Uchiha Kei actually pretended to seriously consider the feasibility of the plan after hearing Uchiha Yato's response.
He said,
"If we can sway public opinion and the common folk to our side, there really aren't any ninja clans our clan needs to fear right now."
"Our clan has many Jonin, and with your abilities, we're hardly lacking in high-tier combatants."
"The only real obstacles would be the Three Ninja and Sarutobi Hiruzen."
At this point, Uchiha Kei gritted his teeth and added,
"If push comes to shove, we could overwhelm them with sheer numbers."
"The chances of a successful coup are actually pretty high."
Hearing this, Uchiha Yato couldn't help but look at Uchiha Kei with newfound respect—no sarcasm intended.
After all, going from being reckless to actually thinking things through was genuine progress for Uchiha Kei.
Uchiha Yato then pointed out,
"You're missing some factors in your calculations."
Uchiha Kei mentally ran through the possibilities but ultimately asked,
"What do you mean?"
Uchiha Yato didn't beat around the bush.
"Every clan has hidden assets—ninjas operating in the shadows. You didn't account for them."
Seeing Uchiha Kei about to argue, Uchiha Yato cut him off.
"You might say those ninjas aren't strong enough, but never underestimate sheer numbers."
"You never know how much power a desperate person can unleash."
Uchiha Kei still found the reasoning a bit forced. If that were the only issue, Uchiha Yato wouldn't be so hesitant.
With a chuckle, Uchiha Yato continued,
"Oh, there's more."
"The shinobi world may seem calm now, but look closely, and you'll see the underlying chaos. If the Hidden Leaf were to fracture in civil war, how long do you think it'd take for the other nations to show up at our gates?"
Here, Uchiha Yato was referring to external threats.
If the Uchiha Clan openly clashed with the Hidden Leaf, the other four great nations would be laughing all the way to the battlefield.
In fact, that might be the real existential crisis the Hidden Leaf fears—not internal strife, but annihilation by foreign powers.
Factoring this in, a coup by the Uchiha Clan would only benefit outsiders.
Neither the Uchiha nor the Hidden Leaf would gain anything—only other nations would profit.
Uchiha Yato drove the point home."By then, the civilian children of the Uchiha Clan, or those who haven't awakened their Sharingan, will all become prisoners."
"A once-great clan will be reduced to mere slaves and tools for others."
"Starting from Shisui's generation, the next will all become either seeds or tools for others to obtain the Sharingan."
"Do you think you could accept such a situation?"
Hearing Uchiha Yato's words, combined with the scenes of mountains of corpses and wailing infants that Uchiha Kei conjured in his mind, sent a chill down his spine.
Uchiha Kei still wanted to stubbornly retort:
"The Uchiha Clan fears no death. Even if we die, we'll all be together."
Uchiha Yato countered, "Every clan has its bad apples. Just because you can do it doesn't mean others can. Don't force your will onto others."
"If it truly comes to that, who do you think would be the real sinner of the Uchiha Clan? Who would bear that guilt?"
If things really reached that point, even without Uchiha Yato saying it, the sinner would undoubtedly be Uchiha Kei himself.
He couldn't bear to imagine the entire clan perishing in battle, leaving only the elderly and weak to be used as tools by others—all for the sake of the Sharingan.
And then, with a mischievous grin, Uchiha Yato delivered the final blow:
"So, do you still want to stage a coup?"
Truthfully, Uchiha Kei had never seriously considered such a thing. He had only wanted to tease Uchiha Yato at first, but the conversation had grown heated.
Yet, even now, Uchiha Kei remained somewhat defiant.
He said to Uchiha Yato, "Then what's left for our Uchiha Clan to strive for? Should we just give up and do nothing?"
"And are you so certain other nations will immediately catch wind of this and launch an attack?"
Uchiha Yato didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out the records he had compiled during their journey and showed them to Uchiha Kei.
Ever since leaving Konoha three months ago, Uchiha Yato had occasionally used Shadow Clones to gather intelligence.
Aside from a select few within the Uchiha Clan, he trusted no one else.
Only the information gathered by his own Shadow Clones could earn his confidence, for what the eyes see isn't always the truth.
Moreover, after researching events leading up to the Third Shinobi World War from the original timeline, Uchiha Yato made a startling discovery: the Third Shinobi World War could very well break out again.
Every nation's shinobi forces and combat capabilities had recovered remarkably well.
With sufficient backing, the spark for another great conflict was all but inevitable.
To put it bluntly, the vast Shinobi World had once again become a powder keg, needing only a single fuse to ignite.
To wage war, however, a reason or pretext was necessary—without just cause, they'd risk being attacked by other nations.
All this information was meticulously recorded in Uchiha Yato's Scrolls.
Originally, Uchiha Yato had planned to show these findings to the Third Hokage first, hoping to make him aware of the Shinobi World's instability while also calming the Uchiha Clan.
He hadn't expected to present them to his clan leader today.
Uchiha Kei was genuinely surprised by the contents.
Because Uchiha Yato had presented the information using the simplest data, the impact was all the more staggering.At the same time, Uchiha Kei marveled at Uchiha Yato's capabilities. In just three months, the intelligence he gathered alone could rival that of two or three—or even multiple—spy teams combined.
He had no reason to fear or suspect that Uchiha Yato was fabricating data to deceive him.
Some of the information had already been corroborated by other reports. Take, for example, the simplest matter—mineral exports.
The purchase of ores from the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning had quadrupled compared to the previous five years.
More ores meant more ninja tools, and a massive influx of ores signaled the production of vast quantities of weaponry.
Thus, just by analyzing material evidence and other movements, it was clear—just as Uchiha Yato had described—that the current major nations were like giant powder kegs. All it would take was a single spark for one to explode, triggering a chain reaction that would set them all off.
Who would benefit in the end remained uncertain, but the first to explode would undoubtedly suffer the most.
Seeing such data, Uchiha Kei hatched another scheme.
When Uchiha Yato noticed Uchiha Kei's renewed scheming, he was somewhat surprised. After all, the ability to come up with ideas meant he was actually using his brain.
This also meant that the current leader of the Uchiha Clan had some intelligence after all.
Uchiha Kei then declared, "In that case, given the mounting external pressures, we might be able to squeeze more concessions out of the Third Hokage."
"After all, the outside pressure is intense. This could also secure more benefits for our clan."
Uchiha Yato was pleased to hear this.
It seemed his repeated guidance hadn't been in vain. Nodding, then shaking his head, Uchiha Yato replied,
"It's possible—but also impossible."