Exposing the Traitor

"There's a traitor!"

Uchiha Tenshu's gaze turned icy.

The traitor knew everything about the Uchiha Clan.

They had also been able to obtain information in advance about the Uchiha Clan's investigations beyond its borders. They knew Uchiha Raimon's personality extremely well, so they hadn't worried about him taking a large number of people with him. Instead, they'd used that knowledge to lay a secret trap.

They'd tricked Uchiha Raimon into going out, then ambushed and killed him.

Thus, they'd caused Elder Raimon's death.

By then, no matter how thoroughly the other members of the Uchiha Clan investigated, all they would discover was that Elder Raimon had gone out in search of the Millennium Spirit Herb and had been killed. As for who had killed him, or why, they'd find no answers.

As for why they had insisted on killing Uchiha Raimon, Uchiha Tenshu didn't know.

Nor did he want to know.

In any case, after learning that the Tsuchigumo Clan—a clan with countless ties to the Senju Clan—had joined in, Uchiha Tenshu no longer wanted to investigate the reason.

He simply fixed his sights on Tobirama Senju of the Senju Clan.

Within the entire Senju Clan, only the hawks led by Tobirama would want the Uchiha wiped out at every opportunity.

The only reason they hadn't acted was that they hadn't had a good enough opportunity.

Nor had they found the right moment.

Now, with someone inside the clan colluding with them, this ambush was probably just the beginning.

As for the clan traitor working with the higher-ups, Uchiha Tenshu wouldn't blindly decide someone was a traitor based on his past-life perspective. But Kagami Uchiha's father, Uchiha Ming, was highly suspect.

After the incident with the Uchiha elite ninja policy, Uchiha Tenshu had paid close attention to him. He'd used all sorts of methods to gather information and learned that this bastard had been captured after Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju's first defeat. At first, he'd refused to surrender. But after Tobirama Senju kept him locked up for a while, he'd folded like a cheap suit. He'd then started helping the Senju Clan persuade other Uchiha to surrender, even those who were prepared to fight to the death. He'd praised the Senju Clan at every turn and smeared Madara Uchiha as selfish and self-serving.

In Uchiha Tenshu's eyes, this man was like those traitors from his past life. At first, they'd talked about "drawing their blades to die with honor, living up to their youth," but the moment they faced a setback or a threat to their lives, they'd defect even more eagerly than anyone else. To prove they'd made the right choice, they'd persecute their own people relentlessly, afraid that seeing others stand by their convictions would expose how vile their own actions were. That was how they became fanatical converts.

So Uchiha Tenshu had decided that Uchiha Ming would be branded a traitor, once and for all.

Whether he really was one didn't matter.

Loyalty that wasn't absolute was absolute disloyalty.

Since the other man had chosen to side with the Senju Clan to the bitter end, Uchiha Tenshu wouldn't let him off.

Even if there was only a chance.

Whether it was Uchiha Ming now, Kagami Uchiha, or their descendants in the future—Uchiha Shisui was one of those brainless fools who lived off the clan while eagerly selling it out.

Keeping them around would only contaminate the Uchiha Clan's bloodline.

If they had to die, then they should be killed quickly.

Next, Uchiha Tenshu just needed to skip straight to the conclusion and pin this ambush on Uchiha Ming.

As long as he made the outcome fit, that was all that mattered.

With that in mind, Uchiha Tenshu immediately told Uchiha Raimon what he suspected. Naturally, he changed some details in the process. He left out anything that came from the events of his past life and shared everything that could be deduced through intelligence and reasoning, holding nothing back.

For example, why had the information leaked? Wasn't it supposed to be exclusive to the Uchiha Clan's intelligence agents?

For example, why had they planned a targeted assassination? Why had they only surrounded Uchiha Raimon instead of setting a trap for someone else?

Didn't that mean Uchiha Raimon's existence must have gotten in the way of something?

Could it be that only once Uchiha Raimon was gone would the enemy's plans be able to proceed smoothly?

And didn't that prove, beyond doubt, that the enemy's plan was already underway within the Uchiha Clan?

Then who could help them carry out their plan? Could someone outside the Uchiha Clan really assist them?

And how could the enemy make the Uchiha Clan take such measures? Wouldn't they need the cooperation of someone among the clan's higher-ups?

The answer was obvious.

There had to be someone among the Uchiha Clan's leaders working with the enemy. Once Uchiha Raimon was dead, the two sides would begin working together openly and conspire against the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Tenshu laid out the entire theory for Uchiha Raimon. He didn't act like those so-called geniuses such as Uchiha Itachi in the future, who thought themselves brilliant, told no one anything, and let misunderstandings and conflicts pile up.

Uchiha Raimon was the person Uchiha Tenshu trusted most in the clan—and his strongest backer. Uchiha Tenshu had racked his brains to keep him safe.

After all, the enemy's hidden scheme had made Uchiha Raimon's death its goal. If one plan failed, there would be another. That was almost inevitable.

How could Uchiha Tenshu stand by at a time like this?

"What? A traitor in the clan? They've gotten that brazen!"

Uchiha Raimon's eyes widened in disbelief.

From the Warring States Period to the present, the Uchiha Clan had had traitors.

But in those days, it was mostly a matter of bloodshed caused by personal grudges within the clan.

For instance, the dangers of the Warring States Period had forced the clan to impose strict rules on everyone, leaving some members resentful.

On top of that, the Uchiha were an emotional people, and the awakening of the Sharingan could destabilize their minds, leading to one conflict after another.

But those were problems from the long years of war.

Even in the past century, there had been few conflicts within the Uchiha Clan. Most of their battles had been against external enemies.

And never before had anyone allied with outsiders against their own clan members, especially now that peace had arrived and they should have been living in harmony.

Had they lost their minds?

Uchiha Raimon simply couldn't understand.

How could anyone even hesitate between outsiders and their own people?

As an old man who had lived through the Warring States Period, Uchiha Raimon just couldn't understand how people were supposed to act in peacetime.

Nor did he understand the filth that came with it.

But when it was Uchiha Tenshu—his own disciple, whom he had personally trained—who told him this, Uchiha Raimon did exactly what he'd expected.

He chose to believe his own people.

Simply because Uchiha Tenshu had earned his trust.

"Then who is it?"

"Could it be because of the profits from alcohol, or that Uchiha Kin? But would they really attack a clan elder over such meager profits? Don't they understand that the clan needs to unite against the pressure from the Senju Clan? The Uchiha Clan is at its weakest point, and our members haven't had time to grow stronger yet. Aren't they afraid that the clan's decline will finally convince that bastard Tobirama Senju to wipe us out...?"

Uchiha Raimon's mind raced as he tried to guess.

"In my view, the enemy wasn't acting for some supposed profit. Elder Uchiha Kin has a serious conflict with you, Elder Raimon, but he isn't the culprit. He's a scapegoat they deliberately set up. Everyone knows you two have a major feud. If something happened to you, he'd be the one every clan member suspected."

"Besides, Elder Uchiha Kin controls the clan's businesses. You rejected his proposal to manufacture and sell alcohol, but he wouldn't act over something so trivial."

"After all, a mere five to twenty times the profit isn't worth attacking you for. He'd be better off seizing the businesses of other clans—and at least he'd have our clan's help."

"So he isn't the most suspicious one. It's someone supporting him. For example—Elder Uchiha Ming!"

Uchiha Tenshu spoke with absolute certainty.