As the figures of Hikari and Shura completely vanished into the vast night, Fugaku's courtyard returned to silence.
It was as if these two mysterious powerhouses had never appeared, leaving behind only a mentally devastated Fugaku and the quiet estate.
Fugaku's body swayed slightly, but in the end, he couldn't steady himself and slumped weakly back onto the floor of the living room.
He stared blankly in the direction where the two had disappeared, his mind replaying Hikari's words, 'Uchiha Hikari', and her final remarks.
The name 'Uchiha Hikari' sounded utterly unfamiliar to him. He searched through the clan's ancient records and the conversations of the elders but couldn't recall ever hearing it before.
Seeing that the two had finally left, Mikoto hurried forward and carefully supported Fugaku, sensing the tremors in his body and the unprecedented exhaustion and helplessness radiating from him.
"Fugaku, are you alright?" Mikoto asked softly, her voice filled with concern.
Fugaku didn't answer, only waving his hand weakly to indicate he was fine.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the violent turmoil in his heart.
The overwhelming power Hikari had displayed, her words about the Uchiha Clan's 'inevitable fate', and the vague hints about the Nine-Tails Rampage weighed heavily on his mind like massive boulders.
'Taking the remaining Uchiha Clan's members away... What did she mean by that? Could she truly accomplish something even Uchiha Madara couldn't?'
'And the true mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Rampage... What exactly is going on behind all this-?' Fugaku felt an unprecedented sense of confusion and bewilderment.
He had once believed himself to be the head of the Uchiha Clan, capable of steering the clan's destiny. But now, it seemed he couldn't even grasp the truth.
Based on Hikari's words, it wasn't hard for him to deduce that, apart from her, there was at least one other Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan!
And this mysterious Uchiha, lurking in the shadows, had orchestrated the Nine-Tails Rampage… clearly harboring deep hostility toward the village-
Fugaku suddenly recalled Shura's words, 'The Uchiha Clan was once the strongest clan in the Ninja World. Now, we've been reduced to a state where the village distrusts us and internal strife tears them apart. And it's all because of incompetent clan's head like you… leaders with no true vision, no real courage.'
Only now did he realize that the other party had long since seen through the Uchiha Clan's current situation and their tensions with the village.
Shura's accusation of his 'incompetence' wasn't mockery… it was a statement of a truth Fugaku had been unwilling to accept!
There had been a time when Fugaku, in an effort to mend relations between the Uchiha Clan and the village, led his clansmen into the Third Great Ninja War, even being assigned to the eastern front against the Kirigakure's Ninjas.
They were forced to face the Hiding in the Mist Technique that somewhat restricted their Sharingan.
Fugaku had even brought his own child onto the battlefield.
After the Third Great Ninja War, Fugaku had bet on Namikaze Minato… and he had bet correctly.
After Minato Namikaze was elected as the Fourth Hokage, the Uchiha Clan became staunch supporters of the Hokage's faction, and their relationship with the village gradually improved.
Until the Nine-Tails Rampage occurred.
The Fourth Hokage and his wife died in battle, the Sharingan pattern on the Nine-Tails' eyes was witnessed by many Konoha's Ninjas, causing the Uchiha Clan to be ostracized and isolated, even forced to relocate to the outskirts of the village.
"Mikoto, take Sasuke to bed," Fugaku ordered hoarsely, his voice laced with exhaustion and despair.
"What happened today… don't tell anyone. Not even Itachi."
Mikoto nodded gently. She knew Fugaku's heart must be unbearably heavy right now.
She helped Fugaku sit on the sofa, then silently turned and carried the still-unaware Sasuke back to his room.
Fugaku leaned against the back of the sofa, his eyes vacant as he stared out at the courtyard.
In his mind, Uchiha Hikari's earlier words echoed over and over-
'She will take the remaining Uchiha Clan's members away from this rotten Konoha-'
This thought coiled around his heart like a curse.
'Should I report everything that happened tonight, along with what Uchiha Hikari said, to the Third Hokage?'
'But if I did, how would Konoha's leaderships react?'
'Would they impose even stricter surveillance on the Uchiha Clan? Or deepen their suspicions toward us?'
'And if I didn't report it… what would be the consequences?'
His indecisive nature plunged Fugaku into unprecedented turmoil and agony.
The night seemed to grow even darker.
…
The next morning.
The first rays of sunlight slanted through the windows of Fugaku's house, spilling onto the living room floor, dispelling some of the night's chill, but it does nothing to lift the heavy gloom in Fugaku's heart.
He remained in the same position he had collapsed into the night before, slumped on the sofa, his eyes bloodshot. Scrolls of clan records lay scattered across the coffee table in front of him, silent witnesses to his sleepless torment.
A faint air of melancholy lingered in the room.
'Uchiha Hikari… Uchiha Hikari…'
The name echoed relentlessly in Fugaku's mind.
However, even after scouring the few remaining ancient texts in his home, he found no trace of her, 'Should I go investigate the stone tablets at the Naka Shrine?'
Fugaku had always believed that, as the Uchiha Clan's head, his duty was to protect the clan… even if it meant enduring humiliation, just to secure a chance at survival for his people.
He had painstakingly maintained relations with the village, even recommending his eldest son, Itachi, to join the Anbu as a bridge for communication and negotiation.
However, the appearance of Hikari and Shura had been like a brutal wake-up call, shattering all his efforts and hopes in an instant.
It was as if the entire Uchiha Clan was being secretly manipulated and guided by an unseen, unfathomable force… one whose very existence he couldn't even confirm.
'The true mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Rampage… is deliberately driving a wedge between the Uchiha Clan and the village-'
Fugaku's thoughts were a tangled mess. He had never felt so powerless before.
If Hikari's words were true, then everything he had believed in, everything he had fought for, had been nothing but an illusion.
