The three Uchiha moved swiftly, leaving the village behind as they headed toward the Daimyo's residence.
Hours later, they reached a remote area.
No villages or towns were in sight—only an endless stretch of forest surrounding them.
"They're here," Uchiha Fugaku murmured, his expression tightening as he quietly alerted Uchiha Wei and Uchiha Hao.
Almost at the same moment—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several figures raced toward them at incredible speed, closing the distance within seconds.
In a flash, they appeared both ahead and behind, encircling the three completely.
Seven in total, each wore the dark garb and animal masks of Konoha's ANBU, their presence radiating cold hostility.
Fugaku's gaze swept across the group and stopped on a slightly shorter figure carrying a katana on his back.
From his build and chakra signature, there was no doubt—this was Uchiha Shisui.
The plan had worked—Shisui had taken the bait.
"Shisui! It really is you! "
Before Fugaku could speak, Uchiha Hao's voice trembled with mixed anger and disbelief.
Just as the clan head had predicted, Shisui had come.
Hao's heart sank. It was true—Shisui really was working for the Hokage.
"Hao… I didn't expect you to be among Fugaku-sama's escorts," Shisui said quietly, removing his mask to reveal a conflicted expression.
"Uchiha Shisui, what's the meaning of this? " Fugaku asked coldly. "Why surround us with ANBU? "
He showed no surprise at Shisui's right eye—replaced since losing it—knowing both the Third Hokage and Danzō possessed Uchiha Sharingan.
"Clan Leader, I'm here to stop you," Shisui said, his tone firm, eyes locking onto Fugaku.
"Stop me? Stop me from doing what? " Fugaku's voice was cool, edged with scorn.
"From taking control of the Daimyo."
Fugaku chuckled lightly. "Such vivid imaginations… I'm simply traveling to the daimyo's estate, yet you claim I intend to control him."
"There's no need to deny it," Shisui pressed. "Your true objective has been exposed. Hokage-sama knows of your plan to seize the Daimyo and launch a coup d'état.
Give it up, Clan Leader. Such an act would plunge Konoha back into the fires of war, destroying the fragile peace we've fought so hard for."
"Control the daimyo, start a coup… your imagination truly runs wild," Fugaku said, laughing outright.
"Even if I had plans for a coup—and I don't—it was the Third Hokage who forced my hand.
The one who has been undermining peace all these years isn't the Uchiha—it's Hiruzen Sarutobi himself."
"You're mistaken," Shisui argued. "Everything Hokage-sama has done has been to protect that peace."
"Blind fool! Have you not seen the years of suppression our clan has endured? " Fugaku's eyes glinted coldly. "What do you even use those Mangekyō eyes of yours for? "
"That wasn't Hokage-sama—it was Danzō, acting out of fear of our clan's power," Shisui defended.
"Danzō was nothing more than Sarutobi's scapegoat," Fugaku shot back. "The true mastermind was always the Hokage.
For years, he pushed every sin onto Danzō, ensuring the Uchiha's persecution could be laid entirely at his feet.
Now that Danzō is dead, there's no one left to bear witness."
"Your hatred blinds you, Clan Leader," Shisui said with growing despair. Words alone could not break Fugaku's conviction.
"No, Shisui—it's you who are blind. You've been completely indoctrinated by the Hokage, incapable of seeing the truth," Fugaku replied coldly.
"So you refuse to stand down? "
"Stand down? Do you mean abandoning the rights and dignity that belong to the Uchiha Clan? "
Fugaku had no intention of staging a coup, but he would never stop fighting for his clan's rightful place.
Shisui's eyes hardened. "Then forgive me, Clan Leader."
To him, Fugaku's pursuit of the clan's "rights" was nothing more than a threat to the village's peace and stability—and he would never allow that.
"Traitor!"
Uchiha Wei's face twisted with fury, teeth clenched, eyes blazing with hatred.
"It's true then, Shisui—you've betrayed us," Hao snarled, his eyes bloodshot.
There was no longer any doubt—the prodigy they had once been proud of had abandoned his clan for the Third Hokage.
Now, following the Hokage's orders, he had come to cut them down.
"I'm sorry, Hao," Shisui said solemnly. "But for the sake of true peace, I'll oppose even my own clan if I must.
I'll take Fugaku-sama. The rest of you—handle the others. Avoid killing them if possible."
At his command, the seven ANBU moved.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Shisui lunged for Fugaku while the remaining six engaged Hao and Wei.
Clang!
Shisui's katana met Fugaku's hastily drawn kunai.
Clang, clang, clang!
Steel clashed in a rapid exchange, their movements so fast they blurred, leaving only afterimages to the untrained eye.
Shisui's right eye spun into the familiar triple tomoe of the Sharingan, while his left transformed into the four-point pinwheel of the Mangekyō.
"Kotoamatsukami…"
The Mangekyō pattern rotated, releasing its unique genjutsu—a power that needed no direct eye contact, piercing straight into Fugaku's mind.
It was the very technique Fugaku, ever since awakening in this world, had feared the most.