A Plan

"What are you thinking?!"

Uchiha Itachi wasn't stupid. The only reason he hadn't thought of finding allies earlier was that it had never occurred to him to seek help in the first place.

But things were different now. With Yun Xi's reminder, Uchiha Itachi naturally understood what he meant.

They could unite the other families in Konoha to resist Danzo's oppression.

But even after realizing this, the troubled expression on Uchiha Itachi's face didn't ease in the slightest.

After thinking for a while, Uchiha Itachi slowly began to speak...

"But quite a few of those families are close to the Third Hokage. We have no way to win them over..."

After voicing his concern, Uchiha Itachi looked troubled.

Yun Xi's suggestion was indeed an excellent one, but given the circumstances, Uchiha Itachi felt helpless.

After all, this wasn't a simple matter...

At its core, the reason the Konoha High Command wanted to destroy the Uchiha Clan was to suppress its growing power and prevent it from rebelling.

And the reason the Uchiha Clan had chosen to rebel...

Was the Konoha High Command's oppression...

In simple terms, it was a vicious cycle.

The Konoha High Command believed the Uchiha Clan would rebel, so it wanted to destroy them.

The Uchiha Clan believed Konoha wanted to destroy them, so they planned to rebel.

Although interests and power might have played a part, this was essentially why Konoha and the Uchiha Clan had come to distrust each other.

And ultimately, it led to the Uchiha Clan Massacre from the original story.

That wasn't the only reason Uchiha Itachi lacked confidence...

Although the Uchiha Clan was Konoha's most powerful clan, pressure and suspicion from the Konoha High Command had gradually forced them to keep a lower profile.

That had indeed made the Uchiha Clan less conspicuous.

But it had also left them without a single ally.

That was why Uchiha Itachi's expression had turned conflicted when Yun Xi mentioned finding allies.

It was like knowing exactly how to solve a problem, but being unable to use the solution for one reason or another...

"We don't need to win them over..."

Yun Xi had thought Uchiha Itachi would easily figure out what he meant after the hint, but apparently, he'd overestimated him...

Looking at Uchiha Itachi's confused and troubled expression, Yun Xi stopped beating around the bush. "The allies we're looking for aren't those people..." he said, then slowly wrote the word "Hyuga" in the dirt.

"What?!"

Seeing the two characters Yun Xi had written, Uchiha Itachi looked startled. He immediately said, "The Hyuga Clan would never get involved in the Uchiha Clan's affairs. I doubt they could become our allies."

In Uchiha Itachi's view, although the Hyuga Clan was powerful, it kept an extremely low profile and rarely interfered in Konoha's internal affairs.

So...

He was surprised when Yun Xi named the Hyuga Clan as their potential ally.

"How will we know if we don't try?"

Seeing how strongly Uchiha Itachi had reacted, Yun Xi stood up and continued, "Things aren't always what they seem. Are you sure the Hyuga Clan is content to stay dormant in Konoha?"

"But if the Hyuga Clan agrees to become our ally, what about my father...?"

At last, Uchiha Itachi voiced the question that had been troubling him. Ever since he'd learned that his father had decided to lead the Uchiha Clan in rebelling against Konoha, he'd been torn inside.

In Itachi's eyes, Konoha wasn't perfect, but it was still a good village. More than anything, he longed for peace.

On one side was his clan.

On the other was the peace he yearned for...

Until he'd spoken with Yun Xi, Uchiha Itachi had been torn over this the entire time.

Now that he'd seen Yun Xi's solution, he finally voiced what was on his mind...

"We'll resolve it through peaceful dialogue, of course."

After answering Uchiha Itachi, Yun Xi continued, "As I see it, the Hyuga Clan may be very low-key, but they don't want things to stay this way. If Konoha weren't suppressing them so severely, they wouldn't be content to stay cooped up in their own compound."

"But if Konoha eliminates the Uchiha Clan, wouldn't the Hyuga Clan become the most powerful clan in Konoha? In that case, would they really help us?"

After hearing Yun Xi's analysis, Uchiha Itachi voiced his concern.

"A tree that stands above the forest will be battered by the wind. We don't need to worry about that!"

Seeing that Uchiha Itachi still didn't understand what he meant, Yun Xi sighed helplessly, then said, "Leave this to me. There's only one thing you need to do."

"What?"

Uchiha Itachi immediately pressed him.

When Yun Xi didn't answer at once, Uchiha Itachi walked over to him and looked at him curiously. "Do you want me to persuade my father to abandon the rebellion?"

"No. You can't do that."

Yun Xi had never intended to ask Uchiha Itachi to talk Uchiha Fugaku out of rebelling. Uchiha Itachi alone simply couldn't pull it off.

The reasons he'd mentioned earlier were indeed at the heart of the Uchiha Clan's rebellion, but the real reason Konoha and the Uchiha Clan had come into direct conflict was that useless Uchiha Fugaku...

The character Yun Xi despised most in all of Naruto...

That was why he'd never ask Uchiha Itachi to take on such a thankless task.

"Not that?!"

At Yun Xi's answer, Uchiha Itachi was surprised. It was the only thing he could think of...

"What I need you to do is buy us as much time as possible. Ideally, you'll keep Danzo and your father from making any moves for the time being."

Looking at Uchiha Itachi, who stood there in a daze, Yun Xi explained what he needed him to do. Then he added, "The more time we have, the greater the chance our plan will succeed. It'll also give me enough time to win over the Hyuga Clan..."