Appearing before Uchiha Shisui was none other than the current Uchiha Clan Elder, Uchiha Setsuna.
He was also the purest worshipper of Uchiha Madara in all of Konoha.
Upon receiving the message from Lord Madara, he immediately rushed to confront Uchiha Shisui, his efficiency far exceeding Obito's expectations.
Uchiha Shisui silently looked at the few people before him, a coldness in his single eye:
"This matter, I should be the one asking you."
"Uchiha Setsuna."
After several days of contemplation during the search of the Root base, and the final conclusive reality, he was certain that he and Danzo Shimura had indeed been manipulated by someone hidden in the shadows all along.
Originally, he might have had to continue searching in secret for some time to find out who the culprit was.
However, the moment Uchiha Setsuna appeared before him, everything connected in Shisui's mind.
"What a cunning method."
"These past few days, you've been toying with me and Danzo, haven't you?"
Throughout Konoha, only a few of the Konoha Leadership truly understood his Mangekyo Sharingan; he had never even informed the Clan Head of the true abilities of his Dōjutsu.
The only one who could have lain in wait until his eye was stolen before making a move was the owner of another Mangekyo Sharingan.
Besides that, this person also needed the authority and manpower to monitor most of the Uchiha Clan Compound, as well as a motive to act against him.
Based on the conclusion, the person who would act against him could only be Uchiha Setsuna, the leader of the hawk faction and the biggest proponent of a coup within the entire Uchiha Clan!
At this moment, Uchiha Shisui's tone was filled with absolute certainty.
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Setsuna couldn't help but be stunned.
What was he talking about?
Uchiha Shisui looked at his feigned ignorance, his single eye narrowing slightly, and said coldly, "Stop playing dumb, Uchiha Setsuna!"
"And who is that other Mangekyo Sharingan user hidden among you!"
"Do you really think that just by stealing one eye, you can make me submit?"
Hidden among us, another Mangekyo, stealing Uchiha Shisui's eye, toying with him and Danzo... and then recalling the orders Lord Madara had given him.
The immense amount of information contained within these few short sentences instantly stopped the sound in Uchiha Setsuna's throat.
His eyes, however, gradually brightened.
So that's how it is!
Lord Madara, hidden behind the scenes, was actually playing such a dangerous game!
After all, when it came to another Mangekyo, who else could it be?
It seemed Lord Madara had decided to make his move!
Thinking of this, Uchiha Setsuna's tone gradually calmed down, even inadvertently carrying a hint of mockery:
"Since you already know the truth, do you still choose to fight a losing battle?"
"You should know, this is not a wise choice, Shisui."
"Originally, I wasn't sure of Lord Madara's true intentions, but now that you've lost an eye, you should understand what that means, shouldn't you?"
Seeing his response, Uchiha Shisui's eyes slightly brightened, but his tone remained stiff:
"He's just a third-rate character who only dares to play petty tricks; he doesn't even have the courage to face my eyes. Does he deserve to be called 'Lord'?"
"Don't make me laugh, Uchiha Setsuna."
"Give me back my eye."
Hearing that this junior, Shisui, dared to call his immensely revered idol a third-rate character, Uchiha Setsuna's anger flared up suddenly:
"That is...!"
However, his words stopped halfway through.
"Heh."
"You don't understand, Shisui."
"Lord Madara holds the true power."
"Before him, we are all but mere ants."
"I wish you good luck."
With those words, Uchiha Setsuna no longer looked at him, turning and leading his people out of the alley.
Uchiha Shisui, however, frowned deeply.
This old man was quite cautious.
But, to be called 'Lord' by him... that was a treatment even Clan Head Fugaku had never enjoyed.
Could it be one of the clan elders?
He pondered for a long time in his mind, but couldn't seem to find a suitable candidate.
Who could it be?
...Unlike his side.
The moment Uchiha Setsuna turned around, his expression suddenly shifted from calm to exhilarated.
"Finally... finally..."
"Has Lord Madara finally decided to act for the clan?!"
He had waited for this day for far too long.
Unlike the clan members around him who had lived in Konoha since birth.
Uchiha Setsuna, now seventy-four years old, was one of the oldest elders in the entire Uchiha Clan; he had not only witnessed the power of Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, and others firsthand, but had also participated in the final battle between Konoha and the Uchiha.
He knew what kind of power true 'gods' possessed.
In his heart, he held extreme disdain for Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was now hailed as the strongest Hokage.
Back in the Sengoku period, such a figure could only support a large family; he couldn't compare at all to the Senju and Uchiha in their prime.
