Chapter 71: A Tree Uprooted Dies, a Man Who Moves Lives. Fugaku, Take the Uchiha to the Hidden Cloud.
"Neji."
Just as he was lamenting his lost fortune, a pleasant female voice came from behind him. Yugito was just coming out of the bathroom, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. She wasn't wearing a bathrobe, but one of his t-shirts, the hem of which barely covered her thighs, revealing a pair of long, slender, jade-like legs.
Neji couldn't help but stare.
"Captain," he said, a look of surprise on his face, "why are you wearing my shirt?"
"My bathrobe was wet," she said, turning around, completely unconcerned. "I saw your shirt hanging on the balcony. You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," he said with a nervous laugh.
"Good." She smiled and sat down on the sofa, her playful feet dangling in the air. From his angle, he could see that she was wearing nothing underneath.
"I'll go get breakfast," he said, his face burning, and he fled from the room.
Seeing him so flustered, Yugito couldn't help but laugh. This is more like a kid.
A short while later, he returned with breakfast, and two large suitcases. They were filled with money. Eighty million Ryō. If the exams hadn't ended early, it would have been at least three times that.
"You make money so easily, Neji," Yugito said, nibbling on a dango.
"Easy?" he scoffed. "This is my hard-earned money. And the real prize is still at the casino."
She rolled her eyes. A Jōnin, working non-stop for five or six years, might not even make eighty million.
"I should have bet on myself," she said with a pout. "The Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails... I could have made at least four hundred million."
Neji's mouth twitched. To pawn Yugito... if he won, the casino would be ruined. If he lost, they wouldn't have the courage to keep her. They'd be ruined either way.
"The Chunin Exams are over," she said, her expression turning serious. "We have three days at most. What's your next move?"
Of the four missions the Raikage had given them, they had only completed one.
"The Uchiha are now ready to fight the Hokage's faction to the death," Neji said, putting the money into a storage scroll. "Tonight, we'll go and show them a way to live."
There were, in fact, three options. A bloody coup, a slow extermination, or... to leave Konoha.
Even without his intervention, this last option was the most viable. Both the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Cloud had the power and the courage to take in the Uchiha. Or they could find a small country and found their own village.
But without outside help, they would likely be slaughtered on their way out.
"Will the Uchiha really abandon their home of several decades and go north to the Hidden Cloud?" Yugito wondered.
That night, Neji and Yugito, dressed in black, stood on the roof of their inn, looking at the faint lights of the Uchiha compound in the distance.
Since the breakdown in relations, a gloomy atmosphere had settled over Konoha. The streets were deserted.
"Let's go, Captain."
They appeared on the outskirts of the Uchiha compound. It was already under surveillance by Root and the ANBU. But Hiruzen was not yet ready for an all-out war, so the surveillance was lax. They slipped in undetected.
As soon as they entered Fugaku's residence, two shuriken flew at them.
Neji caught them between his fingers. Yugito just tilted her head and they flew past.
The one who had thrown them was a five-year-old boy. Uchiha Sasuke.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his small face grim.
"You're a sharp one, kid," Neji said with a smile. "We just got here and you've already found us."
Yugito just knocked him out with a quick chop to the neck.
Just then, Fugaku appeared, his face a mask of fury. "Who are you?"
Yugito took off her mask and, holding the unconscious Sasuke, she smiled. "Don't be alarmed, Clan Head Fugaku. We mean you no harm."
"A branch has grown between the Wood and the Leaves," Neji said, also removing his mask. "A wind of freedom stirs on Mount Kumokumo. There is no place for the Uchiha in Konoha anymore. A tree uprooted dies, but a man who moves lives. Why not go north and join the Hidden Cloud?"
Fugaku was stunned into silence.
A moment later, Mikoto came out and draped a coat over his shoulders. "Fugaku, who are they?"
"Prepare some tea, Mikoto."
In a dark, secret room, Fugaku sat in the seat of honor, with Neji and Yugito opposite him.
