This Is No Ordinary Uchiha

The air went still.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the Professor of Ninjutsu. That title carried a lot of weight!

Even the young Uchiha who were determined to rebel felt their hearts skip when they heard Itachi's words.

"..."

The hawkish jōnin glared at Itachi. The clan leader's own son still wouldn't declare where he stood, and at a moment like this, he was acting as a mere mouthpiece.

You ungrateful little beast!

Fugaku, how did you raise your son? Elder Setsuna shot the clan leader a sidelong glance.

Uchiha Itachi wore a brand-new Anbu uniform. His expression was hidden beneath a fox mask. Ignoring Fugaku and Elder Setsuna, he stared straight at the unexpected variable before him.

Xiu!

I should have killed you sooner.

The moderates could have helped keep the fanatics who dominated the clan in check.

It was like a carriage hurtling toward an abyss. There had once been reins to hold it back, but then you showed up, and the reins became a whip, driving the Uchiha even faster down the path of no return.

Considering only the interests of one's own clan was far too narrow-minded!

At the thought, Itachi couldn't help letting a trace of killing intent slip. It was precisely his capacity to think beyond the clan that had earned Lord Sarutobi Hiruzen's approval and praise:

He had the mind of a Hokage at seven.

"Xiu."

In the strange atmosphere, Fugaku's voice was low. "Since Lord Hokage summoned you, you should go."

"Now isn't the time."

Afraid the others might misunderstand him, the clan leader hurriedly added:

First, I need to confirm Itachi's position and make sure he fully sides with the clan. Then he can pass along the higher-ups' latest intelligence, and we can wait for the right moment to strike decisively!

Second, I need to use the Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in advance and make use of the demon fox.

Elder Setsuna's face darkened.

Tekka and the other hawkish jōnin stared straight at Uchiha Xiu, who had once again become the focus of everyone's attention.

"Xiu, I'll wait for you to come back from the Hokage's office. Or we can go together—I'll wait for you downstairs," Shisui hurriedly said.

Don't trust me? Afraid I'll assassinate the Hokage?

Uchiha Xiu shook his head, sensing the unspoken meaning.

"I'm at a critical bottleneck in my training on an important technique. I can't go."

The answer caught everyone off guard.

"Hahaha, good!"

After a brief silence, Elder Setsuna was the first to react. His voice brimmed with relief. "Training in the Ultimate Eye Technique can't be delayed. Come, I'll take you there!"

The clan members all straightened up.

They'd just been cursing out the higher-ups and openly declaring their intent to rebel. But if Xiu, the clan's supposed leading figure, turned around and obeyed the Hokage's summons, calling him Lord Sarutobi, wouldn't that be pathetically servile?

This was the best possible answer.

"Exactly. We can't obey the summons," Uchiha Yashiro said coldly.

"Let's do it today. We'll show them the wrath of the entire Uchiha Clan!"

A jōnin from the Police Force shouted.

"My armor from the Second Shinobi World War is still at home. I'll put it on, grab a Ninja Blade, and march out at a moment's notice!"

Another elder, who hadn't taken part in missions outside the village in years, stepped forward and said bitterly, "When Madara left Konoha, I regretted not following him."

"We joined forces with the Senju to found Konoha. How many of our loved ones died in battle protecting it? And what did we get in return? We were pushed to the margins of power, maliciously slandered by the rabble, and our compound was moved under the watchful eyes of other shinobi clans."

"Can we put up with this?"

"Kill!"

"..."

Amid the uproar, Shisui, who liked to sit on the fence, panicked.

It's over. The conflict's gotten this bad. How am I supposed to keep both sides in balance?

Instinctively, his Three Tomoe Sharingan flickered, rapidly transforming into a shuriken-like shape.

The ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, could invade a target's mind without them noticing and alter their will. It could win without causing a dispute!

At this point, he had no choice but to use it to control Clan Leader Fugaku and Elder Setsuna. If he could make the two of them change their minds, the Uchiha would be without leaders and could stay quiet for at least another three years.

