"Clan Head! The village held an all-night emergency council yesterday. I heard all the major clans were called in—do you know what happened?"
An all-night meeting?
All the major clans?
Early in the morning, Fugaku glanced at the one speaking, his expression unreadable.
It was one of the younger generation—someone serving in the Police Force.
But—
He was very close to the Hokage's faction.
One of the few doves within the Uchiha.
So why would a dove bring this kind of information directly to him?
Unless…
Either the Hokage—or more likely, Danzo—had leaked it on purpose.
But that would only worsen tensions…
Or maybe that was the point.
To worsen tensions.
To push the Uchiha into losing patience.
In an instant, Fugaku's face sank.
He finally realized something was wrong.
He turned sharply and barked, "Notify all the elders. Council hall—now. Meeting."
As for Sasuke up in the tree…
Fugaku glanced once and decisively gave up.
A mischievous kid?
×
Second son useless?
✓
Not long after, the Uchiha council hall filled with elders.
Some still looked half-asleep, but most wore expressions of ferocity and anticipation.
The Third Elder—most aggressive of them all—couldn't hold back the moment he saw Fugaku.
"Clan Head, calling us this early… is it time to launch the coup?"
"Yes! A coup! Finally!" another elder shouted excitedly.
"In the clan we have thirty-two with three tomoe, one hundred sixty-eight with two tomoe, and three hundred ninety-eight with one tomoe—all on standby!"
"Clan Head, let's do it! This Konoha isn't the Konoha we fought for anymore!"
"That's right! The Sarutobi clan can sit on the Hokage's chair—so can the Uchiha!"
Snap—
That single sentence lit every fuse in the room.
Elders started talking over each other, slamming tables, shouting plans like they could storm the Hokage Tower in the next breath.
"Ahem… I think we should hear what the clan head has to say," one of the few dove-leaning elders coughed twice, forcing calm.
Swish.
In an instant, more than twenty gazes nailed themselves to Fugaku.
Expectation.
The pressure crashed down onto Fugaku so hard he almost blanked.
Wasn't he convening this meeting to discuss countermeasures?
How had it turned into planning which route to attack the Hokage Tower from?
This… wasn't right.
And yet it also proved something else.
The Uchiha's resentment had already risen to the surface completely.
All it needed was a spark.
And now—
It seemed the spark had arrived.
"…No."
After a long hesitation, Fugaku shook his head.
"Shisui is injured. Itachi is tied up in missions. Our strength is still too weak."
The moment he finished, the Third Elder shot back like a blade.
"Weak?"
"Clan Head, you haven't forgotten how the Sarutobi went from a minor Konoha family to one of the great clans of the shinobi world, have you?"
That single line punched Fugaku straight into silence.
How?
By sucking the blood of the great clans—including the Uchiha.
"…Hah."
In the end, Fugaku closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.
When he opened them again, the hesitation was gone.
Only resolve remained.
He rapped the table, eyes sweeping over the elders.
"Fine. Then—three days from now, at dusk."
"In the meantime, recall every clan member currently on missions."
"All missions are to be abandoned. Everyone returns."
"Yes!"
That roar shook the entire Uchiha compound into a frenzy.
And it also made the other clans of Konoha realize something was off.
"What's going on? Have you noticed? There are way more Uchiha on the streets…"
"More than that—at night you can hear laughing from their side of the village! Bunch of lunatics."
"You think they all lost their minds?"
"Maybe not, but… ANBU patrols have definitely increased too…"
Those whispers naturally reached the highest levels of Konoha.
Bang!
Bang bang bang!
Hokage's Office.
Danzo hammered his cane on the floor until it echoed like a drum.
The office wasn't large, yet it felt packed with people.
Akimichi Torifu, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Hyuga Hiashi, and many other clan heads were present.
Aside from a few more hot-blooded ones, most simply watched the Third Hokage in silence.
Especially Hiashi.
As leader of one of Konoha's great clans, he could sense something big coming… but he had no desire to get involved.
What did any of this have to do with the Hyuga?
No matter who sat at the top, they'd still need the Byakugan.
Several smaller clan heads thought the same.
They couldn't change the outcome anyway—so they'd just cheer from the sidelines.
Bang!
Seeing that the Third Hokage still hadn't spoken, Danzo slammed his cane down so hard he actually punched a pit into the floor.
Then, with a furious flick of his sleeve, he turned and stalked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he paused—back still turned—and said coldly:
"There are things you can't do."
"But I can."
"As your advisor, it's my duty to eliminate threats for you."
With that, he left.
Behind him, the Third Hokage watched his back—
And this time, surprisingly, did not stop him.
He simply waited in silence for a moment, then lifted his eyes slightly.
Without changing his expression, he pulled out his pipe and tapped it lightly.
"Everyone, return to your homes. For the time being, help keep the village stable."
"The Uchiha are part of Konoha."
"I will not abandon them, and I will not cast them aside!"
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn on!"
The smaller clans were visibly moved.
Only then did they finally depart.
A while later, the Hokage's office was left with only Sarutobi Hiruzen—
And the crow perched by the window.
"Itachi… have you made your decision?"
"Yes. They intend to launch the coup three days from now, at dusk."
"Hah…" Hiruzen's shoulders sank slightly.
"I'm sorry. I still couldn't make them satisfied."
"It isn't the Third Hokage's fault," the crow said, turning its head sharply.
"It's the inferiority rooted deep in the Uchiha's blood."
"I will… erase that inferiority."
Then Itachi's voice softened, just a fraction.
"But, Third Hokage-sama…"
"Mm? Speak."
"Could you spare Sasuke and Kai?"
"They're… still just children."
The entire office fell into total silence.
White smoke poured from the pipe in heavy waves—
Until it grew so thick you could hardly see anything at all.
Only then did Hiruzen finally nod.
"Sasuke can be spared."
"As for Kai…" he murmured.
"I need to observe that child a little longer."
With that, he stepped out of the Hokage Tower.
The moment he looked up, he spotted Kai not far away—somehow forcibly chatting with an ANBU like he'd pinned them in place.
"Kai…" Hiruzen's mouth twitched.
"Still as talkative as ever."
He turned to leave—
And behind him, Kai's small eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oho—old bastard—uh, Third Hokage-sama, don't go!"
"Chat for ten minutes?"
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