"Is it absolutely necessary to go this far?"
Fugaku understood why Tōshirō was so filled with malice, but he still felt it was too extreme.
He tried to persuade Tōshirō to restrain himself a little. "If it's just about revenge, isn't it enough to just go after the higher-ups?"
Tōshirō said in a deep voice, "We rise and fall together. I don't need to explain this concept to you as the Uchiha clan leader, do I?"
Fugaku fell silent. He understood this principle, of course.
"Once the killing starts, it will inevitably be accompanied by hatred. I can't solve the problem of hatred, but I can solve the people who cause the problem."
Tōshirō's face was expressionless, and his cold voice contained an unquestionable attitude.
"But they are, after all, companions in the same village."
Fugaku was a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He really couldn't bring himself to commit a massacre.
"Don't worry, I don't need you or the Uchiha to take action. All you need to do is to ensure that you don't interfere when I'm taking action. If you can't even do that... then don't blame me for being merciless."
There was not a single hint of a joke in Tōshirō's words.
"But..."
Tōshirō smiled with pity and shook his head, as if a teacher was lamenting his student's lack of understanding. "Do you know? The reason I oppose your coup is not just for the reasons I mentioned before, but there is also a more important reason. Itachi was there, so it wasn't a good idea to speak clearly."
"What is the reason..."
"Politics is not a children's game. Once a coup happens, it often means a fight to the death.
"Since the Uchiha clan has decided to stage a coup, you should be prepared for retaliation. But you guys plan to just demand fair treatment after a successful coup. Frankly, that's not just naive; it's a bit foolishly adorable..."
Tōshirō's face showed a blatant, sarcastic smile.
"I..."
Tōshirō sneered. "Moreover, in my opinion, the Uchiha's coup plan is full of holes. It's possible that the village's higher-ups have already known about your coup for a long time."
Fugaku looked disbelieving. "Th-that's impossible. Everyone is a victim of the village's oppression; there's no way anyone would leak the information."
"Walls have ears. The Uchiha clan likes to gather and hold meetings at the Naka Shrine for no reason. This kind of thing should have been done in secret, but you made it so that everyone knew. Are you being naive, or is the village being naive?"
"..."
"Do you believe me when I say that if I had returned a little later, the village's higher-ups might have launched a sneak attack when the Uchiha were most complacent, and the Uchiha clan would have faced an unprecedented catastrophe?"
"A catastrophe!?"
"That's right. For example..." Tōshirō narrowed his eyes and uttered two words. "Clan extermination..."
Fugaku's pupils suddenly dilated, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"You should know that the village's dislike for the Uchiha clan isn't a recent thing. Now that they have an opportunity, do you think they would let it go? Just as they plotted to kill me, the village can also exterminate the Uchiha clan without hesitation..."
"..."
"You don't believe it?" Tōshirō grinned. "You can think carefully about if there have been any anomalies recently."
"Anomalies?"
"That's right."
Fugaku thought for a while. "Everything is as usual. If I had to say anything different, it would be that the police force got off work a bit earlier today..."
"Heh, isn't that it right there?"
Fugaku's eyes widened slightly. "Are you saying this is related to a higher-up conspiracy?"
"It's not impossible."
"Aren't you just overthinking it?"
"Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? It happened just one day before the coup."
Tōshirō said slowly, "The calm before the storm is always the most peaceful! I taught you this principle in the past..."
Fugaku lowered his head and didn't speak.
"Stop all your fantasies about the higher-ups. Haven't the years of oppression the Uchiha clan suffered at the hands of the village been enough to prove it..."
"There must be a reason for everything..." Fugaku said in a deep voice. "But why would the village do such a thing?"
This was something Tōshirō couldn't give a direct answer to. He could only guide Fugaku to find it step by step. "I don't know; the information is too scarce. Think carefully again, and don't even let go of the things around you."
Things around me?
Fugaku couldn't think of anything and looked at him apologetically. "I might have to ask Mikoto about this."
Tōshirō gave him a meaningful look.
Fugaku sighed and explained, "I've been busy with work. Sometimes, it's inevitable that I can't take care of things at home."
Tōshirō folded his arms across his chest. "You should put more of your focus on your family. Considering your relationship with Itachi, it's very easy for someone with malicious intentions to take advantage and use him as a tool."
Tōshirō's words reminded Fugaku. Thinking about Itachi's various behaviors, he really felt that his son might have been subverted.
But he was his biological son, and he didn't dare to and was unwilling to believe that Itachi would do something so unfilial.
But now, after Tōshirō's reminder, Fugaku really had to seriously examine his son's loyalty.
Tōshirō felt the stage was set and it was time to ask about his stance again. "If the investigation reveals that the village really had that plan, will you stand with me or with the village?"
Fugaku closed and opened his eyes, which showed determination. "If the higher-ups really plan to do that, then I can't be lenient."
"Good. You have made an extremely correct choice." Tōshirō showed a satisfied smile. "I will let you see the Uchiha clan surpass any period in its history under my leadership."
"Are you planning to become the Hokage?"
Tōshirō sneered dismissively. "Heh, a mere Hokage position..."
Fugaku's eyes widened in surprise. "Mere..."
Tōshirō said slowly, "The sky of Konoha is too narrow for me..."
"Tōshirō, what are you trying to do?"
Tōshirō reached out his hand and clenched it forcefully in the air. "I want not only Konoha but the entire Land of Fire..."
Fugaku's eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid. He couldn't believe that Tōshirō's ambition was so great.
"Hmph, a bunch of useless bums want to rule me?" Tōshirō looked down on the nobles and then turned to Fugaku. "What, are you scared?"
Tōshirō had already held back when he said this.
His real goal was the entire world, but he was afraid of scaring Fugaku if he said so directly.
Fugaku took two breaths, and his emotions calmed down. "You really are full of surprises."
After thinking about it, he could understand. Tōshirō already looked down on the Fire Daimyō and had a grudge against him, so it was only natural that he would have such thoughts.
Tōshirō smiled slightly. "If you don't want to, I won't force you."
"Don't underestimate me."
Three tomoe twisted near Fugaku's pupils, and his eyes emitted a bright red light.
Thinking that the Uchiha clan could reach such a status under his leadership, the middle-aged man felt as if he had returned to his youth, his blood boiling.
Tōshirō smiled. "If we fail, the Uchiha clan might just cease to exist, you know~~"
"What are you saying now? And with that look on your face, as if you have everything under control, you don't look like someone who would fail..."
Fugaku paused, and then his voice became low. "The Uchiha clan is already in a vortex called the game of power. To break free, we have to keep winning and become the strongest."
Tōshirō laughed heartily. "Not bad. I thought you would become hesitant since you have two children."
"It's precisely because I'm the father of two children that I can't be hesitant." Fugaku's eyes were firm. "I must solve the clan members' predicament of being ostracized in my generation."
Tōshirō narrowed his eyes slightly. That was good.
Things were progressing smoothly. The next step was to let Fugaku discover the conspiracy of the Konoha higher-ups and completely bind himself to Tōshirō.
(End of Chapter)
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