Acting

He coughed violently several times, then continued to "expose" the truth under everyone's anxious gaze.

"He... He came to see me tonight out of the blue... saying there were some clan matters... that needed discussing... I... I was caught off guard..."

"He... He suddenly attacked me! He demanded to know why... why I didn't support their radical views... I scolded him... told him he was too young and impetuous... that he would bring disaster upon the clan... Then he... he attacked me!"

Uchiha Setsuna "struggled" to raise a hand and point at his bandaged temple, then at the room in disarray. His voice trembled, full of the "heartbreak" of betrayal.

"He... He didn't just attack me... He... He also forced me to hand over the map of the clan's secret passages and... some resources... He said... he was going to take those... those young clan members he'd manipulated... and leave Konoha! To... to seek refuge in another great nation! I... I refused in no uncertain terms... Then he... he..."

He seemed overcome with anger and struggled to catch his breath again before gritting out,

"He knocked me unconscious... and took the map and scrolls... He must have... must have fled with those people! Uchiha Shaoyu... he defected! He attacked an elder and stole the clan's secrets!"

The stone house fell deathly silent. Then an enormous uproar of shock, fury, and disbelief erupted!

Uchiha Shaoyu, the clan's acknowledged genius and one of the Hawk Faction's most prominent figures, had attacked the highly respected Elder Setsuna and taken eleven young clan elites with him in a defection from Konoha?!

The news exploded like a bomb among the Uchiha leaders and Military Police Force members gathered there. Before long, the more sensational and specific version—"Uchiha Shaoyu defected and attacked Elder Setsuna"—spread like wildfire throughout the Uchiha Compound and inevitably raced into other parts of Konoha.

Uchiha Tiandao's face had gone dark as a thundercloud. A clan prodigy had defected and attacked an elder. Not only was this a tremendous loss for the Uchiha, it was also a serious incident that gave the Konoha High Command—already deeply suspicious of the clan—an excuse to make trouble.

He immediately realized that the situation was far more serious than an ordinary dispute between clan members.

"Seal off the news at once... No, it's too late."

He made a snap decision and issued his orders in a cold voice.

"Military Police Force, organize an elite squad at once and search every route that could lead out of the village! At the same time, report this matter to Lord Hokage immediately!"

He knew the Uchiha could no longer keep this under wraps. Uchiha Shaoyu's defection would become a massive scandal and crisis that shook all of Konoha—instantly, and in the most explosive and humiliating way possible.

Lying on the ground and continuing to play the part of a feeble victim, Uchiha Setsuna let a faint, deeply hidden glimmer of relief flash in the depths of his cloudy eyes, where no one could see it.

The uproar gradually died down. Everyone turned their eyes to the clan head, waiting for his decision.

Uchiha Tiandao spoke slowly, his voice steady but carrying an unquestionable authority that instantly silenced the clamor.

"Silence!"

He surveyed the room. Wherever his gaze fell, clan members lowered their heads or looked away.

"Elder Setsuna is badly injured and needs rest. Everyone not directly involved, leave the stone house at once. Do not disturb the elder."

"Military Police Force, leave two squads behind. One will protect the elder. The other will secure the scene, place the clan under lockdown, and investigate anyone or anything suspicious. Do not alarm ordinary clan members."

"Everyone else, return to your duties. No private discussions, and do not spread unverified information!"

His orders were clear and decisive, demonstrating the responsibility and composure expected of a clan head as he worked to stabilize the situation.

Tiandao had more presence than Fugaku, who came later.

Though the clan members were filled with doubts and alarm, Tiandao's authority moved them to begin filing out of the stone house in an orderly fashion, leaving only the necessary guards and medical personnel behind.

Uchiha Tiandao turned to the influential elders who had hurried over after hearing the news and said gravely,

"Elders, please come with me to the next room. We need to discuss how to report this to Lord Hokage. This is a serious matter and must be handled with care."

The elders nodded solemnly and followed Tiandao out of the stone house, which reeked of bloodshed and intrigue.

Soon, only Uchiha Setsuna, clutching his head, a medical ninja who had stayed behind to tend to him, and two fully alert guards at the door remained inside.

About the time it took to burn an incense stick, Uchiha Tiandao returned alone.

He spoke to the medical ninja and the guards.

"Leave for now and stand watch outside. No one is to enter without my order. I need to ask Elder Setsuna about a few details in private."

"Yes, Clan Head."

The three didn't dare delay. They bowed and withdrew, carefully closing the stone door behind them.

Silence settled over the stone house once more. Only Tiandao's steady breathing and the faint gasps of Elder Setsuna on the floor could be heard.

Uchiha Tiandao walked over to Setsuna and looked down at him without a word.

A moment later, he suddenly bent down and reached out—not to help him up, but to brush a tiny fleck of pottery glaze from the elder's sleeve with his fingertip. It was so inconspicuous that it almost blended into the dust around it.

The fleck's position contradicted, ever so slightly, the direction in which the main fragments had scattered across the floor and the pose Setsuna claimed to have been in when attacked—a contradiction that an ordinary person would scarcely notice.

"Elder Setsuna," Uchiha Tiandao said as he straightened. His voice was flat and emotionless, showing neither anger nor concern.

"That's enough. There's no one else here. Stop acting."

Uchiha Setsuna's body stiffened almost imperceptibly where he lay. Then his "feeble" gasping stopped.

He slowly opened his eyes. The cloudiness, outrage, and sorrow drained away like a receding tide, replaced by a glint of sly amusement.

He made no attempt to get up and remained lying there, only turning his head to look at Uchiha Tiandao. The corner of his mouth curled into the faintest smile.

"Oh? Tiandao, why would you say that? I really did take a blow. I even bled."

Setsuna's voice was no longer feeble and trembling. It had returned to its usual hoarse, aged rasp, but now carried a note of relief.

Uchiha Tiandao didn't look at him. His gaze rested on the toppled wooden rack, where the scattered scrolls' trails looked a little too deliberate.

He spoke slowly.

"If Shaoyu was the attacker, given his abilities, the urgency of what he was trying to accomplish tonight, and his temperament, he would either have killed you with one blow to silence you forever or knocked you out cleanly and taken you away—or tied you up. He wouldn't have left such restrained injuries and a 'struggle' scene so obvious, yet so tame."

Everyone in the Uchiha leadership knew Shaoyu was a simpleton. He had no idea how to hold back.

"This looks more like... you needed it to appear that you'd been attacked, but couldn't make the attack look too lethal or too professional, in case someone looked into it too closely."

He paused, then continued.

"More importantly, Uchiha Setsuna, you're the Hawk Faction's shadow leader. You're one of the clan members most dissatisfied with the status quo and most distrustful of the Konoha High Command. You'd easily rank among the top three."

"Ultimately, you're probably the one who most wants to leave Konoha and take the Uchiha's future elsewhere."

"That boy Shaoyu has plenty of talent, but without someone supporting and guiding him behind the scenes—and even providing secret passages and resources I may not know about—he could never have organized such a swift, clean defection or taken so many people with him."

Faced with Uchiha Tiandao's meticulous analysis, the smile on Uchiha Setsuna's face widened. He didn't deny it; instead, he let out a long, relieved "Mm."

"As expected of Tiandao. You see right through it."

He stopped pretending and used his arms to slowly sit up, leaning against the toppled wooden rack. His movements were slow, but they lacked the stiffness of someone seriously injured.

"Correct. I was an accomplice. I gave him the map, chose the people, and even suggested that Shaoyu take this route."

He admitted it openly, gazing out the window at the pitch-black night sky as though he could see through the darkness.