He thought of the Yuki Clan and the Kaguya Clan that were exterminated in Kirigakure.
'It was said the Yuki Clan had been accused of plotting a rebellion and were slaughtered under the Fourth Mizukage's orders.'
'The Kaguya Clan had actually risen in revolt, inflicting heavy damage on Kirigakure before being crushed by a combined force of the Mizukage's faction and the village's other Ninjas… their entire clan exterminated!'
'Now, within the Uchiha Clan, radical voices calling for rebellion were growing louder. If I couldn't suppress them-'
The faint clinking of dishes came from the kitchen… Mikoto was preparing breakfast.
Soon, the rich aroma of miso soup and grilled fish filled the air, bringing a touch of warmth to the mundane rhythm of daily life.
However, that warmth couldn't reach Fugaku's frozen heart.
The front door slid open quietly, and a calm figure stepped inside. It was Itachi, who had just returned from a mission.
He was wearing an Anbu's attire, and although he wasn't wearing a mask, he carried a faint, chilling aura.
"You're back just in time. Breakfast is ready." Fugaku said, looking at his eldest son's slightly weary face with a surge of complicated emotions.
He was both proud and heartbroken for the burden he carried.
"Father. Mother." Itachi walked into the living room and glanced at them habitually.
Although he did not activate his Sharingan, he still noticed Fugaku's bloodshot gaze and the subtle worry on Mikoto's face.
He knew something had happened, but he didn't ask. Instead, he simply greeted his parents.
"Yeah." Fugaku crossed his arms and nodded solemnly.
"Nii-san! Come play!!" The four-year-old Sasuke came toddling into the room on unsteady legs.
Seeing his little brother, Itachi forced a tired smile and gently scooped up the boy as he lunged for him.
"Let's eat." Mikoto said, setting the breakfast dishes on the table.
"Yes, Mother." Itachi carried Sasuke toward the dining area.
Sasuke clung to his brother's neck, his voice soft and full of childish adoration as he whispered, "Nii-san… last night, there were two really weird people here! One was super pretty and had the Sharingan like us, and the other... wore a fox mask. It was so weird."
Itachi's gentle expression instantly sharpened. His arms around Sasuke tightened slightly.
Deep within his pupils, a Two-Tomoe Sharingan flickered to life for a split second before vanishing.
'A beautiful Uchiha? And a mysterious person with a fox mask-'
Itachi's gaze shifted toward his father in the living room.
Though Sasuke's voice was quiet, Fugaku had heard him clearly.
Facing his eldest son's questioning look, Fugaku let out a deep sigh, his eyes heavy with complexity: "It was Shura... and the powerful individual Shisui encountered in the Land of Stars. She called herself Uchiha Hikari."
"Shura and… Uchiha Hikaru?! They actually came to our house?!" Itachi's mind reeled in shock.
As an Anbu, he had spent the entire night monitoring the Uchiha clan, and yet these two individuals, whom Konoha's leaderships considered extreme threats, had infiltrated the Uchiha Clan's head's residence without anyone noticing!
And from the looks of it, Shura hadn't attacked the Uchiha Clan the way he had the Hyuga Clan.
'But how did these two mysterious enemies come together? Could it be that Shura is the mastermind behind the rebellion in Hoshigakure?'
'That girl, Uchiha Hikari, had taken Shisui's Sharingan. Now she had come to their home… what was her goal?'
Countless possibilities flashed through Itachi's mind.
"Last night's events... were complicated. Those two are unfathomably strong, especially the one who calls herself Uchiha Hikari. Her Ocular Powers far surpass mine." Fugaku paused, his voice low and grave.
"For now, do not report this to the village, and do not let anyone else in the clan know. The village already distrusts the Uchiha Clan. If they learn that unknown, powerful Uchiha have appeared, it will only deepen their suspicions… and could lead to consequences we can't predict."
"I need time to investigate Shura and Uchiha Hikari's true identities. Until then, keep this a secret."
He stared at Itachi, his eyes filled with the helplessness of a clan leader and the hope of a father: "Itachi, you're in Anbu now. You must understand the importance of weighing the consequences."
"I hope you can understand my position. Keeping this hidden is to buy time… for the Uchiha Clan, and for the village. If handled poorly, we could end up like the Kaguya Clan."
Itachi, still holding Sasuke, fell silent.
He knew about the Kaguya Clan's fate… how they had rebelled against Kirigakure and been utterly annihilated in retaliation.
Looking down at Sasuke's innocent face, then meeting Fugaku's exhausted yet pleading gaze, Itachi wrestled with an internal storm.
On one side: family bonds, his father's plea, and the future of the Uchiha.
On the other side: his loyalty to the village, his duty as an Anbu, and his mission to protect Konoha's peace.
He deeply understood his father's fears and also understood his father's 'painstaking efforts' to conceal the truth.
"...Understood, Father." Itachi suppressed his unease and pretended to agree.
Seeing this, Fugaku nodded, then called his family to breakfast.
The miso soup steamed on the table, and Sasuke's laughter filled the dining room.
Itachi mechanically chewed his rice ball, the grains turning tasteless in his mouth.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father's forced composure.
He also knew that this was no small matter.
If he concealed this matter and things spiraled out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable!
…
After breakfast, Fugaku changed into his flak jacket and left for the Military Police Force's headquarters under the watchful eyes of his wife and children.
Once Fugaku was gone, Mikoto busied herself with chores, playing with Sasuke so he wouldn't disturb Itachi's rest.
But shortly after Fugaku left, when Itachi returned to his bedroom, he formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone, which stayed at home and slept.
Meanwhile, his main body slipped out the window, vanishing like the wind as he raced toward his closest friend's home.
Itachi was a little confused and wanted to hear the opinion of his best friend.