Clan Meeting, Deterrence

As Uchiha Setsuna leveled his accusations, the clansmen who held grievances against Itachi began to murmur among themselves.

"I said it before—he actually flew into a rage and beat us just because we questioned the circumstances of Shisui's suicide."

"I think Itachi is nothing but an ungrateful ingrate who has forgotten who birthed and raised him."

"That despicable traitor."

"Do you think the Clan Head is also..."

Below, Izumi Uchiha appeared utterly devastated, struggling to believe what she was hearing.

"Itachi, how could this be? Why would you betray the Uchiha Clan?"

"This is our closest family, isn't it?"

Watching the questioning and suspicion from the others, Uchiha Fugaku merely sipped his tea with calm indifference.

He then activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, using the sheer pressure of his ocular power to suppress the entire room.

He replied with airy nonchalance.

"It was my son who leaked the information, but I will provide you all with an explanation."

"How about that, Great Elder? Are you satisfied with my attitude?"

"Then let it be so."

Uchiha Setsuna's concession was not merely due to the promise of an explanation, but because of Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.

Having lived from the Warring States period to the present, Uchiha Setsuna had seen Madara Uchiha, and the pressure emanating from Madara Uchiha's eyes felt exactly like this.

Uchiha Fugaku possessed not just a Mangekyo Sharingan, but an even higher-level eye; this was the reason for Uchiha Setsuna's capitulation.

The Uchiha Clan revered the strong, especially those whose power they could not hope to surpass.

Seeing Uchiha Setsuna yield, the other clansmen could only suppress their own displeasure.

The other elders, all seasoned veterans, remained quietly observant.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Uchiha Fugaku retracted his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. As for the explanation, they could wait until after tonight—if anyone still had the guts to demand one, that is.

If anyone truly dared to come, they would find out whether their heads were harder than his Susanoo. Did they really think he, Uchiha Fugaku, had no temper at all?

Uchiha Setsuna then asked again.

"I wonder how the Clan Head intends to handle matters regarding the village?"

Uchiha Fugaku laid out his arrangements.

"To prevent things from reaching a point of no return, I have already ordered all clansmen from the Military Police Force to withdraw."

"From here on out, I will personally take action to intimidate the other side."

"As for the revolution, do not mention it for the time being. Striking now would only result in us inheriting a broken Konoha."

"After all, Konoha was founded by both our Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan."

"However, I will give you hope."

"After tonight, I will lead you all back to the original Uchiha Clan Compound to reclaim some interest first."

"I wonder, Great Elder, are you satisfied with this answer?"

Uchiha Setsuna pondered for a moment before falling silent.

Given that their plans had been exposed, he had no better alternative than Fugaku's proposal.

Uchiha Setsuna could only silently acquiesce for now.

As for the other elders, the Hawks were led by Uchiha Setsuna, and since their leader had no objections, neither did they.

The Doves, naturally, had even less to say; they had never wanted excessive conflict with Konoha that would lead to heavy casualties.

Seeing that no one opposed him, Uchiha Fugaku issued his next order.

"Let's go. To the entrance of the clan grounds."

"Let's go watch a good show together."

Uchiha Fugaku led the group to a spot not far from the entrance of the clan grounds.

From here, they could observe the situation at the entrance while remaining hidden from the prying eyes of the Anbu.

The group waited in silence, the atmosphere heavy and still.

Before long, Uchiha Fugaku sensed that something was wrong.

A significant amount of time had passed, yet the clansmen from the Military Police Force had not returned.

"It seems Danzo is pulling strings behind the scenes once again."

Thinking of this, Uchiha Fugaku immediately issued an order to Uchiha Zhi.

"Uchiha Zhi, take two squads of jonin and go see what exactly is happening with Uchiha Boka."

"Do not engage in conflict; once you have news, use a Ninja Cat to deliver the information immediately."

"Yes, Clan Head."

Having received the order, Uchiha Zhi immediately called out seven jonin from the Uchiha Clan to accompany him to the Military Police Force.

Seeing that Uchiha Fugaku placed such importance on the matter, Kagami Uchiha asked immediately from the side.

"Clan Head Fugaku, is it really necessary to dispatch two squads consisting entirely of jonin just to investigate?"

Uchiha Fugaku glanced at him, thought for a moment, and decided to explain.

"It is possible that Danzo has made a move."

"I believe you all know Danzo better than I do—our Hokage's advisor, the so-called nameless one who supports peace from the shadows."

Of course, the final sentence carried a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Danzo was nothing more than a tool whose abilities failed to match his ambitions. If it were not for his history as a teammate of the Third Hokage and his role in handling the dirty work that the Third Hokage found inconvenient, he would likely have been discarded by the Third Hokage long ago and torn to shreds by the ninja clans of Konoha.

One must realize that aside from the Uchiha Clan, every other ninja clan had been exploited by him under the pretext of Sarutobi Hiruzen's authority.

He would demand the young geniuses of the ninja clans, brainwash them, and then plant the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal upon them, training them into heartless killing tools loyal only to Danzo.

Upon hearing Uchiha Fugaku's words, Kagami Uchiha naturally said nothing more.

After all, as their old adversary, they naturally understood Danzo very well; the Uchiha clansmen who had vanished without a trace over the years were all his handiwork.

Moreover, if he hadn't constantly manufactured conflicts between the village and the Uchiha Clan, the Uchiha Clan would not have fallen to such a state.

Furthermore, regarding the death of Uchiha Shisui, who was a double agent for both the Doves of the Uchiha and the village, Kagami Uchiha had his own suspicions; it was not as simple as the suicide note Uchiha Itachi had produced suggested.

Kagami Uchiha was not like those brainless clansmen; he knew the relationship between Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, and it was impossible for Uchiha Itachi to have killed Shisui.

The only one with the motive to act was Danzo, as the upper echelons had always feared the power of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

Uchiha Shisui had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and then gone to the Hokage Building, only to be killed; he refused to believe it wasn't Danzo's doing, though he had kept his silence out of caution.

Given the tensions between the two sides at the time, the incident with Shisui could have served as a powder keg; if it had been exposed, it would inevitably have led to an outcome neither side wanted to see.

And as a member of the Doves, he was the least willing to see that happen.