Lingering Contingency

At this moment, inside the Hidden Leaf Village.

Within the compound of the Uchiha Clan.

A large number of Uchiha clansmen stood amidst the dust-filled "ruins," their faces blank with bewilderment.

From the start of the fierce battle to the defeat of their great clan head, and then the defection of that clansman Natsume.

In total, it had only been about ten minutes.

Most of the buildings within their Uchiha Clan compound had been reduced to ruins?

This was just too absurd, wasn't it?

But soon, these clansmen discovered something else.

Many familiar faces within the compound were missing!

By a rough estimate, at least half of them were gone, if not more!

Where had those clansmen gone?

Could it be that they had really defected?

Many of the remaining Uchiha clansmen secretly felt a jolt of alarm as they speculated.

After all, some time ago, people had indeed come within the clan to sound them out about whether they were willing to leave the Hidden Leaf Village.

The remaining clansmen had declined for various reasons.

Or they had simply dismissed it as a joke.

But looking at it now, this was no joke at all!

They had really defected!

Damn it!

If they had known this was real, they should have fled too!

For a moment, many of the clansmen who had just come to their senses could not help but fall into deep regret.

Meanwhile, amidst the vast expanse of charred ruins.

A figure, not particularly tall, was leaping and running rapidly.

Soon, Itachi passed through the layers of debris.

He arrived at the spot where his father Uchiha Fugaku had been struck down.

But before he could dig through the rubble.

Uchiha Fugaku, covered in dust but still in high spirits, stood up from a pile of broken wood.

"Itachi, you're here!"

"Father! Are you alright?"

Seeing that his father was still alive, Itachi felt a slight sense of relief.

Even though, tonight, he had originally intended to break ties with his father and the entire Uchiha Clan.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"That kid Natsume held back a bit of his strength at the end, otherwise..."

Uchiha Fugaku brushed the dust off his body, sighing slightly.

But he immediately realized his slip of the tongue and clamped his mouth shut.

The fact that he and that kid Natsume had been "putting on a show" during their fierce battle must not be known to the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hmm... they were definitely fighting for real just now!

Look, they had destroyed so many houses... what a huge loss!

"Father, you and cousin Natsume...?"

Itachi, who had a vague suspicion, finally asked the question weighing on his heart.

"Natsume! That kid took more than half of the clansmen and defected from the Hidden Leaf Village!"

"I was just trying to stop him, but I didn't expect to fail..."

Uchiha Fugaku let out a sigh of regret, but his eyes remained sharp, showing not a shred of actual sorrow.

"How could that be? Isn't he just courting death?"

"Even if he successfully led half the clan to defect, there's no way he can withstand the village's subsequent pursuit!"

"Moreover, with such a defection, the remaining clansmen will find it hard to escape severe punishment..."

Itachi was shocked.

He could not understand how his cousin Natsume could make such a crazy and stupid move.

"He must have his own considerations and countermeasures."

"However, for him, staying in the village to wait for death would be even less worthwhile."

"Everyone has the right to choose their own future."

"Itachi, you chose to stand against your clan for the sake of Konoha and Sasuke; you are not wrong."

"Natsume chose to stand against Konoha for the sake of himself and his clansmen; he is not wrong either."

"Although your ideologies differ, you are both outstanding talents of the Uchiha Clan. Whatever the future holds, it is for you to create."

Fugaku sighed with rare sentiment.

He tilted his head slightly to gaze at the starry sky.

As for the future of the Uchiha Clan, he could no longer see it clearly...

"So, Father, you already knew... I..."

Itachi was startled, not knowing how to justify himself.

No matter how many reasons he had.

His betrayal of the clan and his decision to stain his hands with blood were sins that could not be questioned.

"Do not blame yourself. With such a major event having occurred, your mission should be put on hold for a while."

"Go see your mother and Sasuke first. They should be unharmed..."

"Understood!"

Upon hearing the name Sasuke, Itachi's spirits lifted slightly.

He hurried to see his younger brother.

However.

Just then.

Swish.

Another figure wearing the coat of the Konoha Military Police Force flashed suddenly beside them.

"Clan Head, Young Master Itachi, forgive the intrusion!"

