Conspiracy

In the dead of night, within a remote room in the Uchiha Clan compound, five elderly men gathered, seemingly plotting something.

However, it appeared they were not in agreement; some wore expressions of joy, while others looked entirely conflicted.

Kai Uchiha, the grandfather of Kyō Uchiha and Setsuna, spoke up to ask: "What is this? Are the Fifth Elder and Sixth Elder disagreeing with my plan?"

Hearing this, the two elders hesitated for a moment: "It is not that we disagree, but is this not a bit too hasty?"

Kai Uchiha waved his hand and said indifferently: "Not at all. We have been brewing this matter for nearly a year."

He paused, then continued: "Furthermore, with these eyes of mine, I am already capable of achieving many things."

His pupils twisted and rotated, instantly turning blood-red. His originally black pupils transformed into the shape of a shuriken, with a single tomoe accompanying each of the four points.

"This is! The Mangekyō Sharingan!" the elders exclaimed in unison! In their understanding, Kai Uchiha's talent was merely average; they never expected him to have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"When did you awaken them?" the Fifth Elder asked, his body trembling slightly.

This was something he had pursued his entire life but never attained; he never imagined this old man before him would possess it.

Looking at the shocked expressions of the elders, Kai Uchiha felt only bitterness and sorrow in his heart: "Twelve months ago, at the cost of my grandson."

"What!" the elders asked in disbelief!

"Setsuna is dead? How did this happen!"

Setsuna Uchiha was considered a genius within their faction; there was no young man with better talent than him.

It could be said that these elders had taught Setsuna Uchiha together and held high hopes for him; how could he have died so inexplicably?

Kai Uchiha sighed. Despite his calm facade, he was actually the one in the most pain.

"Setsuna went to avenge Kyō and never returned. That child was a disciple of the Hokage; he must have encountered a trap left behind by the Hokage."

The Sixth Elder reacted immediately: "Does this not mean we have already been targeted by the Hokage?"

The Uchiha Clan was divided into two factions: the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction. It was impossible for the Hokage not to know about this situation!

If Setsuna had truly been killed by a trap left by the Hokage, then they must have been under the Hokage's surveillance for a long time.

If Torifu had heard the words of these Uchiha elders, he would likely have laughed so hard he couldn't sleep for three days. What trap left by the Hokage? What surveillance? Was this not just pure, self-indulgent delusion?

With Setsuna Uchiha's mediocre skills, was there any need to leave a trap? He was likely just overestimating himself far too much.

"That is why I say we must strike as soon as possible! A year is already a long time; we cannot wait any longer!"

Kai Uchiha had endured for a full year. Every day during this year, he dreamed of his grandson riding on his shoulders and playing when he was a child.

And every time he woke from those dreams, anger burned in his heart without cease.

The Eighth Elder was the first to speak: "Stop dawdling. I agree with the Fourth Elder! Looking back, I truly regret not following Madara Uchiha when he left!"

"I agree as well. The Uchiha Clan must make the Senju Clan feel pain once more!" the Ninth Elder said, trembling. His health was failing, and it appeared he did not have long to live.

This was why he wanted one last dance before his death.

Seeing that the Eighth and Ninth Elders had agreed, the Fifth and Sixth Elders, who had been hesitant, could only nod reluctantly.

Kai Uchiha was in high spirits. Had his two grandsons not died one after another, he would not have wanted to be this reckless. All of this was caused by Konoha! And Madara Uchiha!

Yes, he hated Madara Uchiha! If not for his insistence on bringing the clan into the village, perhaps this situation would never have arisen!

But all of this was merely an excuse Kai Uchiha made for his own incompetence. There were many times he could have left Konoha.

However, Kai Uchiha was already the Fourth Elder of the Uchiha at that time, holding a high position with significant influence within the clan.

Naturally, he was unwilling to give up such status to follow Madara Uchiha and gamble on an invisible future.

Now that his two grandsons were dead, he began to complain instead, merely finding an excuse for his own incompetence.

Kyō Uchiha had died five months ago. Although medicine to replenish his vitality had been supplied to him like flowing water, his body was like a vessel with countless holes.

The vitality would slowly drain away as soon as it entered his body. After struggling to hold on for more than half a year, he still died.

Torifu knew about this as well; Uchiha Chirori had told him. After all, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Chirori had to attend Kyō's funeral.

It was just that the way Kai Uchiha looked at her that day truly made her skin crawl.

The elders in the room discussed how to launch their operation in three days and prepared to secretly mobilize trustworthy clansmen to join the action.

Their first target was none other than the Uchiha of the peace faction; they would crush them first and then absorb them.

In this way, Kai Uchiha and the others could use the strength of the entire Uchiha Clan to launch a rebellion against Konoha!

But they did not know that on their roof, a young man with a three-tomoe Sharingan was listening to everything.

Even with a powerhouse like Kai Uchiha, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, inside the room, he had no idea of the boy's presence.

And this boy was none other than Kagami Uchiha! The young leader of the peace faction and the strongest among the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan, he held high prestige within the family.

Aside from the five elders in the room, the other five elders—the First, Second, Third, Seventh, and Tenth—all leaned toward the peace faction.

Although none of them had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, they were not in the least bit afraid of Kai Uchiha.

Several months ago, Kagami Uchiha had sensed that the Fourth Elder was secretly plotting something, and he had been monitoring him in the shadows ever since.

For a long time, although Kai Uchiha had expressed extreme hatred for Konoha and its high-level officials, and often discussed how to retaliate against Konoha with others, it had all been empty talk and idle chatter. It could not be taken as truth, for without evidence, he could not rashly alert the enemy.

Today, Kagami Uchiha finally found the evidence that these individuals intended to harm the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.

Kagami did not panic at this moment, for he had long known this day would come, and thus he was not surprised.

However, this was not a matter he could stop on his own; he still needed to report it to the Great Elder before making any plans.

After all, this fell under the internal affairs of the Uchiha Clan, and if it were to become public knowledge, it would turn into a scandal for the Uchiha Clan!

By then, the wishes and will of Uchiha Chirori would never be achievable.

Immediately, Kagami Uchiha leaped up lightly without making a sound, vanishing into the vast night in a single instant.