"The position of clan leader is that what you're after? Change Konoha? Are you plotting a coup? Don't even think about it! I will never hand over the position of clan leader to you!"
Uchiha Fugaku's voice trembled with rage, but Uchiha Kazuto simply lowered his head and gave a slow, measured shake.
"No, Fugaku. You've already lost your chance. Danzo is dead. Now you're nothing more than a man with ambition, the same man who joined hands with him. Whatever you say now means nothing. No one will believe you."
Kazuto's scarlet Sharingan gleamed as his gaze locked onto Fugaku's eyes.
"Admit your guilt, Fugaku. Don't force me to do what I must. Think about it carefully, you still have a family. Sasuke is a good boy. And then there's Itachi… Oh, by the way, Fugaku, have you ever been to Konoha's red-light district?"
Kazuto's tone was calm, his words deliberate, every syllable meant to push Fugaku closer to confession.
"What are you trying to say!!!"
Fugaku suddenly snapped, raising his head. His Sharingan spun to life, six tomoe revolving slowly, casting a strange, ominous glow across the room.
"What do I want?" Kazuto's lips curled into a smile. "To become the new clan leader, of course. To rebuild the bond between the Uchiha and the village. Everything you did was reckless, even suicidal. Only I can lead the Uchiha clan to true strength."
"Besides, Fugaku, we need you. Danzo's gone, and without your confession… things will become very difficult for both the clan and the village. Tell me, deep down, you don't really want a coup, do you?"
Kazuto stepped closer and placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder. "Someone has to take the blame. Think of it as… a sacrifice for the clan, for Sasuke, for your wife. Think carefully."
Then he stopped speaking. He knew Fugaku understood. There was no way out for him anymore, the moment had already been decided.
Fugaku was no longer worthless but he was still finished.
Kazuto wasn't a politician. Before crossing worlds, he had been just an ordinary man; average, invisible in a crowd, never a leader of anything.
But even an ordinary man knew how the world worked: lies, manipulation, twisting the truth, and shifting blame.
He knew better than anyone that Fugaku was innocent but it didn't matter. He had made him guilty. That was all that counted.
The truth was irrelevant. People believed what they wanted to believe.
Kazuto had the Mangekyō Sharingan now and the hawkish side of the clan supported him. The doves, on the other hand, wanted peace, not rebellion.
That was all he needed to paint Fugaku as a power-hungry traitor.
Whether Fugaku lived or died didn't matter. Danzo's death gave Kazuto full control over the narrative. There was no proof that Fugaku had ever conspired with him, but that didn't bother Kazuto. He didn't need proof.
With the Mangekyō in his eyes and the village desperate for stability, Hiruzen and the elders had to believe him, even if they knew he was lying.
If Fugaku died now, there would be no one left to defend him. The story would belong entirely to Kazuto, the living always write the legacy of the dead.
But unfortunately, Fugaku couldn't die. Not yet.
"Be grateful, Uchiha Fugaku, you have a good son," Kazuto said coldly.
If it weren't for Itachi, Fugaku would already be dead. Shisui hadn't died in front of Itachi yet, which meant Itachi hadn't awakened the Mangekyō. Killing Fugaku now could trigger that and Kazuto wasn't willing to risk it.
Not before he had full control of the Uchiha, not before he became captain of the Guard, not before he secured power completely.
Fugaku stood silent for a long while. His thoughts twisted painfully. Every path before him ended the same way, in ruin.
The dovish members already doubted him. Whatever truth he spoke now would be dismissed as deceit, as denial, as cowardice.
Even suicide would be twisted into guilt, a sign that he feared punishment.
If the hawks still wanted war, and if Kazuto hadn't possessed the Mangekyō, maybe Fugaku could have fought back. But there were no "ifs" in this world.
Now, stripped of power and allies, Fugaku was nothing. And with Danzo dead, the only man who could've testified for him was gone.
As for evidence, there was none. Kazuto could fabricate words, claim secret meetings, and the story would end there.
Sasuke… Itachi… Mikoto…
Their faces flashed in his mind. Kazuto's earlier words echoed like poison. It was a threat, clear as day. A knife held to his family's throat.
If only Kazuto didn't have the Mangekyō Sharingan…
But what could he do? This wasn't a secret plot of the weak, it was an open conspiracy of the strong. Even if he saw through it, he couldn't stop it. Not without power of his own.
"Have you thought it through, patriarch?"
Kazuto's voice broke through his despair.
"I… plead guilty…"
Fugaku's voice trembled as he bowed his head in defeat. Resistance was meaningless.
"Heh… that's more like it." Kazuto smiled faintly, then his eyes hardened.
"Uchiha Fugaku, did you and Shimura Danzo deliberately provoke conflict between the Uchiha and the village?"
"I… yes… the tensions, the disputes… it was all part of our conspiracy," Fugaku said weakly, his face pale.
"Did you and Shimura Danzo plan a coup to harm the Hokage!?" Kazuto shouted.