Almost at the same time Uchiha Rokuro was clashing with Root, Uchiha Fugaku quietly arrived at the home of the Dove-Faction Second Elder.
The Second Elder was surprised but still led him into a secret room for a private conversation. Yet the very first thing Fugaku said nearly scared him out of his wits.
"Second Elder, the Uchiha Clan is on the verge of life or death. We must shoulder the responsibility of those in power—we cannot allow the First Elder to continue his reckless madness!"
"Clan Head, what do you mean? Did you hear something again? What outrageous thing has the First Elder done this time?"
Fugaku sighed.
"Haven't you noticed? Not a single Root ninja has appeared in the village recently. Even though they rarely acted openly, you'd still see one or two occasionally. These past days I sent people to investigate, and not a single Root ninja could be found."
The Second Elder frowned in confusion.
"Clan Head, why are you watching Root? Shimura Danzō isn't someone easy to deal with."
Fugaku glared at him, staring until the Second Elder's heart tightened.
"Second Elder… at this point you still want to play dumb? Don't tell me you didn't see that the Hyūga Byakugan 'recovery' operation was clearly aimed at Uchiha Rokuro."
The Second Elder sighed.
"And so what if I know? Can we stop it? Didn't you agree to the operation as well? That means you also gave up on Uchiha Rokuro—so why ask me now?"
"Second Elder… do you actually think Uchiha Rokuro will sit quietly and wait to be captured?"
The Second Elder froze, an uneasy hesitation spreading across his face.
"Clan Head… you mean…?"
"Root must have gone to assassinate him—possibly even with outside help. When they clash, there will absolutely be a bloodbath. With Danzō's abilities, and with full preparation, an ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan cannot withstand him! Unless it is something like Uchiha Madara's Eternal Mangekyō… but that's impossible."
These secrets were known only among the Uchiha—Second Elder included.
"You're right. We experimented before, and every attempt failed. The only success was Uchiha Madara back then. But Uchiha Rokuro is an only child. His father died on the battlefield before he could have a second child. There is no way Rokuro's eyes are Eternal Mangekyō."
Fugaku nodded.
"Meaning—Uchiha Rokuro will lose. Even if Uchiha Izumi is added, it's the same. But before they die, they'll slaughter many Root ninjas… they may even injure Danzō. And you know how vindictive Danzō is. Once he returns, do you think he'll spare the Uchiha?"
The Second Elder's face changed, but he still forced himself to argue:
"So what? He wouldn't dare wipe out the Uchiha!"
"He wouldn't before. But now? Who knows? Don't you think it's strange that our clan suddenly produced TWO Mangekyō?"
The Second Elder's expression completely collapsed. A terrifying possibility surfaced.
"Clan Head… you mean Uchiha Rokuro holds the secret to awakening the Mangekyō? That… that's actually possible. Since he created ninja tools that can awaken Sharingan in children, then tools that awaken Mangekyō aren't impossible. If that's true…"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became—until he looked up and saw Fugaku's face dark as ink, without even a hint of joy.
"Clan Head… you think this is a disaster? You DON'T want more Uchiha to awaken Mangekyō?"
"Of course I do! But everything was ruined by Uchiha Rokuro! If he had handed the tools to me, I could have secretly trained a whole generation of elites. By the time the Hokage discovered it, it would be too late."
"But instead… he summoned Susanoo in the middle of the village. Everything is exposed. What we can think of, the Hokage can think of too. With his prejudice against us, do you think he'll give us time to mass-produce Mangekyō users?"
At last the Second Elder understood, and fear crept up his spine.
If things unfolded the way Fugaku described, then once Danzō returned, he would slaughter the entire Uchiha.
"That trouble-maker Rokuro ruined our grand plan! Clan Head, what do you intend to do?"
Fugaku exhaled deeply, sorrow flashing through his expression—then killing intent filled his eyes.
"At this point, we must proactively show goodwill to the Hokage… and hand over the core technology."
The Second Elder's face turned ugly—because that meant the Uchiha would forever lose their chance of rising again.