"Will the Fourth Raikage truly accept my clan?" he asked after a long, thoughtful silence.
"You recognize these eyes, don't you, Clan Head Fugaku?" Neji asked, pointing to his Byakugan. "In the Hidden Cloud, I have found not only freedom, but also dignity. The Fourth Raikage is an open-minded and magnanimous leader. If he is willing to take in a bird that has broken its cage, how could he not welcome an eagle like the Uchiha? And from what I know, centuries ago, the Uchiha once lived in the Land of Lightning. In a way, you would just be returning home."
Fugaku was deep in thought. The Hidden Cloud was a good option. If his ancestor, Madara, had not founded Konoha with Hashirama, but had instead established his own village in the Land of Lightning... things would have been very different.
"Do not worry that your clan will be mistreated," Yugito added. "The Fourth Raikage's lifelong ambition is to lead the Hidden Cloud to rule the shinobi world. The Uchiha are Konoha's sharpest sword. Hiruzen is a fool to let such a weapon rust. The Hidden Cloud is the perfect place for you to show your true strength. And one day, when the time is right, you can lead the armies of the Cloud south and raze Konoha to the ground."
Fugaku thought of his clan's history, deliberately buried by Konoha; of the prejudice and hatred they had endured since the Nine-Tails' attack; of their thankless work in the Military Police Force; of the death of his son, Itachi; of the unpunished Shimura Danzō...
He downed the cup of hot water in his hand. "The Uchiha will not forget the kindness of the Hidden Cloud."
He had made his decision. A coup was suicide. But to leave... even if they suffered heavy losses, it was better than being exterminated in Konoha.
"We must act quickly, Clan Head Fugaku," Neji said. "Call a clan meeting tonight. Tell them of your decision. They will have one day to prepare. We leave tomorrow night."
At midnight, the eight elders and twenty-four Jōnin of the Uchiha clan were gathered in the courtyard of Fugaku's residence.
With the death of Itachi and Hiruzen's continued protection of Danzō, even the moderates like Shisui had lost all faith in the village.
Fugaku told them of his plan.
The courtyard erupted in a cacophony of voices.
"Leave Konoha?"
"What about the coup?"
"Did Itachi die for nothing?"
"I object!"
"I think the clan head's plan is more prudent."
"Prudent? That's cowardice!"
"Who are you calling a coward?"
Fugaku stood in the center of the courtyard, calmly watching the chaos.
"There is no more time for meaningless debate," he said, his voice ringing with authority. He raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent.
He then laid out his reasoning, his voice clear and logical. A coup would mean facing not just the Hokage's faction, but the entire village. But to leave... Hiruzen would be hard-pressed to justify a full-scale massacre. The other clans would likely remain neutral. They would only have to face the Hokage's inner circle. Even if they lost half their numbers, or even three-quarters, it was still a better outcome than being wiped out.
In the secret room, Mikoto refilled the teapot.
"Mikoto-san," Neji said, stopping her as she was about to leave. "Please, have some tea with me."
She sat down, and he poured her a cup.
"I'm sorry about your son."
"It's not your fault, Neji-kun," she said softly.
He looked at her. She had been an elite Jōnin, a warrior who had bled for her village. But after marrying Fugaku, she had retired to become a housewife. What a waste, he thought.
"Neji," Yugito said, "it's time."
They went out into the courtyard.
"Neji-kun, Lady Yugito," Fugaku said, "we are willing to leave Konoha and join the Hidden Cloud. But before we do, we need to know what kind of help you can provide."
Neji exchanged a look with Yugito. This was it.
"I, the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails of the Hidden Cloud," she declared, her voice ringing with power, "can give you two assurances. First, the Fourth Raikage has already gathered his forces. The moment you make your move, he will march south to meet you. Second, Neji and I will remain in Konoha to assist you."
The Uchiha fell silent, considering her words. For a Jinchūriki to remain behind... it was a clear sign of the Cloud's sincerity.