At first, Danzo didn't want to go to the Hokage's office.
Especially after hearing the other two advisers would be there as well—he wanted to go even less.
After all, he'd screwed them over before, and his prestige had taken a sharp hit.
He was worried they'd catch the right moment and slice off a portion of "his" money.
But the moment Hiruzen-sama spoke the words "Uchiha dual clan-head system," Danzo's heart gave a violent jump.
T-Two… two bosses!?
His face didn't change, but inside he was already thinking himself ragged.
A dual leadership structure… was that actually possible?
Hiruzen as Hokage, me as Deputy Hokage.
Was there a play there?
It would be hard. Hiruzen probably wouldn't agree.
But at least it was far more realistic than trying to sit directly in the Hokage's chair.
I've contributed to Konoha for so many years. I've raised so many people.
Wasn't it all for today?
My merits are enormous. What's wrong with me sitting in the second seat for once?
In an instant, his blood ran hot.
Deputy Hokage…
There was a play.
There was a huge play!
As for the Uchiha dual clan-head system?
"Approved."
Danzo spoke with a stern, unquestionable tone.
He approved of it so damn much he could've laughed.
Hiruzen and the others weren't surprised by Danzo's unwavering stance.
Danzo had always been the vanguard of "anti-Uchiha."
Only Koharu watched him a little more closely.
This old bastard… he isn't getting ideas, is he…?
"Stop thinking. Summon Uchiha Itachi and Shisui immediately!"
Danzo now acted as if he'd already placed himself in the Deputy Hokage's seat, barking out orders with righteous severity.
Just like Hiruzen said—Kangetsu really was one hell of a promising young man…
He'd solved a knot in Danzo's chest that had been there for years.
Deputy Hokage. What a beautiful phrase.
What?
This doesn't fit Root's style?
Bullshit!
I'm not even Root!
Sure, I founded Root—but I've never once touched Root!
I'm going to be Deputy Hokage. How could I be the same as those sinister little vermin in Root?
I couldn't.
Of course I couldn't.
At the same time, Itachi and Shisui, having received the summons, stared at each other in surprise.
Itachi's thoughts burned bright with sincerity.
Kangetsu-san… a truly decent man.
They'd only just spoken, and there was already movement from the top.
He didn't care much about the clan-head seat itself.
But the idea of using that seat to change the Uchiha?
He had it.
And it was strong.
"Shisui, what do you say?" Itachi asked. "One sentence—do we do it?"
Do we do it? Give me a straight answer.
Shisui's eyes flickered, stormy and uncertain.
He knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As the same type of person as Itachi, how could he not sense the clan's growing agitation?
Those rebellious whispers—just hearing them made him afraid.
He'd wanted to change the Uchiha too, once.
But he'd been powerless.
Now?
"We do it!"
Shisui grabbed Itachi's hand in a tight grip.
Let those old men see it—our younger generation isn't easy prey!
You old bastards want to drag the Uchiha into the abyss?
You'll have to see whether the younger generation allows it!
"Good."
Itachi's heart grew even hotter, his eyes burning.
"Then the two of us will work together to hollow out the clan head! We'll take control of the Uchiha!"
…Yeah.
That sounded correct, but somehow it felt off.
Shisui glanced at Itachi with a complicated expression, wanting to speak and stopping himself.
You really are one hell of a filial son…
With Itachi and Shisui quietly coordinating behind the scenes, Hiruzen and the others were delighted beyond measure.
Good. Good. Good!
Time waits for no one—contact the Uchiha's younger faction immediately.
The Itachi faction. The Shisui faction.
Split the Uchiha first, and talk later.
After all, the Uchiha as a unified whole was still too dangerous.
Konoha's leadership could not allow the Uchiha to have only one voice.
They needed to be diverse. Complex.
One clan, with only one voice?
How could that be permitted?
It wasn't "correct" enough…
So Itachi struck first inside the clan.
"Who was it? Which elder said we should do business ourselves?" Itachi demanded. "Look!
Look!
We, the Uchiha, are so poor we're selling ancestral property!"
Uchiha compound, assembly hall.
Several elders' faces darkened at once.
Even if you're the clan head's son, you can't point and curse like that.
Fugaku's face looked just as ugly.
Because the "business" idea wasn't solely theirs—it had included him too.
Doing business wasn't inherently wrong.
What was wrong was that they'd lost their shirts.
They'd bragged that Konoha's businessmen weren't limited to Kangetsu alone—
And then turned around and got slapped in the face.
After that, they'd even had to survive by selling ancestral property.
It was, undeniably, a major blunder by the Uchiha's leadership.
Now the younger faction had seized that weakness and was kicking it hard.
Their authority was being questioned.
"Itachi," an elder snapped, "this is no place for you to speak!"
"Oh?" Itachi replied coolly. "So I'm not part of the Uchiha clan?"
A young Uchiha supporting Itachi stood up, eyes sharp as blades, staring down the elders whose faces had soured.
"So you make disastrous decisions, drag the Uchiha lower and lower—and you still won't let us speak!?"
"Insolent!"
"I think you're the insolent one!"
Shisui stood, his gaze icy.
"Do you even understand the Uchiha's situation?"
"Yes—you may not feel it."
"But have you tried looking down?"
He pulled a low-ranking Uchiha forward and pointed at the man's ragged clothing.
"Do you want to look at this?
Our clansman. Our own people.
Do you want to see how long it's been since they've eaten a full meal?"
The moment those words landed, the younger Uchiha who'd been prepared to watch a show had their eyes change.
They turned hostile in unison.
They turned united.
They turned into something unfamiliar to the old men.
It was breaking.
It was breaking apart.
Fugaku stared, dumbfounded, at what was happening in front of him.
Elders spat accusations, claiming the younger faction had no respect for age or tradition.
The younger faction, faces flushed with anger, accused the elders of leaning on seniority and clinging to rigid thinking.
No.
Wasn't this just supposed to be a normal meeting?
Like before—argue a little, posture a little, and move on?
How did it suddenly become this?
For days.
For days on end, the Uchiha remained locked in relentless internal strife.
Itachi actively rallied the younger faction.
Shisui worked his angles with the doves.
And the elders—careless for just one moment—were hit by a shameless "sneak attack" from the young and, just like that, their power shrank dramatically.
Even the hawks were split into multiple pieces—absorbed separately by the elders, by Itachi, and by Shisui.
As for whoever remained—
They watched Fugaku's expression and moved accordingly.
(End of Chapter)
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