"If that's the only option… but Clan Head, what if the technique to awaken Mangekyō is already in the First Elder's hands? Are we to move against him? That'll start a civil war. The Third Elder is already tied to him. With just our people, we may not win."
"Of course we can't fight them head-on. But we MUST obtain the awakening method. So we'll target Uchiha Ashikaga instead—Uchiha Rokuro's mother. She must know the technique. If we hand her to the Hokage, he'll understand our sincerity."
The Second Elder wanted to say—even then, the Hokage wouldn't spare the First Elder's faction.
When that time came, would the Dove-Faction join the Hokage in suppressing them… or stand aside?
Seeing Fugaku's cold and gloomy eyes, he didn't ask. He already knew the answer.
"For the sake of the Uchiha… let us bear the infamy."
"Clan Head, if it's decided, we must act quickly. If we're late, we'll lose the initiative."
"Don't worry. I already sent four Uchiha jōnin to capture Uchiha Ashikaga. They should have her by now."
But Fugaku was wrong about one thing
Ashikaga had already prepared for this.
Her detection barrier in the courtyard was active.
The moment the four Uchiha jōnin entered, she sensed them. When they smashed through her window, she didn't hesitate—she activated the Flying Thunder God tool.
In the next moment, she appeared in a cave fifty kilometers outside Konoha—one of Rokuro's prepared shelters. Food, water, furniture—everything was there.
Ashikaga landed in the center of the cave, opened a bottle of purified water, and drank half in one go.
"To think they really dared target me… and Uchiha people at that. Heh… Fugaku, Fugaku… Rokuro wanted to spare you, give you some dignity. But if YOU don't want dignity—then die."
Ever since she learned Fugaku schemed against her son on the battlefield, Ashikaga had wanted him dead. Now that he sent assassins to capture her, her killing intent overflowed uncontrollably.
Time returns to the present.
When Rokuro returned to Konoha piloting his massive Gundam, the first thing he noticed was that Ashikaga was missing.
He and Uchiha Izumi looked at each other.
"Who do you think it was?"
"Hard to say. Could be Danzō. Could be Hiruzen…"
Rokuro smirked.
"Danzō already sent all Root elites after us. Not him. As for Hiruzen—he's grown cowardly with age. Without absolute certainty, he won't strike. So the odds are low."
"Then who else?"
Their sensory tools had synced with Konoha's barrier the moment they returned. If Ashikaga were in the village, they would sense her instantly.
She wasn't.
Rokuro turned his gaze toward the Uchiha district.
Uchiha Izumi inhaled sharply.
"Some people really want to die…"
"You go pick up my mom. She should be at the outer safehouse. I'll deal with everything here."
Rokuro dismissed Susanoo and walked toward the gathering crowd of Uchiha.
"Impossible! Danzō failed!"
The Third Hokage also saw the towering hundred-meter-tall Susanoo. Though he didn't know as much as the Uchiha about Susanoo, as Tobirama's student he knew enough.
He instantly realized Rokuro's strength had skyrocketed—and that Danzō had failed.
Likely dead.
Koharu and Homura rushed over soon after. Their faces turned ugly the moment they met Hiruzen.
"Danzō failed!"
Hiruzen said it without pretense.
"How? He took all Root elites, plus the Fourth Raikage and Six Path Tools. Even that couldn't kill those Uchiha brats?!"
Koharu cursed like a street thug. Homura stared at the distant Susanoo.
"That Susanoo is a hundred meters tall—like the Nine-Tails back then. It's over three times bigger than before he left the village… wait. Did Uchiha Rokuro hide his real strength?"
Sweat beaded on Koharu's forehead.
"He was baiting us?! Showing partial strength so we'd think he was killable—but the entire time he intended to execute Danzō?!"
All three of them, veterans of political maneuvering, instantly realized the trap.
"Homura, take people and raid Root Headquarters. Arrest everyone."
Homura froze—then realized Hiruzen was cutting ties.
Everything would be dumped on Danzō.
Having played politics for a lifetime, they understood instantly.
After they left, Hiruzen walked toward the window facing the Uchiha district—only to suddenly collapse to one knee.
