"Fugaku, you hid too well..."
If not for Itachi choosing to side with the village, Fugaku Uchiha was confident his coup would have succeeded.
According to the original plan, the only true threats to the Uchiha uprising were the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Root leader, Danzo Shimura.
Fugaku intended to handle the Hokage himself and leave Danzo to Itachi.
With the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, he believed the Uchiha could finally reclaim their rightful place in the village.
What he didn't expect… was Danzo already dead.
And then, from the shadows of Konoha, Xu Fan emerged.
The colossal wooden construct he created using Wood Release easily parried Fugaku's blade.
Even the black flames of Amaterasu failed to consume it.
"Xu Fan…"
Uchiha Itachi, watching from below, was stunned.
Xu Fan's Wood Golem—larger and sturdier than anything he'd seen, even rivaling Hashirama's creations—was holding its ground against Fugaku's full-body Susanoo.
—
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Residence…
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in the council chamber, briefing the village elders on the diplomatic events in the Land of Iron. But before he could conclude, a massive surge of chakra washed over the building.
It came from the Uchiha district.
A terrible premonition seized him. Ignoring the stunned elders, Hiruzen stormed out of the room, rushing to his private office.
"This chakra… it feels like Xu Fan's… What's going on?"
Inside, he shut the door and ordered his ANBU guards not to enter. At once, he activated the crystal ball and began the Telescope Technique.
What he feared most was already unfolding.
Even more terrifying than in the Land of Iron, Xu Fan's chakra was flaring wildly. His Wood Golem loomed large across the Uchiha compound, its power immense.
But what drew Hiruzen's breath away wasn't the wooden titan—it was the one opposing it.
A second giant—Susanoo.
Fully armored. Weaponized. Radiating a chakra more intense than any Sharingan he'd witnessed.
"Wait… that's Fugaku?"
Through the translucent armor of the Susanoo, Hiruzen saw the face of Uchiha Fugaku—head of the clan, now wielding a perfected Mangekyō Sharingan.
The true ringleader of the Uchiha coup.
And for the first time, Hiruzen saw just how much Fugaku had kept hidden.
Thump.
He collapsed into his chair, sweat trickling down his face.
"So… all these years, Fugaku… you had this power… and chose not to show it."
Memories of the Nine-Tails' attack surged in his mind.
If Fugaku had fought then—could Minato have lived?
Could the village have avoided tragedy?
But there was no time for regrets now.
Before his eyes, Fugaku's Susanoo relentlessly slashed at Xu Fan's wooden titan, leaving trails of black Amaterasu flames with each strike.
In moments, the wooden golem was wreathed in black fire—yet Xu Fan didn't retaliate.
"Why isn't he counterattacking?" Hiruzen muttered.
This wasn't training. This wasn't a sparring match.
It was a battle.
A real one.
And if Fugaku was indeed staging the coup, Xu Fan must have discovered it and moved first.
Hiruzen stood abruptly.
"Fugaku… you've hidden too well."
If there was still a chance to prevent a civil war, it would require action—now.
—
Back at the battlefield…
"Why aren't you fighting back?!"
Fugaku's voice rang out, filled with suspicion and frustration.
From the moment Xu Fan summoned his wooden avatar, he'd remained entirely on the defensive. Even when Fugaku left deliberate openings—bait for a counter—Xu Fan remained motionless, deflecting with Wood Release alone.
"Xu Fan, what are you thinking?"
Even Itachi, standing far below, grew uneasy.
To help Xu Fan prepare for this moment, Itachi had shared everything—Susanoo's weaknesses, Fugaku's techniques, and the properties of Amaterasu.
But Xu Fan hadn't reacted to any of it.
He stood silent, unmoved.
"You're stalling…" Fugaku suddenly realized, "Waiting for the Hokage to arrive?"
"No."
Xu Fan's calm voice finally echoed.
Bang!
As Fugaku's blade came down once more, Xu Fan's wooden giant seized it mid-swing.
With its other hand, it grabbed Susanoo's shoulder and held it firmly in place.
"Your defeat was inevitable, Fugaku."
Their eyes met—Mangekyō against calm resolve.
Xu Fan wasn't stalling. He was studying.
Fugaku's power was immense. His strikes were fierce.
But… there was no killing intent.
He didn't want to kill Xu Fan.
He only wanted to test him—to see if he could entrust Itachi and Sasuke to him.
If Fugaku had truly meant to kill…
Then Xu Fan would have shown no mercy. Patriarch or not, Fugaku would've died here.
Without him, the Uchiha clan would lose all cohesion.
And Xu Fan would end the coup in one night.
"This… is the power you'll witness."
Xu Fan raised his hand—and drew a blade.
A Zanpakutō.
As he partially released it, arcs of purple lightning crackled around his form, the air shaking with energy.
Crackle!
Thunder roared in tandem with his release. The pressure spiked as the lightning wrapped around his wooden titan like armor—Benrai—Thunder Binding.
Even the flames of Amaterasu were repelled by the sheer intensity of the aura.
Then—boom—the wooden colossus charged.
Lightning surged down its limbs, merging with Xu Fan's chakra and blasting into Susanoo.
Rumble!
With an earsplitting crash, Fugaku's mighty Susanoo fractured.
The armor shattered. The blade fell.
Fugaku's Mangekyō flared wide with disbelief.
"Senju Hashirama… The God of Shinobi…"
That was the last thing he could compare it
Subscribe to patreon.com/favyoris to get 30+ chapters