"I think we can still try to salvage things!" Fugaku protested.
"There's no saving it," a radical faction member shook his head. "We've already made preparations in every clan and key location. Even if we wanted to stop now, we'd definitely be betrayed afterward!"
Fugaku felt his breath catch. Danzo was only pushing him, but these bastards were trying to get him killed!
Seeing this, the radicals made another attempt to convince him:
"Even Lord Seiki isn't someone we can't fight against!"
"And besides, if Lord Seiki could tolerate Danzo, why wouldn't he tolerate our coup?"
"As long as you, our clan head, plead with him, even if it fails, he might still forgive us!"
Looking at the gleam in their eyes and their fanatical expressions, Fugaku felt a chill run through him.
He understood now—they could stop it—they just didn't want to!
Once the beast inside is unleashed, it's hard to cage it again!
They've completely lost it! Fugaku sighed inwardly. Their real confidence came from thinking Lord Seiki was too kind to actually kill them?
Isn't this just bullying a kind man?
Itachi watched coldly from the side. If even their father couldn't talk them out of it, there was certainly no point for him to try.
"While Lord Seiki might indeed be magnanimous enough not to mind their actions, the position he holds determines that he cannot act purely on personal preferences. If betrayal goes unpunished, it's the same as giving everyone the green light to betray. Even for the village's stability, Lord Seiki would absolutely never allow that!"
"They're leading the Uchiha to ruin!"
Seeing the group still trying to persuade him, Fugaku took a deep breath. "You're right. It's already come to this—we have no choice but to go forward!"
Seeing their clan head seemingly convinced, the group grew even more excited, as if the Uchiha revival was already within reach!
Fugaku asked seriously, "What exactly do you need me to do?"
Seeing Fugaku no longer resisting, the group began talking over each other excitedly.
"Isn't Itachi contracted to the same summoned beast as Shisui? Let those crows deliver messages for us!"
"First try to win over Shisui, then see if we can also win over Obito!"
"Winning over Shisui might work, but what about trying to win over Obito? He's the suspected mastermind behind the Nine-Tails disaster!"
"We're already staging a coup—why hold back now?"
"Lord Seiki's popularity is nothing like Danzo's. Launching a coup under his rule means opposing the entire village itself. Of course, we need to gather as much strength as possible!"
"Tsk! Maybe we shouldn't do this coup after all?"
"What are you talking? At a time like this, how can we stop now... Do you think it's even possible?"
"But you just said Lord Seiki's popularity can't be compared to Danzo's. Even if we win, how can we make everyone accept us?"
"I naturally know we can't make everyone accept us, but we can show our strength and take back what's rightfully ours!"
Could that actually work...
A ragtag bunch! Fugaku thought to himself as he looked at the disorderly arguing crowd.
Where exactly did they get their confidence to believe this coup could succeed? Just because they had two and a half pairs of Mangekyou?
"True, according to our clan's records, the last person to possess the Mangekyou was our ancestor Madara Uchiha. Since Madara was powerful enough to rival the First Hokage, and Lord Seiki is regarded as the reincarnation of the First Hokage, it's understandable that they might reach such a mistaken conclusion."
Fugaku sighed. This was exactly why he had previously avoided revealing his Mangekyou—to prevent the clan members from getting carried away by the myths surrounding it.
This time was even worse—three and a half Mangekyou had appeared all at once!
"Alright, everyone, calm down!" Fugaku clapped his hands, signaling for silence. "I'll have Itachi contact Shisui. As for the coup... you need to quickly draft a plan. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that information will leak!"
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison before leaving the underground shrine, cautiously returning home under the cover of night.
Since their house had been destroyed during the battle that took place earlier that day, Fugaku and Itachi could only temporarily stay in a makeshift wooden hut.
Mikoto was in the hospital with her injuries, while Sasuke was recovering there from the shock he had suffered.
So only the two of them were inside the wooden hut.
After a moment of silence, Itachi spoke up, asking, "Father, really there's no way to stop them?"
Fugaku shook his head slightly. "Unless they witness true hell firsthand, they won't understand what they're doing now."
Itachi lowered his eyelids, silently thinking, "Hell, huh?"
Seeing that Itachi remained silent, Fugaku spoke sternly, "Anyway, don't get involved in this matter anymore. I will find a solution!"
On their way back to their rooms, father and son didn't exchange a word, yet both shared the same thought: "To protect the Uchiha clan, we must kill them before the coup begins, turning the Uchiha from perpetrators into victims. However, someone must bear the sins of this act!"
More than two-thirds of those being incited were being influenced by the Radical faction. Killing all of them was naturally impossible, yet even killing a portion would constitute a massive crime. Moreover, these actions absolutely couldn't be traced back to Hokage-sama!
Coming to the same realization, both father and son reached the same silent decision: "Let me be the one who bears this sin."
...
Two days later, at the entrance of Konoha village.
Thousands of people had spontaneously gathered here, smiles of joy and anticipation on their faces.
Those who were slightly more informed had already learned of the events that had occurred during the Kage Summit—the news of Hokage-sama preparing to resign in response to the crisis had spread.
Although the identity of the next Hokage hadn't been confirmed yet, everyone already had their guesses, and it was precisely because of this guess that they gathered here!
A large portion of the crowd consisted of young ninja who supported and admired Lord Seiki.
They had long grown tired of the current Hokage's foolishness and eagerly longed for Lord Seiki's leadership!
When it came to plotting and power struggles, Danzo was a mastermind. But when it came to rebuilding and development, he truly fell short—his strength lay elsewhere!
In addition to them, there were also many civilians who had fled from various corners of the shinobi world.
They weren't very familiar with Lord Seiki, yet their enthusiasm for the possibility of him becoming Hokage was no less than others'!
In this chaotic era, only overwhelming strength could bring peace of mind. Among those powerful individuals, no one could inspire more confidence than Seiki, the one honored with the title "God of Ninja"!
Of course they'd cheer for Seiki's return!
Amid the cheers ringing out, Kurenai proudly puffed out her chest, "This is truly the people's will. Seiki is undoubtedly the most suitable person to become Hokage!"
Shizune nodded vigorously, her voice filled with pride and admiration, "I was certain all along. Seiki will return carrying everyone's hopes and cheers!"
Asuma sighed with deep emotion, "Seven years already! Seiki is finally coming back—returning as the Hokage!"
Even Kakashi, still weighed down by Obito's fate, couldn't suppress his excitement at this moment, "Senpai is coming back!"
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