Chapter 132 – Change of Mind
Uchiha Sihu unsealed the envelope and scanned its contents.
The elder's aged face quickly lit up, his stern features breaking into a rare expression of unrestrained joy.
"Hahaha!" he burst into hearty laughter. Then, remembering himself, he leaned forward urgently.
"Assistant! There's no time to lose. We must dispatch our people immediately. Have them prepare supplies and set off at once!"
Sihu had never once doubted the decisions of his clan head. Ever since Uchiha Fugaku had left the village, he carried absolute faith that Fugaku would crush the Cloud invasion. What he hadn't expected was that the enemy had truly been led by the Fourth Raikage himself—making the victory all the more astonishing.
Now, with Fugaku's plan to counterattack Kumogakure in motion, Sihu's first thought was logistics: storage scrolls, supplies, men. The Hokage must not be made to wait on such trivial matters.
Watching the elder's eager expression, Nara Shikaku sighed inwardly. Compared to Sihu's unshakable faith, he himself still wavered. So this is what absolute trust looks like…
"Very well," Shikaku said solemnly. "We'll proceed at once. But listen—I don't recommend mobilizing every Jōnin. We still need a core force in the village to guard against Jiraiya… and especially Orochimaru. However, we can muster all the available Chūnin to depart immediately."
He turned to Yamanaka Jōichirō.
"What's the latest from the other villages?"
Jōichirō straightened. "As of eleven o'clock tonight, Iwagakure and Sunagakure remain quiet. No unusual movement. No reports yet from the scouts near Kirigakure."
Sihu narrowed his eyes. "Assistant… are you suggesting—?"
Shikaku's gaze sharpened.
"Hokage-sama's campaign is going smoothly. That gives us room to act here. We've been holding back because of uncertainty, but the truth is this: keeping Jōnin tied down just to monitor Orochimaru isn't a long-term plan. That snake is too unstable—a ticking time bomb that could detonate at any moment. He must be removed."
Sihu gave a grim nod. "So that's your intent."
Shikaku continued.
"I trust Jiraiya, but Orochimaru… His crimes are long-standing. When the Third Hokage still lived, he was already abducting villagers for his experiments. Now, unbound and free, his threat is greater than ever. If the other Great Villages are quiet, then this is the moment to act."
"Agreed," Sihu said heavily. "Hokage-sama's offensive against the Cloud will shake the entire shinobi world. Before that, we must clear away the vermin within. The longer Orochimaru lingers, the more dangerous he becomes."
Shikaku nodded. "Then here's the plan. We split into two groups. Elder Sihu—you return to the Uchiha compound, rally your clan's strength, and take the First and Second ANBU units straight to Pansi Cave. I'll coordinate with the remaining Jōnin and have them reinforce you there."
"Understood." Sihu's lips curved in satisfaction. At last, the Uchiha could act openly. He rose at once, bowing lightly before striding out of the office.
For years, he had endured Orochimaru's arrogance—even his disrespect toward the clan head himself. If not for the delicate balance of power, he would have long since marched the Uchiha's thirty Jōnin to strike the Sannin down.
Thirty pairs of fully matured Sharingan. Who could stand against such might?
Not even the legendary Sannin could take them head-on. Not even the Third Hokage himself.
Now that Shikaku had given the order, he would not hesitate.
After Sihu departed, Shikaku summoned what forces remained. Fugaku had already taken over sixty Jōnin to the front lines, leaving Konoha dangerously thin. Yet, with the major clans contributing and the Uchiha alone fielding thirty, they could still muster nearly a hundred elite shinobi.
A hundred Jōnin.
Even Orochimaru could not stand against that.
Still, Shikaku's mind turned grim. What about Jiraiya?
He had no illusions about the bond between the two Sannin. When pressed before, Jiraiya had outright refused to surrender Orochimaru. If he intervened again, Konoha might face not one Sannin… but two.
Shikaku exhaled slowly, then tightened the straps of his flak jacket. The night was still, the streets of Konoha deceptively calm. But he knew—before dawn broke, blood would be spilled.
Tonight, the village would not know peace.
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Meanwhile, at the Uchiha compound, the clan had already taken measures.
Because they lacked barrier specialists, the compound itself had no specialized defenses. In theory, infiltration would have been simple. But positioned in Konoha's very heart and protected by the Military Police Force, no outsider would dare approach lightly.
For years, the Uchiha name alone had been enough to deter thieves. Arrested by their police, few ever escaped punishment. Resentment brewed among the villagers, but so too did fear.
Now, around the clan head's residence, the once-quiet streets were filled with tents. Families unable to squeeze into homes clustered along the main roads, waiting under the watch of patrols.
After careful discussion, Uchiha Mikoto, together with elders Sihu and Masato, had decided to draw the clan closer to Fugaku's estate. Only there, under the Hokage's shadow, could they weather the uncertain days to come.
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