Everything Was for the Plan!

Hadn't you been the ones stirring up thoughts of a coup all along? Wasn't a coup your goal? Even I, the clan head, had been dragged along by you. If it weren't for you, I never would've even considered staging a coup.

So how did it end up being my problem? How did I become the one who wanted to stage a coup?

Elder Setsuna, have you gone mad?

Uchiha Fugaku stared at Uchiha Setsuna in disbelief. For a moment, he didn't even know what to say.

"Clan head, is this true? Why? Why did you collude with Shimura Danzō?"

"Clan head, why? So all of this was a conspiracy between you and Shimura Danzō? Why? You're our clan head! What are you doing?"

Several Uchiha from the Dove Faction looked at Uchiha Fugaku and questioned him one after another. Their faces were full of disbelief. They couldn't believe that everything happening now was Uchiha Fugaku's conspiracy. But why?

Clan head, why would you do this?

You're our clan head! This makes no sense. It's impossible to understand!

"How could that be? As clan head, how could I betray the clan's interests and collude with Shimura Danzō in some kind of conspiracy? How could I do such a thing? Elder Setsuna, you must have misunderstood something. I would never do that. I'm the clan head! What would I gain from it?"

"Elder Setsuna, something must be wrong. Something must have been mixed up, haha. Since you have no plans for a coup, then let me go. We can talk this through. As clan head, how could I possibly harm the clan's interests?"

Uchiha Fugaku stared intently at Uchiha Setsuna as he hurried to explain.

"Indeed. What would you gain?"

Uchiha Setsuna's face was shrouded in shadow. He looked at Uchiha Fugaku, paused for a moment, then spoke.

"Who knows what Danzō said to you, clan head? Perhaps you wanted to eliminate your rivals and seize all the Uchiha Clan's power for yourself. Perhaps Danzō promised you some kind of benefit. Who knows?"

Indeed, who knew?

Who knew whether the words coming from Uchiha Fugaku's mouth were true or false?

If there really were a conspiracy, how could he possibly admit it?

The Dove Faction members looked at Uchiha Fugaku, suspicion beginning to show on their faces. What was happening now seemed utterly unbelievable, even absurd. But when they thought about it, it did seem somewhat plausible. After all, Elder Setsuna, a member of the Hawk Faction, had said it himself.

Besides, these members of the Dove Faction didn't really want to stage a coup. That made them inclined to believe this version of events. It was human nature: people always liked to imagine things in a way that favored the outcome they wanted.

It was like Guinan, who always liked to reassure himself that his goddess was pure and chaste and hadn't been going for runs. Even when something seemed off, he would instinctively ignore the suspicious parts.

It was over!

Uchiha Fugaku froze. He didn't know what to say. No matter what he said, it would sound like an excuse, like he was trying to cover something up. But he really had nothing to do with Shimura Danzō!

"Fugaku, you can stop struggling. You can't fool us!"

Uchiha Setsuna shook his head.

"Elder Setsuna, Lord Kazuto is back!"

Just then, a figure walked in and spoke to Uchiha Setsuna.

"Hahaha, good! Excellent!"

Uchiha Setsuna immediately burst out laughing.

A short while later, several figures walked in, leaving Uchiha Fugaku and the Dove Faction members completely bewildered.

Just then...

As one of the figures entered, Uchiha Fugaku and the Dove Faction members all froze.

Mangekyō Sharingan!

Knowledge of the Uchiha Clan's ultimate power surfaced in their minds.

"That's the Mangekyō Sharingan! When did our Uchiha Clan awaken a pair of those eyes?"

One of the Dove Faction members cried out in surprise.

"That's right. This is the Mangekyō Sharingan, the same power Lord Madara once possessed. It's only because of Kazuto's Mangekyō Sharingan that we were able to uncover Uchiha Fugaku and Danzō's conspiracy. If not for Kazuto, Uchiha Fugaku would have dragged our clan into the abyss!"

Uchiha Setsuna nodded, then stepped back to stand behind Uchiha Kazuto and introduced him.

"That's right. I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan a long time ago, but Elder Setsuna kept it hidden. I was originally going to use its power during the coup. But with these eyes, I discovered Uchiha Fugaku and Danzō's conspiracy, which led to what happened today. I couldn't let Uchiha Fugaku and Danzō drag my clan into the abyss, and I couldn't let Elder Setsuna and the others become sacrifices in Uchiha Fugaku's conspiracy!"

Uchiha Kazuto spoke with righteous indignation, as if it had really happened.

So that was it!

The Dove Faction members looked at Uchiha Kazuto's eyes and nodded with dawning understanding. They were beginning to believe what they'd just been told: Uchiha Fugaku really had some kind of conspiracy with Shimura Danzō.

"Hmph, Uchiha Fugaku, you didn't see this coming, did you? I've already foiled your conspiracy with Danzō. I even killed your accomplice, Shimura Danzō!"

His words shocked everyone present. Wait, he'd really killed him?

Even Uchiha Setsuna looked astonished. Then his face lit up with delight. As expected of Uchiha Kazuto, who possessed the Uchiha Clan's ultimate power!

Afterward, Uchiha Kazuto dragged Uchiha Fugaku into a nearby room.

"It was you... What are you trying to do?"

Uchiha Fugaku lay on the floor. Looking at Uchiha Kazuto, he instantly understood. The collusion with Danzō, the conspiracy—none of it was real. Everything happening now was Uchiha Kazuto's conspiracy.

"What am I trying to do? Change the Uchiha Clan. Change Konoha! For that, I'll have to inconvenience you, clan head!"

Uchiha Kazuto leaned against a nearby pillar, looking at Uchiha Fugaku with indifference.

Everything was for the plan—to survive. If a worm like Uchiha Fugaku remained clan head, the Uchiha Clan's fate would be to be dragged into the abyss by that useless fool. Kazuto didn't want to be killed in the future by that beast, Uchiha Itachi.

To that end, he had to claim the position of clan head of the Uchiha Clan!