"It's like this, Clan Head Hiashi," Uchiha Ran said calmly. "Right now, the Hokage's assistant is a treacherous official who holds power while making the villagers live in fear, terrified of being targeted by those above them."
"Tell me—does this look like the leadership a village is supposed to have?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is ruthless toward his own people, yet submissive toward outsiders. Isn't that a betrayal of Konoha? A betrayal of the ideals the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, held when he founded this village?"
Ran's words were sharp and relentless.
"History has been distorted. He calls himself the strongest, brainwashes the masses, accomplishes nothing of substance, and in the end still pays reparations to other villages—using our money to raise a pack of savage beasts!"
"And the worst part?" Ran slammed the table. "Those beasts won't be grateful. They'll only see you as weak—as someone easy to bully!"
Bang!
The table shattered instantly.
Hinata, seated nearby, flinched in fright. She looked at Ran with a trace of fear. Just moments ago, his gentle demeanor had made him seem warm and kind.
Now, however, his presence felt like that of a ferocious tiger. Sitting beside him, she couldn't stop herself from trembling.
Hyuga Hiashi closed his eyes as he listened.
He knew all of this already. He had simply been pretending not to see it.
The Hyuga Clan was powerful, yes—but it couldn't stand alone.
Could he truly accept his own twin brother being sacrificed as a political pawn?
Impossible.
Back then, consumed by rage and grief, he had wanted to ally with the Uchiha. Yet that coward Uchiha Fugaku hadn't even attended the banquet, choosing instead to avoid suspicion.
Hiashi had been furious—but powerless.
Now, Ran's stance rekindled hope within him.
Hope… that Sarutobi Hiruzen could be dragged down from the position of Hokage.
"Tell me," Hiashi said in a deep voice. "What exactly is your plan?"
"I need Clan Head Hiashi to take action and assist us with one matter," Ran replied, meeting his gaze. "Something only you can do."
Hiashi didn't answer immediately, waiting for Ran to continue.
"I need you to ambush with me at the Naka River," Ran said. "When the time comes, I need you to observe the chakra nature of Danzo Shimura's right eye."
Hiashi's eyes widened in surprise. "His right eye? Wasn't it destroyed during the war? How could it still have chakra?"
"You only need to describe what you see," Ran said lightly. "The color, the nature, the characteristics of that chakra."
Hiashi frowned. "Does this really have anything to do with the upcoming coup?"
Ran nodded. "It does—and very much so. If the result matches my guess, our success rate is ninety percent. If it doesn't, we still have a fifty percent chance."
Ran glanced at Shisui and Itachi.
If his guess was wrong, Fugaku would control the Nine-Tails—while Ran himself would face the Third Hokage, Itachi, and Shisui head-on.
No big deal.
Back when Konoha was founded, Uchiha Madara possessed power beyond the Kage level. By comparison, Shisui, Itachi, and the Third Hokage were merely three Kage-level fighters.
The advantage would still be his.
Hiashi frowned deeply. "Now?" he asked.
Ran nodded. "We have to set up the ambush in advance. If we move openly, given Danzo's sensory abilities and Root's vigilance, we'll likely never get this chance."
Shisui felt his heart grow heavy.
He desperately hoped Ran was wrong.
He wanted to believe that his own resolve—to serve as a bridge between the Village and the Uchiha—wasn't misplaced.
If Ran was right… then what meaning did his persistence hold?
While he restrained the Uchiha from rebelling, the Village continued to suppress them. When that day came, the more he loved Konoha, the more he would hate it.
Itachi didn't think that far.
Whatever Shisui chose, he would follow.
After a moment of contemplation, Hiashi nodded. "Very well. Let's move now."
"There's no time to waste," Ran said. Then he turned to Shisui. "Proceed according to the plan."
Shisui nodded, then looked at Itachi. "Itachi, I'll need you to deliver this letter to Root."
Itachi nodded.
In the next instant, his body dissolved into a flock of crows and vanished.
Ran and Hiashi sped toward the Naka River, moving ahead to conceal themselves in advance.
Shisui looked up at the sun.
It was already high in the sky—around noon.
The letter he had written contained his proposed solution to the Uchiha coup.
He intended to report directly to Danzo Shimura.
The agreed meeting time was four in the afternoon.
At that time, he would reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan to Danzo.
---
Root Headquarters
When Danzo Shimura read Shisui's letter, his pupils contracted sharply.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
An eye that existed only in legend.
Subconsciously, he reached up and touched the bandages wrapped around his right eye.
Kagami… he thought. Your descendant is even more outstanding than you. To think he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
This power is too great.
I intend to take it.
Surely you would agree. After all… this is for Konoha.
"Tell Itachi that I will come," Danzo said coldly to the Root ninja. "But instruct him not to follow. There are things he should not hear."
The Root ninja nodded and departed immediately.
After receiving Danzo's response, Itachi went to inform Shisui.
Shisui frowned.
This time, Danzo had requested that no one accompany him.
Procedurally, that was a violation.
It also set off alarm bells in Shisui's heart.
Could it be… just as Ran had said?
Did Danzo intend to make a move against him?
Itachi looked at Shisui with concern. "Shisui… that guy Ran is a bit dangerous. How about we don't go this time?"
"Knowing it's a trap and still walking into it—that's too irrational!"
Facing Shisui, Itachi felt nothing but worry. He didn't want anything to happen to his childhood friend—his mentor and closest companion.
Shisui shook his head gently.
"Itachi, you don't understand. Some people… some things—even if you know there's a trap ahead, you still have to step into it."
"This matter is crucial to me. At worst, I'm just using myself as bait. If I hadn't realized this, Danzo might have already succeeded."
"But now that I know he intends to act, with his strength alone, he can't threaten me."
Shisui reached out and patted Itachi on the head.
"But—" Itachi still felt uneasy.
Yet when he saw the firmness in Shisui's eyes, he knew he couldn't persuade him.
"That's enough," Shisui said with a smile. "I'll be fine. And don't forget—Ran and Clan Head Hiashi have already moved ahead. Even if something happens to me, those two won't just stand by and watch."