Chapter 242: Fugaku’s Ambition! Success Means Revolution!
The next day.
The night in the Star Capital was serene and profound, with the top-floor office in the Administration Building brightly lit.
Uchiha Hikari presented a detailed action plan list to Menma.
“Lord, the preliminary action personnel list and plan have been drafted. Please review them.” Hikari’s voice was clear and cold, echoing in the quiet room.
Even though the two had a close relationship, she still used his title during work.
Menma took the scroll, his gaze scanning the familiar names and precise deployments on it.
First Squad, to rendezvous with Uchiha Clan survivors, personally led by Hikari.
Members included: Uchiha Shisui（Mangekyo Sharingan）, Miyashiro En（Blood Dragon Eye）, Gōta（Smoke Mist Bloodline）, Kimimaro Kaguya（Corpse Bone Pulse）, Mizuki Haku（Ice Release）, Yukimi（Smoke Mist Bloodline）.
Seven people in total, all possessing Bloodline Limits, with the weakest steadily at the Special Jonin level.
This was an absolutely sharp dagger, enough to tear through any defense.
Second Squad, to rendezvous with Hyuga Branch Family, led by Uzumaki Kushina.
Members included: Natsuhi, Hotaru, Oyakushiro Chino, Shita Junhito, Murahashi Hazuki, and four other experienced Special Jonin, totaling nine people.
This team was generally equipped with Chakra Powered Armor, balancing infiltration, guarding, and some strong assault capabilities, sufficient to handle various situations that might arise during the rendezvous.
Third Squad, to create chaos and intercept, fully commanded by Anbu Commander Kisame Hoshigaki.
All members from Anbu, nine Anbu members, including even Bloodline Limit users like Miyoshi Jin and promising newcomers like Ida Tasuke with solid strength.
They were proficient in destruction, assassination, disguise, and interception, the best choices for creating panic and delaying enemy elites.
In the action plan, Hikari proposed a key modification.
She pointed to a hidden marking on the map at the Border of the Land of Fire: “Considering the Flying Thunder God Technique for long-distance teleportation of large numbers of personnel, especially including many Uchiha and Hyuga women and children, the chakra consumption is enormous, and the spatial shock might have unpredictable effects on them. I suggest activating this backup passage.”
Menma’s gaze fell on that marking.
It was the secret exit left at the Border of the Land of Fire by the passage connecting to the Moon.
After connecting the main passage to the Star Capital back then, this initial entrance was not completely destroyed; it was merely sealed with powerful seals by the Sealing Squad led by Kushina and temporarily concealed.
“We can quietly unseal it in advance.” Hikari continued to explain.
“Before the action begins, the three squads enter through the main entrance of the Moon passage in the Star Capital and quickly arrive at the Border of the Land of Fire exit. From there, they advance to lurk on the outskirts of the Konoha Village Protection Barrier. Once the action signal is given, we can forcibly break through the barrier from the outside, allowing the fastest intervention on the battlefield, and the commotion from breaking the barrier itself can effectively create chaos and divert Konoha’s attention.”
Menma’s fingers lightly tapped on the desk, pondering for a moment before slowly nodding: “The plan is meticulous, and the personnel allocation is reasonable. Proceed with frontline preparations and drills according to this scheme.”
He raised his head, looking toward Minato and Kushina beside him: “Father, Mother, at that time, you will join the team, but unless absolutely necessary, no need to act directly. Your task is… to witness with your own eyes, and when necessary, ensure the safety of some key figures.”
Minato nodded solemnly, his gray eyes carrying a trace of pain.
Kushina clenched her fists tightly, her red hair seemingly fluttering slightly from anger, but she restrained herself and nodded heavily: “I understand. We will hold back.”
“As for Shisui…” Menma stood up: “I will notify him personally.”
The night grew deeper. Uchiha Shisui sat alone on the corridor of his family courtyard, gazing at the sparse stars in the sky, his brows furrowed, his mind heavy with worries.
Suddenly, the space behind him rippled extremely subtly, like a water drop falling into a calm lake.
Shisui’s body tensed instantly, his right hand instinctively gripping the hilt, three-tomoe activating abruptly in the darkness!
“Don’t be tense, it’s me.”
A figure appeared silently in the center of the courtyard, as if he had always been there.
The black miko robe, white three-eyed fox mask, exuding a mysterious and majestic aura under the cold moonlight.
Shisui’s tensed body slowly relaxed: “Lord Shura? Visiting late at night, what guidance do you have?”
Menma slowly raised his hand, a fingertip holding a special black letter, the surface bearing no text, just an exquisitely made invitation with the red pentagram emblem of the Land of Stars.
“This is the invitation.” A calm, unwavering voice came from under the mask: “The ‘Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall’ theater prepared by Konoha High-Level Officials for your clansmen sharing the same blood is about to open. Don’t forget to attend on time.”
The black letter floated lightly toward Shisui, landing precisely in his hand.
It felt icy to the touch, yet seemed to carry a scorching heat.
