Chapter 15: The Situation Continues to Worsen; Fugaku is a General Without an Army!
This clan meeting, too, ended without any resolution.
Uchiha Jin and his Radical Faction didn't leave early this time. Instead, they stayed behind with visible amusement, watching the "performance" put on by Fugaku and Shisui. Only when they were thoroughly satisfied did they finally depart from Naka Shrine.
"Clan Head..."
Shisui's voice was slightly raspy. He waited until everyone else had left before speaking. "We must find a way. We cannot let Uchiha Jin continue this arrogance!"
He was beginning to feel a creeping sense of dread. Knowing exactly what the opponent was planning but being utterly powerless to stop it—this feeling was driving him to the brink of madness. This "Open Scheme" was tearing his heart apart with indecision.
Fugaku sat in silence, his eyes deep and unfathomable as he stared out at the now-empty shrine. In a daze, he seemed to see the inevitable result of his policy of appeasement: the High Command giving Danzo more leeway, and more and more Uchiha being abducted...
In the past, the clansmen had no alternative. But now that Uchiha Jin had appeared, people were defecting to the Radicals in a desperate frenzy.
"Shisui, you..."
"Go and speak with the Hokage-sama. Ask him to restrain Danzo. I will do my best to stabilize the emotions of the clansmen."
"If this continues, the Uchiha will belong to the Radicals!"
Fugaku spoke with a face full of helplessness. He was truly backed into a corner, and his only hope was that Hiruzen Sarutobi would finally exert some authority.
However, Shisui's face flashed with a momentary surge of anger. "Clan Head, you mustn't be misled by Uchiha Jin! Danzo-sama is a high-ranking official of the Leaf. How could he possibly commit such atrocities?"
"It's true he has my grandfather's Sharingan, but that was a gift granted at the moment of death!"
Fugaku let out a long, weary sigh.
You poor, naive child.
Do you really think I don't know exactly what kind of man Danzo is?
But he also knew that Shisui had been thoroughly brainwashed by Hiruzen. Arguing with him was a waste of breath. Fugaku simply waved a hand dismissively. "Just tell the Hokage exactly what I said. Don't worry about anything else."
Without another word, he stood up and walked away with heavy, sluggish steps.
Shisui opened his mouth to explain, wanting to convince Fugaku of the village's goodness. But as he watched the Clan Head's retreating back, he eventually just sighed. "The clan's misunderstanding of the High Command is too deep. Even the Moderates and Neutrals harbor such severe distrust."
"The Hokage-sama is such a kind man. Why can't they show him some respect?"
"It seems I must work even harder from now on!"
His gaze grew firm, as if he had reached a monumental decision. He headed straight for the Hokage's office and reported every detail of the meeting.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, let out a hollow sigh.
"The world is a difficult place, isn't it?"
"I understand. Tell Fugaku that I will do my absolute best to restrain Danzo."
"Shisui, do not blame Fugaku. The Uchiha's prejudice against the village is deep-seated; it will take time to dissolve that bitterness."
Hiruzen's voice was thick with emotion. His aged face was a mask of exhaustion, his eyes filled with the sadness of a man who was misunderstood but still cared. He acted as if he were forcing his frail body to carry on just for the sake of the Uchiha.
Shisui was deeply moved. "Hokage-sama... you have suffered too much for us."
"It is my duty," Hiruzen replied with a gentle smile. "You are a good boy, Shisui."
"Let us work together."
He proceeded to give Shisui a lengthy lecture on the Will of Fire. Only after Shisui had left, his heart full of renewed vigor, did Hiruzen summon his Anbu.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Inform Danzo to maintain strict surveillance on the Uchiha district. Also, dispatch the Third Anbu Division to assist him. All actions are to be carried out under Danzo's direct command."
Hiruzen issued the order without a second's hesitation. His old face was now cold and ruthless. Once the Anbu departed, he let out a sharp, mocking snort.
Restrain Danzo?
What a joke.
Danzo was currently struggling to suppress the rampaging Hashirama cells in his body; he needed 3-Tomoe Sharingan to maintain the balance. Even if Hiruzen issued a formal order, it would be ignored.
Was he supposed to just let Danzo die? For the sake of the Uchiha? Don't be ridiculous.
As for Jin's "Open Scheme," while it was difficult to dismantle, Hiruzen didn't feel the need to try. This was an internal Uchiha power struggle. He was more than happy to watch the Uchiha bleed out.
Even if Jin eventually seized total power, what did it matter?
A crippled Uchiha Clan, no matter how strong its leader, could never pose a real threat to the village. He only needed to ensure that the internal slaughter didn't spill over into the rest of Konoha; otherwise, he was perfectly content to let nature take its course.
Time continued to slip away. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Fugaku was frantic but paralyzed. Hiruzen had chosen to do nothing. The Radicals had closed their doors and were living their own lives in peace. Meanwhile, Danzo—desperate to survive the biological war occurring within his own body—was hunting 3-Tomoe Uchiha with a feral intensity.
The entire Uchiha compound was paralyzed by terror. A portion of the clan, having finally seen the reality of the situation, defected to the Radicals. However, many remained loyal to their factions, refusing to join Jin.
After some deliberation, these survivors decided to emulate the Radicals and organize their own collective defense.
But unfortunately...
Before their plans could even begin, Shisui intervened to stop them.
"You must believe in the Hokage-sama! He will resolve this issue!"
"This is absolutely not Danzo-sama's doing! That is nothing but a smear campaign by Uchiha Jin. This is clearly the work of enemy spies from other villages. The Hokage is already working on a solution."
"Clansmen, please, just wait a little longer!"
"Trust the Village! Trust the Hokage!"
The naive Shisui truly believed every word out of Hiruzen's mouth; it was the bedrock of his entire existence.
Uchiha were an extreme people. As an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo, Shisui was more stubborn, more single-minded, and more irrational than any of them.
Unaware that he had been sold out and was now busy counting the money for Hiruzen, Shisui could do nothing to change the deteriorating environment. He could only watch as his kin were slaughtered night after night. Even when he stayed up until dawn patrolling the compound, it was useless. One man could not guard the entire district.
Consequently, another wave of clansmen chose to join the Radicals. The remaining die-hard Moderates and Neutrals eventually begged Fugaku to take the lead and organize a proper defense.
But, heh.
Fugaku was a man of grand ambitions but tiny courage—indecisive and weak-willed. Although he could clearly see the rot in the compound, he couldn't find the resolve to break with the village. He didn't even dare to organize a proactive defense.
He was terrified that any move he made would only make the situation worse.
Just as he would eventually do during the Night of the Massacre, Fugaku chose to do nothing and wait for death.
In the end, while Fugaku spent his days "deliberating" and "waiting for an opportunity," more and more Uchiha fled to the Radical district. By the time he looked up, he realized he had become a "General without an Army."
The only people left under his command were the high-ranking officers of the Moderates and Neutrals, along with a handful of their most fanatical elites.
The grand Clan Head of the Uchiha was left with a following of fewer than fifteen people.