"Clan Head, our Police Force spends every day either looking for lost cats or helping villagers walk their dogs!"
"Exactly! Since when did the proud Uchiha have to take orders from civilians?!"
"All the other clans in the village are sticking together—only the Uchiha are being pushed aside!"
"And on top of that… the village finances are clearly in trouble. We haven't received our stipends in ages!"
"Clan Head! If this continues, the Uchiha will be eaten alive!"
"With Shisui's Kotoamatsukami and Itachi here, we can definitely overturn Konoha!"
...
The Uchiha clan grounds.
The council hall.
Listening to one complaint after another, Uchiha Fugaku felt his resolve begin to waver.
Perhaps… it really was time to change something.
Since the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha clan had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of the village.
Outsiders in name and in fact.
Though they still held authority over the Konoha Military Police Force, that position only deepened the rift between them and the villagers.
Complaints—dozens every day.
Pay—cut cleanly in half.
And the villagers' hostility grew more blatant by the day.
Even worse—
Clan members sent to the battlefield were starting to die for no clear reason.
No bodies.
No compensation.
A cornered dog will bite.
And the Uchiha were no dogs.
Over the past year, dissatisfaction had been spreading rapidly—
especially among several radical elders.
Even Fugaku, the clan head, was struggling to keep them in check.
If they didn't resist…
The Uchiha might tear themselves apart from within.
"Everyone… calm down."
He rubbed his aching temples and looked at the sea of crimson eyes before him. After a long pause, he finally nodded heavily.
"If that's the case… then once Shisui and Itachi return tonight, we'll—"
Before he could finish, hurried footsteps and a shout came from outside.
"Clan Head! Shisui is back!"
"He's back?!"
One of the elders slammed the table and stood up, face lit with excitement.
"Clan Head! The day to raise the banner is today!"
"The glory of the Uchiha shall continue from this moment onward—!"
Before he could finish, the messenger interrupted awkwardly, baring his teeth as if he'd seen something horrifying.
"B-But… his eyes were taken."
Bang!
"Nonsense!"
The elder slammed the table again.
"Shisui possesses Kotoamatsukami! How could he possibly be blind?!"
He refused to believe it.
But—
Fugaku and the others had already rushed outside.
The moment they stepped out, they saw nearly a hundred clan members gathered at the entrance, pointing and shouting.
The words were indistinct—
But the rage in their voices was unmistakable.
Loud. Explosive.
"Don't tell me…"
Fugaku's face darkened as he quickened his pace.
Swish.
He pushed through the crowd—
And the world seemed to collapse.
Shisui stood there.
Still tall. Still handsome.
But the once-bright, innocent eyes were gone.
Only blood-filled sockets remained.
Crusted red tears clung to the corners of his eyes.
"Shisui! How could this happen?!"
"Damn it—this was Konoha's doing!"
"They harmed the Uchiha's greatest genius! Clan Head, this grudge must be repaid!"
Amid the cries, the hawkish elder stepped forward.
His face was twisted with grief and fury.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun wildly.
He raised his head, looking at the gathered clan members, and slowly pulled something from behind him.
"Clan Head," he said hoarsely,
"it's late. The night is cold."
"Please… put this on."
He unfolded the garment in his hands.
On its back—
Five unmistakable characters:
FIFTH HOKAGE
"The Hokage's seat belongs to Hiruzen Sarutobi—why can't it belong to the Uchiha?!"
"With a single command from you, Clan Head, our four hundred and thirty-two genin, one hundred and eighty-three chūnin, and sixty-nine jōnin will storm the Hokage Tower and tear that old man apart!"
Whoosh!
At those words, nearly everyone turned to look.
Aside from a few moderate voices, every pair of eyes burned crimson.
Old grudges.
New hatred.
Uchiha pride.
The Hokage's throne.
Tonight—
Konoha's sky was about to change.
"Ha…"
Fugaku stared at the Hokage robe.
For a moment, it felt as though the Hokage's seat itself was beckoning to him.
As if countless shinobi were kneeling at his feet.
Was it tempting?
Very.
But—
After only a brief hesitation, Fugaku shook his head.
His will was stronger than most.
He forcibly tore his gaze away from the words Fifth Hokage and looked at the furious clan members instead.
"How about this," he said quietly.
"Let's ask Itachi what actually happened."
Only then did everyone realize—
The one holding Shisui was Itachi.
The noise died instantly.
Heavy breathing filled the clan grounds.
"So that's why Kai insisted I bring him here…"
Itachi's eyes flickered.
After a moment, he chose to hide part of the truth.
"Father… I'm sorry."
"Shisui's eyes were… taken by his own hand."
He paused internally.
If Shisui were awake… he'd say the same thing.
He never wanted the clan and the village to turn on each other.
But—
Itachi's gaze swept silently over several elders.
Especially the one holding the Hokage robe.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
To profane the Hokage's seat—
Death was inevitable.
As a shinobi raised under the Will of Fire, Itachi could tolerate many things.
But this crossed his line.
That was his value system.
"Perhaps," he thought,
"the conflict between the clan and the village truly cannot be reconciled."
"Perhaps… I should speak to the Hokage myself."
"If reconciliation is impossible… then one side must disappear."
At that moment, Itachi's perception of his own clan quietly changed.
Hearing this, Fugaku finally let out a breath of relief.
He clapped his hands and spoke loudly.
"That's enough."
"Shisui's condition has severely weakened our clan."
"As for the villagers and financial issues—I will personally speak with the Hokage."
Gradually, the agitation in the crowd subsided.
The crimson glow in their eyes faded.
Only Uchiha Itachi remained standing.
Expressionless.
"Ita—go rest," Fugaku said, patting his eldest son's shoulder.
His gaze lingered briefly on Itachi's tightly clenched right hand.
He said nothing more.
Carrying Shisui, he turned and walked back into the clan grounds.
Under the moonlight—
Itachi remained still.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
He looked behind him.
Outside the clan grounds, a masked man dressed in black stood silently, watching.
"…Root?"
Itachi's eyes hardened.
He stepped forward—
And chased after him.
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