Itachi stood among the clan elders and Konoha Military Police Force squad leaders, a complex expression mirroring his father Fugaku Uchiha's. 'Why did Shi-san suddenly change and even urge the clansmen for a coup?' Itachi questioned himself. 'There is truly something wrong with Shi-san. I need to talk to him later.' A short distance away, Fugaku struggled to suppress his boiling anger towards Danzo, Hokage faction and also towards Shisui and Itachi. They had been keeping him in the dark. He knew Shisui was not the type to choose such an open path, which left Itachi, his elder son, who was definitely capable of taking such extreme measures.
'Was it my mistake to send him into Anbu?' Fugaku questioned his past decision. Shisui did not interrupt Fugaku during his mental crisis. If things had remained as they were in canon, Fugaku might have reluctantly accepted this all, just as he accepted Itachi siding with the Hokage faction, choosing to die by his son's hand rather than fight him. However, that scenario unfolded when the situation was already at its most extreme, where conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha was inevitable.
In canon, Shisui penned a suicide note stating he could not follow through with the coup d'etat, but his clan members failed to grasp its meaning, misunderstanding his desire for peace and reconciliation. The note's contents also made it appear as though he had crushed his eyes when leaping from a cliff into the Naka River to kill himself, ostensibly to prevent conflict over his eyes within the clan. Instead, this act further spurred the Uchiha towards the coup.
If Danzo had not met Itachi afterward to inveigle him into slaughtering his clan, presenting him with the option of killing them and sparing his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, the clan would sooner or later have initiated the coup anyway. Itachi, already manipulated by Hiruzen's Will of Fire to an extreme, thinking of the village more than anyone except his brother, obviously chose Danzo's suggestion. There was also the point that Itachi, having witnessed war in his childhood, understood its devastating effects, not just for Konoha but for all, and did not want anything that would give other great villages a reason to attack Konoha and restart a war.
'Well, that was the same for many antagonist and side character in the Naruto anime,' Shisui thought. 'Their end results and desires weren't bad, but their choices and the way they executed them were indeed quite extreme and sometimes felt stupid.' Itachi's case was similar; he wanted no more war, believing that if the village suffered from the Uchiha's coup, it might give other villages reason to attack a weakened Konoha. His desire to prevent war was good, but the decision to massacre his entire clan, leaving only his brother, was obviously the most foolish choice.
The reason for this was that, unlike Shisui, who understood the clan and village, desired peace among them, Itachi on other hand never tried to understand his own clan's perspective. Why was his clan at odds with the Hokage faction? Why were they always complaining and contemplating a coup against the village? Itachi never sought to understand this; he only tried to understand the Hokage's side, believing whatever they said was correct for the village. He only saw Clan's bad side and only the Hokage faction's good side. If he had ever tried to understand his clan's perspective, things would have been different.
Shisui knew the clan had valid reasons for their behavior against the Hokage faction. After all, they had been monitored by Anbu 24/7 since the Kyuubi incident. The village even relocated them to the outskirts after that incident, and even after seven years, they continued to place Anbu for surveillance. If, under these circumstances, the Uchiha Clan did not consider a coup, did not think about direct conflict against the Hokage faction, then when would they? Uchiha Clansmen were full of pride and honor; they would not tolerate living under constant surveillance, especially when they had done nothing wrong.
The hatred for the Village was already boiling within them; how much longer could they even delay a coup? Shisui, understanding all this from his anime knowledge, decided to use it properly and allow the Uchiha Clan to have their long-awaited coup, which they felt was their last hope for complete freedom from the shackles of Konoha. Shisui knew that his strength alone was insufficient to go against the Village, and with Danzo's ambitious nature, Shisui could not remain at ease.
The only plan he thought of was to weaken Konoha, even if it resulted in war or anything else; as long as he survived, he was content. Since Hiruzen became Hokage, Konoha had been declining in strength anyway, and if Konoha suffered a significant loss, that was on them. Fugaku, barely repressing his emotions, now asked, "Shisui, do you think tonight is the right time for launching the coup? You said Danzo already attacked your clone, believing it was you. Wouldn't he be ready for any response from our side?"
Shisui smiled and shook his head. "No, he wouldn't, and even if he is, the Sandaime wouldn't be on his guards for now. It's the best moment to strike; our chances are high." Fugaku nodded, eyeing Shisui. "Watching you talk like that makes me feel like you aren't the Shisui I know." Shisui showed little reaction, not even flinching. He knew his personality was different from the original Shisui; he couldn't hide it from everyone he knew. The only excuse he could think of was, "Uncle Fugaku, my eyes are open now. I can see things I wasn't able to before."
"The Hokage faction is against us; and they always will be. Even if I were to do as they say and use my Mangekyō on you to stop the coup, they would later find another reason," Shisui told Fugaku. 'Well, now that I'm talking about this, I don't feel like I'm lying. After all, those four old-timers, the village higher-ups, are Tobirama's students; they will never trust the Uchiha anyway.'
Fugaku nodded, a proud smile gracing his lips. "It's good that you have made a sound decision. I, myself, have also made a decision." He said, gently placing his hand on Shisui's shoulder. Then he stated, "I have decided to initiate the coup tonight, in next few hours. Your Mangekyō ability would be useful if we were at a disadvantage. But Shisui, do not misuse your Mangekyō; perhaps you don't know, it comes with the cost of your vision."
"I will keep that in mind," Shisui said, nodding. "Well, even without that, my Mangekyō has a limitation. I can only use Kotoamatsukami with each eye once every decade." Fugaku, in response, showed no shock. "That's okay. I know you are strong even without that ability. But do you have a plan, and has Itachi even made up his mind like you?"
Shisui nodded. "I have a plan. As for Itachi, you don't worry about him. I will make sure he sees their real faces too, then he will also side with where he should be." Fugaku nodded and asked, "What's your plan?"
"Nothing grand. I've thought of a way to deal with Danzo, with the help of Anbu in my squad, and also reclaim our clansmen's Sharingan which he possesses," Shisui explained. "You can take the Police Force and other clan's elite Jonin against the Sarutobi Clan or directly against the Sandaime, Hiruzen."
"What? How would you even have Anbu in our plan?" Fugaku retorted. "Don't worry, Uncle Fugaku, I have my ways, and I will also take Itachi with me," Shisui replied. "And I promise, I wouldn't deceive you in this. Tonight, the Uchiha Clan will reclaim its deserving position in the village."
Fugaku glanced at Shisui for a moment. After a little thought, he nodded in agreement, and both then returned to their previous positions. Fugaku then explained to everyone at meeting that they would initiate the coup tonight, in a few hours, when no one would expect it. He instructed them to gather all elite Jonin and move every non-shinobi and common folk of the Uchiha Clan into the secret underground chamber for their safety.
They would deal with the Hokage faction, which included the Sarutobi Clan, with its associated clans like Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and a few others, while their main target would be Hiruzen and his Sarutobi Clan. Also with the Anbu outside Clan Compound monitering them. Meanwhile, Shisui and Itachi would target the Konoha Council members, which included Danzo and his Root, and the other two village advisors.
Shisui was quite satisfied with the way things were progressing. He hoped the Uchiha would win in the end, though the probability was somewhat low. However, if they did, things would be much better. His decision to personally target Danzo stemmed from his anime memories, where he had grown to hate him greatly, and now he also had a strong, personal reason to eliminate Danzo. If he didn't kill him, it would come back to bite him in ass later. So, taking Danzo out was not a choice but a compulsory task.
While others like Koharu and Homura were just in side tasks he would deal with afterward, as they were also very corrupt. Even in canon, these two had bothered every person who held the Hokage seat, be it Tsunade, Kakashi, or even Naruto. While he didn't care if they survived or not, they weren't much of a threat to him, but Danzo was the main problem here, and he would definitely kill him tonight. Even Hiruzen's survival wasn't much of a threat to him. While he was also an issue, Hiruzen, even in the anime, didn't want the extermination of the Uchiha Clan.
As Fugaku explained his plan, the elders voiced minor complaints about the limited preparation time, but after some discussions, everyone agreed to follow the plan. Fugaku exchange a glance with Shisui, who nodded in response and took Itachi with him. "Itachi, come with me," Shisui said, leading Itachi outside.
-- To Be Continued --