Kawasaki waved his hand. "The current Konoha Military Police Force is more of a liability than an asset to us. The first step is to relinquish our authority over it."
"Fourth Elder, Danzo suffered a huge loss. He's definitely going to cause trouble for us tomorrow regarding the Police Force's jurisdiction."
"You are to suspend and recall all Uchiha clansmen who have complaints filed against them. If anyone comes asking, just stall them. Keep stalling."
The Fourth Elder was thoroughly impressed with Kawasaki, patting his chest in assurance. "Don't you worry, Vice-Chief. I'm good at this sort of thing."
"Third Elder, you've always been dedicated to seizing the Hokage's seat by force. After seeing those glimpses of the future, what are your thoughts?"
The Third Elder shook his head with a bitter smile. It was true; he had always strived to take the Hokage's throne through military might. But in those future visions, even controlling the Nine-Tails with the Sharingan couldn't change their fate of failure. Coupled with that world-destroying jutsu, Super Shinra Tensei, his fighting spirit had been extinguished.
"Since Konoha fears us taking power, we'll just throw it all away."
"Fugaku-sama, you'll also need to find a suitable opportunity to resign from your position as Captain of the Police Force."
"In pursuit of this authority, we've offended many people. It's made the populace forget the good the Uchiha have done, making them feel our status is merely something we're entitled to."
"Now, we will advance by retreating."
"Third Elder, your next task is to organize all the disgruntled radicals."
The Third Elder frowned. "Kawasaki, what are you planning?"
Not everyone could swallow their pride like this. For some Uchiha, the strategy of advancing by retreating was simply unacceptable. This was how the hawkish faction within the clan had formed.
"The Uchiha clan needs an 'uprising' and a 'heavy blow'." Kawasaki smiled meaningfully.
"Otherwise, how can we eliminate the negative perception of the Uchiha? And how can we make others feel at ease with us expanding our influence outside the village?"
The three elders looked at each other. "But those men won't be so easily persuaded."
What the three of them didn't know was that Shisui had already awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, which possessed a unique dōjutsu—Kotoamatsukami.
At that moment, Kawasaki shot Shisui a meaningful glance.
Shisui understood immediately. Vice-Chief Kawasaki wanted to use his Kotoamatsukami. He then explained the ability of his dōjutsu to the chief and the two elders.
"Another pair of Mangekyo?"
The two elders were stunned. It had been years since a Mangekyo Sharingan had last been seen, and now two pairs had appeared at once.
Fugaku's heart surged with emotion. Kawasaki, Shisui, and himself—the clan now possessed three pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan. If not for their plan to push Konoha into the spotlight to take the fall, the chances of a successful coup would be immense. No wonder Danzo had targeted Shisui's eyes.
If Fugaku had known that his son, Itachi, had also awakened the Mangekyo, he might have fainted from the sheer excitement.
After the two elders had left, Kawasaki spoke. "Itachi, Shisui's left eye... it's with you, isn't it."
Itachi replied, "As expected, Vice-Chief, you know everything."
He summoned a ninja crow and retrieved a small bottle containing the Sharingan.
"Shisui, we need to unite the Uchiha clan now, so you must recover quickly."
"Yes, sir!"
Shisui was keenly aware of the heavy burden on his shoulders. Now that there was a way to preserve the clan and avoid conflict with the village, he had to give it his all.
"Vice-Chief, I suspect an outsider has their eyes on the Uchiha."
Kawasaki nodded. "You're referring to the person investigating the Naka Shrine secret stone, aren't you?"
Itachi was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Vice-Chief to have already heard about it.
"This person will undoubtedly cause great turmoil in the shinobi world in the future, but I have yet to confirm their true identity."
"They have appeared near the stone tablet several times. I suspect the text on it has been altered. Do not trust it." Kawasaki was giving him a preemptive warning.
"Yes, Vice-Chief. I'll remember that."
Later that night, after the meeting had concluded, Itachi stepped outside and saw Izumi Uchiha sitting on a nearby bench. She had already dozed off, leaning against the backrest.
Itachi was reminded of Izumi's death in the illusion. A sharp pain shot through his heart.
He walked over and gently tapped her on the shoulder. "What are you doing out here?"
Izumi looked up drowsily. "Itachi?" Then, she became fully awake.
"N-nothing. I'm heading home." A blush crept onto Izumi's cheeks, and she hurriedly stood up to leave.
"Izumi..." Itachi called out to her.
"Hm?" She turned back, looking bright and lovely under the dim yellow light.
Itachi was silent for a moment. "Let's go get some three-colored dango tomorrow."
Thump, thump! Izumi's heartbeat was deafeningly loud in the quiet night. The sudden rush of happiness made her feel as if steam was about to pour from her ears.
"O-okay!" Izumi covered her face and practically fled. "See you by the river tomorrow!"
Watching her retreating figure, a rare, gentle smile appeared on Itachi's face.
At the Root headquarters.
"Lord Danzo, the Third Hokage has sent someone to retrieve Shisui's left eye."
Danzo gritted his teeth. "Go to the vault. Give them one of the Sharingan."
The Root operative replied, "But, sir, we only have four Sharingan left."
Danzo slammed his hand on the armrest. "Do you think I don't know that?! If I don't hand over an eye, I won't be able to get Hiruzen off my back."
"Yes, sir."
The more Danzo thought about it, the angrier he became. "Damn it! What a complete humiliation!" His face was dark. He had never been outmaneuvered so thoroughly before.
Suffering such a major setback today was like trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used as bait. He never expected the usually cowardly Fugaku to have such a steely resolve hidden beneath his soft exterior. Pushing an elder forward as a mouthpiece, willing to openly break with the village over Shisui's eye... He had to teach them a lesson.
As dawn broke, the Fourth Elder, Yohei Uchiha, arrived at the Konoha Police Headquarters after only a few hours of rest. Every morning, the officers of the Police Force would report here for duty and shift changes. A short meeting would be held if necessary.
A pile of complaint letters was waiting for him on his desk. Most were about the Uchiha's use of excessive force. His usual method was to simply reassign the accused Uchiha members to another post within the village. This resolved the complaint without punishing the officer involved.
But today was different. He picked up a stamp engraved with the words "Suspended for Review" and began stamping it firmly onto the letters, one after another.
To increase his efficiency, the Fourth Elder created several Shadow Clones to help with the work. It was no wonder the Shadow Clone Jutsu was considered a god-tier technique; in no time at all, every complaint had been processed.
Yohei reviewed his work. By his count, approximately 80% of the force had been dismissed. They were all Uchiha hawks; with their aggressive personalities, offending people was a common occurrence. A few members from other non-mainstream factions were also let go.
After everyone had assembled, Yohei read from a list. "Yuta, Yoto, Naoto, Yo, Kei..."
"Everyone whose name I just called, due to complaints filed against you, you are all suspended pending review..."
Before Yohei could finish, the crowd erupted in murmurs. "Fourth Elder! Is this a mistake? We're being suspended?"
Yohei shot them a glare, and they immediately fell silent. "Idiots! What's all the noise about? You have other assignments! Now, all of you, report to the Vice-Chief!"
He then gave the group a specific, meaningful look.
These were the clan's hawks, who usually followed the Third Elder's lead. After Kawasaki's forceful demand for the return of Shisui's eye last night, they recognized his clearly hawkish stance. Everyone understood what this meant.