Deliberations

"Konoha has no place left for the Uchiha, Tiandao. You know that better than I do. Sarutobi Hiruzen's conciliatory approach is poison wrapped in honey, and Shimura Danzō's Root is an abyss, always ready to swallow us whole."

"If we stay, we'll either be slowly assimilated and ground down to nothing, or uprooted in some accident or rebellion. Shaoyu and the others have spirit and potential. Rather than let them go mad from suffocation or get killed here, we should let them leave and fight for a future."

"The Uchiha Sharingan shouldn't be used only to keep an eye on the petty affairs of the Police Force and the suspicious gazes of our own clansmen."

Uchiha Tiandao listened in silence, his face utterly expressionless. He showed no anger at having been kept in the dark, nor did he condemn the act of fleeing the village.

Only after a long while did he finally speak, his voice still calm.

"Betting on two fronts... isn't a bad idea."

Those few brief words made a glint flash in Uchiha Setsuna's eyes. He looked at Tiandao, a trace of understanding in his gaze.

"The problem now is how to explain this to Lord Hokage. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō aren't easy to deal with. Danzō in particular has never hidden his hostility toward the Uchiha."

"Shaoyu fled the village and attacked an elder. This could be made into a serious matter or a minor one. Make it serious, and they could accuse the Uchiha of plotting a rebellion, claim that a faction of extremists fled with secrets after an internal purge, and give the High Command an excuse to take even harsher measures against the Uchiha—or even launch a purge."

"Make it a minor matter, and they could present it as a handful of young Uchiha being misled and making a terrible mistake in a moment of anger, with the clan having dealt with it severely and doing everything it can to hunt them down."

Tiandao's gaze sharpened again as he stared at Setsuna.

"Your little performance is crucial. If you make it convincing enough, pin the label of reckless traitor firmly on Shaoyu, and keep this incident framed as an individual's actions and an unfortunate internal clan matter as much as possible, we can gain room to maneuver and keep the whole clan from being dragged into it."

"But Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō are old foxes. They may not believe every word."

At that, Uchiha Setsuna merely smiled. His smile held the cunning of a man seasoned by years of hardship.

"Whether they believe it or not doesn't matter. What matters is that they can only believe it—or at least, they can only handle this publicly according to the version we give them."

He pointed to the wound on his forehead, then gestured to the wrecked room.

"The evidence is all there. This highly respected elder, who has always put the greater good first, was attacked and left gravely wounded and unconscious; Shaoyu and the other hotheaded young men have all vanished, with signs of a hurried departure at their homes; and the map of the secret passages has been stolen."

"It all points to a story that makes sense: Uchiha Shaoyu, a gifted but volatile young man, was so dissatisfied with the policies of the clan and the village that he took a desperate gamble—attacking an elder, stealing secrets, inciting his allies, and fleeing the village. As for me..."

Setsuna's smile turned somewhat inscrutable.

"I'm the victim—a moderate who is loyal to both the clan and the village, who was even trying to persuade Shaoyu to see reason before he attacked me."

"They can't touch that image. At least, not openly."

"If they do, they'll be denying their own claim that there are reasonable, loyal people among the Uchiha. They'll be admitting that their suppression of the Uchiha has gone so far that even the loyal are being driven to rebel. That runs counter to Sarutobi Hiruzen's governing principle of maintaining peace on the surface, and would only create needless obstacles for Danzō's extreme measures."

He coughed, then continued.

"They may have their suspicions. They may investigate in secret. They may even guess that I knew about it, or tacitly allowed it. But so what? There's no concrete evidence. Every clue points to Shaoyu."

"Even if they guess I'm putting on an act, they can only grit their teeth and play along until the performance is over. At least publicly, they have to acknowledge that I'm the victim and direct their main efforts against Shaoyu, who has already fled. That's what makes it an open stratagem."

Uchiha Tiandao listened quietly to the end. His expression remained unchanged, but some of the tension in his eyes seemed to ease.

He had to admit that Setsuna's move was risky, but it had been thought through with considerable care.

Using himself as bait to create an undeniable "fact," Setsuna had forced the Konoha High Command's response into a course that favored the Uchiha as a whole.

"Even if they figure it out, there's not much they can do openly..."

Tiandao repeated Setsuna's words under his breath, acknowledging his judgment.

It was true. Without evidence, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't lightly move against an Uchiha elder who was a "victim." Doing so would upset the balance he had worked so hard to maintain.

Danzō might want to dig deeper, but without the Hokage's explicit support and a righteous pretext, even Root couldn't openly take excessive measures against a "victim."

"As expected of Elder Setsuna. When it comes to being calculating and farsighted, I'm still nowhere near your level."

"But honestly, Uchiha Shaoyu's defection is a good thing for me. For one, his departure gives the Uchiha Clan a chance to find a new way forward. For another, once he's gone, the next clan head will certainly be my son, Fugaku. So it seems I don't have any reason to refuse..."

With Uchiha Shaoyu still here, it would be very difficult for Uchiha Fugaku to succeed Tiandao and become the next head of the Uchiha Clan. Shaoyu was younger than Fugaku, more talented, and stronger. No matter how you looked at it, Shaoyu had the greater advantage.

"Next," Tiandao said, his tone once again carrying the decisiveness of a clan head.

"I'll submit an official report to the Hokage in my capacity as clan head. I'll write it according to the facts you've provided."

"At the same time, I'll proactively request help from Konoha's Anbu and Root to hunt down the missing-nin Uchiha Shaoyu and his group. That will show that the Uchiha are distancing themselves from this affair and fully cooperating."

"Within the clan, I'll carry out a quiet round of reforms to calm everyone down. I'll also use the opportunity to root out any hidden problems that could lead to a similar incident. As for you..."

He looked at Setsuna.

"Just 'recover from your injuries.' Don't make another move for a while. Keep a low profile—lower than low. You're the victim, and a warning to the rest. Play the part well."

Uchiha Setsuna nodded, leaned back, and closed his eyes, as though truly exhausted.

"I understand. I'll leave the rest to you, Clan Head Tiandao."

Uchiha Tiandao said nothing more and turned toward the door. Before his hand touched it, he paused. With his back to Setsuna, he asked in a voice so quiet that only the two of them could hear:

"Where are they planning to go?"

"Kumogakure."

"Kumogakure, huh? That's a pretty good choice."

With that, he opened the stone door and walked out, facing the confused yet respectful gazes of the guards and medical ninja outside. His figure soon disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.

Alone in the stone room, Uchiha Setsuna listened to the retreating footsteps. The smile at the corner of his mouth slowly faded into a nearly inaudible sigh, which vanished into the blood-tinged air.