His hand was trembling.
Elsewhere
In Rokuro's home, he sat on the sofa, a cold expression unlike anything he'd ever shown.
Even as a young boy, this silent pressure weighed heavily on the Uchiha visiting his house.
No one dared speak above a whisper.
Footsteps sounded outside—Hyūga Hizashi entered with several Hyūga.
Rokuro greeted them.
"Rokuro, the mission… didn't go smoothly?"
Rokuro simply handed him the recovered Byakugan.
Hizashi trembled with relief. The missing Byakugan had been his responsibility, a stain on his new position. Now that it was resolved, he could finally breathe.
"Captain Hizashi, the mission went well. But several major incidents happened afterward. We need to convene a clan meeting. We'll discuss the details another day."
Hizashi understood immediately and excused himself.
Once the Hyūga left, the pressure inside rose again.
Uchiha Izumi returned with Uchiha Ashikaga—still in full combat gear, forehead protector and all.
Several perceptive Uchiha paled instantly.
A knock.
Someone led Uchiha Shisui inside.
"Rokuro, you're back? The mission must've gone great! I just saw the Hyūga leaving—rumor is you recovered the Byakugan stolen by the Cloud ninja?"
Shisui, lacking the sense of atmosphere, hadn't noticed the oppressive tension.
Rokuro glared coldly.
Only then did Shisui realize something was wrong.
"Did… something happen?"
"What happened? A BIG thing. Mom, you say it."
Uchiha Ashikaga sat beside Rokuro, equally icy.
"Last night, four ninjas broke into my home—smashing through the window without warning, weapons drawn."
"What?! Someone dared attack the family of an Uchiha?! Are they looking for death?!"
One hot-tempered Uchiha exploded. Another calmer one asked:
"Ashikaga-san, did you see who they were? To sneak past clan patrols, their strength must be high. How did you respond?"
Uchiha Ashikaga pointed behind her.
"One room in my house is covered entirely in sealing barriers—strong enough to withstand even a Tailed Beast Bomb. I hid inside and survived the attack. As for how they bypassed clan patrols, the reason is simple: they themselves were Uchiha. Every one of them had a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan."
The entire room of Uchiha fell into stunned silence before finally understanding why Rokuro's face had been so dark.
"Unbelievable! Which bastard had the guts to do something this vile?! Taking advantage of Rokuro being away on a mission and trying to kidnap his mother? If I find out who it was, I'll cripple him myself!"
"That's right, Rokuro—don't you worry. All of us uncles will make sure you get justice. No matter who he is, he'll be punished under clan law!"
The Uchiha who frequently visited Rokuro's home were all comrades who had once followed him deep into the Land of Hot Water to ambush the Cloud's supply ships. They had gone through life-and-death battles with him.
It was no exaggeration to say that without Rokuro, most of these men would have died on that battlefield.
So the moment they learned someone in the clan had tried to abduct Rokuro's mother, they couldn't tolerate it. One after another, they began shouting to convene a full clan assembly and drag out the culprits.
Uchiha Shisui had by now regained his senses. He could tell Uchiha Ashikaga wasn't lying—someone really had attempted to kidnap her, and he could even guess who had sent them.
But precisely because he could guess, fear tightened in his chest.
"Rokuro… there might be some misunderstanding here. Perhaps we should leave this matter to the Clan Head and let him handle it?"
"What are you talking about, Shisui? They smashed through the window and tried to kidnap her—how is that a 'misunderstanding'? Should we wait until someone gets killed before you stop calling it one? Do you know who did it? Are you here to cover for them?"
Shisui quickly shook his head and insisted he didn't know.
Rokuro stood up and bowed to the gathered Uchiha.
"Thank you, uncles, for speaking up. I'm young, and with my father having died early, maybe I've upset some people without realizing it, which led someone to hold a grudge against me. Sigh… perhaps we should just let this go?"
"No! You are the pride of our Uchiha Clan! We elders barely have time to protect you as it is—how could we let you suffer this injustice? This matter absolutely cannot be brushed aside!"
