"For various reasons, the radical faction's secret plans had been delayed several times. Now, they'd reached a point where they had to act… They could feel it too—with each passing day, the ground beneath their feet was shrinking."
Uchiha Itachi hadn't received an explicit "commence the uprising" order. But shifts in the wind like these couldn't escape his eyes.
Right now, he was reporting these observations to his father, Uchiha Fugaku.
To be honest, Itachi's allegiances were hard to pin down. On the surface, he belonged to the Uchiha radicals. But no one could ignore his status as the clan head's son. More importantly, he was an Anbu operative, theoretically answerable to the Hokage… At minimum, he was a triple agent.
Sometimes, certain people used him to pass along certain signals.
"Honestly, with matters like this, delaying is the best solution," Fugaku said, his voice weary. "If we can just stall for ten, twenty years… wait until those stubborn old men grow frail or pass away naturally, the Uchiha's atmosphere will naturally change for the better. More importantly, by then, Shisui or you will have secured enough influence within the village…"
"With the prestige and authority that comes from high village positions, combined with your inherent identity as Uchiha, you'd have a real chance to reunify the clan."
Time could wash everything away. Fugaku's thinking wasn't flawed—it was even quite sound. The only problem was it was unrealistic. Given the temperament of some Uchiha, how could they possibly "stoop to endure humiliation" for decades?
Or, to put it another way: if they stretched the timeline, Konoha had plenty of legitimate ways to deal with the radical Uchiha. If nothing else, just keep assigning them missions with high mortality rates. Another great war would be even better.
Quietly whittling down a portion of their shinobi… was that really so difficult?
"We don't have that kind of time," Itachi stated coolly, shattering Fugaku's impractical fantasy.
Fugaku was silent for a long moment before he finally sighed. "Konoha's stance is clear. The Hokage and the entire village leadership want the Uchiha problem solved by the Uchiha themselves… I don't know when it started, but the 'Uchiha problem' became the 'Uchiha's own problem.'"
Konoha's lofty, detached attitude deeply dissatisfied Fugaku. But dissatisfaction was one thing; he had no leverage to force the village's hand.
Ever since the Sharingan registry was implemented, under the principle that 'loyalty not absolute is absolute disloyalty,' the radical Uchiha hadn't had it easy. In contrast, the so-called appeasement faction Uchiha—those willing to accept the new policies—had been eating their fill.
But if you ate, you had to bear responsibility. The radicals called the appeasers Konoha's lapdogs. Were they wrong?
"The village is willing to mediate the conflict between the two factions," Itachi said. "But mediation can't solve this anymore."
Fugaku thought and thought, his mouth opening and closing, but ultimately, he couldn't reach a decisive conclusion. "For now, follow Konoha's suggestion. Try to facilitate dialogue between the sides."
This reaction didn't surprise Itachi. In his memory, his father's style had always been like this. Not exactly living aimlessly, but certainly putting things off day by day whenever possible.
After the report, Itachi attended a meeting of the radical faction.
The truth was, the radical faction had nowhere to turn. On one hand, they were dissatisfied with Konoha's treatment. On the other, considering the disparity in power, they knew full well their faction alone couldn't seize control of Konoha.
The Hokage herself was formidable. The top-tier power she commanded was staggering. The radical Uchiha couldn't even scrape together a single pair of Mangekyō Sharingan. Under these circumstances, the two sides weren't even playing in the same league—frankly, the Uchiha radicals were small fries.
Uprooting Danzō Shimura had been as simple as eating a meal, a testament to the power the Hokage truly wielded.
Could the radical Uchiha's strength compare to Danzō's? Honestly, probably not. One was a group of marginalized figures; the other was part of Konoha's core decision-making circle… If they really had that kind of power, they wouldn't have been squeezed into this corner.
To go a step further: the radical Uchiha's separatist ideology was dangerous, their potential threat significant. But their current, tangible strength…?
So, to summarize the radical faction's guiding principle at this moment: because the Uchiha faced ethnic discrimination in Konoha—because Konoha wasn't inclusive, wasn't democratic, wasn't free—they had decided to rebel, damn it all.
