Uchiha Akiro: "The only path left is to follow Shisui's route. Inside the clan, I still have some say. After all, right now, the Uchiha only have two pairs of Mangekyō."
Aside from Obito, who had gone missing, and Uchiha Hikari, who was sealed away—
within Konoha, the Uchiha had only two Mangekyō: Shisui and Fugaku.
Uchiha Shisui was not blindly loyal to Konoha, but he was somewhat naïve—like a fresh graduate just stepping into society, clear-eyed yet foolish.
He mistakenly placed his trust in the council of elders and the promises painted by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He had even revealed his Mangekyō ability directly to the Third Hokage and to Danzō.
Tell me, a power like Kotoamatsukami, which can alter a person's will silently—what do you think Hiruzen and Danzō would think of that?
Without saying more, Danzō would absolutely covet such a power, while Hiruzen would naturally fear it.
Was it possible he wouldn't worry about Shisui changing his will without a sound?
Absolutely impossible!
From the original story, when Namikaze Minato died, the Third clearly could have chosen another Hokage. Yet he himself took the seat again. During Minato's reign, ANBU still remained firmly under his control.
And the things Danzō did—could the Third really have been ignorant of them?
Konoha became what it was largely because of Sarutobi Hiruzen's indulgence. Without his constant leniency, Danzō wouldn't have been able to keep playing tricks from the shadows.
The death of Sakumo, the departure of the Sannin, the forced suicide of Hizashi, Minato's dying plea to care for Naruto—yet later, Naruto was left ostracized, the hero's child branded as a demon fox.
They said it was to protect Naruto's identity. But by outright calling him the Nine-Tails, who with half a brain wouldn't realize he was the jinchūriki?
What kind of protection was that?!
Therefore, in Akiro's eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not someone to be trusted.
Harsh toward his own people, timid before outsiders—that was the Third Hokage.
From this, one could see: within the Uchiha clan, there were three factions—Conservatives, Neutrals, and Radicals.
The Conservatives leaned toward peace and nonresistance, while the Radicals leaned toward rebellion. The Neutrals sided with whoever appeared stronger.
Uchiha Akiro: "The Neutrals are the ones that must be dealt with first. They're the most disgusting, constantly draining the Uchiha's strength. The Dove faction is useless; there's no choice but to walk the Hawk's path!"
Akiro knew, however, that the success rate of rebellion was extremely low.
If the Uchiha rebelled, it wasn't just about overthrowing Hiruzen—it meant overturning the entire established order of Konoha.
The Hyūga clan, the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance, every great family—none of them would allow the Uchiha, once equals, to rise above and stand over them. Especially the Hyūga.
Ever since the Senju clan dissolved into Konoha, the Hyūga had vied with the Uchiha over who was the true number one family—whose eye techniques were supreme.
Their relationship wasn't terrible, but it was never good either.
Akiroyasha: "If you want to lead the Radicals, you'll need overwhelming strength, otherwise it's impossible. And Shisui's clearly a Dove, right? How will you handle him? That Kotoamatsukami of his can hit you anytime, directly!"
Kotoamatsukami, for now, was a power with no counter. It could even override Edo Tensei control.
Most likely, the only way was to possess stronger eyes than Shisui's. Equal Mangekyō would still be influenced. Only the Eternal Mangekyō or the Rinnegan would be immune.
But how was he supposed to obtain those?
He didn't even have Mangekyō yet.
Akiro Akizuki: "Why not just follow my advice? Go to Tsunade and live off her instead!"
Sect Master Akiro: "Not necessarily Tsunade—you could always seek refuge in Kirigakure. If it's Terumi Mei's era, then go live off the Fifth Mizukage!"
Aida D. Akiro: "Wrong, wrong, wrong. I think Kumogakure's better. They respect strength there, and they've got beauties like Samui!"
Sect Master Akiro: "And get smashed to death by A? No thanks. I say Iwagakure's good—raise Kurotsuchi like a pet project!"
Akiro Akizuki: *"All wrong! You've forgotten the strongest brother-in-law in the shinobi world—Nagato! Just join Akatsuki!
Konan to sleep beside, Kisame to scrub your back, Pain to buy your groceries, Itachi to cook, Deidara to play with clay, Sasori if you like dolls.
Clothes torn? Kakuzu will mend them. Bad mood? Beat up Hidan. Need fresh air? Zetsu purifies it. And if you make big contributions, you get an Obito for free!"*
Thinking about it that way, all other options were just temporary rests. Akatsuki seemed like the only true home!
…Home, my ass!
Uchiha Akiro: "Do you guys really have so little faith in me? What if I lead the Uchiha to turn the tables?"
Starting out by telling him to mooch off someone—it felt a little insulting.
He felt he could still fight for it.
Aida D. Akiro: "It's not that we don't believe in you, it's just too difficult. If you can save Shisui, though, your odds rise by at least ten percent. Let him see the true face of Konoha's leaders, that's another twenty percent. But the biggest problem is that right now, you don't hold real influence inside the clan. No matter how much you despise Fugaku leading the Uchiha to slaughter, he's still the clan head—the one with the authority to decide."
To change the Uchiha's fate, two things were essential:
First, Shisui's eyes must not be stolen by Danzō.
Once that happened, events would follow the original path: all the burden falling on Itachi, the clan believing he had killed Shisui, the Radicals seizing momentum for rebellion.
At that point, Itachi would have no way to stop it, forced instead to strike a deal with Danzō and Hiruzen—slaughtering the clan to save Sasuke.
Although Akiro despised Itachi's massacre, at that moment, it had only been a choice between Sasuke surviving, or the entire clan dying as traitors and dragging Konoha down in the process.
Thus, Shisui must be saved—at the very least, his eyes could not fall into Danzō's hands.
Second, Akiro had to become the clan head.
Only as head could he wield authority and make the majority of the Uchiha follow his word.
Otherwise, all his plans would be nothing but empty talk.