As Uchiha Madara's most loyal worshipper, although Lord Madara didn't take him along when he left, he still left him a secret signal, allowing him to later provide information to Lord Madara in secret.
A few years ago, the communication between them suddenly ceased for a period, which made him somewhat panicked.
It wasn't until recently that someone contacted him again using that signal, which finally calmed Uchiha Setsuna's heart.
Although the other party's physique and skeletal structure were somewhat different from Lord Madara's when he reappeared, and he was clearly much younger.
But he thought, Lord Madara must have regained his youth through some kind of power.
He could understand why Lord Madara, after appearing before him, was unwilling to help.
It was only natural for such a high-level secret technique to have significant side effects.
But now that Lord Madara had already made his move, he must have recovered some of his power and was capable of assisting the clan in this critical moment!
The more Uchiha Setsuna thought about it, the more excited he became.
If the Uchiha Clan could once again be led by Lord Madara, let alone a mere Konoha coup, what would there be to fear in the entire Ninja World?
"The coup must be accelerated!"
Thinking this silently, Uchiha Setsuna encouraged himself:
"I must not hold Lord Madara back!"
...Soon, a tide hidden beneath the Uchiha Clan began to surge violently, pushed by many hands.
All sorts of contradictions were reopened and exposed before all Uchiha Clan members.
Among them, the most iconic was the incident of the Village taking one of the eyes of the clan's rising strongman, Uchiha Shisui, for research.
The radical voices grew increasingly noisy, and people's hearts constantly stirred.
In just a few short days, large groups of clan members, led by the hawk faction, blockaded the Uchiha Clan Head's home, loudly petitioning.
The piercing clamor echoed all around; even though the Clan Head's courtyard was quite spacious, he was still annoyed by the shouts.
Sasuke, who was practicing shurikenjutsu in the backyard, also stopped, turning his head towards the main gate, asking in confusion:
"Brother, what are they saying?"
But when he turned his head, his expression froze.
On his brother's face, which was always incredibly gentle in front of him, there was an unprecedented gloom, his face as still as water.
Seemingly noticing Sasuke's gaze, Uchiha Itachi's eyes changed, and he somewhat difficultly returned to his original expression, saying gently:
"Sasuke, you practice by yourself for now."
"I'm going to check on Father."
Little Sasuke looked at him, hesitated for a moment, then obediently nodded:
"Okay."
Uchiha Itachi was no longer in the mood to consider Sasuke's feelings and quickly walked towards the door.
Then, he saw Uchiha Fugaku surrounded by a large number of clan members pouring into the entire street, also loudly explaining something.
He didn't go over rashly, but simply waited quietly.
This standoff continued for several hours.
It wasn't until Uchiha Fugaku, dragging his tired body, walked back into the house that Itachi hurriedly brought him water:
"Father, what is all this?"
"Recently, rumors suddenly spread that Shisui-kun's eye was taken by the Village."
"They came to demand an explanation."
Uchiha Fugaku gently rubbed his brow, his expression weary.
"Shisui?!"
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but be stunned.
They had only not seen each other for half a month; how could such a thing happen?
Moreover, Shisui was the most loyal clan member to Konoha in the entire clan; how could Konoha act against him?
Even though his ideology had gradually shifted, Uchiha Itachi still felt that such rumors were too absurd.
"I also know it's unbelievable, and the clan members may not even believe it," Uchiha Fugaku took a sip of warm water, his tone calm, "The clan members just need an outlet."
Uchiha Itachi fell silent upon hearing this.
He knew what his father was talking about.
Relocating the Uchiha Clan Compound, originally located in the center of Konoha, to the Naka River area near the outskirts, seemed like a simple statement from the Third Hokage, but in reality, it was a disguised economic suppression.
The center of Konoha was the most prosperous area for trade and commerce in the entire Village, and the Uchiha Clan was not self-isolated like the Hyuga, who owned a large amount of real estate; countless clan members engaged in business, and the Clan Compound was also open to outsiders.
However, in the few years since the Uchiha Clan was relocated, the economic development of the entire Clan Compound plummeted.
Clan members earned less money, and life became less convenient; these seemingly minor problems were in fact thorns deeply embedded in people's hearts.
Everyone wanted to change this situation.
The more suppressed they were, the fiercer the fire in their hearts became.
Today's collective petition was merely a little heat inadvertently released by that flame.
The deeper Uchiha Itachi thought about it, the stronger the panic in his heart became.
He unconsciously whispered:
"Then, Father."
"Are we really going to...?"
Uchiha Fugaku also understood what today's events represented, and his expression was equally heavy:
"This is not up to us."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi fell silent.
The coup, it seemed, was slowly becoming unstoppable.