Late at night.
Inside the Uchiha compound, at Fugaku's residence.
Everyone who mattered was present.
Except for Uchiha Kai, who was still away from the village, every core figure of the clan had gathered here. Even Shisui—who had long been attached to the Hokage's faction—had slipped in quietly under the cover of darkness.
The living room was packed.
Looking at the familiar faces before him—clan heads, senior elders, elite Uchiha—Fugaku felt a complicated surge of emotion well up in his chest.
It felt unreal.
As if he had stepped into a completely different world.
Yes.
Just a few months ago, the Uchiha had been in steady decline.
The moderates and radicals fought endlessly among themselves. As clan head, he had been little more than a paper tiger—patching the east wall one day and the west wall the next, doing everything he could just to keep the clan from collapsing outright.
And yet—
Look at them now.
Since Kai had risen and gradually taken control, after carefully weighing the risks, Fugaku had made a single decision:
Things were already bad.
So why not let Kai try?
He had never imagined the result would be this dramatic.
In just a few short months, the Uchiha had been reborn.
Though many had died along the way, Fugaku couldn't help but let out a bitter smile as he looked at the current strength gathered here—strong enough to confront the Hokage faction head-on.
That alone proved his own inadequacy as clan head.
But still—
No regrets.
In the end, he had chosen to trust Kai.
That decision alone was something he could boast about for the rest of his life.
Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, Nara Kōji stood up.
He scanned the room once, then spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Everyone, quiet."
"First, I'll briefly explain the current situation."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others have left Konoha for the Five Kage Summit."
"At the same time, Danzo and Orochimaru are clearly preparing to make a move."
"No one knows exactly what Danzo is planning."
"But that doesn't matter."
"With our current strength, achieving basic self-preservation is no problem."
"So for the next period of time, after you return, make sure your clan members stay put."
"Watch your words and actions carefully."
"Unless absolutely necessary, do not leave the Uchiha compound."
"Because if an emergency occurs, our strongest fighters may not be able to respond immediately."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"Of course, it's not just us."
"The elites of the allied clans have also been mobilizing nonstop."
"Everyone must arrange patrol shifts and ensure the safety of the Uchiha compound."
"No matter what Danzo and the others intend to do, we cannot allow it to affect us."
The room was silent.
Every person present listened intently.
Nara Kōji then straightened slightly.
"Now, there's one more matter I need to report."
"Before Kai left Konoha, we reached an agreement."
"That is—"
"We will carry out an assassination operation against the two elders."
"Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura."
A ripple went through the room.
But no one spoke.
Nara Kōji's voice remained composed.
"The objective is simple."
"First—to weaken the Hokage faction."
"And more importantly—"
"To exploit the mutual distrust between Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen and deepen their rift."
"Because of Sarutobi Shinnosuke's death, it is already impossible for those two to fully trust each other."
"Once the two elders die, Danzo will almost certainly believe this was Hiruzen's retaliation."
"And Hiruzen will believe Danzo framed him."
"After all, those two elders are not powerful."
"From a rational standpoint, Danzo has no reason to allow them to share power indefinitely."
"Third—"
"This operation will help us clarify Danzo's next move."
"So this mission will be carried out by two people together."
"In the assassination itself, Clan Head Fugaku will take responsibility."
"And Yamanaka Shintarō will be responsible for extracting the elders' memories."
"Given their status, there's a high probability Danzo wouldn't completely hide his plans from them."
He looked around the room.
"The reason I'm informing everyone tonight is simple."
"Everyone here must cooperate."
"Provide airtight alibis for Fugaku and Shintarō."
"At the very least—"
"We cannot allow the deaths of these two elders to be traced back to the Uchiha."
He then turned his gaze toward a familiar figure.
"So, Shisui."
"You're the ANBU captain."
"Even if you can't control everyone, I need you to determine the patrol routes of the ANBU as accurately as possible."
"Coordinate with Fugaku's operation."
"Make this as foolproof as we can."
Nara Kōji spoke without a single unnecessary word.
He laid out the village's situation, their response plan, and each person's role with surgical precision.
Of course, he understood—
The fewer people who knew the truth of such an operation, the better.
But there was no choice.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were elders, and also heads of their respective clans.
A silent assassination required extensive coordination.
Especially Shisui.
With his ANBU status, certain things would be far easier to accomplish.
Around the room, everyone nodded quietly.
No one questioned the arrangement.
Yes.
The Will of Fire had been preached for decades.
But those who truly believed in it were mostly civilians—and a handful of thoroughly indoctrinated shinobi.
Everyone present here was either a clan head or a senior leader.
Some had even lived through the latter years of the Warring States Period.
They had seen firsthand what happened after Konoha's founding.
They understood one truth very clearly—
In struggles over power and survival, bloodshed was inevitable.
Only one person stood up.
Shisui.
Though Kai's rise had shaken his beliefs and forced him to confront reality, at his core, he still couldn't accept this path.
His expression was serious as he spoke.
"Nara Kōji."
"I don't quite understand."
"The two elders did target the Uchiha."
"But at present, they no longer have the ability to threaten us."
"We all belong to the same village."
"And when facing external enemies, we're still comrades."
"So why?"
"Why must we kill them?"
Yes.
He genuinely didn't understand.
Nara Kōji wasn't surprised.
As a prodigy of the Uchiha, Shisui had always been a focal point of the Nara clan's attention.
Though they had never met, Nara Kōji understood him well.
So he simply smiled faintly and explained.
"Shisui, you're still a little naïve."
"Does right and wrong really matter here?"
"As you said, the two elders targeted the Uchiha."
"But ask yourself—did any of the clan heads present step forward to stop them?"
"Why not?"
"The answer is simple."
"Because once we chose to stand with the Uchiha, the Hokage faction became our enemy."
"This is a battle of positions."
"When you stand in different places, you will naturally do everything you can to protect your own side."
"Or let me put it another way."
"If given the chance—do you really think those two elders would show mercy to us?"
"Lord Kai has a saying I deeply believe in."
'Being kind to your enemies is cruelty to your own people.'
"So—show no mercy."
"Think about the Senju of the Forest."
"The Uzumaki clan."
"Hatake Sakumo."
"I can tell you plainly."
"Only one of us—the Uchiha alliance—or the Hokage faction can survive."
"The winner lives."
"The loser dies."
"If you insist on asking for a reason…"
Nara Kōji's smile faded.
His eyes turned cold.
"Then the answer is simple."
"They're standing in our way."
"So they deserve to die."
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