At the most secret gathering place beneath Naka Shrine in the Uchiha Compound, dozens of Uchiha Clan members had assembled.
There were no windows, only torches burning dimly along the walls, giving the room an oppressive feel.
Everyone seated here was an elite of the Uchiha Clan.
The least among them were Jonin with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
They were the backbone of the Military Police Force and the Uchiha Clan's source of confidence.
Among them were several elders whose strength neared Kage Level.
They were the clan's true top fighters, elders with both seniority and strength.
A quick glance revealed some twenty or thirty people.
If this force pulled together, it would be enough to topple a small country.
Uchiha Fugaku sat at the head of the room. He wasn't wearing his usual clothes today, but the Uchiha Clan's traditional dark, high-collared attire. His expression was sterner and colder than usual.
He surveyed the room. Everyone his gaze passed over straightened their backs without thinking.
Uchiha Fugaku announced, "I've called you here because our Uchiha Clan has reached a life-or-death crossroads."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Since the First, Hashirama Senju, and Lord Madara founded Konoha together, our Uchiha Clan has rendered outstanding service." Fugaku's voice rose, edged with indignation. "And what have we received in return?"
"The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, established the Military Police Force. It looked like he was entrusting us with an important duty, but in truth, he was keeping us out of the heart of power, binding us tightly to the village's rules and regulations, and making us a target for everyone's blame."
"The Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, may seem tolerant, but he has allowed Shimura Danzō and his Root operatives to watch, ostracize, and suppress our Uchiha Clan at every turn."
"Not only that, but the Military Police Force's authority has been repeatedly curtailed, and our standing in the village has been secretly undermined."
By now, whispers had begun to ripple through the crowd.
In many eyes, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan began spinning faster, its scarlet glow intensifying.
Fugaku slammed his hand on the low table before him, his voice abruptly turning fierce. "Worst of all is the slander against us over the Nine-Tails Incident. That night, countless Konoha Ninja and civilians died, and the Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed themselves. Yet afterward, the village leadership suspected that our Uchiha Clan was behind it all."
"They don't need evidence. They only need an excuse to pin the blame on us."
"All these years, we've endured it. We've backed down. We've tried to prove our loyalty by working harder. And what have we gotten? Nothing but ever-deepening suspicion and relentless pressure."
Uchiha Fugaku spoke with fierce indignation. "Tell me, how much longer are we supposed to endure this? Until Danzo's 'Root' secretly eliminates us one by one? Until the village leadership finds some excuse to brand our Uchiha Clan as traitors, then openly wipe us out?"
"Until they toss our bodies, carrying the blood of our proud heritage, onto a mass grave like garbage?"
"We can't take it anymore!"
"The clan leader is right! We've had enough!"
"Konoha is no longer the village the First and Lord Madara dreamed of!"
"Uchiha blood must not be shed in vain!"
The crowd was inflamed. No one understood better than the Uchiha what a miserable life they'd been forced to live all these years.
Fugaku raised both hands, calming the room. When the noise had subsided somewhat, he continued:
"So the fate of the Uchiha Clan must be in our own hands. We can't entrust it to the mercy and charity of others."
He took a deep breath, his gaze burning. "I propose, and announce to you tonight, that we take action. We must overthrow Hiruzen Sarutobi's weak rule, eliminate the likes of Danzo, and have our Uchiha Clan take control of Konoha."
"We'll rebuild Konoha into a truly fair and powerful village... one where our Uchiha Clan can stand proud!"
"Long live the Uchiha!"
"We'll follow the clan leader!"
"Let's take back everything that belongs to us!"
The Uchiha Clan's shouts rose and fell, full of fervor.
A few of the older, more levelheaded members looked excited as well, but a trace of doubt or worry remained deep in their eyes.
Yet amid the cheers, their voices were completely drowned out.
"Good," Fugaku said gravely. "Since we're united, I won't hide anything from you. I've been preparing every part of the plan for a long time. The covert operatives, intelligence, supplies, and possible supporters within the village... are all in place."
He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, making it sound all the more murderous. "Three days from now, at midnight, we'll raise our banner and rewrite Konoha's history.
Uchiha Fugaku then laid out the details of several key action groups and their objectives, including a surprise attack on the Hokage Building and important administrative offices, securing major entrances and the Barrier Team, eliminating staunch opponents, and preparing for possible counterattacks by other clans...
The plan sounded thorough and bold, clearly the result of long preparation.
"For the next three days, everyone must act as usual. Don't give anything away."
"All instructions will be delivered through the most secret channels when the time comes."
"Remember, this battle will determine whether our entire Uchiha Clan survives. We either succeed or die!"
The torches continued to burn, casting wavering light over the now-empty meeting room.
Yet during the gathering, no one noticed the pair of eyes watching everything below from the shadows of a narrow crawlspace overhead, until only two people remained in the room.
It was Uchiha Du Yang.
Fugaku spoke quietly to the other Uchiha:
"How did the investigation I asked you to conduct go?"
The Uchiha replied respectfully:
"Clan leader, I can hardly believe the results. All the signs point to Uchiha Du Yang being the one who last went to see Itachi Uchiha..."
"So it really was him."
In an instant, Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan appeared. What he saw in his eyes was exactly the same as the scene before him.
Afterward, Uchiha Fugaku and the other Uchiha left together.
"Looks like even killing his son wasn't enough to keep it from Uchiha Fugaku. I underestimated how much control this clan leader has over the Uchiha Clan."
"Confirmed: Fugaku knows his son inside out. He even knows far more about what's going on in Konoha than most people could imagine."
"No wonder he willingly went to his death on the night of the massacre."
You could say Fugaku had let his son kill him.
If Fugaku had wanted to fight back, Itachi Uchiha probably wouldn't have stood a chance.
But Du Yang wasn't worried at all.
After all, the shock waves from their fight had been too intense. Those signature ninjutsu stances made it obvious that Uchiha Clan members had been fighting.
Everything he'd done had been within his expectations.
Besides, this proved all the more that Fugaku had no business leading the Uchiha Clan.
What was more, his presence had hastened the Uchiha Clan's destruction.
What truly occupied his thoughts was this... Now that he'd killed Itachi Uchiha, driven Obito Uchiha away, and prevented the massacre from happening, the Uchiha Clan's rebellion was about to begin.
"Without a doubt, under Uchiha Fugaku's leadership, the Uchiha Clan will still be wiped out."
Du Yang gave a bitter smile.
Who had given Uchiha Fugaku the nerve to think the Uchiha Clan could pull off a coup with its current strength? Fish Leong?
Aside from him, Fugaku was probably the only one in the Uchiha Clan with the strength to reach Kage Level.
On the Third's side, Danzo counted as one, and the Hokage himself counted as another.
Of Hiruzen Sarutobi's two former students, Jiraiya counted as one, and Tsunade as well.
Even if Kakashi didn't reach his full potential, there was still the formidable Might Guy.
Besides, the Hyuga Clan, Sarutobi Clan, Shimura Clan, Aburame Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and Nara Clan were all on the Third's side.
The Hyuga Clan alone would be enough to give the Uchiha a serious headache.
And that wasn't even counting Konoha's many Chunin and elite Jonin. How could they possibly allow the Uchiha to rebel?
So the Uchiha Clan's coup was just asking for death.
Uchiha Du Yang was extremely powerful, but he had family, and he was still just a young member of the Uchiha Clan.
He had little say in the clan.
Even if they were going to rebel and seize power, it absolutely couldn't be three days from now.
Uchiha Du Yang seemed to be talking to himself. "Is Uchiha Fugaku the next target?"
Even if he didn't act, Uchiha Fugaku would probably try to kill him.
He'd said it before: when necessary, he could do whatever it took to protect his family.final
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