Shisui’s fingers trembled slightly, his mind uncontrollably replaying the bloody, despairing, and realistic future fragments that Shura had shown him through illusion technique.
Clansmen falling in pools of blood, familiar streets swallowed by flames, and the expressionless executor wielding a sharp blade… was actually Itachi Uchiha!
Could it be… that everything was really going to become reality?
Itachi, he… really would…
Immense grief and incredulous emotions assaulted Shisui’s heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He gripped the invitation tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
After a long time, he suddenly raised his head, his scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan emitting a bewitching glow in the night, his voice hoarse from extreme suppression: “If… if Konoha truly raises the butcher’s knife against the Uchiha… if Itachi really…”
He paused, as if using all his strength, before continuing: “…then I will hesitate no longer. I will lead all clansmen willing to live and leave that rotten prison!”
Under the mask, Menma’s mouth seemed to twitch slightly.
He said nothing more, merely nodding slightly. The next moment, his figure blended into the night and quietly dissipated, as if he had never appeared.
Only Shisui remained standing alone in the courtyard, tightly clutching that black invitation symbolizing despair and choice, silent for a long time.
A few nights later, in the Uchiha Compound of Konoha, Naka Shrine.
The atmosphere was heavier and more oppressive than any previous clan meeting.
Inside the massive shrine, candlelight flickered, illuminating faces filled with anger, unwillingness, and resolve.
Almost everyone who could enter here had awakened three-tomoe Sharingan, even Uchiha Mikoto, who had long retired to manage the household, was among the crowd, her face bearing deep worry.
Itachi Uchiha hid in the shadows of a big tree on the outskirts of the shrine, wearing an Anbu mask, coldly observing familiar clansmen entering the shrine one by one.
His heart was torn, one side the family’s bloodline and bonds, the other the village’s commands and so-called “greater good.”
After the clan meeting ended and the clansmen left, with the shrine doors tightly closed, Itachi signaled to the other Anbu members behind him and said in a low voice: “Continue strict surveillance here, record all entrants and exits. I will report the situation to Hokage-sama and Lord Danzō.”
“Yes!” The Anbu members responded softly.
Itachi’s figure vanished instantly.
But he did not head to the Hokage Building; instead, he took a long detour, using his familiarity with the compound’s alert setups, leaping a few times to silently infiltrate the shrine interior and skillfully found the entrance to the underground secret room.
Pushing open the heavy stone door, the secret room was dimly lit, illuminated only by a few torches.
Uchiha Fugaku stood with his back to the entrance, quietly before that ancient stone tablet, as if in contemplation or waiting for something.
“You’ve come, Itachi.” Fugaku did not turn, his voice low and calm, as if he had long anticipated his son’s arrival.
Itachi slowly entered the secret room and closed the stone door.
Looking at his father’s back, his gaze complex: “Father.”
Fugaku slowly turned around, his gaze not falling on Itachi but still on the stone tablet: “This stone tablet has been passed down from the Sage of Six Paths era, recording the Uchiha’s origins and… true power. Ordinary Sharingan can only see the most superficial part.”
He finally turned his gaze to Itachi, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in the dim light: “But those with higher eye power can see more. For example… you, who has awakened Mangekyo Sharingan, should have seen deeper contents already, right?”
Itachi’s pupils contracted slightly, not denying it, just saying gravely: “Does Father need me to tell you what is recorded above?”
“No need.” Fugaku shook his head lightly. Then, the three-tomoe pattern in his eyes suddenly changed!
Complex patterns quickly connected and deformed into Mangekyo Sharingan!
“Father! You…” Shock appeared on Itachi’s face for the first time. Could this be the confidence behind his father’s daring to plot rebellion?
Fugaku looked at his son’s shocked expression and explained flatly: “These eyes were awakened on the battlefield of the Third Great Ninja War, witnessing a close friend sacrifice to protect me, amid ultimate grief and blood.”
A trace of reminiscence and pain flashed in his eyes, but it quickly faded.
He turned back to the stone tablet: “However, even these eyes can only glimpse the tip of the iceberg of the stone tablet’s secrets. I speculate that the path of the Sharingan can go even further…”
“Like… Uchiha Hikari?” Itachi interjected instinctively.
Currently in the entire ninja world, the strongest Uchiha surpassing him and his father, as well as the missing Shisui, was that one from the Land of Stars.
Thus, both Fugaku and Itachi guessed that Uchiha Hikari’s Mangekyo Sharingan likely exceeded the limits of ordinary Mangekyo.
Fugaku nodded slowly: “Perhaps. Though unable to see the later contents, Itachi, with your wisdom, you should have long seen the desperate situation facing the Uchiha Clan today.”
“But that cannot be a reason to launch a rebellion!” Itachi’s tone grew agitated: “Once war starts, it will only drag the clansmen and village into the abyss!”
“But Konoha High-Level Officials have never stopped their fear and persecution of us!” Fugaku’s voice rose slightly, carrying long-suppressed anger.
“They keep compressing our living space, scrutinizing every Uchiha with suspicion and isolation!”
