Dove Faction Pledges Allegiance, Uniting the Hawk and Dove Factions!

Dawn had just broken.

A thin layer of morning mist shrouded the entire Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Did you hear... Lord Shisui..."

"The village announcement... said he attacked Lord Danzo and committed suicide out of guilt..."

"How is that possible?! How could Lord Shisui possibly do such a thing?!"

Uchiha Shisui was dead.

The news struck heavily at the heart of every Uchiha clansman.

For the Hawk Faction, it was rage—yet another testament to the high command's shamelessness.

But for the Dove Faction, it was as if the sky had collapsed.

Inside the residence of Dove Faction Elder Uchiha En, the atmosphere was grave.

Several highly respected elders who had always advocated peaceful coexistence with the village now wore dark expressions.

Not a trace of their usual gentleness and composure remained.

In its place was deep exhaustion, unconcealed despair, and a hint of anger at having been played for fools.

"Suicide out of guilt..."

Uchiha En's dry lips trembled slightly as he repeated those four words.

"What a ridiculous accusation!"

"Shisui was a child we watched grow up. He loved this village more than anyone, and he wanted to protect peace more than anyone!"

Another elder slammed his fist onto the tatami, producing a dull thud.

"We trusted the Third Hokage. We trusted the so-called Will of Fire. But what did we get in return?"

"We got surveillance, suspicion, and isolation!"

"And now, they have ruthlessly erased even our most outstanding genius—Shisui, the only one who could have served as a bridge between us!"

"Peace... the path of peace was a joke from the very beginning!"

They had once placed all their hopes on Uchiha Shisui.

These Dove Faction elders had naively believed that as long as Shisui remained—so long as that genius known as Body Flicker Shisui, so highly valued by the Third Hokage, was still alive—there would always be room to maneuver between the Uchiha and the village.

Yet reality had delivered them the loudest possible slap across the face.

Shisui's death was clearly no accident, but a premeditated murder.

The village high command had used the most cold-blooded methods to utterly shatter all their fantasies.

Silence.

A long, deathly silence.

"What... should we do?"

At last, one elder asked the question everyone wanted to ask, yet had not dared to voice.

What else could they do?

The road had already been cut off.

Ahead lay the butcher's blade of the Konoha High Command. Behind them burned the long-suppressed fury of the clan's Hawk Faction.

These members of the Dove Faction were trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"Perhaps... there is still one path."

Uchiha En slowly raised his eyes and swept his gaze across everyone present.

"Elder Yao."

He forced out the name with difficulty.

Uchiha Yao.

The young man who had risen to power with thunderous methods.

The new Hawk Faction leader who had united every hawk, and whom even Clan Head Fugaku feared to some extent.

The expressions of the elders present became extraordinarily complicated upon hearing his name.

They had once sneered at Uchiha Yao's radicalism and tyranny, believing he would drag the Uchiha into an abyss of eternal damnation.

But looking back now, the facts proved that they were the clowns!

To a drowning man, even a red-hot branding iron was the only straw left to grasp.

"Go to him?"

"Would he... would he accept old men like us?"

"Elder En, Elder Yao's methods... are we really going to place the clan's future in his hands?"

Uchiha En slowly rose to his feet, his eyes gaining a measure of resolve.

"We have no other choice."

"Either we are cast aside without mercy by the high command, like Shisui, and die bearing a false charge."

"Or we put aside our ridiculous fantasies and pride, and seize this final opportunity."

"At the very least, Uchiha Yao is fighting for the Uchiha's survival."

In the end, the Dove Faction elders decided that Uchiha En would lead several core Dove Faction elders to Uchiha Yao's residence.

Uchiha Yao seemed to have anticipated their arrival. He stood alone in the courtyard.

Uchiha En's gaze fell on the huge crater blasted open by last night's Great Fireball, as well as the cracks spreading across the nearby wall.

At the sight of such astonishing destruction, the pupils of several elders involuntarily contracted.

They were all experienced jonin and could naturally tell that this was far beyond the power of ordinary ninjutsu.

"Elders, what brings you here?"

Uchiha Yao asked.

Uchiha En took a deep breath, suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart. He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Uchiha Yao.

"Elder Yao."

Though the elders behind him were filled with reluctance, they had no choice but to follow suit.

It was respect for the strong, and a bow to reality.

"We... have thought it through."

"Shisui's death has shown us the village's true face."

"So-called peaceful coexistence is nothing but self-deception."

"From this day forward, we of the Dove Faction are willing to recognize Elder Yao as our leader and obey all your commands!"

Uchiha En raised his head, staring intensely at Uchiha Yao. His tone carried a final trace of plea.

"We only ask that Elder Yao find a way for the Uchiha to survive, and give us... a guarantee of peace."

"Peace?"

Uchiha Yao shook his head and spoke without mercy.

"Elders, you still do not understand."

"True peace has never come from verbal promises, much less from begging."

"Shisui is the best example."

"What did his compromises and concessions bring him? His own death, and an even greater crisis for the clan."

"Peace is equality founded upon absolute strength."

"It is something you are qualified to discuss only when your fist is hard enough—hard enough that your enemies dare not harbor even the slightest ill intent."

Uchiha Yao did not say another word.

He merely watched the old men before him in silence.

As they sank into thought and struggle because of his words, Uchiha Yao slowly closed his eyes, then abruptly opened them.

Buzz—!

A terrifying pressure of ocular power instantly enveloped the entire courtyard!

They raised their heads in horror and looked into Uchiha Yao's eyes.

They were no longer the Three-tomoe Sharingan they knew.

They were—

Mangekyō Sharingan!

Those eyes contained a terrifying ocular power far beyond the limits of their understanding.

Before that power, the Three-tomoe Sharingan they took such pride in were as different as fireflies and the bright moon.

At last, they understood.

What Uchiha Yao meant by "absolute strength."

This was the guarantee.

Ding! Detected the collective surrender of the core members of the Uchiha Dove Faction. Clan cohesion has greatly increased!

Clan Honor Points +50000!

Congratulations, Host, for completing the hidden mission Hawk-Dove Convergence. Internal clan integration has reached 70%!

Reward: Clan Honor Points +100000! Loyal Clansmen Count limit increased!

Uchiha Yao Status Panel:

Strength: Kage-level (initial stage)

Mastered Skills:

Ninjutsu: Mastery of all Fire Release Ninjutsu, Lightning Release: Chidori (proficient), Lightning Release Chakra Mode (complete), Lightning Fire Dragon Breath, Lightning Fire Rasengan.

Taijutsu: Uchiha Style Taijutsu mastery

Genjutsu: Basic Sharingan Genjutsu, Advanced Genjutsu Release, Genjutsu Reversal.

Kekkei Genkai: Mangekyō Sharingan.

Ocular Techniques: Mangekyō Sharingan (left eye "Time Reversal," right eye "Technique Amplification").

Clan Status: Uchiha Elder (joint leader of the Hawk and Dove Factions).

Clan Honor Points: 290000.

Loyal Clansmen Count: Approximately 250 (core members' loyalty 100%, guard members' loyalty 100%, loyalty of most members of the Hawk and Dove Factions significantly increased).

Clan Overall Strength Assessment: Peak Quasi Kage-level.