Uchiha Must Answer to Me

However, Du Yang didn't have much time left.

The coup was only three days away, and Uchiha Fugaku was unwilling to wait even a moment longer.

Once he realized no one was around, Du Yang left.

By the time he stepped back onto the streets of the Uchiha Compound, night had fallen. Moonlight spilled over the neat houses and stone-paved roads.

The moon was still full and bright. It hadn't transformed into a blood moon.

Most of the windows were dark. Faint laughter drifted from one of the houses; a family of three was clearly enjoying a cheerful conversation.

Clan members patrolled in pairs and threes. When they saw Du Yang, they merely nodded or greeted him quietly. Their gazes held no particular surprise as they carried on with their daily guard duties, their training evident.

Du Yang continued on, enjoying the fresh air. He could even smell the faint fragrance of the surrounding flowers and trees.

The peaceful, uneventful atmosphere was intoxicating.

The Night of the Uchiha Massacre had never happened. The Uchiha Compound, awash with blood and sunk in silence, had never come to be.

It all looked so peaceful and beautiful.

Yet Du Yang knew all too well how fragile this peace was—one poke would shatter it.

The Uchiha Clan would stage a coup, and it was certain to fail.

The Third Hokage was one thing, but Danzo would seize the opportunity to wipe out every Uchiha, down to the three-year-old children.

Changing this outcome alone would be far too difficult.

One person was, after all, only one person.

No one wanted rivers of blood, and so rivers of blood would flow.

He quickened his pace, passed through several familiar alleys, and finally stopped in front of a modest but neat and elegant courtyard.

Honeysuckle vines climbed over the low wall by the gate, casting sparse shadows in the moonlight.

The light shining through the windows gave him an unusually warm feeling.

He pushed open the ajar courtyard gate. His father, Uchiha Tenchi, sat beneath the eaves by a small lamp, pretending to read an old mission scroll. In truth, he was waiting for his son, Du Yang, to come home.

Hearing the noise, he looked up. When he saw Du Yang, a gentle smile softened his stern face. "Where have you been? You're home so late. You're not usually like this. Your mother's been asking about you."

In Uchiha Tenchi's eyes, his son was difficult to understand in some ways. He had clearly been anxious before, but he had always come home on time in the evenings.

Now, though his anxiety had eased somewhat, it was still there.

"Mm, something held me up."

Du Yang answered without seeming inclined to mention that he had witnessed the Uchiha conspiracy.

His father hadn't been among those summoned by clan leader Uchiha Fugaku.

That alone said enough about where his father stood.

Not everyone in the Uchiha Clan wanted to overthrow Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule.

After all, his father was an elite jonin.

"Always take care of yourself. Don't push too hard." Tenchi nodded, then looked back at the scroll. "I left you some food in the kitchen. It should still be warm."

Just then, the sliding door rattled open, and Uchiha Kurenai poked her head out, an apron tied around her waist.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Du Yang. "Have you eaten? If not, there's still some warm food. Should I bring it out for you?"

As he took off his shoes and stepped onto the veranda, Du Yang said, "Mother, don't trouble yourself. I can get it."

"What trouble? It's only a few steps."

Kurenai turned and went back into the kitchen without giving him a chance to argue.

A fluffy little head popped out from behind Mieko. It was Uchiha Izumi.

He blinked his wide eyes curiously at Du Yang. "Big brother, where did you go tonight? I heard there are ghost lights by the Naka River at night. Did you go catch ghosts?"

Du Yang couldn't help laughing. He ruffled his younger brother's soft black hair. "There aren't any ghost lights. Those were probably fireflies. I just went to train."

"Training? Big brother's so amazing! Once I awaken the Sharingan, I'll be just as strong as you." Izumi waved his little fists, his face full of longing.

"Then you'd better eat well so you can grow big and strong," Du Yang replied, playing along.

The family gathered around the small sitting room and ate with Du Yang once more.

His father briefly asked about his recent training. Du Yang simply said it was going well.

His mother prattled on about recent happenings in the clan: who had taken a new bride, whose child had shown good potential as a ninja. She also reminded Du Yang not to focus only on difficult missions and to take care of himself.

Izumi chattered beside them about the funny things that had happened at the Ninja Academy that day. He also mentioned Naruto and Sasuke. Every now and then, his father quizzed him on basic ninjutsu. When he answered correctly, he looked delighted with himself.

After the simple late-night meal, Du Yang helped his mother clear the dishes, played half a game of shogi with his father, and then washed up.

The night in the Uchiha Compound remained quiet.

He returned to his room and gently shut the door.

Outside, the moon shone bright.

Inside, all was peaceful.

But deep in his slowly opening eyes, an intricate, icy pattern flickered across his dark pupils and vanished.

"This won't do... This really won't do... Could this work?" he murmured, his voice barely audible. "The Uchiha Clan has to answer to me."

"The Uchiha Clan really does have to answer to me."

If another Uchiha had heard Du Yang say those words, they would surely have thought him crazy.

First, in outsiders' eyes, Du Yang might have been a young genius who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but he was still just a green kid with no standing in the clan.

Second, Du Yang's family had very little influence in the clan and had barely built up any prestige. They didn't even have anyone who could get a word in.

Finally, Uchiha Fugaku was doing just fine as clan leader. Who did Du Yang think he was?

So, as far as outsiders were concerned, there was no way Du Yang could become clan leader.

And even if he did, he was too inexperienced. No one would accept him, and he would have no hope of controlling the Uchiha Clan.

But they didn't know that Du Yang had recently grown tired of beef.

The night was as dark as ink, hanging heavily over the Uchiha Compound.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Tonight, the air seemed charged with the feeling of a storm about to break.

Uchiha Fugaku's residence had become livelier than ever.

Elite sentries stood watch all around the grounds, their silhouettes barely visible in the dark.

Inside, people crowded the once-spacious main hall, the side rooms, and even the corridors, some sitting and others standing.

Every one of them was an Uchiha elite.

Last time, they had all possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

This time, it seemed everyone who had awakened the Sharingan had come.

Most sat in silence, polishing their ninja tools, adjusting their gear, or resting with their eyes closed. Yet they all seemed unusually excited.

Clearly, they could hardly wait.

Under the pretext of a clan meeting, Fugaku had summoned every Uchiha combatant who could be of use to his private residence. He wasn't even trying to keep up appearances anymore.

Fugaku himself was still confirming the final details with several clan elders, repeatedly scrutinizing every step and every possible contingency.

His expression was harder than usual, and his gaze even sharper.