Remove Uchiha Fugaku as Clan Leader

Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted slightly.

"Leave?"

"Didn't you say you'd tell me how to bring Sasuke back?"

"What difference does it make whether you tell me here or somewhere else?"

Obito shook his head.

"I don't want to say it in front of all these people."

"If certain people overhear, your Sasuke really won't be coming back."

As he spoke, he glanced toward Shimura Danzō.

Uchiha Itachi fell silent.

He looked at Obito, suspicion filling his eyes.

But he nodded anyway.

If there was even the slightest hope of bringing Sasuke back, he had to seize it.

"All right."

Uchiha Itachi's voice was low.

"I'll go with you."

Obito nodded in satisfaction.

He reached out and placed a hand on Uchiha Itachi's shoulder.

"Let's go."

His Mangekyō Sharingan ability, Kamui, activated!

Space warped in an instant!

The figures of Uchiha Itachi and Obito Uchiha blurred, as though an invisible force were pulling them away...

Everyone else was still reeling from the shock of Uchiha En awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan.

No one noticed the two figures at the center of the rubble slowly disappearing.

"Uchiha En! Well done!"

"From today on, you're the hope of the Uchiha Clan!"

"You have to lead us back to greatness!"

The Uchiha Survivors crowded excitedly around Uchiha En, all talking at once.

Uchiha En kept his head down, looking overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

Now all that remained was for Obito Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi to leave.

Just then...

"This is bad!"

An Anbu Ninja suddenly cried out.

"The Masked Man and Uchiha Itachi... have vanished!"

Everyone looked toward the voice and saw only empty rubble.

The two figures who had stood there—Obito Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi—were gone without a trace.

As if they had never been there.

Their disappearance threw the scene into chaos.

"Where are they?!"

"They were right there!"

"How did they suddenly vanish?!"

The Anbu Ninjas searched frantically, but there was no sign of Uchiha Itachi or the Masked Man among the rubble.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened.

He took a deep breath and barked, "Quiet!"

Chakra carried his shout over every other voice.

"Everyone, go home for now and deal with tonight's affairs."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke steadily, with an authority that brooked no argument.

"Notify the Clan Heads of every shinobi clan to come to the Hokage Building for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning."

His gaze swept across everyone present, and his tone grew heavier.

"Konoha will get to the bottom of what happened tonight."

The shinobi from the other clans exchanged glances, then nodded and left.

They had wanted to leave for some time.

Konoha had been thrown into turmoil tonight. The Uchiha Clan had nearly been wiped out, the Sarutobi Clan had been attacked, and the Shimura Clan had been slaughtered. Any one of those events would have shaken the entire Shinobi World.

They had to get word back to their families at once.

Shikaku Nara walked among the crowd, his brow furrowed.

"Tomorrow... everything may change."

He murmured to himself, then hurried into the night.

Shinobi from the Hyuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Inuzuka Clans left as well.

Only the Konoha High Command and the Uchiha Survivors remained amid the rubble.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Uchiha En, then at Shimura Danzō, and was silent for a few seconds.

"Let's go."

He turned and left with the Anbu.

Shimura Danzō stayed where he was.

His gaze rested on Uchiha En, an unreadable glint in his aged eyes.

Uchiha En deliberately kept his head down and pretended not to notice.

"Hmph."

Danzo gave a cold snort, struck the ground hard with his cane, and turned away.

The Root shinobi followed him like shadows, disappearing into the darkness.

But Uchiha En knew that old bastard had his eye on him. More precisely, on his eyes.

"Let's go."

Uchiha Yashiro spoke from beside him.

The last remaining Uchiha elder stood at the edge of the rubble, looking at the surviving clan members.

"To the Naka Shrine."

His voice was hoarse.

"Tonight, the Uchiha Clan... needs to talk."

Uchiha Yashiro paused, his gaze passing over every survivor.

"About whether our clan lives or dies."

No one objected.

More than a hundred Uchiha Survivors silently followed Uchiha Yashiro.

No one spoke.

No one wept.

They were all still trapped in tonight's nightmare, but each of them knew this was not the time to grieve.

The Uchiha Clan had to make a choice.

Otherwise, only destruction awaited them.

Uchiha En followed Uchiha Yashiro at the front of the crowd.

He kept his head down, looking weighed down with grief.

But only he knew how excited he felt.

Heh heh heh...

He laughed wildly to himself.

Everything's going according to plan...

The position of Uchiha Clan Head... is almost mine!

He raised his head and glanced at Uchiha Yashiro ahead of him.

That old man really is a useful tool.

At the very back of the crowd...

Uchiha Fugaku followed silently, carrying Sasuke's body.

Mikoto walked beside him, her face streaked with tears.

No one looked at them.

No one spoke to them.

It was as though they were invisible.

Fugaku said nothing. He simply held Sasuke and walked on, one step at a time.

His steps were steady, but all light had left his eyes.

Naka Shrine.

Nestled in the wooded hills behind the Uchiha Clan Compound, it was the Uchiha Clan's most important site.

Generations of Clan Heads had taken office there, and generations of important meetings had been held there.

Now moonlight streamed through the shrine's windows, illuminating the memorial tablets in the main hall.

They bore the names of the Uchiha Clan's ancestors.

Uchiha Yashiro entered the main hall first and sat in the central seat.

The other Uchiha Survivors took their seats as well.

Uchiha En sat beside Uchiha Yashiro, in the seat second only to the Clan Head's.

Uchiha Fugaku sat in a corner, still holding Sasuke.

Mikoto sat beside him with her head bowed, tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

Uchiha Yashiro looked around and slowly began. "I'm sure everyone knows what happened tonight."

His voice was low and angry, echoing through the spacious shrine.

"That beast Uchiha Itachi slaughtered our people without mercy. He tried to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan."

He paused and turned his gaze to Uchiha Fugaku in the corner.

"And Uchiha Fugaku, the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, did nothing. He let his own son butcher our people."

"He is no longer fit to be Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan."