Two weeks later
Konoha — Grand Elder Residence
Itachi sat opposite an old man, calmly drinking tea.
"Say, what is the matter that made you come to find me?" the old man asked impatiently.
"Grandfather, I think the Uchiha clan needs to change."
"Damn brat!" Setsuna Uchiha snapped.
"The Uchiha clan is perfectly fine. Are you also brainwashed by that monkey bastard? What exactly do you want to change?"
After hearing the angry questions of his maternal grandfather, Setsuna Uchiha, Itachi did not reply. Instead, he calmly took another sip of tea.
His Grandfather—the present-day Grand Elder of the Uchiha clan is a staunch supporter of the pro-hawk faction.
Previously, due to Setsuna Uchiha's behavior, Itachi had greatly disliked him.
Itachi had also heard from Sarutobi Hiruzen that shortly after the formation of the Konoha Military Police Department, Setsuna Uchiha had misunderstood—or perhaps deliberately opposed—the department and attempted to rebel against the Second Hokage, though the attempt had been unsuccessful.
Thus, the relationship between grandfather and grandson was far from harmonious.
"I think the Konoha village can no longer accommodate us. The possibility of an Uchiha becoming Hokage is declining year by year, and now it is almost impossible for an Uchiha to become the next Hokage.
Even if we put aside the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's high-level officials, the gap between the clan and the civilians is increasing day by day.
We are monitored 24×7 by the ANBU. Everything we do is observed. We—the founders of Konoha—are now living under constant suspicion.
But if we adopt your plan, the situation will only become worse. First of all, several members of the dove faction have already become Sarutobi Hiruzen's puppets.
Leaving aside the chances of success, before we even begin a coup, the ANBU and other clan ninjas would already have surrounded us.
Even if we still attempt a coup, with the help of Father, Shisui, and me, we could indeed kill Sarutobi Hiruzen—but what happens after that?
Have you considered the strength of the Sarutobi clan? They now possess more than two thousand ninjas. Sarutobi Hiruzen has been draining Konoha for decades, and as a result, the Sarutobi clan has risen from below the Senju and Uchiha clans to a position equal to ours.
And there are other clans as well. The Hyūga would never tolerate the Uchiha standing above them. The Nara–Akimichi–Yamanaka clans are the core supporters of the Hokage faction. The Shimura clan would only make matters worse.
Even if we succeed in all of this, Jiraiya and Tsunade are still outside Konoha. Either of them could become the next Hokage and turn us into public enemies. Even if we are not exterminated, our lives would be worse than they are now.
Therefore, our only choice is to leave Konoha and establish a country of our own—just like the Uzumaki."
After hearing Itachi's words, Setsuna fell silent, as if his mind had crashed. He even wondered if he had grown too old and was now hearing things.
The grandson he believed to be a slave of the village and a traitor to the Uchiha clan was now speaking these words.
Setsuna even suspected that this was a conspiracy by Sarutobi Hiruzen to test the loyalty of the Uchiha clan. Yet every reason Itachi gave was undeniably correct.
"Even if you say all this so easily," Setsuna finally spoke, "how simple do you think it is to leave the village with both shinobi and civilians without being noticed?
Konoha would never let us leave—dead or alive. As you yourself said, the Uchiha are monitored 24×7. We cannot even step outside the village without the Hokage's permission."
"So everything you've said is nothing more than a dream.
Compared to this, we have far better chances with a sudden coup."
"We do not have to leave immediately. I will take care of all the preparations. What you and the other clan elders need to do is teach the clan members skills other than being ninjas.
After we establish a country, we cannot continue living as shinobi who only take missions or guard territory like in the Warring States Period.
We will first form a city, become its rulers, and then gradually take control of a small nation. Brute strength alone is not enough to achieve this.
To found a nation, we need strength—which we already possess—but we also need resources: money, minerals, and most importantly, knowledge.
If we do not even know how to govern a city, negotiate with merchants, plan infrastructure, or manage civilian affairs, then we will simply create another Konoha.
Therefore, for the next year, the Uchiha must put an end to these ridiculous factions of hawks and doves. Every Uchiha must learn at least one skill for the future.
For now, this plan will remain limited to the elders and us."
After hearing this, Setsuna once again fell silent. To be honest, he both liked and disliked the plan.
The reason for his dislike was simple—Konoha owed the Uchiha a Hokage. Even if there was conflict between the clan and Konoha's high-level officials, why should they leave? They were founders of the village. Leaving like this felt shameful.
As for why he liked it—the thought of the Uchiha building their own nation, free from the restrictions of other clans and the Hokage, ruling as kings of their own land, stirred the pride of the old Uchiha.
But Setsuna, not blinded by the utopia Itachi had described, still saw many problems.
"Even if I ignore your absurd claim of being able to take the Uchiha out of Konoha safely, why wouldn't the fate of the Uzumaki clan befall us?
The Hidden Cloud Village was willing to continue a war with Konoha just for a Hyūga eye.
They possess the fewest kekkei genkai clans. If they capture even a few Uchiha, then in a hundred years, wouldn't they become an Uchiha clan themselves?
And why wouldn't Konoha attack us again with the mentality of 'If I cannot have it, I will destroy it'?
What if the Five Great Nations unite and attack us? Even the infamous Uzumaki clan—almost as strong as us—collapsed in a single night."
Itachi nodded and replied calmly,
"Father has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Setsuna showed little reaction. Itachi understood that his grandfather already knew.
"Shisui has also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
This time, Setsuna was shocked—though his expression still said:
I am not convinced.
Seeing this, Itachi knew he had to use his trump card.
"I killed Sarutobi Shinnosuke using my Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
It is a space-time technique. And if we are still cornered after all this, I can give my Mangekyō ocular power to Father and allow him to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan like Uchiha Madara."
This time, Setsuna was completely stunned. Along with the shock came excitement and elation.
"Hahahaha! My grandson has the potential to become a Ninja God!
Good—good, good!
I will take care of those uncultured brats. Rest assured.
Itachi, we old men will handle the clan and make sure no one troubles you.
You do what you need to do freely.
Hahahaha!"
"Thank you, Grandfather. I will take my leave now.
Take care."
Itachi after bidding farewell to Setsuna left his house.
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Setsuna's current thought
{ Hahahaha, after we get rid of Konoha and establish the country, I must force that bastard Fugaku to transfer his Mangekyo ocular power to Itachi. With an eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the Uchiha clan will once again dominate the ninja world. }
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Author's Note
Hello everyone, and thanks for reading so far.
Some readers might wonder why Itachi's claim of having the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't immediately questioned—especially why no one asked him to prove it. There are a few reasons for this.
First, the Uchiha rarely doubt one another, and someone like Itachi wouldn't be expected to lie about something so serious. Setsuna trusted him for the same reason Shisui did: Itachi's reputation alone carried weight.
Second, even if doubts arose, Itachi had a valid excuse. At that time, he couldn't use the Mangekyō because he had already exhausted its power temporarily while dealing with Shinnosuke Sarutobi { He used life-death Arena }
Lastly, Mangekyō users don't use it casually. Itachi avoided relying on it for years, unlike Sasuke, who burned through it quickly. And even against Kage-level opponents, Itachi could rely on his own strength without needing the Mangekyō.
Thanks again for reading.