Amid the wreckage, Uchiha Ren kicked aside charred branches, casually wiping the blood from his hands with a torn strip of cloth.
The blood belonged to Uchiha Kagami.
The cloth—
Also taken from Kagami.
"…This blood really doesn't come off easily."
He muttered, about to complain further—
When he noticed a line of Uchiha already gathered nearby, clearly drawn by the noise of the fight.
Ren didn't bother hiding anything.
Instead, he walked straight toward them.
Smiling.
Bright.
Warm.
The first light of dawn fell across his face, illuminating his youthful features. His smile—perfectly composed, full of confidence—should have looked natural.
If not for one detail.
He had wiped the blood from his hands.
But not from his face.
That radiant smile—
Stained with specks of blood—
Looked disturbingly out of place.
The gathered Uchiha felt a chill crawl up their spines.
What kind of person smiles like that?
"Just now," Ren said casually, "Uchiha Kagami was influenced by Sarutobi Hiruzen and tried to ambush me."
He shrugged.
"I caught it in time. He's already been subdued."
A lie—
Delivered without hesitation.
Another burden—
Placed squarely on Kagami's shoulders.
After all, he was already carrying enough.
Ren tilted his head slightly, his smile widening.
"What's wrong? You don't believe me?"
His hand rested lightly on the still-dripping blade.
The implication was clear.
"…We believe you!"
"Of course we do, Captain!"
"How could we doubt your words?"
"That Kagami—he's a traitor!"
Voices rose in hurried agreement.
Too quick.
Too eager.
Some even began cursing Kagami outright.
Ren's smile deepened just a fraction.
"Inabi. Tekka."
He spotted the two brothers among them.
"Good. You're here."
"Inabi—take Kagami to the clan's medical ninja. Don't let him die in front of my house."
He waved dismissively.
"Bad luck."
"…Right. Understood."
Inabi hurried over.
But the moment he saw Kagami's condition—
His breath hitched.
A massive wound split open across the abdomen.
Crudely stitched with black thread.
Poorly.
Barely holding together.
Flesh parted.
Even the intestines were faintly visible.
The bleeding had been stopped—for now.
But only just.
Kagami was barely breathing.
More out than in.
If he wasn't treated immediately—
He would die.
Inabi swallowed hard.
The image of Ren's earlier smile flashed through his mind.
Strange.
Unfamiliar.
As if he were seeing him for the first time.
From now on…
Better keep quiet around the captain.
One careless word—
And he might end up the same.
A chill ran down his spine.
Carefully—very carefully—he lifted Kagami, afraid that any extra force would tear the wound open again. Then he rushed off toward the clan's medical unit.
The remaining Uchiha stood frozen.
Their eyes shifted between Kagami's near-death state—
And Ren's smiling face.
Fear.
Awe.
Both twisted together in their gazes.
They wanted to leave.
But no one dared move without permission.
"Tekka," Ren said lightly, "send word to the clan head—and the elders."
"I'm calling for a clan assembly."
"All Uchiha shinobi will attend."
He paused.
Then smiled.
"The Hokage is dead. A new opportunity has come for the Uchiha."
"Maybe this time…"
"We'll produce a Hokage of our own."
His tone shifted.
Sharper.
"I think the current clan head… might not be capable of seizing that opportunity."
"So—why not replace him with someone who can?"
A beat.
"I will lead the Uchiha into a new era."
"An era where Konoha belongs to us."
Silence.
Then—
Shock rippled through the crowd.
They understood immediately.
Uchiha Ren—
Intended to overthrow Uchiha Raizen.
And become the new clan head.
This—
Was not the man they knew.
Too unfamiliar.
Too different.
The gentle, approachable captain—
Gone.
In his place stood someone decisive.
Dominant.
Ambitious.
A true hawk.
"Uchiha Ren-sama! I support you!"
A voice rang out.
Passionate.
Fanatical.
Ren glanced over.
Uchiha Yota.
They had fought in the same war, though not in the same squad.
He remembered him.
On the battlefield—
Ren had charged alone into enemy ranks.
Lightning flashing.
Blade dancing.
Where he passed—
Blood and steel intertwined.
Enemies fell like grass.
From that moment—
Yota had begun to idolize him.
To him—
That was what an Uchiha should be.
Strong.
Unstoppable.
Back then, Ren had shown no ambition—only loyalty to Konoha.
It had felt like a waste.
But now—
Now everything was different.
"Damn Uchiha Raizen," Yota shouted. "He doesn't have the guts to become Hokage!"
In his eyes, Raizen's cautious balance between clan and village—
Was weakness.
Ren watched him, inwardly approving.
This one—
Had potential.
Back when Tobirama was alive—
Caution was necessary.
Now that he was gone—
It was time to be ruthless.
To be a hawk.
"Captain! I support you too!"
Tekka stepped forward immediately.
He was one of Ren's most loyal followers.
Ren had once saved his brother's life.
That alone—
Was enough.
Tekka's mind raced.
Ren had obtained news of Tobirama's death before anyone else.
Acted faster than anyone.
Even bypassed the clan head's authority.
That alone—
Spoke volumes.
The more he thought about it—
The stranger it felt.
Had the captain always been like this?
Was everything before…
An act?
A mask worn since childhood?
The thought made him inhale sharply.
Impossible.
And yet—
His instincts told him—
This version of Ren…
Was the real one.
"Captain! I support you too!"
Another stepped forward.
Then another.
Voices began to rise.
Once a few took the lead—
The rest followed.
That was human nature.
Even for the Uchiha.
And besides—
Ren becoming clan head…
Wasn't unacceptable.
Strength.
Merit.
Presence.
He had all three.
And now—
The tide had begun to turn.
Irreversibly.
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