Koharu Utatane narrowed her eyes.
"I heard Fugaku showed his Mangekyō Sharingan last night. He'd been hiding it all this time… think he's planning something?"
Homura Mitokado shook his head.
"One unpredictable Uchiha like Chizumi is already more than we can handle. If Fugaku's publicly siding with us, let's not stir up more suspicion."
"Oh, and another thing—"
Homura stood and looked out the window at the wrecked landscape.
"The Daimyō's envoy should be arriving in the village soon. We can't let him cross paths with Uchiha Chizumi. People of that status always have skeletons in the closet."
"And Chizumi's eyes… they can see both past and future sins. If he lays eyes on the Daimyō's envoy, we might have a serious incident on our hands."
Koharu's expression hardened.
"You're right. We need to be careful."
…
"The Mangekyō Sharingan… it's always been my last resort—to maintain balance between the Uchiha and the village."
Fugaku stood across from Itachi, who was still masked in his Anbu gear. His voice was calm but heavy.
"If I hadn't seen Chizumi awaken his Mangekyō, I wouldn't have revealed mine either.
Itachi… do you really think I'd use this power against the village you love?"
From the moment he revealed his Mangekyō, Fugaku had known this moment would come.
Because Itachi…
…Itachi wouldn't allow any power that could threaten the village to exist—especially one that might spiral out of control.
And maybe, that's what made him such a strong person.
"If you don't trust me… would you raise your blade against your own father, Itachi?"
Fugaku's tone didn't waver, but the question cut deep.
The mood still felt like a normal father-and-son talk… except it wasn't.
"I would," Itachi answered bluntly.
Fugaku replied,
"But the fact you haven't acted means you believe, at least for now, that I won't turn against the village.
And maybe… maybe it's time you also believed I can resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha once and for all."
A flicker of emotion crossed his usually expressionless face.
"If I can pull that off, then we won't have to face the kind of tragic future Chizumi warned us about."
Itachi paused, then said,
"Father… maybe you understand your own position clearly. But you don't understand the rest of the clan."
"They're too far gone. Sick to the core. How many of them do you think are still capable of changing?"
He suddenly shifted gears, a faint smile surfacing.
"Is Sasuke awake?"
Fugaku nodded.
"He's up. And he awakened the Sharingan. Whatever you said the other day really hit him hard."
"It was for his own good," Itachi said quietly.
They both fell silent again.
From a corner in the hallway, just out of sight, Mikoto Uchiha stood against the wall. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her oldest son…
had become someone she barely recognized.
…
"He's the Clan Head! The one leading the Uchiha! He's got the legendary power of the Sharingan, and instead of sharing it, he hides it—uses it to control his own people!"
Uchiha Setsuna was furious, teeth clenched.
"He's made our entire clan a laughingstock!"
Other clans might have a few members who lean toward outsiders—but with the Uchiha?
Both the clan leader and his eldest son were siding against them.
To a hawk like Setsuna, they weren't just misguided—they were traitors. Parasites. Shameful.
"And don't even get me started on Chizumi…"
If Setsuna just wanted Fugaku and Itachi removed from power, then Chizumi?
Chizumi was someone he wanted dead. No hesitation.
Because he could feel it—Chizumi wanted to kill him too.
He still remembered that murderous look in the boy's eyes.
He wasn't imagining it.
But then—
"Elder Setsuna, Chizumi's awakened the Mangekyō too. He's a rare genius with two Kekkei Genkais. We could support him—make him the new Clan Head."
That suggestion, from one of the younger radicals, made Setsuna's face darken with rage.
Before he could speak, others joined in:
"He used his eye power on Danzo last night—right in front of the Third Hokage! Surrounded by Anbu, and he didn't flinch. That kind of nerve… he's got what it takes to lead."
Setsuna's eye twitched.
Another young Uchiha chimed in:
"Sure, his views aren't perfectly aligned with ours—but compared to turncoats like Fugaku and Itachi, he might be our best option."
Someone else growled:
"Damn Itachi. That bastard's vanished again. No one can find him."
"Hmph. He probably knows we're after him and doesn't want to die early."
Back in his seat, Setsuna crushed the wooden armrest in his grip—splintering it.
These idiots…
Didn't they consider me?
I've rotted in prison for this clan longer than they've been alive!
If Fugaku's getting pushed out, if someone new's taking the lead—
Shouldn't it be me, Uchiha Setsuna?
…
Meanwhile…
"Meow~ Rookie, why are you dragging your feet?"
Jūjirō, the fat orange cat, had basically claimed Izumi's shoulder as its second home. The moment it spotted her, it jumped onto her left side again—making her shoulder visibly sag.
"If you're late, Chizumi-sama's gonna dock your points."
Izumi had a sandwich in one hand and a ninja blade in the other, scarfing down her breakfast as she sprinted through the village.
Mouth full, cheeks puffed, she mumbled:
"The moment I got home last night, a bunch of clan members surrounded me. They wanted every detail about Chizumi-senpai…"
"So I had to stay up talking until like 2 a.m. I barely slept two hours!"
"But!" she added quickly, "I didn't spill any of his secrets. I could tell they really admire him… So I figured maybe we could pick out a few promising ones."
"Since Senpai said he wants to grow the Absolute Justice faction, right?"
As she kept running, Izumi noticed something odd.
All throughout the village—from shinobi to civilians—people were buzzing.
Everyone was talking about what happened last night.
And all of it… was about Chizumi.
Looked like he'd made headlines again.
~~~
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