The next day.
The night in the Star City was quiet and profound. In the office on the top floor of the Administration Building, the lights were brightly lit.
Hikari presented a detailed action plan and roster to Menma.
"Sir, the preliminary action personnel list and plan have been drafted. Please review them." Hikari's voice was cool and clear, echoing in the quiet room.
Even though the two were close, professional addresses were used during work.
Menma took the scroll, his gaze sweeping over the familiar names and precise deployments.
First Squad, tasked with receiving Uchiha Clan's survivors, led personally by Hikari.
Members included: Uchiha Shisui (Three-Tomoe Sharingan), Oyashiro En (Ketsuryugan), Gotta (Smoke Transformation Kekkei Genkai), Kimimaro (Shikotsumyaku), Haku (Ice Release), Yukimi (Smoke Transformation Kekkei Genkai).
A full seven members, all possessing Kekkei Genkai, with the weakest firmly at the Special Jonin-level.
This was an absolutely sharp dagger, capable of tearing through any defense.
Second Squad, tasked with receiving the Hyuga Clan's branch family, led by Kanon.
Members included: Natsuhi, Hotarubi, Chino, Shynji, Hazuki, and four other experienced Special Jonin, totaling nine people.
This squad was generally equipped with Chakra Armor, balancing infiltration, protection, and a certain degree of assault capability, sufficient to handle various situations during the extraction.
Third Squad, responsible for creating chaos and interception, fully commanded by Anbu Commander, Hoshigaki Kisame.
Members were all from the Anbu, nine agents in total, including even someone with a Kekkei Genkai like Oyashiro Jin and promising newcomers like Yusuke.
They were experts in destruction, assassination, disguise, and interception, the best candidates for sowing panic and delaying enemy elites.
Regarding the action plan, Hikari proposed a crucial modification.
She pointed to a hidden mark on the map near the Land of Fire's border.
"Considering the massive Chakra Consumption and potential unpredictable effects of spatial turbulence from long-distance mass teleportation via the Flying Thunder God Technique, especially involving many Uchiha and Hyuga Clans' women and children, I suggest activating this backup route."
Menma's gaze fell on the mark.
It was a secret exit left by the passage connecting to the Moon, located near the Land of Fire's border.
After connecting the main passage to the Star City, this initial entrance hadn't been completely destroyed, only concealed with powerful seals temporarily applied by a sealing team led by Kanon.
"We can quietly unseal this location in advance," Hikari continued to explain, "Before the operation begins, the three squads can quickly reach the Land of Fire's border exit via the main Moon passage entrance in the Star City. From there, they can advance and lurk just outside Konoha's village barrier. Once the operation signal is given, we can forcefully breach the barrier from the outside. This allows for the fastest intervention into the battlefield, and the commotion of breaching the barrier itself can effectively create chaos and divert Konoha's attention."
Menma's fingers tapped lightly on the desk. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly nodded, "The plan is thorough, and the personnel allocation is reasonable. Proceed with the preliminary preparations and drills according to this plan."
He looked up at Minato and Kushina nearby, "Father, Mother, you will accompany the teams when the time comes, but unless absolutely necessary, no direct intervention. Your task is to witness with your own eyes and, if needed, ensure the safety of some key individuals."
Minato nodded gravely, a trace of sorrow in his gray eyes.
Kushina clenched her fists tightly, her red hair seeming to stir slightly with anger, but she restrained herself and nodded firmly, "I understand. We will hold back."
"As for Shisui..." Menma stood up, "I will notify him personally."
The night grew deeper. Shisui sat alone on the engawa of his house's courtyard, gazing at the sparse stars in the sky, his brow furrowed, burdened with heavy thoughts.
Suddenly, the space behind him rippled with an extremely subtle disturbance, like a drop of water falling into a calm lake.
Shisui's body tensed instantly, his right hand instinctively moving to his sword hilt, three tomoes blazing to life in the darkness!
"Don't be nervous. It's me."
A figure appeared soundlessly in the center of the courtyard, as if he had always been there.
A black happi coat, a white three-eyed fox mask, emanating an aura of mystery and authority under the cold moonlight.
Shisui's tense body slowly relaxed, "Shura-sama? Visiting so late... what guidance do you have?"
Menma slowly raised his hand. Between his fingertips was a black letter made of special material. The surface bore no writing, just an exquisitely made invitation card with the Land of Stars's red five-pointed star emblem.
"This is an invitation." The voice from behind the mask was flat and unemotional, "The 'Night of the Massacre' theater that the Konoha's leadership has prepared for your clansmen, who share the same blood, is about to begin. Don't forget to attend on time."
The black letter drifted lightly towards Shisui, landing precisely in his hand.
It felt cool to the touch, yet seemed to carry a scorching heat.
Shisui's fingers trembled slightly. Uncontrollably, the bloody, despairing, and realistic future fragments that Shura had shown him through Genjutsu resurfaced in his mind.
Clansmen falling in pools of blood, familiar streets consumed by flames, and that executioner holding a blade, expressionless...
