At Uchiha Kai's home, in the courtyard.
Time slowly drifted toward dusk.
Watching the sun sink toward the horizon, Kai finally rose lazily, stifled a yawn—yet his brows furrowed slightly.
Yes.
He and Shisui had already worked everything out last night.
By all logic, the plan should have been set in motion by now.
But why…?
Why was the entire Uchiha clan still so quiet, with not a single challenger coming to his door?
Could it be that Shisui had run into trouble?
Just as Kai was considering whether to check for himself, Tekka burst in, drenched in sweat.
"Lord Kai! The situation is bad!
Shisui has been going around the clan rallying support—many of those dissatisfied with us have now gathered under him.
According to our investigations, even the two elders, Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Setsuna, have gone over.
And worse still—
Shisui has awakened Mangekyo!"
Tekka's face grew darker as he continued, almost shouting:
"His banner is that he opposes your actions, Lord Kai—that everything you've done violates the cursed Will of Fire.
He claims he will gather all who oppose you and overturn your authority, to align the Uchiha with the Hokage faction.
In his words: only that way can the clan find peace.
He even says… he even says—" Tekka swallowed hard, then spat it out.
"He says he has already pledged to Hiruzen Sarutobi! That the village leadership is backing him!
Lord Kai, you must think of something quickly. If Shisui keeps gathering strength like this, all that we've built will be ruined!
I've already assembled our men outside Naka Shrine. They're hidden there, waiting.
Just give the word, and we'll storm in and slaughter those traitors on the spot!
Please, Lord Kai—give the order!
We've struggled so hard to bring the Uchiha back from decline. We can't let it all be undone by Shisui and his fools.
Kill them!"
Tekka's eyes blazed with murderous intent.
He had seen with his own eyes how the clan had fallen—from one of Konoha's founding families to despised pariahs, scorned like rats in the street.
And then came Kai.
Brilliant, decisive, unmatched.
In such a short time, he had reversed the clan's decline, thwarted the Hokage's schemes again and again.
Now, the Uchiha even had allies among other clans.
The clan was thriving once more—this was how the Uchiha were meant to stand.
But then Shisui appeared.
Clearly brainwashed by the Hokage, he had chosen not to support Kai, not to strengthen the clan together—but to gather malcontents, to seize Kai's authority.
If it had been for Uchiha's power, Tekka might have accepted it.
But Shisui's goal was to turn the clan into Sarutobi's dogs.
Unacceptable!
Tekka's killing intent surged. He would not allow the Uchiha's revival to be squandered. Even if it meant cutting down kin—so be it.
By contrast, when Kai heard all this, he actually exhaled in relief.
Good.
That meant Shisui's work was going smoothly.
Still, looking at the bloodthirsty Tekka, he hesitated a moment before speaking in a low, calm tone:
"Tekka, don't be rash.
You are one of my closest men—so I'll tell you the truth.
Shisui is not an enemy. He's one of us.
Everything he's doing right now—I authorized it.
In fact, he was quite unwilling."
Kai's eyes gleamed as he explained:
"I have two purposes here.
First—to draw out all those who oppose me, and purge them. No more parasites sitting in the clan doing nothing, only to stab us in the back later.
Second—to give the Hokage some trouble.
Once Shisui leads those people away to join him, Hiruzen will be forced to accept them. He can't just let them starve, can he?
He'll have to provide resources.
And most of those resources will flow right back to us through Shisui.
So when the fighting begins later, Shisui and I will stage a mock battle. Keep that in mind.
As for you and the others—you'll fight for real.
Those who eat Uchiha's rice while smashing Uchiha's pot… cut them down.
And Uchiha Setsuna—he must die."
Kai's voice was cold as steel.
By now, he had tested Tekka's loyalty enough to trust him. There was no need for secrets.
After all, Kai couldn't keep his eyes fixed on the clan alone forever. Training capable lieutenants was essential.
As for Setsuna—
He had been left alive earlier only to avoid making the militant faction feel hunted, and because he was a strong fighter.
But that time has passed.
The clan's most dangerous days had been weathered.
Most militants had already joined Kai. The few remaining were Setsuna's diehards, and hardly worth saving.
The clan itself was stronger now.
Shisui had awakened Mangekyo—his power alone more than replaced Setsuna's.
And then there was Obito.
Though he was Minato's student, his hatred of the village and his bond with Rin meant he was a useful card. Even if he remained loyal to Minato, that wasn't a problem—Kai had no intention of breaking with Minato anyway.
And beyond that, both Kai and Fugaku had awakened Mangekyo. In a year or two, Itachi could be nudged toward awakening his as well.
In such a situation, Setsuna was utterly redundant.
Therefore—he had to die.
"I see!" Tekka's eyes lit with sudden understanding.
"Lord Kai, I understand now. You truly are brilliant—coming up with such a strategy.
Since Shisui is one of us, I know what must be done.
We'll kill a batch of them, let the rest go.
As for Setsuna and his loyalists—I swear none will survive!"
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