Assassination

In Uchiha Tenjo's study, father and son sat facing each other.

"Fugaku," Uchiha Tenjo began, "what did you think of today's meeting? Did you have a different view?"

"Father," Fugaku Uchiha said after weighing his words, "ever since the Second Hokage blamed the Uchiha for the First Hokage's death, the Konoha leadership has kept the clan at arm's length.

"The Security Force looks prestigious, with responsibility for keeping Konoha safe. In truth, everything it does is under the leadership's watchful eye. Our clansmen have always been proud, and this arrangement also serves to drive a wedge between them and the villagers."

As Fugaku spoke, he watched his father's face. Uchiha Tenjo's expression did not change, but surprise and satisfaction flickered in his eyes. Perhaps he had not expected such insight from his thirteen-year-old son.

"I'm glad you've formed your own view," Uchiha Tenjo said with a sigh. "The Uchiha were among Konoha's founders. Plenty of our clansmen can see the bigger picture. How could they fail to see what Konoha intends?"

Fugaku nodded. His opinion of his father rose another notch.

"But what good does it do to see through the leadership's intentions?" Uchiha Tenjo continued. "The Warring States era is over. Our people have grown used to a comfortable life, and it's been a long time since anyone in the clan awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Madara Uchiha may not have been popular with the clan, but with him among us, the Uchiha truly stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World. Now many clansmen have placed their hopes in you. You're the clan's youngest prodigy, and the only one they believe might awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and become strong enough to lead them back to the top."

Fugaku froze. He had not expected to become the person his clansmen pinned their hopes on.

When he crossed into this world, he had already resolved to lead the Uchiha's rise and spare the clan from annihilation. But hearing that so many clansmen had placed their hopes in him made the burden on his shoulders feel heavy.

"What do you make of the murder of that Konoha Elder?" Uchiha Tenjo asked. "Which do you think is more likely to be behind it: the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, or the Land of Earth?"

Fugaku was beginning to understand why the Uchiha had eventually been wiped out. Though they lived in Konoha, many clansmen could not see the broader situation.

"Wars in the Shinobi World are ultimately fought for self-interest," Fugaku Uchiha said after a moment's thought. "Elder Yamada was just an old man nearing retirement. Apart from having some standing in Konoha, he held little value, and he wasn't particularly strong. Killing him would anger Konoha without gaining the attacker anything useful."

Uchiha Tenjo nodded. By Fugaku's reasoning, assassinating Elder Yamada would have one result: provoking Konoha into sending troops to the Land of Rain.

Uchiha Tenjo was not part of the Konoha leadership, but he knew something of its factions. A hawkish group led by Danzo had long called for troops to be sent to the Land of Rain.

"You mean someone in the leadership framed another country?" Uchiha Tenjo asked, surprised. "To force the Elders to approve sending troops to the Land of Rain?"

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "And to consolidate power, reduce opposition, and deepen the rift between the Uchiha and the villagers."

Uchiha Tenjo was startled by Fugaku's words, but he did not find the idea impossible. As Uchiha Clan Leader, he had seen plenty of darkness from the Warring States era through Konoha's founding. His own thinking had simply been too narrow.

"And it may not stop with Elder Yamada. Any of the other Elders could be assassinated next. Each death would concentrate power further. The village leadership also controls public opinion in Konoha. It can blame the killings on the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth at will, stirring up support among the villagers for war," Fugaku said.

Uchiha Tenjo let out a long sigh. "I hope you're wrong. Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha are little stronger than Konoha's Elders. We have numbers, but no one at the pinnacle. We could be cast aside at any time."

"Don't be too pessimistic, Father," Fugaku Uchiha said. "The Uchiha may have no one at the pinnacle, but we have plenty of clansmen with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Dealing with us would take a large force of elite ninja. It would cause too much commotion.

"With the Shinobi World in turmoil, the Konoha leadership won't cut off its own arm and weaken itself."

Father and son talked until late into the night before parting. Some of Fugaku Uchiha's arguments had shaken Uchiha Tenjo, exposing blind spots he had never noticed.

Uchiha Tenjo could only marvel that the clansmen had been right to place their hopes in his son.

Outside the Uchiha District, Konoha was far from peaceful. In a shadowed corner, two Uchiha clansmen on patrol clutched their throats, their eyes wide with terror. Blood streamed through the gaps between their fingers.

Several dark figures darted out, raced across Konoha's rooftops, and vanished into a large estate in the blink of an eye.

The estate belonged to another Konoha Elder, Elder Yamamoto. The figures moved through it as though they knew it well, meeting no resistance as they headed straight for his quarters.

Elder Yamamoto woke at once. Though age had weakened his body, his awareness of his surroundings remained keen. By the time the figures entered his room, he had already escaped into the courtyard.

A blade flashed. Drawing on years of combat experience, Elder Yamamoto dodged the slash coming straight at him, but blood seeped from a wound beneath his left ribs.

Elder Yamamoto looked around. Six masked ninja had surrounded him.

"Who are you?" Elder Yamamoto shouted, hoping to attract the attention of a Patrol Ninja. "Are you from the Land of Wind or the Land of Earth? How dare you come to Konoha and assassinate a village Elder?"

The six ninja said nothing. Every one of them thrust a weapon toward Elder Yamamoto.

Elder Yamamoto gripped his Kunai in both hands and parried again and again. Blood sprayed from fresh wounds across his body. After a few ragged breaths, he could only lament how age had worn him down.

The ninja gave him no chance to recover. Moving in perfect coordination, they struck at Elder Yamamoto again from every direction.

He forced every last bit of Chakra through his body. A silver arc cut across the night and slashed through the mask of the attacker in front of him. Even if he was going to die, Elder Yamamoto meant to see who wanted him dead.

The mask split in two and fell away, leaving a bloody cut behind. At the same instant, six weapons pierced Elder Yamamoto's body.

Elder Yamamoto spat a mouthful of blood. He stared at the unmasked ninja before him, his eyes widening in disbelief. The assassin was plainly someone he had never expected.

"He's seen your face. We can't leave his head. Clean up and withdraw immediately," someone said quietly.

The ninja whose mask had been cut nodded, pressing a hand to the wound on his face. A flash of blood followed. Only a headless corpse remained in the courtyard.