At the perimeter of Konoha, the Uchiha Military Police Force Headquarters.
Fugaku Uchiha was meticulously donning his dark red armor. This set, modified from the style of Madara Uchiha, bore the striking emblem of Konoha on its plates—a symbol of the bond between the clan and the village.
"Chief! The clansmen of the three divisions have assembled!" Yashiro Uchiha, wearing his Jonin flak jacket, squinted as he approached Fugaku to report.
"Let's go." Fugaku strapped his katana to his waist and strode out of the headquarters.
In the open space outside the gates, over thirty members of the Military Police were gathered. Some wore traditional Uchiha attire, while others wore the standard Konoha Jonin vests.
Three divisions, nine squads, totaling thirty-six ninjas. The lowest among them were Chunin with two-tomoe Sharingan; every squad leader was at least a Special Jonin, and division commanders like Yashiro and Tekka possessed the strength of elite Jonin.
Including Fugaku, this group concentrated five Special Jonin and five Jonin. In any small nation, this was a force capable of total subjugation! Even among the Five Great Hidden Villages, it was rare to deploy five Jonin for a single mission during peacetime.
And that was without mentioning the presence of Shisui Uchiha—a man who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
As Fugaku emerged, Shisui raised his head from the crowd. His expression was solemn as his lone eye met Fugaku's armored gaze.
Since his reconnaissance of the Land of Bears and the Star Village—where he had been defeated and stripped of an eye by a mysterious girl calling herself "Nameless"—Shisui had worn an eyepatch over his left socket.
Yet, even with only one eye, Shisui's combat prowess easily crushed the three-tomoe Sharingan of his peers, earning their deep respect. In the entire Uchiha clan, only Fugaku, also a Mangekyo wielder, stood definitively above the handicapped Shisui.
"The tasks have been assigned!" Fugaku stood before his kin, speaking with a resonant, stirring voice. "The enemy may infiltrate the village from any corner at any moment! As members of the Military Police, we Uchiha shall swear to protect the village's safety to the death!"
"But the enemy is no ordinary powerhouse! If you spot him, if you engage him—do not hesitate! Fire the signal flares immediately!"
Fugaku couldn't explain the full details of what Shura had done in Konoha and the Cloud Village to the rank-and-file, so he could only use this method to warn them: Do not be arrogant; do not underestimate the enemy.
"Deploy!" With a grand wave of Fugaku's hand, the Uchiha ninjas vanished in flickers of Body Flicker Technique, following their captains to their designated patrol routes.
Fugaku remained at the headquarters with a few select ninjas, ready to provide immediate support the moment a flare hit the sky. He kept Shisui by his side.
Fugaku had known Shisui's eyes had evolved into the Mangekyo since the boy's retreat from the Land of Bears. Despite the loss of an eye, Shisui was Fugaku's most valued asset. Had Shisui not been so humble and indifferent to rank, Fugaku might have already promoted him to Vice-Chief of the Police Force.
In a critical moment like this, Fugaku wanted Shisui close. He was confident: with the two of them and their combined three Mangekyo Sharingan, they could hold their own even if the enemy were Madara Uchiha himself.
Standing on the steps of the headquarters, Fugaku watched the full moon. His armor glinted coldly in the pale light.
He suddenly turned to Shisui. "I've seen Shura's advance notice. The target is the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan."
Shisui turned his head, his three-tomoe Sharingan reflecting a flicker of confusion.
"Based on Shura's previous ability to come and go as he pleased, he either knows Konoha's sensory barrier and internal layout like the back of his hand, or he possesses a long-distance teleportation jutsu. Therefore, the priority should be the Hyuga compound," Fugaku shared his deduction.
Shisui frowned slightly. "Then why did you scatter the clansmen on patrol throughout the outskirts?"
Fugaku crossed his arms, the metal plates on his bracers clinking softly.
"Because those are the Hokage's orders," Fugaku said deeply. "The Uchiha must be seen contributing to the village."
His words carried both loyalty to Konoha and a hidden, bitter helplessness.
'Contributing to the village?' Shisui could feel the Clan Head's complex emotions, but he also felt the rising tide of dissatisfaction within the clan. The Uchiha were currently a powder keg; one wrong spark from the outside world could set them off.
As Shisui pondered the internal strife, Fugaku suddenly shifted the topic. "How much do you know about the Kaguya clan of the Hidden Mist?"
"The Kaguya?" Shisui blinked, wondering why Fugaku was changing subjects. After a moment, he replied, "A mad clan. Their combat strength is immense. I clashed with them during the last war. Even with my three-tomoe Sharingan active, I had several narrow escapes."
Listening to Shisui's assessment, Fugaku said flatly: "The Kaguya are extinct."
Shisui's lone eye widened, his three-tomoe spinning slightly in shock.
The Kaguya's status in the Mist was akin to the Uchiha's in Konoha—the premier combat clan of the village. Their prowess was legendary, being one of the few lineages capable of rivaling an Uchiha in a one-on-one fight. To hear that such a massive clan had been wiped out was staggering.
"Though the Mist is under a 'bloody mist' lockdown, news of a major clan's extinction still leaks out," Fugaku continued grimly. "They attempted to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. The Mizukage mobilized every ninja in the village to extinguish them."
Every word hit Shisui like a hammer. He understood exactly what Fugaku was implying.
If the Kaguya's rebellion was snuffed out so decisively, what would happen if the Uchiha radicals took control and led the clan toward open revolt?
"So, Shisui," Fugaku turned to look at the youth who, despite losing an eye, still maintained a spark of hope. "I hope you can become the bridge—the link between the Uchiha and the village."
"A bridge..." Shisui realized that the Third Hokage had once expressed a similar expectation of him.
Fugaku nodded. "And another thing. I have proposed to the Sandaime that Itachi be inducted into the ANBU. He will serve as a direct operative for the village."
In Fugaku's mind, Itachi and Shisui were close friends and the two most level-headed members of the clan. Unlike the firebrands who shouted for revolution, this new generation of Uchiha might be able to mend the fractured relationship with the village.
He would do anything to ensure they didn't end up like the Kaguya.