looks like a blood-soaked wound in the pale moonlight.
In the main hall of the shrine, the air was as stagnant as lead.
The candlelight flickered in the closed space, illuminating the huge Uchiha Gunbai family emblem on the wall. The red and white pattern seemed to be dripping with blood at any time in the shadows.
The heavy incense could not conceal the anxiety and anger that permeated the crowd.
Almost all of the Uchiha Clan's core jounin are on the list.
Wearing dark ethnic uniforms, they all sat in front of Fugaku, their faces filled with irrepressible anger.
The candlelight danced, illuminating a pair of restless eyes.
"Fugaku Patriarch!" Uchiha Tekka slammed the table and stood up, his voice like thunder in the suppressed hall.
"How could Konoha treat me Uchiha in any way fair?! Military Police Force? Huh! It's just a cage that imprisons us in the corner of the village! Look at the location of our clan and look at the hypocritical faces of the higher-ups! They are afraid of our power and guard us like thieves!"
"That's right!" Inabi Uchiha responded immediately, with deep resentment.
"Nine-Tails Incident, put suspicion on our heads indiscriminately! In these years, the allocation of tasks and the tilting of resources, are there any of them that are not deliberately suppressed? Third's so-called "peace" and "tolerance" are just boiling frogs in warm water. They will wear off our Uchiha's edge little by little, and eventually make us disappear completely!"
"We are not lambs to be slaughtered!" another voice roared, with inflammatory fanaticism.
"Lord Fugaku! You are the leader of our Uchiha clan, the strong man who owns Mangekyō Sharingan! Look at the hearts of the people! Konoha has long been rotten and needs new power to cleanse it!"
"As long as you raise your arms and shout, we Uchiha Clan will definitely follow you and overthrow the rule of Hiruzen Sarutobi! Support you to become Fifth Hokage! Let the reputation of Uchiha resound through Shinobi World!"
"Support Master Fugaku! Fifth Hokage!"
"Rebellion! Patriarch!"
"I can't bear it any longer!"
The frantic sound was like volcanic lava that had accumulated for a long time, surging in the main hall of the shrine.
A pair of scarlet eyes stared fixedly at Fugaku Uchiha sitting in the main seat, with anticipation, coercion, and fanaticism intertwined together, almost igniting the air.
Fugaku Uchiha sits like a silent stone statue.
His face was solemn, his lines were cold and hard, and his figure was tall and straight under the jounin vest.
The candlelight cast a deep shadow on his face, and the pair of Mangekyō Sharingan hidden behind the shadow calmly scanned the faces below that were distorted by anger.
He felt the pain and humiliation of his people.
He knows better than anyone the suspicion and suppression from high-level officials.
However, as the patriarch, he saw much more than that.
He saw the war.
We have seen that once Uchiha raises its flag to rebel, Konoha will surely fall into an unprecedented bloody civil war.
Not to mention Sarutobi Clan, and Ino-Shika-Cho Clans Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka Clan, Kurama Clan, Shimura and other ninjas,
I will never sit back and watch.
There are also Anbu and Root--
Let's talk about Jiraiya, one of the Sannins who are in full swing, and Tsunade, who is traveling abroad and whose position is unknown.
No matter how strong Uchiha is, no matter how deep his foundation is, there is no way he can resist the power of Konoha.
This road to coup leads to the abyss of genocide!
What's more, the Land of Stars that rose in the west of the Shinobi World continent, and the "Uchiha Hikari" who owned Mangekyō Sharingan, were like a sharp sword hanging above their heads, making Uchiha's situation even more subtle and dangerous.
How many years has it been since Kaguya Clan launched a rebellion and was suppressed and exterminated by Kirigakure?
They just forgot!
"Enough!"
Fugaku's voice was not high-pitched, but it was like an icy cold current that instantly swept through the entire manic hall.
The majesty of the patriarch contained in that voice and the invisible pressure brought by Mangekyō Sharingan brought all the noise to an abrupt end.
A pair of scarlet eyes looked at him in confusion. Fugaku stood up slowly, his eyes scanning every face as if they were real, with an unquestionable decision. "Rebellion? Fifth Hokage?"
There was a cold, almost mocking arc at the corner of his mouth.
"What do you think Konoha is? Is it a toy that allows us, Uchiha, to have whatever we want? Or do you think that with just one passion and these eyes, you can fight against the background of the entire village?"
His voice suddenly rose, with a soul-penetrating heaviness. "That was war! It was a stupid act to make Uchiha completely disappear from the Shinobi World map! The glory of Uchiha cannot be obtained by provoking a civil war and letting the blood of the tribe flow into a river!"
"I, Fugaku Uchiha, as the leader of the tribe, will never lead my tribe to this dead end!"
"Don't forget Uchiha Madara!"
Loud words are like ice water, poured into everyone's hearts.
The frenzied atmosphere instantly cooled down, replaced by a sense of a wake-up call and a lifeless depression.
Fugaku's eyes finally fell on the two silent figures behind the crowd.
Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.
Both of them had their heads slightly lowered, and their expressions could not be seen clearly, but Fugaku could feel the heavy worry on their bodies, which was completely different from most of the clan members in the palace.
"Meeting adjourned!" Fugaku said no more, turned around with a puff of sleeves, and disappeared into the shadows leading to the inner room.