It was Itachi!
'Was all that really going to become reality?'
'Would Itachi truly-'
Immense grief and disbelief assaulted Shisui's heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
He clutched the invitation tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
After a long while, he sharply raised his head. His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan emitted an eerie glow in the night, his voice hoarse from extreme suppression, "If… if Konoha truly raises the butcher's knife against the Uchiha Clan… if Itachi really…"
He paused, as if using all his strength to continue, "Then I will hesitate no longer. I will lead all clansmen willing to live, away from that rotten cage!"
Beneath the mask, the corner of Menma's mouth seemed to move slightly.
He said nothing more, merely giving a slight nod. The next moment, his figure dissipated as if merging into the night, vanishing without a trace.
Only Shisui remained standing alone in the courtyard, clutching the black invitation symbolizing despair and choice, silent for a long time.
…
A few nights later, Uchiha Clan's Compound, Naka Shrine.
The atmosphere was more solemn and oppressive than any previous clan meeting.
Inside the massive shrine, candle flames flickered, illuminating faces filled with anger, resentment, and resolve.
Those who could enter here were almost all clansmen who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Even Mikoto, who had long retired to focus on her family, was present in the crowd, her face etched with deep worry.
Itachi hid in the shadows of a large tree on the shrine's periphery, wearing his Anbu Mask, coldly watching the familiar figures of his clansmen entering the shrine.
His heart felt torn, pulled between the bonds of his clan and the orders of the village, the so-called 'greater good'.
After the clan meeting ended and the clansmen departed, with the shrine doors tightly closed, Itachi gestured to the other Anbu's members behind him and said in a low voice, "Continue strict surveillance of this place. Record all personnel entering and exiting. I will report the situation to Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama."
"Yes!" several Anbu members responded softly.
Itachi's figure vanished instantly.
But he did not head for the Hokage Building. Instead, he took a large detour and, relying on his familiarity with the compound's security layout, moved in a few leaps and bounds, infiltrating the shrine's interior soundlessly and skillfully finding the entrance to the underground secret room.
Pushing open the heavy stone door, the light inside the secret room was dim, illuminated only by a few torches.
Fugaku stood with his back to the entrance, quietly before the ancient stone tablet, as if in deep thought, or perhaps waiting for something.
"You've come, Itachi." Fugaku didn't turn around, his voice low and calm, as if he had long anticipated his son's arrival.
Itachi slowly walked into the secret room and closed the stone door.
He looked at his father's back, his gaze complex, "Father."
Fugaku slowly turned around. His gaze didn't fall on Itachi but remained fixed on the stone tablet, "This tablet, passed down from the era of the Sage of Six Paths, records the Uchiha Clan's origins and… true power. The ordinary Sharingan can only see the most superficial part."
He finally turned his gaze to Itachi, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in the dimness, "Those with greater Ocular Power can see more. For example… you, who have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, should have already seen the deeper content, right?"
Itachi's pupils contracted slightly. He did not deny it, merely saying gravely, "Does Father need me to tell you what is recorded on it?"
"That won't be necessary." Fugaku shook his head gently. Then, the pattern in his Three-Tomoe Sharingan abruptly changed!
The complex patterns rapidly connected and transformed, becoming the Mangekyo Sharingan!
"Father! You…!" For the first time, genuine shock appeared on Itachi's face, 'Was this Father's confidence in planning a rebellion?'
Seeing his son's shocked expression, Fugaku explained in a flat tone, "These eyes awakened on the battlefield during the Third Great Ninja War, witnessing my close friend sacrifice himself to protect me, amidst ultimate grief and bloodshed."
A flicker of recollection and pain passed through his eyes but was quickly concealed.
He turned back to face the tablet, "However, even with these eyes, what can be glimpsed is still just the tip of the iceberg regarding the tablet's secrets. I speculate that the path of the Sharingan can go even further..."
"Like Uchiha Hikari?" Itachi instinctively interjected.
Currently, in the entire Ninja World, the strongest Uchiha who could surpass both him, his father, and the missing Shisui was the one in the Land of Stars.
Therefore, both Fugaku and Itachi guessed that Hikari's Mangekyo Sharingan had likely surpassed the limits of the ordinary Mangekyo.
Fugaku nodded slowly, "Perhaps. Although I cannot decipher the content beyond, Itachi, with your intelligence, you should have long seen the desperate situation the Uchiha Clan now faces."
"But that cannot be a reason to launch a rebellion!" Itachi's tone became somewhat agitated, "Starting a war will only drag both the clan and the village into the abyss!"
"Yet the Konoha's leadership has never ceased their fear and persecution of us!" Fugaku's voice also rose, carrying long-suppressed anger, "They constantly compress our living space, scrutinizing every Uchiha with suspicious and isolating eyes!"
"That's because of the Nine-Tails Attack!" Itachi retorted, "Many people saw the Sharingan pattern in the Nine-Tails' eyes! The leadership fears the Uchiha will control the Tailed Beast again, destroying the village!"
