There were people who were utterly loyal and obeyed the elders, but they were few and far between. After all, everyone had thoughts of their own.
Someone who obeyed another completely without considering the consequences could only be called a puppet.
Another hour or two passed, and night fell completely.
"It's dark. The time has come. We need to get ready to leave."
The Uchiha Clan members in the courtyard said nothing. They filed out, preparing to leave through the clan's back gate.
They planned to circle around through the Back Mountain and leave the village.
But when they reached the back gate, they found someone standing there.
Though it was the dead of night, the Sharingan let them see everything clearly.
He was a young man with white clothes and white hair, someone the Great Elder had never seen before.
"You're not a member of the Uchiha Clan! Who are you?"
Every clan member watched the white-haired man before them warily.
"I'm here to take you away."
At the same time, Fugaku Uchiha stepped out of the shadows, his pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on the elders.
"Uncles, where are you going? Can I still call you my uncles?"
His voice held neither joy nor sorrow, which made the five elders uneasy.
But when they saw the Mangekyō Sharingan in Fugaku's eyes, every one of them was stunned.
"How is this possible?! You awakened the Mangekyō! When?"
"Wonderful, Fugaku! With your Mangekyō, our plan is sure to succeed! You'll become the new Hokage—the village's Fifth Hokage!"
Even as they reeled in shock, the elders didn't forget to try to win Fugaku over.
In the past, they had suppressed Fugaku at every turn. Whenever he offered an opinion, they opposed it again and again before finally accepting it, causing