Amid the wreckage, Uchiha Nan kicked aside a charred tree branch while wiping the blood from his hands with a torn strip of cloth.
The blood was Uchiha Kagami's.
The cloth had been ripped straight off Kagami as well.
Damn… this stuff really doesn't come off easily.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Nan noticed a line of Uchiha already gathered not far away—clearly drawn by the noise of the fight.
Seeing them, Nan made no effort to hide anything. He walked straight toward the crowd, a warm smile spreading across his face as he greeted them cheerfully.
The first light of dawn broke through the horizon, a shaft of sunlight landing perfectly on his face. His features were still somewhat youthful, and Nan was confident that his smile looked impeccable.
Unfortunately, he'd been so busy wiping the blood from his hands that he'd forgotten the stains splattered across his face.
Sunshine.
A gentle smile.
And flecks of fresh blood.
The contrast was deeply unsettling.
The gathered Uchiha were instantly at a loss, frozen by Nan's sudden friendliness.
Who smiles like that?!
"Just now, Uchiha Kagami was instigated by Sarutobi Hiruzen and attempted to ambush me," Nan said casually.
"Fortunately, I noticed in time. He's already been subdued."
With practiced ease, Nan fabricated an excuse and, without the slightest hesitation, dumped yet another black pot straight onto Kagami's head.
He's carried so many by now—what's one more?
"What?" Nan added, tilting his head with a grin as he rested a hand on his still-dripping blade.
"You don't believe me?"
The Uchiha jolted.
"We believe you!"
"Of course we believe you—how could we doubt the captain?"
"Uchiha Kagami really is a traitor through and through!"
"Exactly!"
"…"
Nods came fast and furious, curses toward Kagami spilling out as well.
Nan's gaze flicked through the crowd, stopping when he spotted two familiar faces.
"Inabi. Tekka. You're here too?"
"Inabi—go carry Kagami to the clan's medical ninja. Don't let him die on my doorstep."
"That'd be bad luck."
"Ah—o-okay!" Inabi responded hurriedly.
He rushed over to Kagami and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
The wound across Kagami's abdomen was horrifying—long and deep, crudely stitched together with black thread. The craftsmanship was awful. Through the gaps, flesh and even hints of bone were visible. Blood had barely been stopped.
Kagami was clearly breathing more out than in.
Another minute and he'd really die.
Inabi swallowed hard.
Nan's smile from earlier flashed through his mind—foreign, unfamiliar.
I need to be more careful around the captain from now on…
With extreme care, Inabi lifted Kagami, terrified that one wrong movement would make the blood burst forth again, and hurried toward the clan's medical quarters.
The remaining Uchiha watched Kagami's half-dead body being carried away, then slowly turned back to Nan.
That same gentle smile was still on his face.
Fear.
Awe.
The emotions tangled in their eyes.
They wanted nothing more than to leave—but without Nan's word, not a single one dared to move.
"Tekka," Nan said calmly,
"send word to the clan head and the elders. I'm calling a clan assembly. All Uchiha shinobi are to attend."
"The Hokage is dead. A new opportunity has arrived for the Uchiha."
"Who knows—this time, the Hokage might come from our clan."
Nan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"But I don't think the current clan head can seize this opportunity."
"So let's replace him with someone who can."
"I will lead the Uchiha into a new era."
"A Konoha defined by the age of the Uchiha."
The moment the words fell, the expressions of the gathered Uchiha changed drastically.
They didn't need to think hard to understand.
Nan intended to overthrow Uchiha Fugaku and become the new clan head.
This was too unfamiliar.
The Nan before them—domineering, ambitious, openly aggressive—was nothing like the man they thought they knew.
Pure hawk-faction behavior.
"Captain Nan! I support you!"
A voice rang out sharply.
Nan glanced over. He recognized the man—Uchiha Yōta, someone from the same generation who had gone to war around the same time.
Not the same squad, but they'd fought side by side before.
Yōta's face was flushed with excitement.
On the battlefield, he had watched Nan charge alone into enemy lines—his blade flashing with blue lightning, blood spraying wherever it passed. Chūnin and genin alike had fallen like harvested crops.
That was when Yōta began to worship him.
That's what a true Uchiha should be.
Back then, Nan had shown no ambition—only the resolve to burn himself for Konoha. Yōta had found that deeply disappointing.
But now?
Now his idol was finally raising the banner.
Screw Fugaku.
That man didn't even have the guts to reach for the Hokage's seat.
All that balancing between the clan and the Hokage—cowardice, in Yōta's eyes.
This was the real deal.
Nan looked at him with approval.
Good instincts. This one has a future.
With Tobirama gone, there was no need to cower anymore.
Now was the time to be ruthless.
"Captain, I support you too!" Tekka shouted immediately.
Nan had saved his brother's life—Tekka would follow him even just to repay that debt.
As he spoke, Tekka's thoughts raced back to Nan's recent actions.
Receiving the Hokage's death news before anyone else.
Acting with terrifying speed.
Skipping over the clan head entirely.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt.
The captain… feels different now.
An absurd thought crossed his mind.
Was the old Nan… an act?
Someone who wore a mask from childhood until now?
Tekka inhaled sharply.
That sounded impossible.
And yet—his instincts screamed that this Nan, standing here now, was the real one.
"Captain! I support you too!"
Another voice joined in—then another.
Most were Uchiha who had fought alongside Nan.
With a few taking the lead, the rest followed naturally. People were like that. The Uchiha were no exception.
And besides—
Making Nan the clan head wasn't exactly unacceptable.
Overwhelming strength.
Outstanding merit.
And a face that didn't hurt to look at.
He had it all.
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