At last, Uchiha Izuna took a deep breath and said, "Mother, Father was too hesitant. He couldn't decide whether the Coup d'état should be carried out in coordination with Minato Namikaze. In the end, he and I got into an argument."
Uchiha Izuna said no more, but what kind of person was Mikoto Uchiha? She understood the gist of it as soon as she heard him.
So she smiled and said, "Izuna, I know you had your reasons for doing this, but I hope you'll be less blunt when you speak from now on."
"After all, Fugaku is your father. You should at least give him some dignity. Your father is politically astute, but his weakness is obvious: he's good at making plans but can't make up his mind."
"He can't fully support either side, so he chose not to offend anyone. But in reality, that choice offended both sides."
"I tried to persuade your father too, but he just shook his head and kept turning me down, saying he needed time to think."
At this, Mikoto Uchiha sighed and looked at Uchiha Izuna. "Your father has too many concerns, but the clan leadership fell to him, and he's under a lot of pressure."
Uchiha Izuna lowered his head. He knew his mother was right, but extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. The Uchiha Clan was facing a once-in-a-century turning point. If they seized this opportunity, they could soar to great heights; if they let it go, they would fall into an endless abyss.
Uchiha Izuna knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen could live for another five years. Five years from now, during the Konoha Crush Plan, if Orochimaru hadn't stepped in with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu—
That old bastard probably would have lived even longer! For Konoha, for the Uchiha Clan, for his mother, for Sasuke, he had no choice but to do this!
"Mother." Uchiha Izuna stood and bowed to her, then said, "I'm sorry, Mother. This is a critical period, and I can't promise you that. But please believe me. Once everything is settled, I'll personally apologize to you all."
With that, Uchiha Izuna turned and walked toward the bed. Mikoto Uchiha smiled faintly. "All right. I believe my son will succeed in doing what he wants!"
Uchiha Izuna waved. "Good night, Mom." He didn't close the door or put up his guard. The person in the room was the only mother he would ever have.
Uchiha Izuna murmured to himself, Love you, Mom! See you tomorrow!
The next day
Uchiha Izuna woke up early. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a crowd of Uchiha shinobi holding the newspapers printed the day before and chattering among themselves.
But the moment Uchiha Izuna stepped outside, they fell silent and turned to look at him, their eyes gleaming.
"Good morning, Clan Leader!"
"You're up so early, Clan Leader!"
"We're about to set out." The greetings overlapped.
Uchiha Izuna checked the time. They had about ten minutes before they set out, so he asked, "Why are you all gathered outside my house?"
"Clan Leader, we just wanted to meet here of our own accord. Seeing your home puts us at ease! What's coming is just so thrilling!" As the Uchiha shinobi spoke, his voice trembled slightly.
Uchiha Izuna laughed. "You're making a fuss over nothing. Today is only the beginning. This is just the start. We'll be handing these out tomorrow, the day after, and every day for the next week!"
"Clan Leader, what if the Hokage gives you trouble? I heard the Root is ruthless," another young shinobi asked.
"From now on, the Uchiha Clan will answer calls to action, but we won't attend summons. As long as Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō remain in power, the Uchiha Clan won't attend a single meeting." Uchiha Izuna sneered.
The Uchiha had four Mangekyo Sharingan. Did those people really think they could order them around? And they still expected the Uchiha to attend meetings? If Uchiha Izuna hadn't wanted to reduce casualties, he could have started a war at any moment.
Uchiha Izuna's words left the young shinobi flushed with excitement. Answering calls to action but refusing summons—now that was how a man should act.
After chatting for a while, the Uchiha shinobi rushed off in different directions, following the routes Uchiha Izuna had planned the day before.
Uchiha Izuna watched them, the corners of his mouth lifting. Konoha would soon be turned upside down!
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi appeared and stood quietly. Uchiha Izuna said, "One of you take the east, the other the west. If Anbu or the Root steps in and interferes with our business, kill them without mercy."
"Yes!" Shisui and Uchiha Itachi answered in unison, then vanished from the spot.
Uchiha Izuna blurred away as well, appearing above Kage Rock. With his arms folded, he looked out over Konoha. He was standing right above the Second, Tobirama Senju's eyes.
"You really were blind. How could you choose Sarutobi Hiruzen as your successor? If you knew what Sarutobi Hiruzen had done to Konoha, would you be so furious you'd jump out of the Pure Land?" Uchiha Izuna looked down at Tobirama Senju's likeness carved into Kage Rock.
Inside Konoha
Large numbers of people dressed in Uchiha Clan uniforms spread out across the different districts, calling out, "Come take a look, everyone!"
"The first issue of the Konoha Times is out! It's full of all sorts of little stories, secrets about the village, and recipes for delicious food!"
"Big portions at a low price! Just one ryō—you can buy one for the price of a single piece of candy! No loss, no getting ripped off!"
"Fresh off the press! This newspaper is full of the latest news and will broaden your knowledge. What are you waiting for? Here, big brother, you can read this one for free for ten minutes." Uchiha Izuna had just taught them all these sales pitches.
Kakashi happened to be passing by when an Uchiha shinobi stopped him and offered him a free ten-minute preview. He was bored anyway, so he glanced at the paper. The first thing he saw was "Death of the White Fang"!
Kakashi's pupils contracted, and his breathing quickened. Then he activated his Sharingan and read "Death of the White Fang" from beginning to end. His expression turned grim. Beneath his mask, his face twisted, and his Sharingan even transformed from three Tomoe into a Mangekyo Sharingan.
The Uchiha shinobi's pupils contracted. Kakashi's Sharingan was a Mangekyo Sharingan! So he handed his work over to the colleague beside him.
"I'll be right back!" With that, the shinobi left, prompting his partner to curse under his breath. It was only his first day, and he was already slacking off! Was that any way to repay Lord Uchiha Izuna?
Still, the one left behind continued selling the newspapers diligently.
Ten minutes passed. The Uchiha shinobi left behind said, "Kakashi, your ten-minute free preview is over. If you'd like to keep reading—"
Kakashi looked at him. He had already put away his Mangekyo Sharingan. In a stern voice, he said, "Who gave you permission to sell such baseless speculation?"
Just then, Uchiha Itachi appeared and blocked Hatake Kakashi's path. "Kakashi, don't you really know whether it's true? Have you really never doubted the Hokage and Danzo?"
"Plenty of people have failed their missions, but no rumors spread around the village. So why was it only when Hatake Sakumo was involved that people started saying shinobi who failed their missions were worthless?" Uchiha Itachi's every word hit home, leaving Kakashi with no answer.
Kakashi's face turned deathly pale. He had suspected as much before, but his father had selfishly left this world and abandoned him here, and that had made him furious!
He had begun to hate Hatake Sakumo. Why? Why had he been so selfish, leaving whenever he pleased, while Kakashi had to live on alone?
"Uchiha Itachi, enough! If you still recognize me as your captain, tell your subordinates to stop selling those papers. Do you know what will happen once all this gets out? The Hokage—" Kakashi hadn't finished when Uchiha Itachi cut him off.
"Lose face? He did those things himself, and now nobody's allowed to talk about them? It's not as if we forced him to do them!"
"He enabled Danzo, harmed villagers, sacrificed members of the village to avert a war, then sent their bodies to Kumogakure to give them an explanation."
"Don't tell me you knew nothing about all this, Kakashi!" Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hatake Kakashi.
Hatake Kakashi stumbled backward, his face pale. He swallowed. Of course he knew about these things. And because he knew, his conscience told him he couldn't keep taking part!
Before you continue