Dusk settled over the Hidden Leaf, washing the sky in a dull gray as the last light faded.
Danzo strode into the Hokage's office, face tight with urgency.
"Hiruzen, the Uchiha are on the move."
The Third Hokage set down his pipe and fixed him with a sharp stare. "What did you say? Do you have proof?"
"They're preparing something," Danzo insisted.
Hiruzen stood abruptly. "Yesterday we cut off negotiations, and now this? Are they planning a coup?"
It didn't add up. Uchiha Fugaku had endured years of tension—would he truly launch a rash uprising without proper preparation? Perhaps he had been planning this all along. Perhaps even Itachi's death had been part of some hidden insurance.
Yet the Anbu surveillance teams had reported no abnormal activity inside the Uchiha district. If the clan were truly making a move, the Anbu would have noticed—unless Danzo was, once again, bending the truth.
Hiruzen's thoughts darkened. Danzo had secretly stolen Sharingan, monopolized Wood Release research, and even driven Kakashi to the brink in the past. The Hokage could no longer trust his old comrade.
Still, Hiruzen asked, "If the Anbu see nothing unusual—only high alert within the compound—why are you so sure? Are Root's discoveries reliable?"
Danzo's single visible eye hardened. "My agents detected constant movement inside the Uchiha grounds. No one enters or leaves, yet there's activity. They're hiding something."
This time, Hiruzen sensed, Danzo wasn't simply slandering the clan. Still, he wouldn't leap to violence.
"If I send forces to search the Uchiha compound now," he thought, "their chances of a peaceful withdrawal vanish."
Aloud he said, "Danzo, we must act only with the support of the other clans. Without clear provocation, they will not stand with us."
Danzo exhaled sharply, frustrated. "Then we wait. I'll place more watchers around them."
Hiruzen's gaze cooled. "And Danzo—do not take unauthorized actions. That is a warning."
Danzo sneered but backed down. He had hoped to provoke the Uchiha into a confrontation that would force the Hokage's hand, but Hiruzen's caution thwarted him again.
As Danzo departed, Hiruzen frowned, uneasy. Danzo was like a child when it came to the Uchiha—reckless and stubborn. To be safe, the Hokage quietly dispatched two Anbu squads to keep an eye on Root itself, ready to block any provocation.
---
The Uchiha's Silent Exodus
Night deepened over the northwestern edge of the village. In the shadows beneath the district, nearly a thousand Uchiha—mostly elders, women, and children—moved through tunnels carved by Earth Release jutsu. They emerged beyond the outer wall without a sound.
Leading them were elders Uchiha Genshi and Uchiha Kaseki. To honor the secret alliance with Kumogakure, Neji had sent Darui and Karui to aid the evacuation.
Darui watched the endless stream of fleeing clansmen, eyes wide with disbelief.
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd never believe the Uchiha—the very founders of Konoha—would be driven to defect and seek asylum in the Hidden Cloud," he murmured.
He leapt lightly onto the wall, where a hooded man in dark glasses waited like a statue.
It was Yume Ryuma, whose mind Neji had bent to his will with a chilling ocular technique. At Ryuma's feet lay the lifeless patrol team, their bodies already being consumed by countless insects.
Darui shivered. "What kind of eye jutsu can twist a man so completely?"
Ryuma's voice was flat. "Orders?"
"Guide this first group to safety," Darui replied. "Then return for the second wave. Afterward, remain in Konoha to complete your assignment."
"Understood," Ryuma said mechanically.
Meanwhile, Genshi and Kaseki quietly opened a gap in the village's sensory barrier, allowing the vulnerable first group to slip away undetected.
The Anbu and Root watchers, focused on the eastern approaches, sensed nothing. Decades of habit had taught Konoha's leadership to expect an uprising, not an exodus, and that complacency created the perfect window for escape.
The first group fled north toward the Land of Fire's border, pushing on without rest to gain a safe distance.
---
Preparing the Second Wave
Back in the Uchiha district, Fugaku gathered the next contingent—strong young adults and seasoned fighters.
"Yashiro, Shisui," he said gravely, "the second group is in your hands."
Yashiro thumped his chest. "Even if it costs my life, I'll get them out safely."
"Don't speak of death lightly," Fugaku warned. "When we reach the Cloud, we'll need your mind and strategy."
He turned to Shisui. "The living suffer more than the dead. The clan's future rests on you. Keep a clear head."
Shisui met his gaze calmly. "My life belongs to the clan. I will not act on impulse."
Relief softened Fugaku's stern features. "Good. Go—time is short."
Shisui nodded and disappeared into the tunnel with the second wave.
---
The Rear Guard
Only a hundred warriors remained with Fugaku—ninja in their prime, ready to cover the retreat and strike if necessary.
"Are you prepared?" Fugaku asked.
"We are ready," they answered as one, voices firm.
Outside, Root and Anbu scouts finally sensed something amiss and dispatched urgent messages to both Hiruzen and Danzo.
---
Opportunity in Chaos
Elsewhere in Konoha, Neji and Yugito waited in a small inn, dressed in black samurai garb. The sudden blur of masked figures racing across the rooftops signaled their moment.
"They're moving," Neji said. Together they donned black masks and leapt through the window—Neji toward the Hokage's office, Yugito toward the Hatake estate.
Neji stopped two kilometers short of the office and activated his Byakugan, studying every detail. He would strike only once Hiruzen left.
It wasn't long before the Third Hokage himself emerged, flanked by elite Anbu, hurrying toward the Uchiha compound.
Neji stroked his chin. "The Uchiha are fully exposed. Fugaku, hold out a little longer."
He slipped through a window, entering the now-unguarded office.
Not far away, a different set of eyes gleamed scarlet. From a nearby rooftop, Obito watched with a faint smile. A spiraling vortex swallowed him whole as he activated his space-time jutsu.
Neji would never guess that he was not the only one fishing in these troubled waters.
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