This Land is Sick

Silence.

No answer could be given.

Deny the prejudice against the Uchiha?

No one was a fool; it was only after the Fourth Hokage took office that the lives of the Uchiha became slightly more bearable.

And only slightly, at that.

Which other ninja clan was monitored by a large number of Root operatives, guarded against as if they were thieves?

Which other ninja clan had to treat being allowed to join the Anbu as a form of grace?

Not to mention the matter of the Military Police Force.

Was it really a good thing to have a single ninja clan shoulder a job that appeared to hold power but in reality only served to offend others?

It only made other ninja clans and the commoners fear the Uchiha more, isolating the Uchiha from the masses.

The Uchiha gathered silently, moving closer to Uchiha Sora as they recalled their own experiences.

Just as Uchiha Sora had said, the treatment he received was no isolated case.

In the end, it was Sarutobi Shinnosuke who broke the silence.

Shing!!

He drew his blade from its sheath. Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen moved to stop him, he had already pointed the edge toward his own heart.

"I know..."

"The village is indeed in the wrong, and I do not ask for your forgiveness."

"Lord Third... Father! I implore you not to hold the Uchiha responsible, and to guarantee that you will no longer target them."

Drip...

Drops of blood hit the ground. Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked at Uchiha Sora, his eyes filled with pleading.

"I will repay you with my mother's life. I beg you, stop this."

"It is not too late yet. Before a greater rift appears, there is still a chance for reconciliation!"

"Shinnosuke!!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped the blade tightly, his voice choked with sobs.

He had already lost his wife tonight; he truly could not bear the grief of losing his son as well.

A faint smile touched the corner of Sarutobi Shinnosuke's mouth: "Father, the situation we face today is because of the mistakes we made in the past."

"If my death can bring peace to the village, it is a price well worth paying."

Uchiha Sora looked at him deeply.

The resolve to die in his eyes was by no means fake.

He truly wanted to die.

"Shinnosuke, you have inherited the original Will of Fire."

Uchiha Sora shook his head and said solemnly: "You wish to be the First Hokage, but I am not Uchiha Madara."

"I will not walk the path of error ever again!"

Whoosh--

The previously silent Rayquaza suddenly moved, its dragon claw gripping Shimura Danzō's head and hoisting him high into the air.

Uchiha Sora spoke in a chilling voice: "I will return Shimura Danzō to you. As a condition, just as I said before, let the entire Uchiha clan leave Konoha."

"If you do not agree, then let us begin the war right here!"

"Even if I die in battle, I will never flee alone!!"

Your resolve to die is not fake.

I, too, have prepared myself to die!

A final gamble—succeed, or perish!

--

Under the blood-red moon, pairs of Sharingan activated, their eerie crimson glow flickering in the night.

Crack--

Sarutobi Hiruzen crushed Shinnosuke's ninja blade, blood seeping through the gaps in his fingers.

His eyes were bloodshot, and every syllable seemed to be squeezed with great difficulty from the depths of his throat.

"Not enough..."

"The Mangekyo has a suppressive effect on the Nine-Tails. I demand that Fugaku help seal the Nine-Tails. You all can leave first, but leave Shimura Danzō behind; we will exchange hostages then."

Having recognized the reality of the situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer treated the Uchiha clan as fellow villagers to negotiate with, but as a formal adversary.

Heh...

At first, they were wary of the Uchiha, and now they finally remember the suppression the Sharingan has over the Nine-Tails?

Uchiha Sora looked at Fugaku, who nodded slightly.

Setting aside other factors, in his heart, Fugaku also wanted to go and help Minato.

The reason he took action against Shimura Danzō, aside from Uchiha Sora's coercion, was also because Danzō had prevented him from rescuing Minato.

"Then let it be so. Clan Leader Fugaku will stay behind. Shisui, Tekka, go notify the clansmen in the shelter."

"Yes!"

Within the crowd, several Uchiha led by Tekka responded as if they were subordinates receiving an order.

Uchiha Sora's forced abdication was certainly not a whim; over the past two years, he had secretly contacted several young radicals to form the "Whole Clan Evacuation Planning Group" with himself at the helm.

He had considered many things, even taking advantage of the village being busy dealing with the jinchūriki's childbirth to sneak into the cemetery and exhume the bodies of the Uchiha clansmen.

Dead or alive, he intended to take them all.

At the same time, he had reached an agreement with Granny Cat of Cat Village to assist in the Uchiha clan's evacuation.

She was a woman of considerable wisdom who had long since seen the difficult predicament the Uchiha faced in Konoha.

Defecting as an entire clan might not necessarily lead to a better life, but it certainly wouldn't be any worse than this.

With the Uchiha combined with Cat Village, their strength was at least far greater than that of some smaller nations.

Seeing this, Shisui nodded helplessly, but still looked at Shimura Danzō and said, "I won't kill him, but that eye must be returned to me!"

Uchiha Sora nodded and turned to look at Shimura Danzō's severed arm.

"Shimura Danzō will return it to you; he won't be taking the Sharingan with him."

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a deep sigh, his posture revealing his utter decline.

"Understood... you may go."

--

Roar...

Rayquaza let out a shrill cry and carried Uchiha Sora toward the shelter. With the exception of Fugaku, who remained where he was, everyone followed.

Utatane Koharu spoke up in a rage: "Fugaku... this brat has been amassing so much power right under your nose, and you didn't even notice!"

She had already realized that the mastermind behind these events was Uchiha Sora.

Glancing at her, Fugaku threw caution to the wind: "Isn't that thanks to you, Advisor Utatane? Otherwise, how could he have gathered such a following, even dragging me into this?"

"You!!"

"Enough... at this point, what is the point of saying such things?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen tore off a piece of cloth to wrap his wound, looking much older in an instant: "Fugaku, let's go... the Fourth needs us."

"Yes... Lord Third."

Fugaku's admiration for the Third was genuine. He had lived his entire life during the Third's tenure, witnessing with his own eyes how Konoha entered its golden age under his leadership.

However...

Fugaku always felt that the current Sarutobi Hiruzen was missing something.

If this had been ten years earlier... Fugaku would never have dared to follow Uchiha Sora in rebelling against the village.

--

--

Clan shelter.

When Shisui conveyed the order for the entire clan to evacuate, many clansmen were unwilling.

It wasn't as if everyone lived a miserable life; leaving the land where they were born and raised was no easy task.

Tap...

Uchiha Sora walked to the front of the crowd.

The ordinary Uchiha clansmen were more familiar with Sora, and they rushed forward to ask questions.

"Sora, what on earth is happening outside? The commotion is so loud!"

"Is it an invasion from another ninja village? Are you all alright?"

These people had entered the shelter long before the Nine-Tails broke its seal, so they were unaware of the situation outside.

A little girl squeezed through the gaps between the adults and hugged Uchiha Sora's lower leg.

"Big Brother Sora, why are they holding swords? It's so scary!"

"What happened to your hand? Does it hurt?"

Uchiha Sora crouched down and gently brushed the girl's hair with his uninjured hand.

Her name was Uchiha Cho, the daughter of the owner of the dango shop on the commercial street, and also the first person to be mercilessly slaughtered by the dark shadow in the vision Shisui had seen.

Unlike when he faced the village elders, Uchiha Sora's expression was gentle and his smile sincere at this moment.

"It doesn't hurt, nothing happened, don't be afraid."

Lifting Cho into his arms, Uchiha Sora faced his clansmen and said earnestly.

"This land has fallen ill, and we need to leave for a while."

"I promise, we will return, and I will cure its sickness."

"Please, trust me."

He bowed deeply, his arrogance completely gone.