Sangaku Uchiha cursed under his breath as he sipped his tea.
"This Dou Uchiha truly has no sense of propriety. He usually seemed like a good kid—quiet, never caused trouble. Who would have thought he'd cause such a massive disaster this time?"
"Why does our clan always produce people like this?"
Sangaku was extremely dissatisfied with Dou Uchiha's public interrogation of Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of the Hokage Building.
"Back then, Konoha had already been founded. Yet Madara Uchiha insisted on defecting and fighting the First Hokage. Not only did he get himself killed, but he also gravely injured the First, leading to his premature death."
"That was what led to the Second Hokage's suppression of the Uchiha."
"Then there was Setsuna Uchiha, secretly organizing people to assassinate the Second Hokage and plot rebellion. That only made the Second's impression of us even worse and the suppression heavier."
"And now, we have a Dou Uchiha."
Sangaku put down his teacup and looked outside. The night was deep and silent; the stars twinkled high above.
"Being the head of the Uchiha clan is hard."
"If it weren't for me, the clan would have fallen into chaos long ago. Fugaku is still not mature enough. It seems I'll have to hold onto this position for a few more years. He can't shoulder this burden yet."
Just then, a dozen figures vaulted over the wall and landed in the courtyard.
"Who goes there?"
"Senior Yashiro?"
"What are you doing?"
Sangaku's guards' expressions changed, and they quickly retreated to form a defensive perimeter around their Clan Head.
Sangaku stood up, frowning at Yashiro Uchiha.
"Yashiro, what is the meaning of this?"
Yashiro glared at Sangaku with fury in his eyes.
"Sangaku Uchiha! As the head of the clan, not only have you failed to fight for the clan's interests, but your heart is filled only with keeping your damned position!"
"And now, to curry favor with outsiders, you've even betrayed your own kin!"
"You deserve death!"
Sangaku's frown deepened.
"Yashiro, what nonsense are you spouting? I have done no such thing!"
Yashiro scoffed coldly.
"The facts are right in front of your eyes, and you still try to deny it?"
Two Uchiha stepped forward, carrying Dou Uchiha's body.
"Do you dare say Dou Uchiha's death has nothing to do with you? The fatal wound on his body was caused by Wind Style: Vacuum Wave. Only Danzo Shimura can use that jutsu with such proficiency."
"Without your permission, could Danzo Shimura have entered the Uchiha compound so easily, killed Dou Uchiha, and left without a sound?"
Before he even finished speaking, Yashiro attacked.
Simultaneously, the Uchiha who had come with him launched their assault.
In an instant, Sangaku and his guards were suppressed.
They were at a massive numerical disadvantage.
When the rumors about Kagami Uchiha first appeared, only a small number of radicals caused trouble.
But as the rumors spread to the Stone ninja, who used them to mock the Uchiha...
As Ebizo's staged betrayals by Konoha ninja played out...
And with the appearance of the suicide note from the Cloud Village...
More and more Uchiha had grown dissatisfied with Konoha.
However, dissatisfaction was just dissatisfaction. It hadn't reached the point of a complete break.
That was why Sangaku had been able to suppress it.
But now, Dou Uchiha had used his death to ignite the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha into a raging inferno.
With his own blood, he wrote those four words, sparking the fury in the hearts of the majority of the clan.
"Kill Sangaku Uchiha!"
"Kill Danzo Shimura!"
"Kill Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
"Avenge Dou Uchiha!"
...
An ANBU ninja rushed frantically into the Sarutobi clan compound.
"Lord Hokage! Bad news!"
"What is it?"
Hiruzen was startled awake. His expression turned serious. For an ANBU to come in such a panic at this hour meant something major had happened.
"The Uchiha clan has rebelled!"
"What?!"
Hiruzen was instantly wide awake, his eyes widening in shock.
The ANBU reported rapidly.
"Lord Hokage, a civil war broke out within the Uchiha clan. Sangaku Uchiha has been killed. The remaining Uchiha have split up—one group is heading for the Shimura clan, and the other is heading for the Sarutobi clan."
"They are shouting that they must kill Lord Danzo and you, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen's face turned ugly.
This news was catastrophic.
No matter how much the Uchiha had been targeted and suppressed over the years, they were still the number one ninja clan in Konoha. No one could underestimate their strength.
And right now, at the critical juncture of the war... if the Uchiha rebelled, what would happen to Konoha?
For a moment, Hiruzen didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.
"Relay my orders: All ANBU are to mobilize immediately."
"Furthermore, send orders to the heads of all major clans. Dispatch their elite ninja to the Uchiha compound to suppress the rebel ninja. Kill on sight."
The ANBU ninja nodded heavily.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
The entire village of Konoha was plunged into chaos.
Watching the ANBU leave, Hiruzen turned his gaze toward the Uchiha compound.
"Uchiha..."
"Compared to Tobirama-sensei, I have been gentle enough with you. I specifically had Minato take an Uchiha as a disciple. I even allowed Uchiha into the ANBU."
"Why must you still rebel?"
"Just because of some baseless rumors?"
"Even when Dou Uchiha was spouting nonsense in front of the Hokage Building, I didn't punish him. I just had Sangaku take him back to be controlled within the compound."
"What more do you Uchiha want from me?"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed tight.
He summoned another ANBU.
"Send an order to Shinku Yuhi at top speed. Bring his squad back to Konoha immediately."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Previously, Hiruzen had planned to use the Mist's attack on the Sand to grab a piece of the pie.
But given Konoha's current situation, forget about grabbing a piece of someone else's pie. If the Uchiha rebellion wasn't handled properly, Konoha itself would become the pie for other villages.
The Hidden Stone, currently at war with Konoha, definitely wouldn't miss this chance.
The Hidden Cloud, though currently at peace, would likely jump in too.
And the Hidden Mist... if Konoha's situation got bad enough, they might just abandon the Sand campaign and turn their army toward Konoha.
After all, compared to Konoha, the Sand was dirt poor.
"These Uchiha really are impossible to tame, aren't they?"
But one thing puzzled Hiruzen.
"The Uchiha rebellion... shouting that they want to kill me, I can understand. But why are they shouting that they want to kill Danzo too? Danzo has done things over the years, yes, but mostly in the shadows."
"And these rumors didn't involve Danzo at all."