"That's right! And this is no longer just your family's problem—it concerns the stability of the entire Uchiha Clan. We MUST drag out the traitors who would betray their own!"
The Uchiha, furious and indignant, didn't need Rokuro to incite them any further. Fired up as if injected with adrenaline, they stormed out, spreading the news and calling for a full-clan assembly.
Yes—full clan, not just the usual meeting limited to Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan.
Seeing things spiral out of control, Shisui quickly excused himself and ran straight to find Uchiha Fugaku.
At that moment, Fugaku was also in a panic. The Second Elder was already in his home, having rushed over the moment he learned Rokuro had returned—knowing a disaster was imminent.
"Clan Head, this is a catastrophe. We calculated everything except the one fatal point—Danzō and Root actually LOST to Uchiha Rokuro! Even worse, the mission to kidnap Uchiha Ashikaga FAILED!"
If not for his status, the Second Elder would already be cursing loudly.
Trying to kidnap someone's mother while the boy is away on a mission was already disgraceful enough—but failing to pull it off?
Now that Rokuro had returned safely, he would refuse to let this matter go. And if he discovered they were the ones behind it, they would have to face a Mangekyō Sharingan—and a Susanoo.
What terrified them most was that it wasn't just any Susanoo—it was Perfect Susanoo. In Uchiha history, only Uchiha Madara had ever achieved that. Even his brother Izuna could not.
And the only person who could stand against Perfect Susanoo was Senju Hashirama.
Where were they supposed to find a second Hashirama?
"Clan Head, at this point, before things get any worse, we must sacrifice some pieces to save the board. Those who carried out the kidnapping—"
The Second Elder made a throat-cutting gesture.
Fugaku hesitated, conflicted. Seeing this, the Second Elder panicked.
"Clan Head, this is NOT the time for sentimentality! If they're caught, it won't just be the four of them dying!"
Fugaku let out a heavy sigh.
"At this point… we can only do that."
He stood up, preparing to deal with the aftermath—but just then, the sound of a growing uproar approached from the distance.
Both Fugaku and the Second Elder turned pale. Footsteps sounded, and a subordinate ran inside.
"Clan Head, it's bad! Several Uchiha are leading a huge group here—they're demanding a full clan assembly to get justice for Uchiha Rokuro!"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Shisui leapt over the wall, having raced nonstop after sending his message to Hiruzen.
"Clan Head, last night several Uchiha infiltrated Rokuro's house and attempted to kidnap Uchiha Ashikaga. Now that the truth has come out, several Uchiha are rallying the clan to demand justice. Was this… something you ordered?"
Fugaku naturally denied it. Shisui didn't press further.
"If you didn't order it, then please come out to calm everyone down. You absolutely cannot let this escalate—it will destabilize the whole village."
"What did the Hokage say? When will ANBU arrive?"
Shisui blinked.
"The Hokage… didn't say. He only told me to come stabilize the situation."
Fugaku's face turned ashen.
Hiruzen had folded.
He would not help. Even if blood was shed, the Hokage would not intervene.
Betrayal, resentment, humiliation, fury—waves of negative emotion surged inside Fugaku, barely held down as if they might burst his chest.
"Shisui, go stabilize the clan first. Bring everyone into my courtyard. I'll come out shortly and 'seek justice' for Rokuro."
"Understood!"
Shisui left. The Second Elder was still frantically signaling with throat-cutting gestures; if he weren't afraid of losing, he would have gone to silence the witnesses himself.
Fugaku walked toward the inner residence, heavy-hearted. On the way, he passed Uchiha Mikoto, who was helping their second son practice shuriken throwing.
"Fugaku, what's going on? It sounds chaotic outside."
Fugaku simply said he would handle it and turned to leave. Before walking off completely, he asked:
"Where is Itachi?"
"Itachi left the village on a mission. I don't know the details."
Fugaku nodded and walked deeper into the house.
While Fugaku was scrambling to contain the fallout from Rokuro's impending retaliation, the Great Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, also received the news.
"To think something like this would happen. I originally planned to give Fugaku a chance to save face… but now? He'll be lucky if there's even a whole corpse left to bury."
END OF CHAPTER
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