The Plan

The next day, news about the Uchiha Clan did not spread. The atmosphere remained tense, but ordinary people were like cattle and sheep; the real turmoil above them never reached them.

At school, Naruto had just sat down when he greeted Hinata.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan."

"Good morning, Naruto-kun."

Hinata spoke softly, but then she suddenly frowned as she looked at Naruto.

Why does Naruto feel different? Maybe I'm imagining it.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

Naruto was a little puzzled. This girl had never dared to look at him for long before.

"You..."

Hinata wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

Did she see through me?

Seeing her expression, Naruto froze for a moment. His real body was still studying the Sharingan, so naturally the one who had come here was a clone.

But Naruto's clones were different. With his energy bolstering them, not even the Byakugan could see through one, let alone the Sharingan.

Although the original story had said that Hinata's eyes were the purest, her personality had kept her from showing much ability. And in the Ninja World, the Sharingan was more powerful.

By comparison, the Byakugan didn't have all those flashy abilities, but its powers shouldn't be underestimated.

The fact that the Ōtsutsuki Clan all had the Byakugan in the original story was enough to show how extraordinary it was.

Maybe it's because of her chakra limitations. Should I give her a hand?

Naruto suddenly became a little interested.

But there was no need to rush.

The school day had only just begun.

Sasuke Uchiha furrowed his brows throughout the day, often losing himself in thought.

He didn't know what was happening in his clan, but he wasn't stupid. He could sense that things had changed from the little details.

At noon.

"Would you like to have lunch together, Naruto-kun?"

Just as Naruto was about to stand up, Hinata finally summoned the courage to ask.

Naruto was taken aback.

His real body no longer needed to eat, and his clone needed it even less. He had been planning to go for a walk and come back, but he hadn't expected Hinata to ask him.

He looked at Hinata, who had her head lowered, and saw worry, fear, and insecurity in her.

His eyes couldn't help but flicker. He knew the girl liked him, but he couldn't understand why she was so timid.

You idiot. You have the noblest bloodline and you're the Hyuga family's young lady.

He wanted to say something, but Naruto understood.

"Sure, Hinata-chan."

Naruto smiled, and he also understood that this was the first time she had gathered the courage to speak up. If he turned her down, she would only become more timid.

At the same time, he decided to give her a hand.

At least, in Naruto's eyes, all that so-called cowardice came from a lack of strength.

When Hinata heard Naruto agree, she looked up at once, then immediately lowered her head again.

"Let's go."

Naruto said no more. They took their lunch boxes outside, found a quiet spot, and began to eat.

Hinata didn't dare speak, and Naruto didn't know what to say either.

Besides, there was no use trying to lecture children.

As for helping her get stronger, Naruto wasn't in a hurry. Right now, they merely liked each other. Any talk of a deep relationship was just wishful thinking.

Though neither of them spoke, they grew closer all the same.

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha Clan's compound.

At that moment, every Uchiha had gathered in the ancestral hall.

Everyone wore a grim expression.

Daohuo Uchiha was among them.

"Daohuo, tell us again what happened yesterday."

The Great Elder spoke with a dark expression.

Daohuo recounted yesterday's events in detail.

"Elder, Danzo went too far. He must have been behind this."

Shui Uchiha spoke angrily.

"Exactly. That reckless way of doing things has Root written all over it."

"Let's kill Danzo. We can kill the Hokage too, if it comes to that."

One person after another spoke up, their anger boiling over.

Fuyue Uchiha remained silent.

The Great Elder furrowed his brows.

Although the Great Elder supported the coup, he was a man of sense. After seeing the strength surrounding the Third Hokage yesterday, even he had begun to doubt their chances.

The most important point was that Itachi Uchiha had sided with the Third Hokage.

That made them afraid to act rashly.

The other clan members didn't know, but the few of them did: Itachi Uchiha possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. Naruto hadn't given them false information about this; he had even told them about Itachi's Mangekyō abilities.

Knowing this was what made things so difficult.

Tsukuyomi for mental attacks and Amaterasu for physical attacks.

Even Fuyue Uchiha, who also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, had no confidence he could defeat Itachi with that combination.

That was why the few of them fell silent.

"You can all go back for now. We'll discuss this among ourselves."

The Great Elder waved for the ordinary clan members to leave.

Though reluctant, they all filed out one after another.

"Ah... Fuyue, do you have any other ideas?"

The Great Elder sighed.

"I'm sorry. I failed to raise him properly."

Fuyue fell silent. He felt helpless about Itachi Uchiha.

But what he found hardest to accept was that Itachi Uchiha had chosen to slaughter his own clan, and that the two brothers had died in the end.

Seeing that outcome had completely broken Fugaku Uchiha.

And now Itachi Uchiha still hadn't repented, but they could do nothing about it.

"After this, Danzo will probably come after us again."

"Should we strike first?"

"No. Danzo is an elder. If we attack him, we'll have completely crossed the line."

The Great Elder objected.

"What if..."

Daohuo Uchiha looked toward Fugaku Uchiha.

The Great Elder froze for a moment, then understood.

His expression shifted uncertainly.

Fugaku Uchiha also understood what Daohuo meant.

The other three hadn't caught on yet, but when they saw the clan leader's grim expression, they seemed to understand.

Their gazes flickered.

If the traitor won't fall in line, why not replace him?

The thought had occurred to all of them.

The Mangekyō Sharingan was the spiritual symbol of the Uchiha Clan.

More importantly, outsiders could make use of it.

If they seized Itachi Uchiha's eyes,

their side would have two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Clan leader, this is your family matter, but if you can't bring yourself to make the decision, we can help you."

Once the Great Elder had made up his mind, he was determined to take Itachi Uchiha's eyes.

Fugaku Uchiha's expression darkened. That was the son he had always been proud of.

Unlike Sasuke, Itachi Uchiha had shown exceptional talent from a young age.

He had always been proud of his son.

But now...

"Fuyue, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. Think about Sasuke Uchiha. He has the potential to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Do you really want him to follow the same path?"

The Great Elder had seen enough of life to know what the other man was thinking, just from his expression.

They were both his sons, but he had to choose one.

And if he didn't, there was a good chance history would repeat itself.