Chapter 5: Countermeasures (Part 2)
Under the cold gaze of Uchiha Kaien, the Third Hokage quickly sent a medical ninja to extract the Sharingan from Danzo's eye.
Fugaku waved his hand and ordered someone to retrieve Shisui's right eye and return it to Izumi, who stood beside Shisui, asking her to confirm its authenticity.
At that moment, Uchiha Itachi silently stepped out of the crowd and stood next to Shisui.
He had returned earlier when the clan began to assemble but hadn't stepped forward while Fugaku was speaking.
He wanted to see what his father planned to do—he even blocked the Hokage's path. Was he preparing to rebel?
Just when Itachi felt lost in uncertainty, things took an unexpected turn.
To his surprise, his father wasn't the central figure in this confrontation. Instead, he let Elder Kaien take full command.
Now, it seemed Fugaku had made the right call. Elder Kaien handled the situation well.
Kaien glanced briefly at Itachi, then turned to Danzo and said coldly,
"Where is Shisui's left eye?"
Itachi, standing beside him, pressed Shisui's shoulder gently, stopping him from speaking. He moved his lips slightly but remained silent.
Danzo, enraged, barked, "Kaien, don't push it too far! I only ever had Shisui's right eye! I don't know where the left one is!"
Fugaku and Kaien both looked to the Third Hokage, clearly implying, It's your move now.
The Third Hokage sighed. "Danzo, hand over Shisui's left eye."
"Old man…" Danzo trembled with rage.
But now, like yellow mud falling into his pants, there was no clean way out.
Even if he denied it, no one would believe he hadn't taken the left eye.
"It's not with me…" he muttered reluctantly, knowing he had no choice but to admit it.
Of course, Uchiha Kaien knew Shisui's left eye was in Itachi's possession.
He raised the issue only to secure some leverage for the Uchiha clan.
At that moment, Shisui used his chakra to confirm the eye's authenticity and successfully reimplanted it.
After numerous battles, having his eye gouged out and reinserted, the procedure took its toll on him, and he drifted into unconsciousness.
Itachi remained silent beside him.
Shisui had always strived for peace between the clan and the village, yet Danzo had targeted him.
Even his father—usually so passive—was willing to risk open conflict with the village for Shisui's sake.
In Itachi's eyes, Kaien was merely the spokesperson. His father didn't want to fully sever ties with the
village, so he let Kaien take the lead.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for changing Uchiha Itachi's mindset and significantly altering his life.]
[Reward: Eye Technique - Tsukuyomi (1x), Eye Technique - Amaterasu (1x)]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for significantly changing Uchiha Fugaku's fate.]
[Reward: Eye Technique - Genjutsu (2x)]
Oh? So, changing someone's fate grants them abilities?
Too bad each ability only has a single use.
So, Fugaku had both eyes awakened? That explains the two uses.
Similar to Shisui, though his power falls short of Kotoamatsukami.
[Ding! Coup Ending Complete!]
[Reward: Eye Technique Amplifier (1x) – Greatly boosts the power of any eye technique.]
What kind of broken system is this? Is everything single-use? That's it?
System, seriously? Can't you do better?
Kaien grumbled inwardly, but the system, robotic as always, continued broadcasting emotionlessly.
[New Status Unlocked: Uchiha Deputy Patriarch]
[All members of the Uchiha clan recognize your position.]
Oh? So my temporary title of deputy patriarch has become official now?
Wait... are you telling me that Fugaku didn't just make that title up on the spot?
[Ding! Status Unlocked: Faction Leader. Faction template loading...]
[Ding! Development Mission: Free yourself from Konoha's control and become independent. Rewards will depend on mission performance.]
Whatever. Can't change it. Might as well use what I've got.
Kaien accepted the reality as a series of ding-dong sounds echoed in his mind.
He looked at the newly acquired rewards and missions thoughtfully.
The Third Hokage promised that Danzo would return Shisui's left eye immediately.
Kaien turned his attention to Fugaku, who now looked somewhat awkward.
Why does it feel like I'm the one taking the blame now? Fugaku wondered.
But with outsiders present, he remained composed and cooperative.
"In that case," he said, "we'll wait in the clan compound. Before dawn, I expect to see Shisui's left eye."
He snorted coldly and gestured for the Uchiha to disband.
Many members of the Uchiha clan whispered among themselves, visibly unsatisfied.
They had gathered the entire clan, and yet things ended without much action?
Still, given the many outsiders watching—including elite ninja from other clans—they held back.
The Uchiha dispersed in an orderly fashion and returned with Fugaku.
The heavy gate of the Uchiha compound closed with a bang, and the Third Hokage finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He waved wearily.
"Thank you for your support. The village-wide state of emergency is lifted. Everyone, return to your homes."
The various clan leaders exchanged glances, subtle meanings passing between them.
They bid farewell, but their tone held noticeably less respect for the Hokage.
With swift movements—boom! swish! swish! The other ninja clans left, leaving only the Hokage's people behind.
Sarutobi didn't say another word.
Today's events had completely humiliated the Hokage office and eroded much of the public's trust.
Everyone now viewed Danzo with suspicion.
Worse, they knew that Sarutobi and Danzo were closely tied.
Was this Danzo acting on his own?
Or was this Sarutobi's will?
No one in the ninja world is unaware of the value of the Sharingan.
But no one dared to touch the tiger's whiskers—until now.
To discover that the village's high-ranking officials had coveted the Uchiha's sacred dojutsu was unthinkable.
Even Sarutobi felt drained.
Danzo had always handled the village's dirty work, but this time, it was entirely his doing.
Still, the entire Hokage administration had suffered a devastating blow.
Hyuga Clan Compound
As soon as Hiashi returned, he summoned the clan elders.
"Elders, what are your thoughts on today's incident involving the Uchiha?"
Seated on the patriarch's seat, Hiashi surveyed the elders.
The room was silent at first, then the Great Elder spoke up.
"Hiashi, I believe we must become more vigilant toward the Hokage."
The Second Elder added,
"The Hokage has long disliked our clan's branch family system.
What happened with Uchiha Shisui is a warning we should not ignore."
In the Hyuga clan, most combatants are from the branch families, and due to the caged bird seal, all obey the main family.
Thus, Hokage's influence over the Hyuga is weak.
Though officially a Konoha clan, everyone knows they only follow the orders of their patriarch.
Hiashi nodded.
"Danzo has been hiding behind Hiruzen for years. Who knows how many people he's manipulated in secret."
"But now his ambition grows unchecked. This incident—was it his idea, or was it Hiruzen's?"
The Great Elder said calmly,
"That's not what matters. What matters is that the Uchiha's strong counterattack today shows that Fugaku's thinking has shifted."
"He's probably aligned with the hawkish side now. Smart move, putting forward a spokesperson instead of confronting the village directly.
'Deputy patriarch'? Clever title."
The Second Elder added,
"Tomorrow, I expect the Uchiha to demand more rights. We should support them."
Hiashi nodded.
"Tomorrow, I'll speak with Fugaku."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Translated By – Ancient Lores