Uchiha and Senju!

Konoha.

Uchiha Compound.

Cold moonlight spilled across the silent streets.

Shisui Uchiha walked along the bluestone path, his steps somewhat heavy.

Everything that had happened tonight had struck him far too deeply.

Before those bloody truths,

the Will of Fire he had believed in seemed so pale and laughable.

After a long while,

Shisui Uchiha stopped walking.

He raised his head and looked toward Fugaku Uchiha's residence.

The gate was not locked, only partly closed.

After struggling with himself for a long time,

Shisui Uchiha finally pushed open the gate and slowly walked inside.

In the residence's courtyard,

Fugaku Uchiha sat on a stone bench, gazing up at the moon.

After having a serious talk with his Eldest Son,

he had been horrified to discover that Itachi Uchiha had been severely brainwashed.

Even as Itachi Uchiha's father, he could not immediately change his son's beliefs.

That left Fugaku Uchiha feeling utterly helpless!

Just then,

a series of footsteps rang out.

Fugaku Uchiha turned toward the sound.

"Shisui?"

"What brings you here so late?"

When he saw Shisui Uchiha,

a trace of surprise appeared on Fugaku Uchiha's face.

Fugaku Uchiha still thought highly of this genius of the clan.

"Clan Head."

Shisui Uchiha stepped forward a few paces.

He gave Fugaku Uchiha a proper clan salute.

"Sit and talk."

Fugaku Uchiha pointed to the stone bench across from him.

"I went to see Lord Chiba!"

"Not just me."

"The Nara Clan Head and the Aburame Clan Head went as well."

After sitting on the stone bench,

Shisui Uchiha fell silent for a moment before speaking.

At those words,

a concealed gleam flashed through Fugaku Uchiha's eyes.

Ino-Shika-Cho and the Aburame Clan?

Those opportunists moved quickly enough.

"What did you discuss?"

Fugaku Uchiha spoke, his voice betraying neither pleasure nor anger.

He did not blame Shisui.

Because he knew Konoha was about to undergo a drastic change.

He only wanted to know what had happened tonight so he could make a better judgment.

"Lord Chiba intends to overthrow Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule."

"I... I decided to stand with Lord Chiba."

Shisui Uchiha clenched his fists, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He had prepared himself to face Fugaku's wrath.

After all, the Uchiha Clan had always held itself in high esteem and found it difficult to submit to others.

The courtyard fell into a prolonged dead silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

"I understand."

"Tomorrow morning, I will convene a Clan-wide Meeting."

"I will do my utmost to persuade those stubborn elders and have the entire Uchiha Clan support Chiba."

Only after a full minute did Fugaku Uchiha speak again, his voice carrying an unprecedented weariness.

"Clan Head... you agree?"

Shisui Uchiha abruptly lifted his head, his face full of disbelief.

He had originally thought

that persuading Fugaku Uchiha would require an enormous amount of effort.

He might even have needed to reveal his Kotoamatsukami.

He never expected

Fugaku Uchiha to agree so easily!

"Shisui."

"Do you think..."

"That as clan head, I would fight Chiba to the bitter end for power?"

Seeing Shisui Uchiha's stunned expression,

Fugaku Uchiha tugged at the corner of his lips and revealed a bitter smile.

At those words,

Shisui Uchiha opened his mouth.

He truly did not know how to answer.

"The Uchiha Clan is indeed proud."

"But we are not brainless idiots."

"Ever since Konoha was founded, we have survived in the cracks."

Fugaku Uchiha let out a sigh.

He slowly began recounting the past.

"During the First Hokage's era,"

"the Uchiha may have been suppressed, but we never suffered any unjust prejudice."

"Hashirama Senju's broad-mindedness was enough to embrace the entire Ninja World."

"At that time, the Uchiha truly regarded Konoha as our home."

"Until the Second Hokage's era, when things changed!"

"..."

As he spoke,

Fugaku Uchiha's gaze turned icy.

"Tobirama Senju established the Konoha Military Police Force."

"He threw all the thankless work that offended others onto us."

"By doing so, he isolated the Uchiha from the village's core of power."

"However,"

"although Tobirama Senju guarded against us,"

"he was at least a man who valued rules."

"He would not use such despicable means to scheme against his own Uchiha."

"But what about Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō's generation?"

"..."

Perhaps because he was too agitated,

Fugaku Uchiha slapped the stone table.

Dense cracks instantly spread across its marble surface.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō."

"They waved the banner of the Will of Fire while doing nothing but filthy, underhanded deeds!"

"They squeezed our living space, monitored our clansmen, and even coveted our eyes!"

"I endured for so many years. What did I get in return?"

"I got that old beast Danzo embedding the Uchiha's pride into his arm!"

"..."

A look of disgust appeared on Fugaku Uchiha's face.

What had happened during the day had shattered the last of his illusions about the Konoha High Command.

They never saw you as a person. They only saw you as a living organ bank.

Such a Konoha High Command

was something Fugaku Uchiha would never acknowledge.

"Shisui."

"The situation has changed."

"You and I both saw Chiba's strength clearly."

"That Wood Golem, hundreds of meters tall, was simply like a war god descending upon the world."

"Chiba's current strength is absolutely comparable to the First Hokage's back then."

"Perhaps... when it comes to ruthless decisiveness, he is even more terrifying than the First Hokage."

"Opposing such a monster leaves the Uchiha with only one path: death."

"Besides..."

"If Chiba had not saved me today,"

"that old bastard Danzo would have dragged me into hell."

"So supporting Chiba is not strange at all!"

"..."

Only after a long while

did Fugaku Uchiha calm down.

He laid out his thoughts in their entirety.

For the public good,

Chiba had helped the Uchiha eliminate Danzo.

And the Uchiha's strength was no match for Chiba's.

For personal reasons,

Chiba had saved Fugaku Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha was no ungrateful wretch.

Under these circumstances,

supporting Chiba's rise to power was the Uchiha Clan's only, and best, path forward.

"The Clan Head is wise."

Shisui Uchiha understood everything.

The heart that had been hanging in midair finally settled completely.

As long as the Uchiha could unite internally,

and cooperate with Lord Chiba's plan, Konoha's cancer would surely be completely removed.

Fugaku Uchiha raised his head again and looked at the moon overhead.

If Chiba became the new Hokage,

could the Uchiha's situation truly improve?

It should, right?

A Senju Hokage would not be so narrow-minded!

Even if Chiba became a second Tobirama Senju after taking office,

the Uchiha Clan's circumstances would still be far, far better than they were now!