They exchanged glances and fell silent.
Although the official account of the Uchiha coup d'état three years ago called it a "peaceful transition," anyone with eyes knew what had really happened.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had suddenly stepped down and spent every day growing vegetables and tending flowers, showing no interest in power-
Was that normal?
In a corner, a leaf drifted gently down. Once it touched the ground, it silently turned into white fluid and seeped underground.
Konoha Hospital, duty room.
Several medical ninja whispered among themselves during the gap between shifts.
"Latest news-the Uchiha have split internally!"
"Split?"
"Yeah, the 'Body Flicker Technique Flame Demon' defected! He ran off with his younger brother Ryōta and even killed the Yamanaka clan head to silence him!"
"Why?"
"I heard it was a power struggle... Ghost Fire refused to accept Fugaku as Hokage and secretly built up his own forces. When he was discovered, he simply rebelled."
"My god... doesn't that leave Lord Hokage as the Uchiha's only expert?"
"Exactly. 'Pure-Heart Shisui' is dead, the 'Body Flicker Technique Flame Demon' has defected, and those two masked men haven't appeared in years..."
"It's over, it's over. The Uchiha are going to collapse."
Amid the whispers, black liquid seeped from a water pipe in the corner, then quickly vanished.
That night, the same scenes played out all across Konoha.
Taverns, teahouses, the hospital, training grounds, even the residences of certain clans...
Rumors spread like a plague.
Those spreading them came from all walks of life-drunken ninja, gossiping civilians, teachers on night duty, and medical ninja changing shifts.
But they all had one thing in common-they had heard something "by accident," then "couldn't help" sharing it.
The rumors mainly centered on three points:
First, the Uchiha were preparing to purge the leadership and monopolize power.