Uchiha Compound.
Sasuke, hands stuffed in his pockets, slowly walked into his home.
"Sasuke, you're back!" Hearing the sound, Mikoto Uchiha peeked out from the kitchen, a warm smile gracing her features upon seeing her youngest son.
"Mom," Sasuke acknowledged softly, preparing to take off his shoes to enter.
"Mom, do we have guests?" he asked, glancing towards the extra pairs of shoes neatly arranged in the genkan.
"Yes," Mikoto's voice drifted from the kitchen. "Shisui and Misuke stopped by. They're inside talking with your father right now."
Hearing this, Sasuke frowned slightly and stepped further into the house. Peeking through a narrow gap in the shoji screen leading to the main room, he saw his father, Fugaku, kneeling formally opposite Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Misuke. Even from his vantage point, Sasuke could sense that the atmosphere inside was heavy.
Inside the room, Fugaku gravely regarded the two young Uchiha seated before him. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low. "Are you really prepared to do this?"
Shisui remained silent, his gaze lowered.
It was Misuke who answered, her voice firm. "Clan Head, the conflict between our clan and the village has simmered for decades. We are now in a rare period of eased tensions. This is the best time for us to make a change."
Fugaku's frown deepened. "Willingly relinquish the clan's authority over the Military Police, and invite members from the village's other clans to join? What benefit does this bring to the Uchiha clan?"
"Clan Head," Misuke countered smoothly, "our clan has controlled the Military Police for decades. What have we truly gained besides notoriety and suspicion from the rest of the village? If we don't proactively make a change, the Uchiha clan will never be allowed entry into the village's core leadership."
Fugaku sank back into silence, contemplating her words. As the head of the Uchiha clan, he understood the complex political situation perhaps better than anyone. The conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha's Hokage-aligned leadership dated back to the very founding of the village. The Uchiha constantly sought more power and influence, while the village leadership, wary of their strength, sought to contain them.
The Nine-Tails attack had pushed this conflict to its peak. The Hokage faction's own strength was diminished in the aftermath, and the damning projection of the Sharingan's power seen in the Nine-Tails' eye solidified suspicion against the clan. Under the urging of Konoha's leadership, spearheaded by Danzo, the Uchiha clan was pushed to the very edge of the village, physically and politically isolated, effectively removed from Konoha's core power structure.
These actions ignited years of accumulated dissatisfaction and resentment within the Uchiha, bringing it boiling to the surface. A coup d'état seemed possible at any moment.
It was the sudden emergence and influence of ANBU Squad 11 that had seemingly delayed the inevitable eruption. Subsequently, the leaders of the clan's radical faction, figures like Uchiha Yashiro, were either dead or had fled, allowing the most intense emotions within the clan to finally cool somewhat.
Now, after three years of relative calm, the tensions between the Uchiha and the village leadership had indeed eased considerably. The situation truly had changed significantly from how it was before. And he couldn't deny that the two young shinobi before him, Shisui and Misuke, had contributed significantly to achieving this fragile peace.
As Misuke stated, now was arguably the best time for the clan to change course.
Yet, despite understanding all this intellectually, Fugaku was still deeply reluctant to simply hand over the authority the clan held within the Military Police – one of their few remaining symbols of status and power.
After considering for another moment, Fugaku voiced his primary concern, his brow furrowed. "There will be significant opposition within the clan to such a move. How do you intend to deal with that?"
"Some opposition is inevitable," Misuke acknowledged calmly. "However, if we handle it properly, I believe the vast majority of the clan will stand with us."
Fugaku's gaze sharpened as he pressed, "How exactly do you plan to handle dissent?"
"Those who refuse to follow the clan's decision..." Misuke's eyes flashed with a chilling glint of killing intent, her voice turning ice-cold. "...will be eliminated."
In the quiet room, both Shisui and Fugaku visibly flinched, shock evident in their eyes as they stared at Misuke.
Meeting their gazes unflinchingly, Misuke continued coldly, "People like that only serve to drag the entire clan into the abyss. As long as I draw breath, I will not allow anyone like Uchiha Yashiro to gain a foothold in this clan again."
As she spoke, the three tomoe in Misuke's Sharingan eyes flared to life, emanating an icy, powerful ocular pressure that filled the room.
"Ah—!" Outside the room, Sasuke, who had been secretly watching the tense exchange, was startled by this sudden wave of intense ocular pressure and let out an involuntary gasp.
Inside, none of the three reacted to the sound. With their skills, they had been aware of Sasuke's presence almost immediately.
Feeling the cold, potent ocular power radiating from Misuke, both Fugaku and Shisui felt a chill. Both possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, making their perception of ocular power particularly keen. Fugaku could clearly sense that Misuke's ocular power, even from just her three-tomoe Sharingan, wasn't far inferior to his own Mangekyo's base level.
As for Misuke's words, which effectively amounted to an admission of her involvement in Yashiro's death or disappearance, Fugaku found he wasn't particularly surprised. He had long suspected that Shisui and Misuke had secretly contacted outside parties to arrange the removal of the radical faction's leadership.
Another uneasy silence descended upon the room.
After a moment, Fugaku slowly spoke again, his voice heavy. "You two... and Akimichi Tatsuya. What exactly is your relationship?"
Hearing Fugaku's question, Shisui's expression changed drastically, a flicker of panic in his eyes.
Misuke, however, remained perfectly composed. "He is our leader," she stated directly, without hesitation.
"Leader?" Fugaku's expression instantly turned sour, a mixture of shock and indignation twisting his features. The answer was beyond what he had imagined. Two of his clan's most prominent and promising young talents, both holding positions of influence, had somehow become subordinates to an outsider? To Fugaku, as head of the proud Uchiha clan, this felt tantamount to a slap in the face.
Seeing the ugly look on Fugaku's face, Misuke simply added calmly, "That's correct."
"As proud members of the Uchiha, you willingly submit to an outsider!" Fugaku finally burst out, his voice thick with resentment, spoken through gritted teeth. "This is simply a disgrace to our clan!"
"That's because you don't yet understand his power, Clan Head," Misuke replied evenly, meeting his furious gaze without flinching.
The two stared directly at each other for a long moment. Seeing the unwavering determination in Misuke's eyes, Fugaku suddenly looked defeated, as if all the energy had been drained from him. He waved a hand in resignation. "Fine. You handle this matter."
Hearing his consent, Misuke stood up smoothly, gave Fugaku a formal bow, then turned and left the room.
Shisui hesitated for a moment, then quickly bowed as well and followed her out.
Stepping outside, Shisui immediately saw Sasuke standing nearby, staring intently at them with a strange, questioning expression. Managing a strained smile for his young cousin, Shisui quickly hurried after Misuke.
"Misuke," Shisui said urgently, catching up to her just outside the house, "why did you tell the Clan Head those things? Since when is Tatsuya our leader?" He could tell her words, especially the last part, had hit Fugaku hard.
Misuke stopped and turned to face Shisui. "Shisui," she asked calmly, "if we don't completely extinguish the Clan Head's lingering hopes and attachments to the past, do you really think he would willingly accept the reforms we need to make?"
"But," Shisui said hesitantly, "you can't just claim Tatsuya is our leader! We're partners with him, he's our friend."
"Is that so?" Misuke replied, her expression unreadable, her tone noncommittal. "Perhaps."
With that cryptic remark, she ignored Shisui's obvious confusion and simply walked away, leaving him standing there troubled.