Do Something

Naoki followed the squad while lost in calm contemplation.

If one were to ask when the seeds of the Uchiha Clan's destruction were truly sown, there might be many answers, but if one were to ask when the Uchiha Clan began its inevitable slide toward annihilation, there was only one.

Tonight! This very night of the Nine-Tails Incident!

As Obito manipulated the Nine-Tails to assault Konoha, the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina would both perish.

After the battle, with the successive deaths of Obito and Namikaze Minato, the Uchiha Clan would lose all opportunity to reach the pinnacle of power in Konoha. As Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to office, the Uchiha, finding themselves with no room for advancement, would gradually embark on a path of extremism...

"Hey, Naoki, what are you spacing out for? Keep up!" Uchiha Zongxin tugged at his sleeve and pointed toward an alleyway to the side. "Our squad is responsible for this sector. Knock on every door, confirm no one is left behind, and guide them to the Third Shelter in the south."

"Understood."

Naoki took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts.

At the very least, for now, he had to focus on the task at hand.

Evacuating and guiding villagers to the shelter was a simple mission, yet it required a degree of patience...

After the Nine-Tails appeared, many villagers were thrown into a panic, and some even refused to leave their homes at any cost.

At the doorstep of one house, they encountered trouble.

A middle-aged man clung tightly to the doorframe, roaring at them as they stood in their uniforms bearing the Uchiha crest: "I'm not going! Why should I trust you? Who knows if that monster out there was released by you people..."

The man's voice grew quieter as he spoke, but it was still loud enough for the surrounding Uchiha to hear.

Uchiha Zongxin's face flushed red with sudden anger.

"What did you say!"

His brother's voice was loud, and Uchiha Zongye quickly looked around. Seeing many people peering in their direction, he reached out to stop his brother.

"Sir, please calm down! We are the Military Police Force, ordered to protect the villagers and oversee the evacuation. The Nine-Tails is currently destroying the village; this area will become extremely dangerous very soon."

The man stopped speaking, merely shaking his head incessantly.

"I really... everyone else has left, are you just staying here to wait for death?" Uchiha Zongxin demanded angrily.

"Look over there." Uchiha Zongye pointed toward the distant Nine-Tails. "The Nine-Tails is rampaging. Staying here will lead to disaster sooner or later. Come with us to a more open, safer place..." He gestured toward the woman and child huddled in the corner of the room, trembling. "At least, think of your family."

The man looked at his wife and child, hesitated for a moment, then finally let go and followed the squad, muttering under his breath.

This small episode left the squad's atmosphere somewhat stifled.

On the way to the next block, Uchiha Zongxin couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "Why suspect us? We're clearly protecting them!"

Another Uchiha nodded. "Everyone else is leaving, yet he stayed behind. We tried to persuade him, and he still suspected us of having ill intentions. A guy like that really isn't worth saving!"

Naoki, walking to the side, remained silent, his mind constantly replaying the future of this world and the future of the Uchiha Clan.

The Sharingan pattern in the eyes of the Nine-Tails, the death of the Fourth, the marginalization of the Uchiha, the death of Shisui, the choice of Itachi, the Night of the Massacre... scene after scene flashed before his eyes, like a dull blade slowly slicing through his nerves.

How should he walk the path of the future?

Should he quietly leave Konoha, or stay and do something?

Staying would mean facing a thousand, ten thousand difficulties, but if he left... without the shell of the Uchiha or even Konoha to protect him, could he stand on his own in the Shinobi World?

Could he avoid being targeted by Obito?

Could he escape the schemes of those with ulterior motives?

"Naoki?" Seeing Naoki looking dazed, Uchiha Zongye advised, "Don't think too much. At a time like this, people are panicked, and you'll find all sorts of characters."

"It can't go on like this!"

Naoki suddenly spoke, leaving Uchiha Zongye with a head full of question marks.

"What did you say?"

Naoki shook his head to himself.

"I have to do something!"

With that, he left the squad and vanished into the alleyways.

Uchiha Zongxin asked, "Where did Naoki go?"

"Not sure... I can't leave my post here. Zongxin, go after him, don't let anything else happen!"

"What a pain!"

Uchiha Zongxin grumbled, but he followed closely behind nonetheless.

Standing atop the tallest building in the vicinity, Uchiha Fugaku and the high-ranking officials of the Military Police Force watched the distant battle.

Uchiha Yashiro withdrew his gaze and said to those beside him, "It seems the situation is not very optimistic."

"The Akimichi Clan alone won't be able to contain the Nine-Tails. Where is the Hokage? And the Third? What are they doing?"

Facing his subordinate's question, Uchiha Fugaku said slowly, "Since the Nine-Tails has appeared, there must be a problem with the Jinchuriki. The Hokage should still be dealing with that, and as for the Third..." He sneered, "Perhaps he is currently handling various matters in the village, so busy and overwhelmed that he can't even spare a thought for the Nine-Tails."

"Unbelievable! I don't know why the Third ordered us to evacuate the villagers anyway. With us here, would we really let the Nine-Tails be this reckless?"

Uchiha Yashiro didn't take his companions' grumbling to heart; he knew the gap between the Nine-Tails and the ninja was far too vast for the clansmen to bridge simply by joining the fray.

He looked toward Uchiha Fugaku and asked, "Are we just going to stand here and watch until it's over?"

Uchiha Fugaku kept his gaze fixed on the distant Nine-Tails, answering without turning his head.

"What else would you have us do?"

"I mean..."

Just as Uchiha Yashiro was about to continue, an Uchiha clansman approached them.

"Lord Fugaku, Naoki wishes to see you."

"Naoki?"

Uchiha Yashiro looked back in surprise, spotting Naoki standing not far away, watching them.

Seeing that Uchiha Fugaku remained silent, Yashiro asked on his behalf, "Did he say what it was about?"

"He didn't say, only that he must see Lord Fugaku."

"I'll go ask him. If it's nothing important, tell him to head back; everyone is quite busy right now..."

With that, Uchiha Yashiro started to walk toward Naoki.

"Let him come over. Didn't you say yourself that Naoki is a clever boy? I expect he truly has something to say."

Uchiha Yashiro felt a bit awkward.

As the only descendant entrusted to him by an old friend on his deathbed, Uchiha Yashiro had always looked after Naoki, and he had certainly praised him often enough in front of Uchiha Fugaku... but then again, if anyone knew Naoki's true situation, it was him.

He was certainly clever—after all, having a Two-Tomoe Sharingan at sixteen could hardly be called dull—but to suggest he had any real insight was nonsense.

While Uchiha Yashiro was lost in these thoughts, Naoki walked over.

"Lord Fugaku, everyone..." Naoki greeted the group.