Rebellion was justified. But rebellion wasn't just about killing. Rebellion was, in fact, about human relationships.
They decided to take the old path their ancestors had failed to walk: find a suitable opportunity to defect from Konoha, lay low for a while, then establish a small shinobi village belonging to the Uchiha in a minor country. From there, they'd bide their time, waiting for the right moment to restore the Uchiha's glory.
Admittedly, the ideal was still quite rosy. It wasn't entirely a pipe dream. If the Uchiha truly went to ground and built a small village, and if another great shinobi war erupted… when the major nations were exhausted from fighting, their little faction might actually become a weight that could tip the balance of the entire shinobi world.
But that was after successfully going to ground. The question was: how would they escape Konoha's pursuit and successfully hide?
Ahem. That question was a bit impolite, a failure to read the room. Realism was always the mountain blocking the path of idealism. Only by gazing at the distant ideal could one forget the hardships of the journey.
No—for these particular Uchiha, it should be put the other way around. Because the road was too hard, they chose to ignore it. They just held their heads high, focusing only on the distant ideal.
Whether they stuck their necks out or pulled them in, the blade would fall either way. So they decided to gamble, to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.
Their predicament originated from Konoha's pressure, but the root cause was really a kind of self-coercion. To put it nicely, this could be considered a form of martyrdom… Whether the group had a Moses or just a motorcycle taxi driver, people always had to seek a way forward.
After the secret meeting, Itachi returned home. That night, he lay awake until dawn, finally settling on a resolution… The Uchiha father and son were two extremes. Fugaku couldn't see clearly, so he constantly struggled to decide. Itachi saw too clearly, so he could decide with terrifying ease.
Frankly, neither man's mental state was particularly healthy.
At dawn the next day, Uchiha Itachi, clad in his Anbu uniform, secretly met with the Fourth Hokage. He carefully outlined the Uchiha's current predicament and the decision he had made… To obtain fundamental legitimacy for his actions, he needed the Hokage's support.
After listening quietly to Itachi's report, the Hokage finally spoke. "The so-called Uchiha radical faction… to the Uchiha themselves, they're a festering sore clinging to the bone. But to Konoha, they're just a minor skin rash. If they don't find the perfect moment to strike, it's hard for them to truly affect Konoha…"
"For a group like that, to sacrifice a shinobi of your talent and potential… I think that's a very poor trade. Letting them make the first move, then having Konoha carry out the purge—that seems like a more suitable method to me."
The Hokage understood the value of holding elite power. Compared to that rabble, she naturally valued Itachi more.
But Itachi shook his head. He didn't agree with that approach. It violated the principle of the Uchiha handling Uchiha affairs themselves… Or, to put it bluntly, for this kind of mess, Konoha should keep its distance.
"If the village chooses to act, even if the radicals strike first… after it's all over, it will inevitably affect the relationship between the village and the other part of the Uchiha."
If Konoha moved against the radicals, the outcome would be uncontrollable. It would very likely damage relations with the appeasement faction… If a portion of the Uchiha were exterminated, it wouldn't just be a matter of right or wrong anymore. Even the appeasers would harbor resentment towards Konoha. It was unavoidable—they were all Uchiha.
And if Konoha acted, it would be a thunderous strike. There was no possibility of capturing defectors alive, only retrieving corpses… It concerned the village's dignity and deterrence. The only result of defection was death.
At the same time, Itachi didn't truly want to let that portion of the Uchiha escape Konoha. Because it would cause the other half—who had finally gained normal treatment—to fall back into an unfavorable position in the court of public opinion. It would burn years of the appeasement faction's "surrender" achievements to ashes.
So when it was time to draw the blade, you drew it. Itachi chose to trade his personal future for the clan's future… The Uchiha's good and evil, their blood and tears, should be digested by the Uchiha themselves.
"Hokage-sama, I request that Uchiha affairs be left entirely to me to handle."
It had to be said, shinobi often had a destructive streak. Whether it was simple brutality or self-annihilation, many times they were like moths to a flame.
"How do you plan to proceed?"
Perhaps sensing Itachi's resolve, the Hokage seemed to have chosen her executioner.