And if their resentment built up to a breaking point again and they erupted once more... No!

In the meantime, I'll persuade Lord Hokage and Elder Danzo to give the clan preferential treatment.

Just then, Uchiha Fugaku met his gaze, and his Three Tomoe Sharingan instantly transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

An invisible pressure stopped Shisui from daring to act.

The clan leader had those divine eyes too!

What ability did he have?

Elder Setsuna, who had been preparing to take Uchiha Xiu away, froze in place. Shock gave way to an indescribable wave of delight.

Two Mangekyō had appeared at once.

We've got this!

"I speak for myself, and for the path I believe will truly benefit the Uchiha's future: peaceful protest, not pointless sacrifice."

Shisui instinctively raised a hand to block Uchiha Xiu's way and said earnestly, "A direct confrontation will only weaken Konoha's strength. Both sides will suffer, and the other countries surrounding the Land of Fire will start eyeing us again, triggering another Shinobi World War."

"Please, just endure it a little longer, Xiu."

"Everyone needs to endure... Keep a positive outlook. Hang in there."

Even as he died, the adviser still had his backside stuck in the tree.

You never could tell which side he was on.

Uchiha Xiu, who had set the world's events in motion, couldn't help thinking of that line from the movie Let the Bullets Fly.

If events played out as they had before, this fool would choose neither the Hokage nor the Uchiha. Instead, he'd meet with that old dog Danzo in secret, only to be ambushed and have his eye stolen.

After becoming a one-eyed man, he wouldn't go to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and stake his claim to the moral high ground. Nor would he tell his clan the truth and warn them that things had reached a point where even the fence-sitters could no longer tolerate it.

Like a coward, he'd jump into a river and kill himself, personally forge a suicide note, and entrust his last eye to that weasel, Itachi.

Not only would he go out in such a wretched way, he'd disrupt the Uchiha Clan's established course of resistance and force them to delay their plans, indirectly causing the clan's extermination.

And Itachi was even worse—a complete beast.

At four, he pondered the meaning of life. At seven, they praised him as having the mind of a Hokage. In the end, his astounding wisdom told him that killing his parents and joining forces with outsiders to wipe out his entire clan was the mark of a grand vision.

In short, we're on different paths, and there's no point in trying to work together. I need to find a chance to kill that weasel, Itachi, or I won't be able to rest easy.

After all, he hadn't awakened his Mangekyō yet. He'd need the shock of Shisui's death before he could put his twisted ideas into practice.

Uchiha Xiu, who had brought change to the clan, took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"I'll stand by one principle: 'Fight for peace, and peace will prevail. Compromise for peace, and peace will perish.'"

The transmigrated Uchiha Xiu had been nothing more than an ordinary college student in his previous life. He didn't need much political wisdom to put those words from a great leader into practice and make them his guiding principle. If he did that, then... he'd be invincible.

After all, the Shinobi World was full of illiterates!

Even calling Ninja Academy graduates primary-school educated would be generous.

The six years mainly covered how to use ninjutsu to kill people, the geography of the nations, and so on. The only thing related to ideology was the Will of Fire: unlimited loyalty to Lord Hokage and to the village's abstract interests.

He'd attended those classes himself, so he knew what he was talking about.

"Fight for peace, and peace will prevail..." Shisui, an illiterate, lowered his raised hand and murmured, as if he'd been struck by an attack from a higher dimension.

He seriously considered the weight of those words.

"Let me put it more plainly. Did the last Shinobi World War end because the leaders of every side sat down and talked it out? If you can't get something on the battlefield, don't ever expect to get it at the negotiating table."

Elder Setsuna, who was leading Uchiha Xiu, grew more and more excited.

Brilliant!

A level of brilliance even Madara lacked!

Madara was just good at fighting... Otherwise, how could he have played such a strong hand so disastrously?

"Thank heavens, our Uchiha Clan has finally produced a treasure."