Uchiha Yashiro, with his gray hair and gaunt features, greeted them quickly.

"Yashiro? Why are you here?"

"It is by Young Master Natsume's instruction..."

"Yashiro! Sigh... I never expected that you, too, would defect to that boy?"

Fugaku was slightly shocked.

After all, the forty-five-year-old Uchiha Yashiro was experienced, exceptionally skilled, and considered a solid pillar within the Uchiha Clan.

He was even Fugaku's right-hand man in the Konoha Military Police Force, someone he greatly admired and relied upon.

He just hadn't expected that even a man like Uchiha Yashiro would throw his lot in with that boy, Natsume.

Uchiha Yashiro sighed softly and spoke candidly:

"Clan Head, I only wish to change the current state of the entire clan..."

"Compared to Young Master Natsume, you are, after all, too conservative..."

Fugaku coughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Cough, cough!"

"Enough, let's not talk about that."

"That boy is indeed monstrously talented! His strength is terrifying! It is not a bad thing for you to serve him."

This time, Fugaku truly felt his age.

It seemed the future of the clan would have to be left to the younger generation, to Natsume and Itachi, to fight for.

He would simply provide what warmth he had left to support them!

"You came here—does that boy have further arrangements?"

"Yes, Young Master Natsume has some words he wishes to leave for Young Master Itachi," Uchiha Yashiro stated his purpose.

"For Itachi?"

Fugaku was slightly puzzled.

Even Itachi, standing to the side, was stunned.

He did not understand what that cousin of his, Natsume—who was absurdly strong and had hidden his depth so well—could possibly have to say to him.

The next moment, Uchiha Yashiro handed over a scroll.

Itachi took the scroll and, with his father Fugaku's nod of approval, opened it to read.

A moment later.

After finishing the scroll, Itachi couldn't help but shudder, his eyes gleaming.

That heart, which should have been dead and cold, suddenly stirred with life.

It wasn't for anything else, but because the method recorded on the scroll was very likely to allow the remaining members of the Uchiha Clan in the Hidden Leaf Village to escape their doom.

No need to be exterminated! No need to fight the Hidden Leaf Village to the death!

Is this the contingency plan left behind by my cousin Natsume?

It is certainly worth a try!

Itachi sighed with emotion and quickly made his decision.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

A hundred miles north of the Hidden Leaf Village, in a secluded forest, a large group of the Uchiha Clan was gathered.

Old and young, men and women, strong and beautiful... all told, there were over 400 of them.

Clearly, they were all members of the Uchiha Clan who had defected from the Hidden Leaf Village.

At this moment, led by several formidable clansmen, the group was waiting quietly.

Before long, in the center of the crowd, the palm-sized summoning beast, a 'panda', suddenly received instructions.

It hurriedly stretched out its two round paws and performed the hand seals.

The next moment, the Reverse Summoning Technique was activated!

It directly summoned Natsume, who was a hundred miles away, to this location.

After all, the Summoning Technique is a type of space-time ninjutsu. Theoretically, it can indeed be used for reverse summoning.

And this was one of the guarantees that gave Natsume the confidence to stay behind in the Hidden Leaf Village and stir up trouble.

Otherwise, escaping from the tight encirclement of the Hidden Leaf Village would not have been easy.

"I'm back! Is everyone alright?"

Amidst the white mist, Natsume shouted, greeting the clansmen.

At the same time, seeing Natsume return safely, the hundreds of Uchiha clansmen around him erupted into excited cheers.

"Young Master Natsume!"

"Young Clan Leader!"

"Great, the Young Clan Leader is back!"

"We finally escaped the Hidden Leaf Village!"

Countless cheers rang out, wave after wave, full of jubilation.

Clearly, these Uchiha clansmen, who had been ostracized and harassed by the Hidden Leaf Village, had finally cast off their burdens and felt a sense of relief after escaping to safety.

After all, Natsume was now the backbone of them all! He was the guiding light leading them toward a glorious future!

Nothing could be more heartening to them than the safe return of their new Young Clan Leader.

Likewise, looking around and witnessing the joy of his clansmen, feeling the relaxed atmosphere now that they had left the Hidden Leaf Village, Natsume also curled his lips in a rare, genuine smile.