After closing the gates of the clan compound, Fugaku dismissed the indignant gathering of Uchiha, leaving behind only the higher-ups: the Third Elder Takuya, the Fourth Elder Youhei, Natsuki, Itachi, and Shisui—still lying on a stretcher.
Unlike the other dissatisfied clansmen, the Third Elder deeply admired Fugaku's performance today.
Pushing Natsuki forward as a reckless pawn while secretly pulling the strings himself—though a hawk faction member, anyone who could rise to the seat of Elder was by no means a fool.
Just moments ago, they had been surrounded by Konoha's elite forces, with their own strongest, Shisui, gravely injured. This was hardly the right time for a coup. At the very least, they should wait until Shisui recovered.
When Fugaku noticed the Third Elder looking at him with such admiration, his head ached. If I said I didn't arrange it, would you even believe me?
Fugaku didn't dwell on the elder. There was something more pressing to confirm.
"Natsuki, did you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Everyone was stunned. Natsuki awakened the Mangekyō!?
Natsuki nodded. The three-tomoe in his eyes shifted into a brand-new pattern—an outer blade encircling an inner flower.
The surge of ocular power was so overwhelming even Fugaku felt oppressed.
Fugaku was visibly shaken. Natsuki, with such outstanding talent, had already reached the level of an elite three-tomoe Sharingan at nineteen. Apart from his weakness in genjutsu, he excelled in nearly all aspects.
Later, over a casual bet, Natsuki had been sent on a nearly impossible mission, with a promise: complete it, and he would be granted an Elder's seat. No one expected him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan instead.
"Hahaha! Good, good, excellent!"
Fugaku could not contain his excitement. He himself possessed the Mangekyō and knew all too well how difficult it was to awaken. For years, he had walked on thin ice, hiding his Mangekyō as the clan's hidden trump card.
Who would have thought that among the younger generation, someone else had awakened it too?
Overcome with joy, Fugaku clapped Natsuki's shoulder.
"Everything I said before still stands. From now on, you are the clan's vice-leader. In a few years, once you're familiar with the affairs of governance, the position of Clan Head will be yours."
His excitement was not without reason. The bloody Third Great Ninja War had turned the great villages into a mess. Though Konoha possessed the richest land, their battles against Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri had cost them dearly. The Uchiha too had lost countless talents.
Now, the clan urgently needed a young, Kage-level powerhouse to hold the line.
Judging from Natsuki's behavior, he was clearly someone with ideas of his own. That time when Natsuki used Fugaku as a scapegoat had, oddly enough, made Fugaku admire his courage and cunning.
After all, one misstep could plunge the Uchiha into civil strife and complete annihilation. But Natsuki had leveraged Shisui's situation to strike at Danzō, standing on the side of justice. He had both forced Danzō into retreat and shaken the Hokage faction's trust.
Fugaku found himself liking Natsuki more and more.
But what Fugaku didn't know was that Natsuki acted this way because he was certain no conflict would actually break out.
If Shisui had exposed the truth, then the Uchiha would have been seen as victims, and no other clans would dare strike them while they were down.
And if fighting really did erupt—between Fugaku, Shisui, Itachi, and himself—they had four pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan. With such power, they could sweep through any disunited ninja forces.
Watching Fugaku's delight, Natsuki wanted to laugh. So what if you have one pair of Mangekyō? Don't you know your son and Shisui both have them too?
Still, for the sake of his own survival, the act had to go on.
Natsuki deactivated his Mangekyō, cleared his throat, and addressed the others. "Right now, the Uchiha are in stormy waters. Since the Clan Head holds me in such esteem, I won't refuse the role. I do have some thoughts about the clan's future."
The others suppressed their smiles, curious to hear what he would say.
"First, let me explain the Mangekyō ability I awakened. Its name is Heaven's Rift—it allows me to glimpse the future."
His words struck like water splashed onto hot oil, leaving the others wide-eyed. See the future!?
Of course, he was making it up. Out in the world, identities were self-fashioned, and so too could powers be. Truthfully, his Mangekyō abilities hadn't even awakened yet.
"If we launch a rebellion tonight, the Uchiha will be annihilated!"
Both elders blanched. Fourth Elder Youhei wanted to object, but Natsuki stopped him.
"Fourth Elder, the peace you wish for is impossible. Ten years from now, all of Konoha will be destroyed!"
"What!?" Even Itachi, normally cold-faced, widened his eyes.
"Vice-Clan Head, is… is this true?" the Fourth Elder asked hoarsely.
Natsuki nodded. "Fourth Elder, Third Elder, Clan Head—do not resist. Let me show you the world of the future."
His Mangekyō spun, releasing rippling waves. The three seemed to step into a painted scroll, scenes unfolding before their eyes.
Fugaku using his Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails, only to fail in a coup.
The annihilation of the Uchiha clan.
A massive shockwave obliterating Konoha Village.
Natsuki selectively displayed these "future visions."
In truth, his Mangekyō couldn't glimpse the future at all—he was merely using Fugaku's ocular technique, genjutsu.
This was his own invention, not necessarily real. But since he knew the story, passing it off as visions of the future worked just fine to win their trust.
When the illusion ended, the three were left shaken.
So the Clan Head possessed Mangekyō Sharingan too? The two elders turned to Fugaku, who gave a slight nod.
Natsuki had intentionally omitted Shisui and Itachi, as what Itachi would later do wasn't suitable for others to see. For now, Itachi hadn't even considered destroying the clan.
Seeing Fugaku and the elders slowly awaken from the illusion, Natsuki continued, "All of you want the Uchiha to prosper, but the paths we've taken until now have all been wrong."
The three fell silent. From what they had just witnessed, even the seat of Hokage no longer seemed so important.
Turning toward Shisui and Itachi, Natsuki spoke again. "Shisui, you're far too naïve. Your way of thinking is utterly foolish."
Shisui opened his mouth, but Natsuki cut him off.
"Itachi, how old is Sasuke?"
Confused, Itachi lowered his head and answered, "Sasuke is five years old, Vice-Clan Head."
"Both of you, look at me."
As they raised their eyes, Natsuki activated his Mangekyō. They offered no resistance and were instantly drawn into the illusionary scroll.
There they saw:
Shisui's death.
The Uchiha clan's massacre at Itachi's hands, including his childhood sweetheart Izumi.
The village neglecting Sasuke, seizing much of the clan's property, only for Sasuke to later defect.
Twisted by Itachi's death, Sasuke descended into darkness, obsessed with revenge, only to die at the Five Kage Summit.
Natsuki deliberately ended the vision there, letting them believe Sasuke perished during the summit.
Witnessing Itachi kill his parents and destroy the clan, only for Sasuke to die abandoned by Konoha, left Shisui and Itachi deeply shaken.
Already disillusioned with Konoha's leaders after the incident with Shisui, Itachi now fully shifted his allegiance toward the clan.
Shisui, on the other hand, felt the bitter sting of his own naïveté. How pathetic, to think I'd once been weak enough to consider suicide.
Meanwhile, Natsuki noticed the ocular technique "Illusion" in his status panel slowly vanish. As expected, once used up, it disappeared.
He spoke slowly: "First and foremost, we are Uchiha. Only after that are we part of Konoha. Without the Uchiha, what does Konoha have to do with us?"
"All these years, we've sought the Hokage's seat only for recognition. But the strong… do not need recognition!"
"If our clan is wiped out, then what Uchiha name remains?"
The others mulled over his words. Indeed—if the entire Uchiha were destroyed, what glory would be left?
In the shinobi world, countless powerful clans had risen and fallen. But once annihilated, no matter their past prestige, their names would fade into the winds of history.