"How did this kid end up following Old Man Shin and joining the moderates?"

Puzzled but relieved, Uchiha Setsuna led Uchiha Xiu along, wondering all the while whether they could launch their operation that very night.

The Ultimate Eye Technique had to be learned.

Every extra means available to their strongest fighters would improve their odds of setting things right.

"Even if this old man dies in battle tonight, it'll be worth it if I can see the Uchiha reclaim what they deserve."

Setsuna turned to gaze at Uchiha Xiu's calm face and spoke with heartfelt conviction. "Then I can go to the Pure Land and face our ancestors with a clear conscience."

"We're going ahead with tonight's operation."

Watching the figures of the old man and the young one disappear, Clan Leader Fugaku, who had used his Mangekyō to intimidate Shisui, said firmly:

"Go. Prepare for battle."

"Yes!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—the jōnin belonging to the Police Force scattered and left the dim underground plaza.

Now that they had a clear objective, each squad would carry out its orders. They were the clan's backbone.

Just as they had during every Shinobi World War.

Only this time... their blades would turn inward.

Rumble!

Only after leaving the shrine did the Uchiha who had attended the clan meeting notice that the bright morning sky had quietly turned dark.

"Going armed on a rainy night."

"A good omen."

Uchiha Xiu, who had decided to follow his own path, paused and looked up at the sky.

Before accepting the Main God Space's invitation, I'd been powerless to change things. All I could do was write smut to make money and try to become a runner, minding my own business.

Now I'm a Reincarnator with Kage Level strength. I've easily united the Uchiha's forces, and I'm still acting all timid, like a stinking rat in a gutter, scheming for scraps? What a pathetic lack of vision.

Then I'd truly be letting down that pop-up that appeared one morning!

"The Third Hokage called me in for the usual routine: wine and dine me, cut off my head, then take me in as a dog."

"Let's stir things up. Use their own momentum against them. Only in chaos can you get a satisfying piece of the meat."

"I might not be able to take them on alone, but can your aging Third Hokage really afford to fight my entire Uchiha Clan? Even if he can, he won't want to."

"Tsk. Clan Leader Fugaku may be a bit out there, but at least he's not confused about the important things. For now."

The Shinobi Hero who had once stayed behind to cover the Second was old now. All that remained was a skinny monkey who second-guessed everything and liked to use black-gloved men.

It wasn't until a few years later, when he faced his former student Orochimaru, that he tried to summon up his courage.

Judged by the results alone, his record was pretty laughable.

At the border of the Land of Fire.

On a sheer cliff beside the Land of Fields, a figure leaped into a cave.

"I'll mark this place."

"I might never need it, but I need a fallback to prevent the worst-case scenario."

Poof. The Shadow Clone disappeared.

The one-use Negacion from the world of Bleach could take effect at any time!

Konoha.

Underhanded currents were stirring.

Uchiha Itachi, who'd had a clever little idea before coming and regretted that he'd replaced "summon" with "invite," left in disgrace.

Bang!

The Hokage's office.

Danzo slammed the door open. The veins bulged on the back of the hand gripping his cane.

"Arrogant! Uchiha Xiu! Some brat who appeared out of nowhere dares to show contempt for the Hokage's authority! He openly refused a summons from the village leadership and used training as an excuse? That's a blatant provocation!"

His voice was hoarse, and he made no effort to hide his murderous intent. "That clan is born evil. Of course they're plotting something."

"Hiruzen, this is no ordinary Uchiha anymore. We have to wipe them out! Clean them out completely!"

"Danzo, calm down. It hasn't come to that."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, sat in his chair and took a long drag on his pipe. The ember glowed and dimmed in the shadowy office.

The door creaked open, and two more people filed inside.

"Homura, Koharu, you're here."

"Hiruzen."

The three stood before the desk.

When there was no one else around, they called one another by their names rather than by their lofty titles of Hokage, aide, or councilor.

