Uchiha Fugaku looked out the window at Konoha's nightscape, his voice low:
"And some debts are due."
"The coup three years ago brought glory to the Uchiha, but it also sowed the seeds of today's disaster."
"Let me, as clan leader, bring all of this to an end."
Inside the shrine, every Uchiha knelt.
That included the three hardline elders.
At that moment, their internal divisions vanished, leaving only the tragic resolve of those who shared the same blood.
Tears streamed down Uchiha Yashiro's aged face:
"Clan leader, I was a fool! I've opposed you all these years. Thinking back now... how ridiculous."
Fugaku helped him up and said softly:
"Elder Yashiro, let's leave the past behind."
"Now, let us do one last thing for the Uchiha's future."
He looked at Itachi:
"Begin preparations tonight. Evacuate at midnight sharp three days from now."
"Yes!"
Itachi nodded firmly. Tears glimmered in his eyes, but he quickly held them back.
The meeting ended, and the clan members left to make their preparations.
Fugaku stood alone in the shrine, staring at the memorial tablets of the Uchiha ancestors without speaking for a long time.
Itachi walked over to him and asked softly:
"Father, if back then... we hadn't staged the coup, would things have ended differently?"
Fugaku remained silent for a long time before slowly replying:
"Perhaps they would have. Perhaps not."
"But there are no ifs in life. Once you've made a choice, you must bear the consequences."
He patted his son's shoulder:
"Go. Protect Sasuke and Naruto. Protect the Uchiha's future."
"What about you?"
Itachi raised his head, one last trace of hope in his eyes. "Is there really no way to save everyone?"
Fugaku smiled, relief in his expression:
"Itachi, sometimes, having it both ways is nothing more than a