Persuasion

The truth behind Uchiha Itachi's death came to light. The murderer was Shimura Danzō, leader of Root and aide to the Hokage.

However, the matter was far from over.

Even if the Third Hokage punished Shimura Danzō severely, it might not quell the Uchiha's fury.

After Kakashi Hatake left, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Shisui and Douyang and said evenly, "Shisui, Douyang, tell me, what must I do to reconcile with the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Douyang pretended to ponder for a moment and was just about to speak.

Beside him, Shisui Uchiha spoke first. "Lord Hokage, Clan Leader Fugaku is a reasonable man. I think that as long as the murderer, Shimura Danzō, is severely punished, he'll let bygones be bygones."

Hearing this, the corner of Douyang's mouth twitched. He wished he could take a needle and sew Shisui's mouth shut.

Shisui, you're so great! So high-minded!

Hiruzen Sarutobi also struggled to keep his composure and began coughing violently, a trace of disappointment in his eyes as he looked at Shisui.

Shisui was good in every way, except that he was too naive.

Often, that kind of naivety could lead to disaster.

Political struggles were fought over nothing more than interests.

The only way to appease the Uchiha was to cede some of those interests.

Douyang understood this more deeply than Shisui did.

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a ring of smoke and asked Douyang, "Douyang, what do you think?"

Uchiha Douyang considered for a moment, then spoke.

"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Itachi's death was merely the spark. What truly enraged the Uchiha was that their history as one of Konoha's two founding clans had been forgotten, that they had been marginalized by the village ever since the Nine-Tails' Attack five years ago, and that the Konoha Military Police Force worked diligently yet received none of the respect it deserved... The Uchiha kept suppressing their feelings and enduring, until Uchiha Itachi's death finally ignited their fury. I don't think anyone knows better than you what the Uchiha need, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed into Uchiha Douyang's clear eyes and thought for a long time before finally speaking.

"Douyang, Shisui, the village will hold a Jonin meeting tomorrow. Help me persuade Fugaku to make sure he attends. I will show sufficient sincerity."

Uchiha Douyang immediately nodded. "Lord Hokage, I'll make sure of it."

After the two left the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and walked to the window, gazing at Hokage Rock in the distance.

Teacher, I've spent my whole life treading on thin ice. Do you think I can reach your heights?

Naka Shrine, Uchiha Clan Compound.

Fugaku stood at the front, delivering an impassioned speech.

"Konoha was founded jointly by Lord Madara and the First Hokage. Both the Uchiha and the Senju were the village's rightful heirs. Now that the Senju are gone, the Uchiha are its only rightful heirs."

"The Sarutobi Clan is nothing more than a stray dog by the roadside. What right do they have to monopolize power for decades? What we must do now is launch an armed coup and reclaim the power that belongs to us."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice rang out.

Uchiha Setsuna, so old that everything below his eyebrows was already in the grave, leaned on his cane and shouted, "That's right! An armed coup! Only a coup can give the Uchiha a way to survive."

He had inherited Madara Uchiha's will and advocated seizing power by force. He was the leader of the hawks.

Of everyone in the Uchiha Clan, the person Uchiha Setsuna detested most was Uchiha Fugaku.

Ever since Uchiha Fugaku became clan leader, the Uchiha Clan had gone from bad to worse.

It was no exaggeration to say that the Uchiha's current plight was inseparable from Fugaku's indecision, weakness, and incompetence.

But Uchiha Setsuna had never expected Uchiha Itachi to die at this critical juncture.

Uchiha Fugaku, who had always advocated peaceful communication with the village, abandoned his last shred of hope because of Uchiha Itachi's death and resolved to launch a coup.

Likewise, because of Uchiha Itachi's death, every dove in the clan switched sides, uniting everyone's hearts.

At past Uchiha clan meetings, the hawks and doves had argued endlessly without reaching any conclusion. Now, the voices at the meeting were remarkably unanimous.

Seen in that light, Uchiha Itachi's sacrifice had been well worth it.

Just then, an Uchiha Chunin hurried over.

"Clan Leader, Shisui Uchiha requests an audience."

"Tell him to get lost."

Fugaku's expression changed on the spot.

He had placed high hopes in Shisui, but Shisui had sided with the village when the clan needed him most. It was no different from a resounding slap across Fugaku's face.

Another Uchiha Chunin ran over. "Clan Leader, Uchiha Douyang requests an audience."

"Quickly, show him in."

Inside the shrine, all the other clansmen had left. Only Douyang and Fugaku remained.

The two sat facing each other, with only a pot of hot water on the low table, making it easier to observe one another and understand each other's thoughts.

"A debt of blood must be repaid in blood."

"Douyang, I've decided to lead the clan in a coup and turn everything upside down."

At that moment, the usually indecisive Fugaku wore a fierce expression, revealing an unprecedented resolve.

Douyang poured Fugaku a cup of hot water, then calmly pointed out the drawbacks of a coup.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, once we launch a coup, there will be no turning back."

"When that happens, the Uchiha won't be facing only the Hokage's faction, but all the village's major shinobi clans as well."

"They won't tolerate the Uchiha disrupting the village's stability. They'll join forces to wipe out the Uchiha without hesitation."

"With the Uchiha's current strength, taking on the entire village would be like throwing an egg against a rock. The clan's annihilation would be the only outcome."

"Is that what you want to see?"

Fugaku let out a long sigh, raised his cup, and drained the scalding water in one gulp.

"Douyang, I know all of that perfectly well. It isn't that I want a coup, but that there truly is no other choice."

"Ever since the First died, the Hokage's faction has been suppressing the Uchiha. That evil old Senju bastard established the Konoha Military Police Force to isolate the Uchiha and force us into opposition to the village."

"It was a completely undisguised scheme. Ridiculously enough, many clansmen still take pride in the Konoha Military Police Force."

"The overarching policy set by the Hokage's faction is to bleed the Uchiha slowly, wearing us down bit by bit, step by step."

"I have to admit, those bastards achieved their goal."

"Itachi's death made me finally see the truth."

"If we sit and wait for death, the Uchiha lose and the village wins."

"If we stage a coup, the Uchiha won't win, but neither will the village."

"Rather than let the village win, we'd be better off making both sides lose."

Uchiha Douyang looked at Uchiha Fugaku, who had resolved to stage a coup, and sighed inwardly.

The Uchiha Fugaku of the original timeline must have understood these things.

But he had kept harboring hopes about the Hokage's faction.

In fact, it wasn't just Fugaku. Many of the doves had harbored those same hopes.

Their history as Konoha's founders and their title as the Shinobi World's foremost clan had led them to vastly underestimate the ruthlessness of the Hokage's faction.

Now, Uchiha Itachi's death had shattered the clansmen's unrealistic hopes outright, uniting the Uchiha who had spent every day arguing endlessly.

Uchiha Douyang drew a light breath and placed the investigation report and Itachi's Sharingan on the low table.