Uchiha's Helplessness

"Clan Head, are we really going to let those Anbu people enter our clan grounds and do whatever they please?"

Uchiha Yashiro spoke up. He was considered one of the Uchiha Clan's older veterans.

Uchiha Fugaku swept his gaze over the crowd, taking in the anger and disappointment on their faces. Helplessly, he said, "Now is no longer the time for a coup."

There was sorrow in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, yet a trace of relief lingered in their depths.

Staging a coup was not like hosting a dinner party. It meant bloodshed and sacrifice. It was never an easy thing, especially when it involved the Uchiha.

They had to face not only the few Konoha Higher-ups, but also the interest groups they represented.

Throughout the three Shinobi World Wars, the Uchiha Clan had always been Konoha's main fighting force. They had suffered grievous losses in the wars, their talents had withered away, and they had yet to recover. Meanwhile, after several years of development, the Konoha Higher-ups had long since rebuilt and flourished.

The Sarutobi Clan alone was already difficult enough for the current Uchiha to handle. Add the clans of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, and it only became harder.

The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio had always stood with the Hokage's faction, while the Aburame Clan had also taken a share of the Konoha Higher-ups' pie.

Coupled with the Uchiha Clan's usual arrogance and conduct, it would be difficult for any other shinobi clans in Konoha to support them.

Thus, the Uchiha Clan's coup had been a slim hope from the very beginning.

What was more, they had now lost Shisui. That left them without a powerful combatant, reducing their chances even further.

"Damn it!"

Uchiha Yashiro gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

They understood as well that even if they decided to stage a coup, they needed the right opportunity.

Danzo had been attacked, Shisui had vanished, and an Anbu had died a month ago. The village was now under complete lockdown.

There was no longer any hope for a coup.

"Yashiro, when the Anbu arrive tomorrow, remember to have several clansmen keep close watch on them. Calm the villagers and prevent anyone from causing trouble. At the same time, keep a careful eye on them. Don't let them pull any tricks or pin baseless accusations on us."

"Continue searching for Shisui. As for the coup, do not discuss it for the time being."

At the same time, inside the Hokage Building.

The meeting had ended, and everyone had returned to their own places. Only two people remained in the office.

"Hiruzen, why did you call me here?"

Shimura Danzō looked grim, and his tone carried obvious irritation.

In his haste to report the situation to Sarutobi Hiruzen, most of his wounds had only been roughly bandaged. Now, because of his earlier agitation, blood was once again seeping from the stump of his left arm.

At this moment, Shimura Danzō was practically overflowing with negativity.

Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored the displeasure in Shimura Danzō's words. His gaze sharpened as he asked directly, "Where are Shisui's eyes?"

Whether Uchiha Shisui was dead or alive was not important to Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Uchiha Shisui's eyes were important.

More importantly, the Mangekyō Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami absolutely could not fall into Danzo's hands. After all, Shimura Danzō had truly attempted to assassinate a Hokage.

"Eyes?"

Danzo's expression froze. He instinctively frowned, then remembered what had happened to him. His entire face twisted into a vicious grimace as he roared, "That damned Masked Bastard! He took my eyes!"

Now it was Sarutobi Hiruzen's turn to frown. He asked in surprise, "Was everything you said in the Conference Room true?"

"?"

Danzo's twisted expression became one of disbelief, followed by even deeper fury. He truly was a master at changing expressions.

"Bastard, do you think I'd joke about something like this?"

"Cough, cough."

Seeing Shimura Danzō burning with rage, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a little awkward. "I thought you might have concealed something in order to suppress the Uchiha."

"But if that is truly the case, and the Masked Man left after attacking you, then how did Uchiha Shisui disappear?"

"I don't know, but Uchiha Shisui is most likely still alive."

Shimura Danzō's face remained sour.

"Alive? Could it be that you have information on Shisui?"

Danzo shook his head. "A Root member had his eyes gouged out while unconscious. They were probably used to replace Uchiha Shisui's. That Masked Man wanted Uchiha Shisui's eyes, but he did not want his life."

"He took the eyes, yet let Shisui survive... What exactly is his goal?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, feeling a headache coming on.

"It seems to be someone familiar with Shisui who also knew about his eyes?"

Shisui had said that, aside from himself, only Uchiha Itachi knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But Itachi was close to Shisui, and he possessed the bearing and mindset of a Hokage. He had no reason whatsoever to attack Shisui.

Who could it be? Wait...

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly thought of someone. He took a deep breath and asked gravely, "Danzo, was that Masked Man the same one who caused the Nine Tails Rampage?"

He remembered that night vividly, because his wife had also died that night. The Masked Man who had caused the Nine Tails Rampage possessed a strange Space-Time Ninjutsu. Sneaking into Konoha without drawing attention and taking someone away would not have been difficult for him.

And most crucially, that person had the Sharingan!

To someone who understood the Mangekyō Sharingan, that was simply a fatal temptation.

Danzo was stunned for a moment, then compared the two in his mind.

"Probably not the same person. Their styles are far too different."

That man who had called himself Madara Uchiha had desperately tried to project an air of calm dominance, but Danzo had felt that he wanted to hide beneath that mask. He was merely a rat who did not dare reveal his true face.

But the Cat-Faced Masked Man was completely different. That man's tone was like that of someone standing high above and looking down upon an ant, as though everything Danzo had done was nothing more than a farce in the Masked Man's eyes.

That calm indifference, that disdain for everything... this man was more like the Shinobi World Asura.

"If the Nine Tails Rampage had been caused by this Masked Man, Minato Namikaze could never have successfully sealed the Nine-Tails."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed even more deeply, and the sorrow in his eyes refused to fade.

"Alas, these are troubled times."