Uchiha Fugaku was asleep.
Suddenly, he heard urgent knocking.
He opened his eyes, puzzled.
In the middle of the night—what's going on?
"I'll go take a look."
Fugaku gave Mikoto a reassuring glance, put on his clothes, and opened the door.
"Yashiro?"
Among the Uchiha, he trusted Uchiha Yashiro quite a bit.
He was Fugaku's right-hand man in the Konoha Police Force—calling him the vice-captain wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Someone with talent for analysis and leadership.
"Clan Head, come with me."
Yashiro spoke in a low voice. "There's something that needs your decision."
Fugaku found this stranger still. Couldn't they say it here?
But out of trust, he didn't ask further and followed Yashiro to a room.
"Clan Head."
Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Tekka stood and saluted.
Fugaku was about to speak when he saw Sarutobi Seinosuke behind them.
His heart jolted. He hurried forward, reached out to feel for breath, and then turned back, rigid.
"Tell me—who killed him?"
"Clan Head."
Yashiro recounted what had happened, including what they extracted using the Sharingan.
"How is that possible?"
Fugaku instinctively didn't believe it. "That day, Sarutobi Hiruzen's panic didn't seem fake."
And he didn't believe a man hailed as a paragon of shinobi would stoop to something so filthy.
"Clan Head! Sarutobi Seinosuke had Wood Release—that's ironclad."
Inabi pressed, "He's not from the Senju. How could he have Wood Release?"
Fugaku fell silent.
Wood Release wasn't some dime-a-dozen Kekkei Genkai.
There had to be some connection among the masked man, Sarutobi Seinosuke, Orochimaru, and Shimura Danzō.
It was hard to say what role Sarutobi Hiruzen was playing in all this.
The Uchiha were already at a critical juncture of survival.
Now that they'd killed Sarutobi Seinosuke, whether they wanted to rebel or not, they'd be forced down that path.
"Did you handle this discreetly? Were you noticed by the ANBU when you returned?"
Fugaku sighed inwardly.
He was reluctant to walk the road of rebellion.
Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, it would only mean rivers of blood.
"Don't worry. No one knows."
Yashiro's expression was firm.
"Then let's stall this for a while."
Fugaku said in a low voice, "Compared to all of Konoha, our clan is too weak. We need a proper plan before we rebel."
At the word "rebel," the other three looked ecstatic.
Why had the conservatives lasted until now?
Because Fugaku kept the balance.
That, and the pro-Hokage faction of Shisui and Itachi.
Now that Fugaku had relented, his son Itachi would naturally have to change his stance as well.
"Pass the word: tomorrow morning we hold a clan meeting at the Naka Shrine."
Fugaku waved a hand.
The Naka Shrine was their ancestral ground—very secure.
Their new district, however, was always under ANBU surveillance.
Many things couldn't be discussed there.
"Clan Head, how should we deal with Sarutobi Seinosuke's body?"
Yashiro pointed and asked, "Should we burn it?"
"Keep it."
Fugaku thought for a moment. "If we rebel, Sarutobi Hiruzen will be our greatest enemy. At that time, we can use Seinosuke's corpse to throw him off balance."
"Clan Head, brilliant."
Yashiro looked genuinely impressed.
"Move Sarutobi Seinosuke's body to the Naka Shrine for safekeeping tonight."
Fugaku added more instructions.
After the three left, he let out a long sigh. In the end, he was setting foot on that road.
It was late, but he no longer felt sleepy.
…
Natsume slept soundly.
After all, he had a very fragrant body pillow.
But his work was far from done.
Seinosuke dying at the hands of Inabi and Tekka would only inflame Hiruzen's rage.
The most likely result might be shifting Hiruzen's resolve to maintain a fragile peace between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership.
That wasn't Natsume's goal.
He had to make someone—or rather, all of Konoha—believe the Uchiha's downfall was caused by Hiruzen's thirst for vengeance after his son's death.
That way, public opinion could be guided, leaving a stain on the strongest Hokage's legacy and making him unfit to remain Hokage.
He who plays with fire gets burned.
Hiruzen had played with the Will of Fire all his life, unaware he was about to be consumed by it.
But Natsume couldn't do this himself—lest Tsunade get caught up in it.
The best candidate was none other than Shimura Danzō.
First, he was a master at manipulating public opinion. The smear against the White Fang of Konoha and the Nine-Tails demon fox label on Naruto—both were spread by him.
Second, he had motive to frame Hiruzen—he wanted to be Hokage.
Lastly, when it came to taking the blame, he was the chosen Scapekage.
He just couldn't approach Danzō directly.
Right now, the likeliest next Hokage was Tsunade, followed by Jiraiya and Orochimaru, with Danzō dead last.
Between a dying Hiruzen and a young successor,
Danzō would naturally back the former.
So Danzō had to believe his chances at becoming Hokage were very good, only then would he spare no effort to frame Hiruzen.
The person Natsume needed to contact was Orochimaru.
And Orochimaru would certainly be interested in participating in the Night of the Massacre.
After finishing his morning training, Natsume appeared in Orochimaru's hall.
"Go notify him."
He casually picked up a teacup.
The nearby nest of snakes dispersed.
Soon, Orochimaru entered from outside with a dark expression.
He didn't really want to deal with Natsume anymore.
He'd realized they were rivals for the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Every time, because of Natsume, he'd come up empty-handed.
The intel Natsume provided was solid, yes—but it was annoying.
He couldn't beat him either.
This loss of control was what Orochimaru hated most.
"Keep scowling like that and you'll shave years off your life."
Natsume set down the cup with a smile. "If you want longevity, you need a good mindset."
"..."
Orochimaru gave a chilly smile. "I'm already immortal. I don't need your concern."
"Suit yourself."
Natsume couldn't be bothered to explain the flaws in the Living Corpse Reincarnation. With someone as clever as Orochimaru, it was safer to leave a handle.
"You're in Konoha—you should know the Uchiha's situation, right? Think they'll rebel?"
"They will."
Orochimaru nodded. "Given their temperament, it's a miracle they've held out this long."
"Looks like you're ready to take part."
Natsume watched his expression. "But I can give you a chance to take all the spoils—if you can swallow them."
"All the spoils? Impossible."
Orochimaru frowned. "Are you joking? If the Uchiha rebel, it'll throw Konoha into turmoil."
"Because it's simple: Uchiha Itachi will act—and slaughter the entire clan."
Natsume's words put a string of question marks on Orochimaru's face.
What?
Even with his disposition, that statement felt absurd.