"Here's the situation, Lord Hiashi. The Hokage's assistants and corrupt officials hold sway in Konoha now, leaving the villagers struggling to make ends meet and afraid of drawing the attention of the powerful."
"I'd like to ask you: is this how a village's leadership should act?"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen crushes his own people with an iron fist, yet cringes before outsiders. Isn't that a betrayal of Konoha, and of the ideals that inspired Lord Hashirama Senju, the First, to found it?" Uchiha Izuna argued passionately.
"He rewrites history books, calls himself the strongest, and brainwashes the masses. He does nothing useful, then turns around and pays compensation to other ninja villages—using my money to feed a pack of bloodthirsty beasts!"
"The worst part is, those beasts won't be grateful for your generosity. They'll only think you're weak and easy to bully!" Uchiha Izuna slapped the table.
Bang!
The table shattered into pieces, startling Hinata beside him. She looked at Uchiha Izuna with some fear. His gentleness earlier had made her think he was a very kind, sunny person.
But now, Uchiha Izuna's presence was like that of a ferocious tiger. Sitting beside him, she couldn't help but tremble.
Hyuga Hiashi listened with his eyes closed. He knew all of this; he'd just been pretending to be blind. Though the Hyuga Clan was powerful, it couldn't stand alone.
Could Hyuga Hiashi truly stomach having his twin brother sacrificed as a pawn? Impossible.
Back then, he'd been determined to take revenge and join forces with the Uchiha. But Uchiha Fugaku, that coward, had refused to attend the banquet just to avoid suspicion.
He was furious, but there was nothing he could say. Now, Uchiha Izuna's stance gave him hope—the hope of pulling Sarutobi Hiruzen down from the Hokage Position.
"What exactly is your plan?" Hyuga Hiashi asked gravely.
"I need Clan Head Hiashi to help us with something. You're the only one who can do it." Uchiha Izuna looked at Hyuga Hiashi.
Hyuga Hiashi didn't agree right away. He waited for Uchiha Izuna to continue.
"I need Clan Head Hiashi to lie in ambush with me by the Naka River. When the time comes, help me observe the chakra nature of Hokage's assistant Shimura Danzō's right eye." Uchiha Izuna finished speaking.
Hyuga Hiashi was surprised. "Wasn't his right eye destroyed in the war? How could it have any chakra?"
"Clan Head Hiashi, all I need you to do is describe its chakra's color, nature, and characteristics when the time comes." Uchiha Izuna smiled faintly.
Hyuga Hiashi was puzzled. "What does that have to do with the coming Coup d'état?"
Uchiha Izuna nodded. "A lot. If the result matches my guess, we'll have a 90 percent chance of success. If it doesn't, we'll still have a 50 percent chance."
Uchiha Izuna glanced at Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. If his guess was wrong, he'd have Fugaku control the Nine-Tails and face the Third, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui himself.
No big deal.
Uchiha Madara, back when Konoha was founded, had possessed power beyond the Kage Level. Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, were only three Kage Level shinobi. The advantage was theirs.
Hyuga Hiashi frowned. "Now?" He looked at Uchiha Izuna, who nodded. "We need to get into position early. If we go directly, Danzō's sensory abilities and the Root shinobi's vigilance will most likely leave us no opportunity."
Uchiha Shisui was troubled. He hoped Uchiha Izuna was wrong and his guess was false. Then his wish to become a bridge between the village and the Uchiha wouldn't have been misplaced, and he could keep holding on.
But if Uchiha Izuna was right, what would all his persistence have meant? While he'd been suppressing the Uchiha Clan's coup, the village had kept targeting the Uchiha. The more he loved Konoha, the more he'd hate it when the truth came out!
Uchiha Itachi didn't mind either way. Whatever Shisui did, he'd do too.
Hyuga Hiashi thought it over briefly. "All right. Shall we leave now?"
Uchiha Izuna nodded. "There's no time to waste. We'll go on ahead." He looked at Uchiha Shisui and said slowly, "Stick to the plan."
Uchiha Shisui nodded, then turned to Uchiha Itachi. "Itachi, I'm counting on you. Take this letter to Root."
Uchiha Itachi nodded, and his body vanished in a swirl of crows.
Uchiha Izuna and Hyuga Hiashi raced toward the Naka River. They needed to conceal themselves in advance.
Uchiha Shisui glanced at the sun. It was directly overhead, around noon. In his letter, he'd written about how he planned to deal with the Uchiha Clan's coup.
He wanted to report to Shimura Danzō and had set the meeting for four in the afternoon. At that time, he would tell Shimura Danzō the truth about his Mangekyō Sharingan's ability.
Root
When Shimura Danzō received Uchiha Shisui's letter, his pupils contracted. The Mangekyō Sharingan! Eyes that existed only in legend!
He instinctively touched his right eye, wrapped in bandages, and thought, Kagami, your descendant is even more exceptional than you were. He's awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan!
This power is too great. I intend to take it for myself. I'm sure you'd agree, wouldn't you? Everything is for Konoha!
"Tell Uchiha Itachi that I'll go, but he mustn't come along. There are things he shouldn't hear." Shimura Danzō looked at a Root shinobi.
The Root shinobi nodded, then left Root and headed for the entrance.
After receiving confirmation, Uchiha Itachi went to report the matter to Uchiha Shisui. Uchiha Shisui frowned.
This time, Danzō had insisted that he bring no one along. That was against protocol! Still, it made Uchiha Shisui grow wary.
Could it be just as Uchiha Izuna had said? Was Shimura Danzō planning to make a move against him?
Uchiha Itachi looked at him with concern. "Shisui, that Izuna guy is kind of unsettling. Maybe... maybe we shouldn't go this time."
"Knowing it's a trap and jumping into it anyway is completely irrational!" When Uchiha Itachi spoke to Uchiha Shisui, he was always concerned and cautious.
He didn't want anything to happen to his childhood companion, someone who was both a mentor and a friend to him.
Uchiha Shisui shook his head. "Itachi, you don't understand. There are some things, some people, that you have to face—even if you know there's a trap ahead."
"This matter is crucial to me. I'm only using myself as bait. If I didn't know about this, Shimura Danzō might have succeeded."
"But now that I know he's going to make a move, he isn't strong enough to threaten me." Uchiha Shisui patted Uchiha Itachi on the head.
"But..." Uchiha Itachi had a bad feeling about this, but when he saw the resolve in Uchiha Shisui's eyes, he knew there was no point trying to talk him out of it.
"All right, no more 'buts.' I'll be fine. Besides, don't forget that Izuna and Clan Head Hiashi have already gone ahead. Even if something happens to me, neither of them will stand by and do nothing!" Uchiha Shisui patted Uchiha Itachi on the shoulder and smiled.
Before you continue