"I truly wish to know what resides in the Sixth Elder's heart," Hiko's voice was like a cold wind cutting through the incense smoke. "Is it your dream that Uchiha follows the Senju? To disband, to bleed our identity into the soil, to change our names and vanish into the common crowd until the word 'Uchiha' is nothing more than a footnote in a history book?"
The hall was paralyzed.
Hiko wasn't just insulting a man; he was accusing an entire faction of ancestral treason. Fugaku and the other Elders stared at the Sixth Elder with newfound suspicion. Hiko's logic was a trap with no exit: if the Doves wanted "total integration," they wanted the end of the Uchiha.
"I... I never..." The Sixth Elder's face turned a violent, bruised red. He stammered, his hands clawing at the air as if trying to catch the words he had lost.
Hiko didn't stop. He leaned in, his Sangouyu Sharingan pulsing. "We are already Konoha. To ask us to 'integrate' is to admit we are outsiders. Who told you we were outsiders, Elder? Was it the Third Hokage? Or was it your own cowardice?"
"Pfft—!"
The accumulation of the morning's trauma—the illusion, the public humiliation, and now the crushing weight of Hiko's rhetoric—reached a breaking point. The Sixth Elder's eyes rolled back. A spray of dark blood erupted from his lips, staining the pristine tatami mats before he collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
The meeting was over. You cannot argue with a man who has vomited blood in despair.
The New Order
As the guards rushed the unconscious Elder to the hospital, a heavy silence settled over the room. The Dove faction had effectively died on that floor. To support them now was to support the "Senju Path"—the path of extinction.
Fugaku rubbed his temples, feeling a headache that no medicine could cure. He looked at the remaining Elders. The Hardliners were practically vibrating with predatory joy; the Neutrals looked at Hiko with the kind of wary respect one gives a live grenade.
"Hiko has proposed removing Uchiha Shisui from the Police Force," Fugaku said, his voice weary. "He suggests Shisui be transferred to the new Personnel and Complaint Department. Thoughts?"
"Supported," the Great Elder grunted immediately. "Shisui is a talented boy, but he's too soft for the front lines of the law. Let him handle the paperwork and the crying civilians."
"Agreed," the Neutrals chimed in. After witnessing the Sixth Elder's collapse, no one wanted to be the next person Hiko looked at.
"Then it is settled," Fugaku declared. "As of tomorrow, Shisui is removed from active duty. Hiko... stay behind."
The Lion and the Cub
When the room cleared, Fugaku didn't offer tea. He didn't offer a seat. He simply stared at Hiko, who sat cross-legged—ignoring the traditional kneeling posture—with a casual defiance that made Fugaku's eye twitch.
"What is your end goal, Hiko?" Fugaku asked, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous register. "In three days, you have dismantled a faction, humiliated an Elder, and forced the Hokage's hand. Are you trying to seize the clan? Are you challenging me?"
"I'm trying to make us strong enough to survive the next two years," Hiko replied calmly, meeting the Patriarch's gaze without blinking. "I want an Uchiha that stands tall, not one that hides in the shadows of the village's 'forgiveness.'"
Fugaku narrowed his eyes. "You are playing a dangerous game with the village leadership. They will not take this lightly."
"They were already planning our end, Patriarch. I've just decided to make the 'boiling frog' jump out of the pot."
The tension was broken by the sound of light footsteps and a cheerful voice.
"I'm back! Father!"
Sasuke, five years old and full of innocent energy, hopped into the room. He stopped dead when he saw the heavy atmosphere, his eyes darting between his father's grim face and the strange, powerful man sitting on the floor.
"I... I have returned, Lord Father. Greetings, Senior," Sasuke said, bowing quickly.
"Hn," Fugaku responded, his expression cooling instantly. The disappointment on Sasuke's small face was palpable.
Itachi appeared a moment later, his gaze sweeping the room with a cold, analytical precision. He recognized the aftermath of a confrontation. Without a word, he placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and guided him toward the stairs.
The Statement of Intent
Once the children were gone, Fugaku turned back to Hiko. "You are harsh on Shisui. He acts out of love for this family."
"Love without strength is just a slow suicide," Hiko countered. "You sent him to the Hokage to be a bridge, but he became a spy. You overestimated his loyalty to the blood and underestimated his hunger for 'peace' at any cost."
Fugaku flinched. It was a direct hit to his own strategy.
"And the Hardliners?" Fugaku asked. "Are you one of them? Do you want a coup?"
"A coup is the desperate act of a cornered animal," Hiko said, standing up. "I don't want to overthrow Konoha. We are Konoha. I want the village to realize that without the Uchiha, there is no Leaf. I'm not joining the Hardliners, Patriarch. I'm building something better."
Hiko walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold. "Believe it or not, I am the only one in this room who is actually trying to save your sons' future. Work with me, or get out of the way. But don't ask me to be a man with his tail between his legs."
He left without waiting for a reply, leaving Fugaku alone in the darkening room, staring at the bloodstains on the floor.