Many dark, secret schemes—and even policies that affected the entire Land of Fire and the Shinobi World—first took shape here.

"Hiruzen." Shimura Danzo, who felt he'd finally calmed down, spoke first. "We should strike first. Have the Anbu infiltrate the Uchiha Clan Compound and assassinate the Police Force's senior officers according to the list. My Root will back them up from outside."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. With no outsiders present, there was no need to maintain his benevolent public image.

"It would take the lives of at least a hundred elite shinobi to pacify the entire Uchiha Clan. And Fugaku has awakened those eyes."

"I thought of the Valley of the End, of the battle between Madara and Lord Hashirama. That was a height only the gods could reach."

Even if Mangekyō varied in strength, Fugaku could take a Kage Level fighter from the village with him. That much was certain.

Konoha couldn't afford to suffer such a loss.

Under the others' gazes, the monkey finally reflected on whether he'd pressured the Uchiha too hard in the past and let Danzo get away with his underhanded tactics.

Suppressing the thought, he tried to make up for it.

"I have three students: one Senju and two civilians."

"Ever since Obito died in battle, none of my students' students have been Uchiha either. That sends a terrible message... It tells the outside world that we've shut this founding clan, which has rendered great service and never missed a Shinobi World War, out of the village's inner circle and denied them any chance at the Hokage Position."

"I'm old. I don't have the energy to train another student. What do you think? Should we recall Jiraiya or Tsunade, and have them choose a child from the Uchiha Clan? It might dispel that misunderstanding."

"..." Danzo sneered.

Monkey, you really are old.

The two advisors exchanged a glance.

Utatane Koharu, who had remained silent, spoke up. "We can't back down at a critical moment. Every other clan is watching, including spies from the other four great nations."

"So we have to deal with this firmly. We need to show that we're willing to cut off our own flesh without flinching. Only then can we deter everyone and preserve peace."

After hearing his old partner's analysis, Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses. His gaze behind the lenses was calm and cautious.

"Eradicating the clan would be too extreme, but we should at least deal with some of the ringleaders."

"Also... your suggestion is a good one. Whatever happens, summon Jiraiya and Tsunade back immediately and have them return as soon as possible to take charge of the village. But keep the idea of taking on a student as a backup plan."

"Kakashi has been in the Anbu for a long time. Let him out to take on some duties. He's the Fourth Hokage's student, a powerful jonin, and has a Sharingan. How about choosing Sasuke as his student? He's Fugaku's second son."

"All right." Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke.

Win Fugaku over by tossing him a doggie bone.

As for Shisui, the other Mangekyo wielder, keep him neutral.

With a mix of concessions and pressure, the crisis didn't seem so frightening anymore.

"Seek peace through struggle... What an interesting junior. Since he won't come see me, I'll take the Anbu to visit him tonight."

Danzo brought his cane down hard. "Hiruzen, your indecision will only invite disaster. Shisui, that fence-sitter, can't be trusted either."

No one present backed him up.

Everyone knew this man was too extreme—more extreme than Teacher Tobirama.

Shisui and Itachi were both friendly enough.

"Heh. I have my own arrangements." His one eye narrowed. He silently steeled himself. Mangekyo, Kotoamatsukami... Hmph. Such a sinful power should be used only by me... to make Konoha great again!

Raindrops pelted the windows of the office.

The sky grew even darker.

"Where's Naruto?"

Only then did the old woman Koharu seem to realize he was missing. She hurriedly asked about him.

"I had the Anbu move him five days ago. The Naruto attending classes at the academy right now is a substitute."

Hiruzen showed his seasoned side.

"Good." Mitokado Homura finally relaxed.

"Everyone, go back and prepare your elite forces. Seeking peace through struggle applies just as well from the village's perspective."

Hiruzen let out his last breath of smoke. The haze blurred his complicated expression.

Did he think I couldn't lift the Monkey King Enma Adamantine Staff anymore?

Uchiha Setsuna!

Uchiha Yashiro!

Uchiha Xiu!