Fugaku turned, his gaze burning as he looked at his son, "In the Uchiha history I know, the only one capable of controlling the Nine-Tails is the legendary Uchiha Madara! Since him, no second person has been able to do it! Even the current Uchiha Hikari might possess that power, but eight years ago?"
Fugaku recalled the visit from Hikari and Menma, 'Uchiha Hikari looked to be only fifteen or sixteen now… how old could she have been eight years ago?'
"For a baseless suspicion, they want to drive the entire Uchiha Clan to extinction?"
His tone was filled with helplessness and sorrow, "Since the path of peaceful coexistence has been completely blocked, then, for the survival of the clan, replacing those prejudiced rulers might be the only choice."
Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan stared fixedly at his father, "So, Father intends to use the power of this Mangekyo Sharingan to overthrow the leadership by force and become Hokage yourself?"
"This is the shared wish of the majority of the clan." Fugaku's voice lowered, carrying a barely perceptible weariness, "As the head of the clan, I cannot go against this surging popular will. But I… have never truly wanted to rely on force to resolve this."
He pointed to his own eyes, "Precisely because I possess these eyes that might control the Nine-Tails, I must conceal their existence even more."
"Why?" Itachi was puzzled.
"Because once the clansmen learn I possess the power of the Mangekyo, what will the most radical among them do?" A sharp glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes, "They will pressure me, use more extreme methods to achieve their goals! That will only drag both the clan and the village into an abyss of eternal damnation!"
Before the words fully faded, Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly focused on Itachi!
Itachi felt the scene before him change abruptly… his consciousness was instantly pulled into an incredibly realistic Genjutsu World!
He seemed to be in a Konoha engulfed in flames, the sounds of battle cries shaking the heavens.
He saw frenzied Uchiha Clan's members kidnapping the young Naruto. They roughly pushed him before Fugaku. Countless pairs of bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Fugaku, roaring.
"Fugaku-sama! Use your power! Release the Nine-Tails! Let them see the Uchiha's wrath!"
"Konoha gives us no way out! We will destroy it!"
"Use the Nine-Tails! Tear them apart!"
Amidst the chaos and being swept up by extreme emotions, Fugaku was forced to use his Mangekyo on the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
The colossal Nine-Tailed Demon Fox roared into existence, the scarlet Sharingan mark perfectly clear in its eyes!
The Nine-Tails ran rampant! It began madly destroying the village!
Massive claws came down, crushing houses like toys! Tailed Beast Bomb swept across, leveling bustling streets!
Countless Konoha's Ninjas resisted in terror, but flesh and blood were like ants before Tailed Beast's power!
Screams, explosions, the sound of collapsing buildings intertwined into a symphony of hell!
Konoha's Ninjas charged at the Nine-Tails wave after wave, suffering heavy casualties-
The Uchiha Clan's compound was also engulfed in flames. The elderly, children, women cried out in despair…
Finally, the entire Konoha Village turned into ruins, and the Uchiha Clan was nearly annihilated...
"See!" The Genjutsu ended. In reality, Itachi's knees gave way, and he heavily fell to his knees. Cold sweat soaked his forehead as he gasped for breath, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.
The vision was too real, too brutal!
"Did you see it clearly, Itachi?" Fugaku's voice carried weariness and a hint of relief. The Mangekyo Pattern in his eyes slowly receded, "This is one of the most hopeless futures I have foreseen. The Mangekyo brings not only power but also heavy chains..."
He looked at his nearly exhausted son, his voice suddenly becoming heavy and filled with a sense of entrustment, "But, Itachi... if your power could join, if you are willing to help me…"
Itachi sharply raised his head.
Fugaku's gaze was filled with the complex emotions of both a father and a clan's head, "With your strength, if we coordinate from inside and outside, launch a lightning-fast assault, and take control of the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzo, and the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura!"
"As long as we control Konoha's highest decision-making level and paralyze their command system! Even if small-scale fights and conflicts break out during the process, as long as the core objective is achieved, the entire coup can be completed with minimal cost!"
"At that time, we Uchiha will regain our voice in the village, obtaining the status and respect we deserve! Konoha will not have to endure the flames of war! This is the best outcome!"
"A coup? No… succeed, and it's a revolution! A bloodless revolution!" Since he had decided to rebel, Fugaku was prepared for the worst.
"Bloodless revolution..." Itachi murmured the term, his heart surging with tumultuous waves.
On one side was the hellish scene from the Genjutsu, on the other was the seemingly possible path his father described, one achieved without bloodshed...
Fugaku stepped forward, placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder. His tone was unprecedentedly heavy, even carrying a hint of pleading, "Itachi, you are my son, and a once-in-a-century genius of the Uchiha. For the future of the Uchiha Clan... I beg of you!"
Inside the secret room, only the crackling sound of the burning torches and Itachi's violent heartbeat remained.
A choice as heavy as mountains pressed down on the shoulders of the Uchiha Clan's heir.