Suppressing their fury proved impossible. Angry shouts erupted from the Uchiha clansmen below—this was simply unbelievable to them.
Yufeng shook his head calmly.
"He awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age. Naturally, that made him arrogant, stubborn, and utterly conceited."
"Old foxes like the Third Hokage only need to praise him a little, and he'll fall right into their control."
The clansmen glanced at one another.
"Could it be… Itachi!?"
"It has to be Itachi. Only Itachi is younger than Yufeng—and he's in ANBU."
Moreover, Itachi's arrogance was already infamous throughout the Uchiha clan.
After Shisui's death, Itachi had always acted alone.
He had clashed with fellow clansmen more than once, spouting lines about 'my capacity' and the like.
Yet his strength was beyond question—anyone who conflicted with him was usually taken down within seconds.
All eyes turned to Yufeng. He confirmed their guess without hesitation.
"That's right. It's Itachi."
A wave of agitation spread through the room.
Nothing else needed to be said—Itachi was only thirteen years old.
Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan at thirteen made him a genius among geniuses.
And yet this genius had been brainwashed by Konoha.
Their coup plans had long since been leaked.
Everyone's thoughts were in complete chaos now. This was no longer about whether the coup would succeed—
It was about whether the clan could survive at all.
After everyone gradually calmed down, their gazes once again fell on Yufeng.
Only then did Yufeng speak.
"Fugaku naïvely placed all his hopes on Itachi, wanting him to control Konoha's higher-ups and attempt a bloodless revolution."
"Tell me—if Fugaku learns that his son betrayed the clan and chose Konoha instead, what do you think he'll do?"
Mayumi spoke up. "Fight to the death?"
The ridicule on Yufeng's face was unmistakable.
"Do you really think Fugaku still has that kind of backbone?"
Most of the clansmen hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping themselves.
After all, Fugaku's performance as clan head… was hard to praise.
Seeing that his guidance had taken effect, Yufeng continued:
"Our current situation is extremely dangerous. We cannot place the lives of the entire clan in the hands of an indecisive clan head."
On the Night of the Massacre, Fugaku had waited passively for death, allowing Itachi to slaughter the clansmen.
Naturally, Yufeng had not the slightest trust in him.
"So this crisis… can only be overcome by us."
Everyone's expressions were heavy.
This operation was perilous—
They might not live to see tomorrow's sunrise.
"Yufeng, do you have a good plan?" Jiyan asked in a deep voice.
Calm and steady, he knew that since Yufeng demanded command authority, he must already have a strategy.
"The Third Hokage is a qualified politician," Yufeng said slowly.
"So he won't openly lead ANBU to wipe us out."
"In fact, no other ninja clans will participate either."
Rinto asked in confusion, "But didn't the Third Hokage already receive the intelligence about our coup?"
Yufeng let out a light laugh. "Then tell me—have we actually staged a coup yet?"
Rinto suddenly realized it.
That's right—they hadn't done anything yet.
"The ones coming to exterminate us can only be Danzo's Root."
"So the enemies we must face are: Danzo and his Root organization…"
"And Itachi—along with the helper he has brought in."
Listening to Yufeng's analysis, everyone gradually steadied themselves.
Once they clearly understood who their enemies were, their options naturally increased.
The Grand Elder coughed lightly at the right moment.
"The Uchiha clan hasn't appointed new elders for a long time."
"In these special circumstances, we'll act expediently. I hereby appoint Uchiha Yufeng as the Fourth Elder. Any objections?"
The clansmen exchanged glances. No one objected.
If they didn't survive tonight, there would be no Uchiha clan left anyway.
If they did, Yufeng's contribution alone more than justified an elder's position.
"I pay my respects to the Fourth Elder."
Jiyan was the first to bow to Yufeng, signaling his recognition.
One after another, the others followed suit, acknowledging Yufeng as the Fourth Elder.
Yufeng nodded to the Grand Elder, then said:
"There's a lot we need to do today. From this point on, every order I give—no one questions it. Execute them seriously."
"Yes! Fourth Elder!"
This time, the response was far more unified.
"Grand Elder, Fugaku must already know about this gathering."
"Next, go pay him a visit. Keep him occupied so he doesn't interfere with my plan."
The Grand Elder responded immediately. "Don't worry. Leave Fugaku to me."
This order was absolutely necessary.
Even though no one respected Fugaku anymore, he was still the clan head.
A single wrong command from him could ruin all of Yufeng's efforts.
"Jiyan—take your people and set traps around our clan territory. Anyone who dares covet the Uchiha… must die!"
"Yes! Fourth Elder!"
Jiyan quickly entered his role and accepted the order.
"Mayumi—take people and gather all our clansmen back. Then patrol the compound and set up barrier formations."
"Itachi's helper is someone who uses space–time ninjutsu. He could appear within the clan at any moment."
"Rinto—you go stake out the Police Force building. That helper is very likely to attack there."
"I'll give you his detailed intel shortly. The moment he appears, notify me immediately."
"No matter who discovers his whereabouts—do not confront him head-on."
"Just stall him. I'll rush over to support you as quickly as possible."
Mayumi and Rinto's expressions grew grave.
They knew exactly how troublesome someone with space–time ninjutsu could be.
"We understand, Fourth Elder!"
"Yusuke—bring five people and follow me. Everyone else will be under the Grand Elder's command."
"Grand Elder, go to Fugaku. If he refuses to come to his senses…"
"Then act as you see fit."
The Grand Elder nodded solemnly.
He understood perfectly what 'act as you see fit' meant.
"As for the rest of you—during the daytime, don't let Fugaku's people notice anything amiss."