"Create a disturbance first. Then… sweep them all up in one net."
Plans were often better the simpler they were. More important than the plan was the executor's capability and strength.
After settling a few more details, Itachi took his leave.
The Hokage walked to the window, watching the flow of people on Konoha's main street. For a moment, her thoughts drifted.
For a shinobi clan, which was more suitable to be clan head: someone like Uchiha Itachi, or someone like Uchiha Fugaku? Perhaps neither was suitable?
"What a pity…"
Considering Itachi's age, his demonstrated talent, strength, and decisiveness… the Hokage still felt it was a shame to use such a person as a sacrificial piece.
Then she thought of another outstanding Uchiha youth: Uchiha Shisui. To ensure the plan proceeded smoothly, perhaps Shisui should be sent away from Konoha on a mission right now.
But the thought was fleeting. Soon, public duty overcame personal sentiment.
Uchiha matters, settled by Uchiha. Just as Itachi said, Konoha should know its place and not interfere arbitrarily. It was for the sake of a better aftermath… If she moved Shisui now, Konoha's hand would be too visible.
If the clan's future outweighed the individual's future, then the Hokage could only respect it, understand it, bless it… In the end, she was the Hokage, but she wasn't Uchiha.
A rather interesting fact here: the radical Uchiha Itachi was indeed radical. He chose to eliminate the radical Uchiha, hoping that after he snapped his fingers, only half the Uchiha would remain, with all the blame resting on his shoulders.
And the appeasing Uchiha Shisui had always been appeasing. He didn't want conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha, nor could he stand by and watch half the Uchiha be wiped out… even if the targets were the radicals who opposed him and saw him as Konoha's lapdog.
Itachi said to create a disturbance, so a disturbance was created immediately. He was that swift and decisive.
Two days later, a prominent figure of the radical faction was killed. The entire Uchiha clan, the entire village, tensed up instantly.
However, the orders the Anbu received were strange. "Maintain close surveillance. Do not intervene." Such an order was very… un-Anbu-like. Shouldn't the Anbu just cut through them like melons and vegetables?
But regardless, the Anbu's "restraint" gave the Uchiha clan space to handle things their own way.
To the radicals, their leader was dead. Who else could have done it but the appeasement faction or Konoha? The Anbu were lurking but not acting—wasn't that the very picture of a guilty conscience?
So, what should the radicals do now?
Ahem. They should hide and hold a meeting.
What could they do? How could a major act like rebellion be decided by one person? The bigger the matter, the more they had to follow the principle of collective decision-making… Meeting. They had to meet.
Itachi, of course, infiltrated the meeting. But throughout the proceedings, he seemed somewhat distracted.
When someone called his name, he had no choice but to refocus.
"Itachi, you need to confirm the clan head's stance. See if he's willing to buy us time. Also, use your Anbu position to grasp the recent movements and deployment of Anbu personnel as much as possible…"
Someone entrusted such an important task to Itachi. It showed he was a rather successful triple agent. However…
Even the most brilliant play must eventually end. Itachi knew it was time for everyone to exit the stage.
"I think that won't be necessary," Itachi said, his voice flat. "Honored elders, seniors… I believe the Uchiha farce can end here."
Itachi revealed his fangs. At this very moment, he felt an unexpected sense of relief… In truth, from the moment the Hokage's new policies began implementation, today's outcome had already been determined.
After this was over, the Uchiha would be fully integrated into Konoha, right? Plus, with himself becoming the target of universal hatred, Konoha and the Uchiha would have a common object of resentment… Itachi couldn't help but think this.
"End here? Itachi, do you have some other solution?"
"I do. I have one…"
Itachi indeed had a better method. It was just that the people here definitely wouldn't like it.
Since he was acting, he couldn't be vague. He couldn't leave behind future troubles… If he didn't kill them all cleanly, leaving seeds of hatred behind, the mission would be a failure.
So when Uchiha Itachi burst from the secret meeting room, covered in blood, he couldn't pause for a second… It was still far from time to sheathe his blade.
But the bloody night was only half done when someone blocked his path.
With Konoha staying out of it, the only person who could react this quickly was… Shisui of the Body Flicker.
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