At the edge of a cliff by the Nanakawa River.
Chinya was telling Itachi Uchiha about the history of the Uchiha Clan—how your grandfather, Uchiha Masaki, realized the clan's situation was extremely dangerous.
Itachi couldn't understand why Chinya was telling him all this, but Chinya continued speaking regardless. "After the Second Great Ninja War, the Uchiha Clan's reputation in Konoha reached its peak. But at that peak, the Uchiha became arrogant and completely full of themselves.
The Konoha Military Police Force became the Uchiha Clan's personal tool for wielding power—acting however they pleased. Everyone in the village was furious over the Uchiha's arrogance and recklessness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, having trained under Tobirama Senju, naturally remained wary of the Uchiha Clan. And Danzo Shimura, serving as the Hokage's advisor, viewed the Uchiha Clan as a festering problem he wanted gone from Konoha for good.
Konoha's leadership had long been seeking a chance to rein in the Uchiha Clan, and those plans were already in motion. The Uchiha Clan's leader at the time, Uchiha Masaki, realized their position was extremely dangerous.
The Uchiha had grown too confident. Their power had peaked, yet they were completely isolated by Konoha. If things kept going like this, the Uchiha would face total destruction.
Back then, the Uchiha Clan was like an old, dying man experiencing one last burst of vitality before death.
Although Uchiha Masaki recognized this reality, he lacked the courage to make real changes. Plus, the Third Great Ninja War presented itself as an opportunity—one Hiruzen and others intended to use to permanently suppress the Uchiha.
Hiruzen and his allies had already begun plotting how to crush the Uchiha during the Third War. But during the war, they needed the Uchiha's strength and relied on their ninja to do the fighting. That's why they needed a scapegoat—an individual who hated the Uchiha fiercely, someone who could relentlessly target them without dragging Hiruzen and his allies into it. This person would take all the blame and hatred the Uchiha earned during the war, leaving Hiruzen and his allies untouched.
Can you guess who that scapegoat was?"
Itachi stared heavily at Chinya, opening his mouth with some difficulty, saying, "You…"
Chinya grinned and said, "Right! It was me! I was the agent chosen by Hiruzen and the others. My parents were driven out by the Uchiha and became rogue ninjas. When I returned to Konoha, the Uchiha shamelessly bullied me. Because I had half-Uchiha blood, everyone in the village took out their anger toward the Uchiha on me.
I was the perfect candidate because I couldn't wait to see every last Uchiha wiped off the face of the earth!"
"Although Chinya wore a smile, he radiated a chilling aura brimming with malice and killing intent, making Itachi Uchiha involuntarily tense up.
But just as quickly as it appeared, that murderous aura vanished. Chinya regained his calm composure and continued, 'After I became that agent, I went all-out against the Uchiha. On the battlefield, everyone knew one thing: if an Uchiha ninja fell into my hands, they wouldn't live to regret it.
I stood completely opposed to the Uchiha Clan, and they wanted me dead more than anything—but they couldn't do it.
After the conclusion of The Third Great Ninja War, the Uchiha Clan inevitably found itself crushed under Hiruzen Sarutobi's faction, who now firmly held control of the situation.
Your father, Fugaku Uchiha, had big dreams—he hitched the whole Uchiha Clan's fate to Minato Namikaze. If Minato were still Hokage today, maybe the Uchiha could've revived their former glory and avoided this mess.
Unfortunately for them, luck wasn't on their side.'"
Itachi Uchiha listened with a furrowed brow.
Unable to hold back any longer, he asked, "Lord Chinya, why are you telling me all this?"
Chinya stared straight into Itachi Uchiha's eyes and asked, "The Uchiha are planning a coup. Do you really think you and Shisui Uchiha alone can stop it?
That guy Shisui Uchiha is too naive—naively stupid, even. Thinking he can change the Uchiha's position in Konoha is pure fantasy. Right now, peaceful coexistence between the Uchiha and Konoha is absolutely impossible.
In fact, since Konoha's founding, the Uchiha have always clashed with it. This conflict was destined to explode eventually, and the day of final confrontation is close.
In my opinion, there's only one way to resolve this mess. Want to hear it?"
After a brief silence, Itachi asked, "What way?"
A mocking smile curled at Chinya's lips as he answered, "The only solution is for the Uchiha to kneel and serve Konoha like obedient dogs—reduced to puppets, completely at Konoha's mercy, before they'll ever feel safe about the Uchiha.
But you know our people's nature. Submitting to such humiliation is utterly impossible. And not only does Konoha's top leadership see the Uchiha as enemies—other ninja clans within Konoha share that hatred. Even if the Uchiha successfully staged a coup, others would rise against them anyway.
Therefore, the only solution I see can never be realized. Only when either the Uchiha or Konoha is completely wiped out will this conflict truly end."
Itachi Uchiha's face paled slightly. Based on Chinya's analysis, the contradiction between the Uchiha and Konoha seemed irreconcilable—one side had to destroy the other.
Suddenly sighing almost sadly, Chinya remarked, "Still, Itachi Uchiha, don't you think the Uchiha Clan seems pitiful?"
Itachi Uchiha stared at Chinya in confusion—how could someone who saw the Uchiha Clan as enemies possibly feel sympathy for them?
Chinya shook his head regretfully. "As one of the founding ninja clans of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan was never truly trusted right from the start. In fact, this outcome was entirely predictable—the fate of the Uchiha in Konoha was doomed from the beginning.
So… Itachi Uchiha, you can choose to trust Shisui Uchiha and see whether he can truly succeed. If Shisui fails, then the burden of choice will fall upon you."
A dark shadow crossed Itachi's face. If Shisui failed, no matter what decision he made, it would bring him unbearable pain.
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