"Goodbye!"
It was the end of the school day, and Sasuke, carrying his bag, said goodbye to his classmates at the school gate. He walked along the stream, singing happily back to the Uchiha compound.
He paused.
There were no scenes of massacre as in another timeline. The Uchiha compound was still bustling and lively.
Sasuke didn't notice the cold, lurking eyes hidden in the dark forest or the solemn expressions on the faces of the guards at the gate. The street vendors selling tri-color dango were still busy with customers. Sasuke squeezed through the crowd, using his pocket money to buy two sticks.
Bang!
The door swung open.
"Brother, guess what I bought for you?"
The boy held up two sticks of dango, but his excited tone did not receive the expected response.
The air was tense.Seated in the main hall, as if praying to the gods or awaiting destiny, were his father, Uchiha Fugaku and his mother, Uchiha Mikoto. They turned to look at him, their gazes calm.
For some reason, Sasuke found those eyes staring at him so unfamiliar.
Dad…
Mom…
Who are you looking at?
"It's Sasuke," Fugaku's voice broke the silence. His smile brought back a familiar feeling for Sasuke.
"Itachi, he's still on a mission and hasn't returned yet."
The tone held a mix of pride and disappointment.
"Oh," Sasuke completely deflated after a few seconds of hesitation.
His brother was on a mission again.
Dinner that night was tasteless.
The only sounds were the chopsticks clinking against bowls and Sasuke chewing and swallowing his food. Outside, the street was quiet, with no usual noise from the training ground. There was no wind, no birds, no frogs, or cicadas. The inner and outer worlds had somehow reached an eerie agreement.
It was as if something was brewing, and everyone in the compound, even nature, was silently waiting.
After dinner.
"Don't go to school tomorrow," Fugaku said, the only words after dinner.
He never gave Sasuke a chance to argue. Such direct commands were never suggestions but orders.
Affected by the solemn atmosphere, Sasuke silently nodded, feeling unease.
At night.
Feeling anxious, Sasuke held the two sticks of dango and squatted at the entrance. He couldn't read or play with his toys; he waited for his brother to see him when he returned.
During the wait, Sasuke couldn’t stay focused. He kept glancing at his father, who was sitting in the main hall, looking confused.
From his angle, he could see the Uchiha clan leader holding a small note with no more than ten characters, but Fugaku had been staring at it for at least half an hour.
At some point, as if everyone in the compound received a message simultaneously, the murmur of people’s voices gradually rose again.
This felt strange and familiar to Sasuke, like someone regaining their hearing after being deaf for a while but unable to distinguish the sounds.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened.
It wasn’t Itachi.
“Tomorrow, we can give Danzo and the others a surprise. Everyone's morale is high, clan leader!”
Uchiha clansmen holding torches gathered outside. They didn’t seem to care about Sasuke at the door or the lurking eyes watching them.
Every corner around the compound was guarded.
Tonight, not even a rat could crawl out of the Uchiha compound.
Sasuke didn’t understand what was happening and looked blankly at his father.
At this moment, Fugaku, already standing, had the note gone.
He seemed different, shedding his fatherly warmth and gravitas for a clan leader's decisive and commanding presence.
Of course, he still spoke gently with the clansmen, but to Sasuke, he seemed more like the village leader, Hokage, speaking at the opening ceremony.
What were they talking about?
Where were they going?
Was something going to happen?
Sasuke’s unease reached its peak. As Fugaku and the others were about to leave, he bit his lip, pushed out of his mother’s arms, ran barefoot into the street, and shouted:
“Father, where… where is my brother Itachi?!”
Everyone turned to look at him.
Their expressions were cold.
But the coldness wasn’t directed at Sasuke but the person he mentioned.
The crowd parted, and Uchiha Fugaku turned around silently at the front. With three tomoe spinning like shurikens, his eyes made Sasuke's mouth drop.
Father… your eyes.
Sasuke had never seen his father like this.
“He is a coward.”
Fugaku said calmly.
Whether he was with the Uchiha or not, he was a coward if he wasn’t here tonight.
A coward who accepted Konoha's will but couldn’t act against his clan.
A coward who accepted the clan’s will but couldn’t act against Konoha.
A coward who chose to hide on the eve of battle.
That once proud son of his, no matter his choice, Fugaku would respect.
But alas.
He was a coward.
He didn't know where Itachi was, hiding like a turtle, refusing to choose.
So.
He was a coward.
…
Sasuke stood there, holding the two sticks of dango, watching his clansmen disappear.
…
Several Uchiha high-ranking members gathered.
“The plan is exposed. Konoha is prepared, and they’ve set traps, waiting for us. We need to alter our plan for tomorrow’s coup.”
“What!” Everyone was shocked.
“It’s okay. They don’t know we are aware of the exposure… so we still have a chance.” Uchiha Fugaku said.
He recalled the mysterious note, clenching his fist.
He knew the sender’s intention well. The person wasn’t trying to help the Uchiha gain power but to create chaos in Konoha using the Uchiha’s rebellion.
The consequences of a failed rebellion would be catastrophic.
Given Konoha's knowledge, canceling the coup wouldn’t quell the clan’s enthusiasm and would not restore the previous state, leading only to a slow, inevitable demise.
The person who sent the note was extremely ruthless.
He knew the Uchiha had no choice.
They had to proceed.
Even if the Uchiha became Konoha’s ultimate sinners!
The arrow had been nocked and had to be shot.
Fugaku took a deep breath, feeling his outstretched hand trembling. He didn’t know what the future held after this decision, but this was the only choice for the Uchiha to survive and ascend to Konoha’s highest position.
“…This is our only chance.”
He emphasized.
He took out a photo and then resolutely placed his finger on it.
“—He is Uzumaki Naruto.”
“The Fourth Hokage’s son, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.”
Facing the stunned looks of the high-ranking members, Fugaku paused and continued:
“Our goal is to capture him and release the Nine-Tails…”
“I will use my Mangekyou Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails. After we settle the battle, we’ll choose a new Jinchuriki.”
Countless people would die in this battle.
But this was a necessary sacrifice.
The plan was to eliminate Hiruzen, Danzo, and others, then have Fugaku “stop” the Nine-Tails' rampage, thereby earning a reputation as a savior. As long as no one discovered that the Uchiha orchestrated the Nine-Tails' return, Fugaku could claim the position of Fifth Hokage.
The Uchiha would transform from a marginalized clan into Konoha’s protectors.
Of course, releasing the Nine-Tails would severely damage Konoha, destroy countless families, and attract foreign enemies, potentially triggering the Fourth Great Ninja War—Fugaku had considered all this.
But he didn’t care.
They had never had the big picture. How could they care about it now?
…
The Uchiha leaders unanimously approved the new plan.
Only Uchiha Fugaku remained in the meeting room.
Through the window, he gazed at the distant lights of Konoha’s main street, feeling his hands stained with innocent blood.
“Itachi… did you see that?”
His expression was blank.
But this was the choice.
Whether sin or glory.
As clan leader, it was his inescapable responsibility.
He would bear it all.
—In the name of Uchiha.
The answer was revealed.
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