Soon, an identical figure appeared, smiled eerily at Shisui and the others, then turned and left. It would return to the dimly lit home and continue playing the roles of husband, father, and grandfather.
"Itachi, Shisui, I need to remind you," the creature shaped like a Venus Flytrap, called "Zetsu" by "Madara," rasped. "White Zetsu cannot copy a dead person's memories."
"It can only imitate habits and personality based on prior information." At once, Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha's faces changed as they turned sharply toward them.
"Why say this now?" Shisui demanded angrily. "Without memories, how can it fool close family?" The White Zetsu shrugged and smiled. "So what, would you stop if we told you earlier? Just kill fast enough before they notice."
"You do not think you can keep being a good genius in Konoha after this, do you?" Shisui Uchiha's anger froze, replaced by deeper helplessness and pain. These people from Root had done this on purpose, leaving them no way back.
Soon after, Yashiro Uchiha's body was sealed into a Scroll by Obito Uchiha. Shisui and the others said nothing despite their complicated expressions, since Sharingan was the price they had agreed to.
No one noticed that Yashiro Uchiha's formless soul slipped into Fugaku Uchiha's body. "Let's go," Obito Uchiha said as he vanished. "The night is still long."
Shisui Uchiha took a deep breath and disappeared as well, but Itachi Uchiha lingered, looking at Zetsu. "How many White Zetsu do you have?" he asked coldly.
Black Zetsu's half face smiled. "As many as you want." After a brief silence, Itachi Uchiha replied calmly, "If anyone discovers abnormalities, do not hold back."
That meant killing any family members who noticed issues and replacing them immediately. This had to stay hidden from Shisui, whose nature would never allow it.
"Shisui has done enough," Itachi Uchiha thought. "I will bear this deeper darkness." Black Zetsu laughed oddly and agreed, and Itachi Uchiha vanished.
Night grew deeper, heavy and unmoving. Deep within the Uchiha Clan grounds, the clan head's residence lay silent, lit only by dim lamps under the eaves.
Two figures appeared soundlessly, Fugaku Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, now dressed in clean clothes with all blood washed away. Neither spoke nor even exchanged a glance as they entered the house.
Fugaku Uchiha walked straight toward his bedroom, posture straight and steps steady, yet stiff like a Puppet following commands. Itachi Uchiha entered another room, where moonlight fell on a small sleeping figure.
Sasuke Uchiha slept soundly, limbs sprawled, one leg sticking out from the blanket. A cool breeze made him stir slightly. Seeing his brother, Itachi Uchiha's cold expression softened as he gently covered him back up.
He stood there for a long moment, watching that innocent sleeping face, his resolve hardening. He would stop the coup, erase the extremists, and protect Sasuke Uchiha's future and Konoha's peace.
Elsewhere, Fugaku Uchiha lay beside his wife. In the darkness, Mikoto Uchiha silently opened her eyes, frowning faintly at the unfamiliar scent on him.
She knew her husband too well, his strict habits, his unscented soap. Tonight was different. Doubt stirred in her heart, a doubt deliberately planted.
In his mental space, Yunchuan Hyuga saw everything clearly and chuckled softly. When they moved against Mikoto Uchiha, that would be Fugaku Uchiha's final transformation.
At the same time, far away in the Hyuga Clan grounds, Yunchuan Hyuga opened his eyes as frantic knocking shattered the night. A pale Hyuga clan member stood outside, trembling.
"Yunchuan brother, something terrible happened," he gasped. "Main Family! Another death in the Main Family! The elders are searching every Branch Family member and even taking suspects to the Yamanaka Clan for questioning!"
When Takao Hyuga blurted out his panicked words, Yunchuan Hyuga's gaze turned deep in an instant. He looked at the young man and spoke in an even tone. "Xiao, calm down and tell me exactly what happened."
His voice was flat, yet it forced Takao Hyuga to steady the heart that felt ready to burst from his chest. During the time since returning from the battlefield to Konoha, Yunchuan Hyuga had not been idle at all.
In the past, when conflicts arose with the Main Family, there was at least Hizashi Hyuga to mediate, and the people of the Main Family usually did not press matters too hard.
But since Hizashi Hyuga had "died," the Hyuga Branch Family was left without a leader, and even if they suffered under the Main Family, they could only swallow the grievance.
As the person in the Hyuga Clan with the greatest reputation now, Yunchuan Hyuga naturally took over Hizashi Hyuga's former position among the Branch Family.
During this time, he often used Hizashi Hyuga's name to approach members of the Branch Family, claiming it was a last request from Hizashi Hyuga before his death. He would sigh, add a few words of gentle concern, and then speak of mutual support, which made people feel unexpectedly valued. Unlike the Main Family who prized bloodline and status, most of the Branch Family respected strength above all.
These clan members had avoided visiting him when he was injured and hospitalized, held back by the Main Family's attitude. Compared to that, they now felt guilt and growing recognition toward him, and many had begun to gather around him, often coming to ask about Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. The young Takao Hyuga was the closest among them, which was why he came running to Yunchuan Hyuga the moment he received the news.
"Hu…" Seeing Yunchuan Hyuga's calm eyes, Takao Hyuga let out a deep breath and forced himself to continue. "The one who died is Naosuke Hyuga."
"That guy who was notorious in the clan for beating and humiliating the Branch Family?" Yunchuan Hyuga frowned slightly. "With his strength and character, if he was killed, that is not surprising at all."
Hearing this, Takao Hyuga choked on his words, yet a trace of agreement surfaced in his heart. It could not be denied that some within the Main Family treated the Branch Family gently, but others did not.
It was like the human experiments once performed by the so-called mother of performance art, Marina Abramovic. She allowed herself to be anesthetized and handed all power to the audience, letting them choose between roses and honey, or scissors, daggers, crossbows, and even guns, and force physical contact on her.
What began as hesitation escalated to cutting her clothes, carving wounds into her skin, and stabbing a rose into her abdomen, until someone even put a gun in her mouth and tried to pull the trigger, stopped only by another spectator.
Human malice could not withstand such tests. When someone holds another person's life in their hands, that malice grows little by little, and not everyone can restrain it. The existence of the "Caged Bird" was itself such a test.
At first it was to ensure the Byakugan did not spread, then to preserve bloodline purity, and now to maintain the rule of the Main Family. When the "Caged Bird" could be used, why it was used, and what consequences came from abusing it had all become blurred. People like Naosuke Hyuga were an inevitable result.
"Naosuke Hyuga was missing for a day, and the Branch Family searched everywhere but could not find him," Takao Hyuga continued with his head lowered. "When the body was finally discovered, Rigu and the others rushed over, but the Byakugan had already been dug out."