Scheming

At night, five elderly men gathered in a room in a remote part of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, apparently plotting something.

But they seemed to disagree. Some wore delighted expressions, while others looked deeply conflicted.

Kyō and Setsuna's grandfather, Kai Uchiha, asked, "What? Fifth Elder, Sixth Elder, do you disagree with my plan?"

The two elders hesitated for a moment. "It's not that we disagree. We're just wondering if this is too soon."

Kai Uchiha waved a hand and said calmly, "No. We've been laying the groundwork for this for nearly a year."

After a pause, he continued, "Besides, with these eyes of mine, I can already accomplish a great many things."

His pupils twisted and spun, then turned scarlet. His normally black pupils took the shape of shuriken, each of the four points accompanied by a Tomoe.

"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan!" the elders cried out in unison. They had thought Kai Uchiha was only of average talent. None of them had expected him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

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

It was something he had pursued all his life without ever obtaining. He had never imagined that the old man before him would possess it.

Seeing the elders' astonished expressions, Kai Uchiha felt only bitterness and sorrow. "Twelve months ago, at the cost of my grandson."

"What!" the elders cried in disbelief.

"Setsuna is dead? What happened?"

Uchiha Setsuna had been a genius among their ranks. There was no young man more talented than him.

Uchiha Setsuna had been taught by all of these elders, who had placed great hopes in him. How could he have died so suddenly, without explanation?

Kai Uchiha sighed. He might have appeared calm, but he was the one suffering the most.

"Setsuna went to avenge Kyō, but never came back. That boy was the Hokage's student. He must have run into some contingency the Hokage had left behind."

Sixth Elder immediately realized what this meant. "Then does that mean the Hokage is already watching us?"

The Uchiha Clan had split into two factions: the hardliners and the peace faction. There was no way the Hokage could be unaware of a situation like this!

If Setsuna really had been killed by a measure the Hokage had left in place, then the Hokage must have been keeping an eye on them for a long time.

If Torifu had heard these Uchiha old men, he would have laughed so hard he couldn't sleep for three days. Some contingency left by the Hokage? The Hokage keeping an eye on them? They were just making things up in their own heads.

Uchiha Setsuna's skills were so mediocre that there was no need for anyone to leave a contingency for him. He really thought too highly of himself.

"That's why I said we have to strike as soon as possible! A year is already too long. We can't wait any longer!"

Kai Uchiha had held back for a full year. Every day of that year, he dreamed of his grandson as a little boy, riding on his shoulders and playing.

And every time he woke, anger burned in his heart without respite.

Eighth Elder spoke first. "Stop dithering. I agree with Fourth Elder! I regret not leaving with Madara Uchiha back then!"

"I agree too. The Uchiha Clan must make the Senju Clan suffer again!" Ninth Elder said shakily. His health was failing, and he didn't look like he had much time left.

That was why he wanted to make one last stand before he died.

Seeing that Eighth Elder and Ninth Elder had both agreed, Fifth Elder and Sixth Elder, who had been wavering, could only nod, though they were less than willing.

Kai Uchiha was in high spirits. If his two grandsons hadn't died one after the other, he wouldn't have wanted to go this far. It was all Konoha's fault! And Madara Uchiha's!

Yes, he hated Madara Uchiha! If Madara hadn't insisted on bringing the clan into the village, perhaps none of this would have happened!

But all of this was just an excuse Kai Uchiha used to blame his own incompetence. There had been many times when he could have left Konoha.

But by then, Kai Uchiha had already become the Uchiha Clan's Fourth Elder. He held high rank and wielded a measure of influence within the clan.

Naturally, he had been unwilling to give up such a position and follow Madara Uchiha to gamble on an uncertain future.

Now that both his grandsons were dead, he had started complaining again. He was only looking for an excuse to cover up his own incompetence.

Kyō Uchiha had died five months ago. Though life-restoring medicine had been supplied to him in a steady stream, his body was like a vessel riddled with holes.

The life force he took in slowly seeped away, and after holding on for more than half a year, he had still died.

Torifu knew about it too. Uchiha Chirori had told him. After all, Kyō was a member of the Uchiha Clan, so Uchiha Chirori had attended his funeral.

But the way Kai Uchiha had looked at her that day had made her feel deeply uneasy.

The elders discussed how they would act three days later, and planned to secretly rally trusted clan members to join the operation.

Their first target was none other than the peace faction within the Uchiha Clan. They would crush them first, then absorb them.

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

Unbeknownst to them, a boy with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was listening to everything from the roof above their room.

Even a powerful man like Kai Uchiha, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, hadn't noticed his presence.

And that boy was none other than Kagami Uchiha! The young leader of the peace faction, the strongest of the Uchiha Clan's younger generation, and a highly respected figure within the clan.

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

None of them had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but they had no reason to fear Kai Uchiha.

Months ago, Kagami Uchiha had sensed that Fourth Elder was secretly plotting something, and had been keeping him under surveillance ever since.

Kai Uchiha had always acted as if he despised Konoha and its leadership, and often talked with others about taking revenge on Konoha.

But it had all been idle talk and casual conversation, nothing more. Without evidence, they couldn't act rashly and alert him to their suspicions.

Today, Kagami Uchiha had finally found proof that these men intended to harm both the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.

Kagami wasn't panicking. He had known this day would come, so it didn't surprise him.

But he couldn't stop this on his own. He would have to report it to the Great Elder first and then decide what to do.

After all, this was a family matter for the Uchiha Clan. If it became public, it would turn into a scandal for the clan!

And then Uchiha Chirori's hopes and ideals would never be realized.

Kagami Uchiha lightly leaped away without making a sound, vanishing into the vast night in an instant.