“That’s because of the Nine-Tails Attack!” Itachi retorted: “Many saw the Sharingan pattern in the Nine-Tails’ eyes! The high-level officials worry the Uchiha will manipulate the Tails again and destroy the village!”
Fugaku turned around, staring intently at his son: “In Uchiha history as I know it, the only one able to manipulate the Nine-Tails is the legendary Uchiha Madara! After him, no second person could! Even if Uchiha Hikari now possesses that power, what about eight years ago?”
Fugaku recalled that visit from Uchiha Hikari and Shura; Hikari looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, how old was she eight years ago?
“For a baseless suspicion, they want to push the entire Uchiha Clan to ruin?”
His tone was filled with helplessness and sorrow: “Since the path of peaceful coexistence is completely blocked, then for the clan’s survival, replacing those prejudiced rulers might be the only choice.”
Itachi’s Mangekyo Sharingan stared fixedly at his father: “So… Father plans to use this Mangekyo Sharingan power to overthrow the high-level officials by force and become Hokage himself?”
“This is… the common wish of most in the clan.” Fugaku’s voice sank, carrying a trace of imperceptible fatigue: “As clan head, I cannot go against this surging public will. But I… have never truly wanted to resolve it through force.”
He pointed to his eyes: “Precisely because I have these eyes that might manipulate the Nine-Tails, I must conceal their existence.”
“Why?” Itachi was puzzled.
“Because if the clansmen learn I possess Mangekyo power, what would the most radical ones do?” A fierce glint flashed in Fugaku’s eyes: “They would force me, use even more extreme means to achieve their goals! That would only drag the family and village into irredeemable abyss!”
Before his words finished, Fugaku’s Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly targeted Itachi!
Itachi felt the scene before him change abruptly, his consciousness instantly pulled into an incredibly realistic illusion world!
He seemed to be in Konoha amid a sea of fire, cries of battle shaking the heavens.
He saw frenzied Uchiha clansmen kidnapping the young Naruto, roughly pushing him before Fugaku, countless bloodshot eyes staring at Fugaku, roaring.
“Clan Head! Use your power! Release the Nine-Tails! Let them see the Uchiha’s rage!”
“Konoha gives us no way to live! We’ll destroy it!”
“Use the Nine-Tails! Tear them apart!”
Amid the chaos and extreme emotions, Fugaku was forced to use his Mangekyo power on the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
The massive Nine-Tails Fox Demon roared into appearance, blood-red Sharingan marks clear in its eyes!
The Nine-Tails rampaged! Beginning to wildly destroy the village!
Massive claws slammed down, buildings shattering like toys! Tailed Beast Bomb beams swept, leveling prosperous streets!
Countless Konoha ninja resisted in terror, but flesh and blood were like ants before the Tails’ power!
Screams, explosions, collapsing buildings weaving into a hellish symphony!
Konoha ninja charged at the Nine-Tails one after another, suffering heavy casualties…
The Uchiha Compound also engulfed in fire, elders, children, women crying in despair…
Ultimately, the entire Konohagakure turned to ruins, the Uchiha Clan nearly wiped out…
“Urgh!” The illusion ended. In reality, Itachi Uchiha’s knees buckled, kneeling heavily on the ground, forehead drenched in cold sweat, gasping heavily, eyes filled with horror and disbelief.
That scene was too real, too tragic!
“Did you see clearly, Itachi?” Fugaku’s voice carried fatigue and a trace of relief, his Mangekyo slowly fading: “This is one of… the most despairing futures I foresaw. Mangekyo brings not just power, but heavy shackles…”
Looking at his nearly exhausted son, his voice suddenly grew heavy with entrustment: “But, Itachi… if your power joins, if you are willing to help me…”
Itachi suddenly raised his head.
Fugaku’s gaze was filled with the complex emotions of a father and clan head: “With your strength, if we coordinate from inside and out, launch a lightning assault, seize the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and those two advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado!”
“As long as we control Konoha’s highest decision-making layer and paralyze their command system! Even if some small-scale battles and conflicts erupt, once the core objectives are achieved, the entire coup can be completed at the minimal cost!”
“Then, we Uchiha will regain control of the village’s discourse, gaining the status and respect we deserve! Konoha need not suffer war! This is the best ending!”
“Coup… no, success means revolution! A bloodless revolution!” Having resolved to rebel, Fugaku had prepared for the worst.
“Bloodless… revolution…” Itachi murmured the words, his heart surging with waves.
One side the hellish scene from the illusion, the other the seemingly feasible bloodless path his father described…
Fugaku stepped forward, placing a hand on Itachi’s shoulder, his tone unprecedentedly heavy, even pleading: “Itachi, you are my son, and the Uchiha’s once-in-a-century genius. For the Uchiha Clan’s future… I beg you!”
In the secret room, only the crackling of burning torches remained, along with Itachi’s pounding heartbeat.
A choice as heavy as mountains weighed on Itachi Uchiha’s shoulders.