There was a dead silence in the hall, with only the candlelight dancing unwillingly, reflecting the disappointment, unwillingness, and disappointment on the faces of the Uchiha people.
Anger and a hint of suppressed fear.
Hokage Office.
The huge floor-to-ceiling windows were spread open, and the night breeze carried the lights of thousands of houses in Konoha, but it could not dispel the solemnity in the room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of the window, his back looking a little stooped.
The pipe in his hand had long been extinguished, and the remaining smoke was dissipated in the moonlight.
Behind him, Itachi Uchiha, who was kneeling on one knee, had just finished his report, recounting the situation of the fiery clan meeting Yakumi in Naka Shrine word for word.
"Father refused." Itachi's voice was low, carrying a weight that was unbearable for the young man.
"But the emotions of the jounin in the clan are on the verge of getting out of control. My father is under a lot of pressure.
He raised his head, and his black eyes, which inherited the blood of Uchiha, were filled with deep worries about the future of the village and a trace of imperceptible pain.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around slowly.
The moonlight illuminated his wrinkled face, and his gray beard trembled slightly.
He looked at Itachi with mixed eyes. He was pleased with Itachi's loyalty, but also deeply tired of the Uchiha situation.
"I understand, Itachi. You did a good job, go back first." His voice was hoarse, with lingering tiredness.
Itachi saluted respectfully, and quietly exited the office like a leaf blending into the shadows.
As soon as the door closed with a soft sound, the shadows in the corner of the office began to squirm like living creatures.
A figure slowly stepped out, leaning on a cane, with his right eye and arm wrapped in layers of bandages. It was Shimura Danzō.
His one eye shone with a sinister and cold light in the dim light, like a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity.
"On the verge of losing control?" Danzo's voice was dry and hoarse, with unabashed sarcasm.
"Hmm."
"Hiruzen, are you still deceiving yourself? The rebellion of the Uchiha Clan is no longer "on the brink", but is imminent!"
"Fugaku's rejection is just the last fig leaf to suppress the raging anger within the clan! Look at those scarlet eyes! Look at the hatred burning in their hearts! Your so-called "time" and "dialogue" are just a way to feed a tiger and sow the seeds of destruction for Konoha!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows were deeply furrowed, and the pipe was rubbed unconsciously in his hand. "Danzo, Uchiha's background is extraordinary. Once the conflict breaks out, it will be a war that sweeps the entire Konoha! We need to concentrate the power of the whole village, and we need something more reliable."
"What's more reliable? Wait until they really raise the flag of rebellion and cooperate with Uchiha Hikari from Land of Stars?!" Danzo interrupted him abruptly. The crutch slammed on the floor with a dull sound, and his one eye stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"What are you worried about? Is it the Uchiha's heritage, or the legendary pair of Mangekyō Sharingan? Especially the Uchiha Hikari who has been confirmed to own Mangekyo and plays for "Asura"?"
"Her existence is like a sharp blade hanging over Konoha's head! One Uchiha Hikari is already so troublesome. If it is Fugaku, or another Uchiha - or even Itachi, who has activated Mangekyo, what can Konoha do to resist?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent, looking towards Konoha who was dimly lit outside the window. There was uneasiness in his eyes.
Danzo's words touched the deepest worries in his heart.
Uchiha's Sharingan, especially Mangekyo, are powerful enough to change the situation of a battle.
And that mysterious Uchiha Hikari, according to Shisui's report, may be as strong as Uchiha Madara back then!
But Konoha is no longer as powerful a ninja as First Hokage Senju Hashirama.
"We can't wait any longer, Hiruzen." Danzo's voice was lowered, with a cold determination.
"We must weaken them first while they are still young and have not yet been completely unified internally! Cut off their sharpest minions!"
"That's enough! Danzo! I am Hokage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers holding the pipe turned slightly white.
"You will regret it! Hiruzen!"
Danzo gritted his teeth, slammed the door and left.
Door: Bang!
The only sounds left in the office were the worried sound of Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking and the distant sounds of the city outside the window.
Konoha Root Base.
This place is deeper and colder than Naka Shrine.
There was a bone-deep silence in the air.
The light was dim, barely illuminating the criss-crossing metal passages, and cold water droplets condensed on the walls.
The figure of Danzo appeared in the command room at the core of the base.
The sinister power and murderous intent in his one eye were no longer concealed, like ice in reality.
"Send the order." His voice was dry, like a rusty blade scraping against metal.
"Calling all members together."
"Yes, sir!" Aburame Tatsuma immediately conveyed the order,
In the darkness, silent ripples spread.
Root ninjas wearing animal masks and breathing like dead things quietly emerged from their hiding corners, appearing like ghosts and gathering in front of Shimura Danzō.
The eyes under the mask were hollow and numb, showing only absolute obedience.
Danzo looked at his dozen or so Root members and nodded with satisfaction.
"Body Flicker Shisui"
Danzo whispered, his one eye shining with an almost greedy desire for power.
"This kind of power must not be allowed to become the basis for Uchiha's rebellion!"
Ever since he knew that Sharingan of Shisui Uchiha was Mangekyō Sharingan, and that the Kotoamatsukami pupil technique he possessed was powerful, Danzo had always been proud of Sharingan of Shisui.
It's just that due to various reasons, I haven't been able to take action.
Now, he can't wait any longer!