"You mean Shisui has lost contact?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he questioned the Anbu kneeling before him.
Uchiha Shisui had spent most of this time wholeheartedly keeping the Uchiha under surveillance.
He had stopped all their missions outside the village.
Every day, Uchiha Shisui contacted the Anbu and passed on information. But yesterday, they received no message from him—in fact, they had lost contact with him entirely.
"Homura, I told you the Uchiha couldn't be trusted."
"Shisui must have chosen the Uchiha after all. We should have taken him down long ago and seized his Mangekyo."
"Now that Shisui is missing, who knows whether the power of his Mangekyo might be used against you?"
Danzo sneered from the side.
But he meant every word.
He had never trusted the Uchiha!
He had planned to take Shisui's Mangekyo in a couple of days.
This news only made him furious.
"Perhaps the Uchiha discovered Shisui and captured him in a trap."
"It seems conflict is unavoidable. Prepare for war. Recall half the Anbu from the front lines, and begin keeping the Uchiha under full surveillance throughout the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen made a show of defending Shisui.
But the thought of Shisui's Mangekyo and its power, as Danzo had mentioned, made his heart seize with unease.
If his memories were rewritten, it would be a disaster!
For the time being, he decided to have an Anbu impersonate him while he hid in the shadows and stayed out of sight.
"So we're going to war after all!"
"Hiruzen, your instincts have dulled. Don't hesitate this time."
Danzo was getting excited.
At last, they could move against the Uchiha.
And he could collect the Sharingan he wanted in great numbers!
Still, the risks were enormous. Konoha could be dealt a crippling blow.
But he had made plenty of preparations in secret and was confident they could eliminate the Uchiha quickly and keep their losses to a minimum.
"Prepare for the worst."
Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer hesitated.
After all, it was Shisui who had gone missing, and the power of those eyes made him deeply wary.
Based on Shisui's conduct so far, he would never betray him. That left only one possibility: the Uchiha had noticed something suspicious about Shisui and moved against him!
"Should we contact the other clans and have them join us?"
Utatane Koharu spoke without hesitation.
If they had decided to act, they needed to finish the job.
Over the years, they had built an understanding with several clans, mainly those that had grown powerful by feeding off the Senju Clan.
Those clans had long since become dependent on Konoha, turning into pawns in their hands.
"Keep it discreet."
Sarutobi Hiruzen answered without hesitation.
"Let's resolve this as quickly as possible. We should also spread some false information to discourage the other Five Great Shinobi Villages from taking advantage."
Mitokado Homura sighed.
A major upheaval like this could easily stir greed in the other villages and prompt them to attack Konoha.
After all, Konoha occupied the most fertile land in the Shinobi World!
The last great war had ended less than eight years ago. Konoha had lost the Sannin, the Fourth Hokage, and countless lives in the Nine-Tails Incident. Its losses had been devastating.
The village could no longer endure another war!
"Do it quickly. Avoid clashing with the Uchiha before we make our move!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened.
He knew that war with the Uchiha would be the worst possible outcome. He had planned to spark infighting within the clan and gradually swallow it up.
But it seemed there was no time for that now!
"The village already treats the Uchiha with hostility, so hardly any of them are away on missions. We've already sent word through their ninja hounds and told them to return."
At the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters, Fugaku spoke to Uchiha Tamaharu.
If they were to take the entire Uchiha Clan away, not one person could be left behind.
Fortunately, thanks to Danzo's persecution, the Uchiha had rarely been sent on missions since the Nine-Tails Incident.
Lately, the village had stopped approving them altogether!
Otherwise, how could Obito and Itachi have wiped out the Uchiha so easily?
Even an ordinary ninja would struggle to kill hundreds of pigs running around—let alone the Uchiha Clan's elite, who were slaughtered by the two of them with no chance to defend themselves!
That would have been impossible without Konoha's help.
"I've already convinced the old holdouts."
"Now we'll focus on preparing for the retreat."
"We move on the night of the fifth day. The Military Police Force will lead everyone out, while the elite stay behind to cover them."
Uchiha Tamaharu nodded, then spoke to Fugaku.
There were Hawks within the Uchiha Clan, too. They wanted to fight to the bitter end and feared nothing.
But Uchiha Tamaharu had given them a brief lesson in his Mangekyo's power. He had also painted a picture of the Grand Line, showing them how the Uchiha could take the stage on a far greater scale.
They could always return to the Shinobi World and fight again someday!
It had taken him less than half a day to convince them.
Fewer than ten people knew the details of the plan, but the Military Police Force members had all heard bits and pieces. They were brimming with excitement.
"Understood."
Hearing that Uchiha Tamaharu had dealt with the old holdouts, Fugaku let out a breath of relief.
Now it was time for the Uchiha to stand together and see this through.
They had already started pooling their money. On the final day before they left, they planned to spend it all on supplies.
After all, many things would be hard to come by once they were gone.
Fortunately, the Uchiha had stockpiled plenty of supplies through their authority in the Military Police Force. They planned to spend most of their money on medical supplies; they already had enough weapons.
"I'll explain the situation to Itachi myself."
"If he refuses to cooperate, I'll have him confined."
Uchiha Tamaharu told Fugaku.
"I understand."
"If he puts up too much of a fight, don't hesitate to use force!"
Fugaku already knew his son was a double agent.
The Uchiha had hope now, so he gave his answer without hesitation.
They had to avoid every possible risk during the escape.
There was hope of survival, and they wouldn't need to sacrifice a large number of clan members in a fight against Konoha. Even if Itachi was his son, Fugaku had to make this decision.
"After Itachi went missing, Konoha must be even more on edge. Stay ready to evacuate everyone at a moment's notice."
"You can warn the Military Police Force members in advance that if something goes wrong, the Ancestral Hall is the evacuation point."
Uchiha Tamaharu nodded and spoke to Fugaku.
The Ancestral Hall wouldn't be their actual departure point, but if Konoha suddenly attacked, it would serve as their rallying point.
Uchiha Itachi was another unpredictable factor.
But he was a little easier to handle than Shisui. And when he had finally chosen to attack the Uchiha, Uchiha Tamaharu couldn't be sure whether Shisui had used Kotoamatsukami on him at the last moment.
That possibility was why Uchiha Tamaharu had insisted they secure Shisui's Mangekyo with Kotoamatsukami.
They couldn't afford to gamble on this!
"Good!"
Fugaku nodded solemnly.
His hands felt a little numb. This was simply too important.
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