Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

So far, everything is proceeding according to Shoji's plan. When dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight shone on the earth on December 31, the first phase of the Uchiha clan's evacuation plan was successfully completed.

The first group of over a thousand elderly, women, and children, along with more than two hundred guards, successfully left Konoha Village and headed towards the northwestern border of the Land of Fire!

So far, no one from Konoha has discovered them. Fugaku, Shoji, and Elder Sogen, who stayed behind, all breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, they were well aware that although the first hurdle had been overcome, the most difficult problem was yet to come. Such a large-scale movement of people could not be kept secret for long. Moreover, within the Land of Fire, there were already numerous reconnaissance and supply outposts of varying sizes established by Konoha. These security personnel could easily detect the presence of ordinary people, most of whom were not ninjas.

The difference is whether it's exposed today or tomorrow, or perhaps a day or two more.

Furthermore, and most importantly, now that the first batch of people has gone far away, it is time to mobilize the second batch. These people are almost all the able-bodied men of the clan, and they are responsible for carrying almost all of the clan's supplies. After all, it cannot be guaranteed that Iwagakure will accept them. So, before they reach the small countries such as the Land of Tea, the Land of Rainbows, and the Land of Snow, which are part of their clan's second backup plan, they must prepare sufficient supplies. At least half a month's worth of supplies for the clan is definitely needed. Although many things can be put into sealing scrolls, the number of sealing scrolls is ultimately limited, and some supplies still need to be carried by manpower.

The commotion caused by the second group of people will definitely be far greater than that caused by the first group. Once these people are gone, it will be difficult for the remaining people to maintain a semblance of cover. Therefore, it is highly likely that the clan's evacuation will be detected by the village's surveillance team and members of the root of the clan today.

These are psychological expectations, or rather, awareness.

Fugaku and Shoji had already made preparations.

"Next is the second batch. I have already issued the orders for the relocation of supplies and the concentration of personnel. The best-case scenario is that everything will be stable until tonight. The worst-case scenario is that it will be discovered in a few hours. After all, this time it is the remaining two thousand clansmen who are leaving together. Elder Zongxuan, General, everything is in your hands!"

In the settlement of a clan.

The edge of the evacuation zone.

Fugaku looked at Shoji and Elder Uchiha Sōgen, who was also fully armed, and said with a very serious expression.

108. Confusion and Exposure

"Don't worry, Fugaku, I will definitely lead this group of clansmen away safely, even if it means sacrificing this old man!"

Uchiha Sogen patted his chest forcefully. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied that he hadn't drawn the lot to stay behind and cover the retreat, the evacuation of the clan was equally important. Unlike Shisui, who still held a last bit of hope and recognition for the village, few of these older Uchiha clan members truly felt any closeness to Konoha. In particular, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and others were the most despicable and disgusting representatives in the eyes of radical elders like Uchiha Sogen.

These Uchiha clan members didn't think their evacuation plan would go smoothly. It was normal for them to encounter the Anbu and Root members during the journey. That's why at least half of their forces were assigned to protect the clan members who had retreated earlier at the previous clan meeting, and Shisui was chosen as the leader of the guard.

Only in this way can we ensure a minimum level of safety.

"Our clan still needs Elder Zongxuan's guidance. You can't just say such things so easily!"

To the average clansman, Fugaku was a stern clan leader, but he never failed to show respect to these elders. To put it bluntly, the youngest of these elders was 20 years older than Fugaku and had watched him grow up. Fugaku was able to become the clan leader six or seven years ago thanks to the recognition and assistance of these elders.

Both publicly and privately, Fugaku genuinely respected these elders. If he hadn't known that it would be difficult to persuade them, Fugaku would have hoped that all eight elders would leave the village in the first or second batch.

They shouldn't have risked dying in battle to stay behind.

"Haha! You little rascal!"

Elder Zongxuan laughed and shook his head.

“Clan leader, what you said is exactly what I wanted to say as well. What the Uchiha clan needs is a clansman who can continue to lead the clan forward in the future, not a so-called hero to be sacrificed. The future path of the clan is still difficult and long. Surviving and taking on this responsibility is the most important thing. This is not for yourself, but for the clan!”

And it was at this very moment.

Shoji, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. Three days ago, Shoji might not have felt anything, but in the last two days, he felt more and more that Fugaku's mentality seemed to have changed.

It's not that Fugaku wanted to commit suicide.

It hasn't come to that point yet.

However, General Manager Jiang is worried that, given the clear chance of survival, his clan leader might choose a more radical and outrageous option.

Separating a clan from Konoha is only slightly better than choosing a coup.

The future prospects are still not very bright, because what follows is that the entire clan will have to bear all the burdens. To put it bluntly, the lives of some other adult clan members may not be that important. The key to whether the Uchiha clan can stand on the ninja world is the survival of Tsukasa himself, Shisui, and Fugaku.

The Mangekyou Sharingan is such a terrifying thing.

"!!"

Jiang Si's words suddenly disrupted the flow of the conversation.

This startled Fugaku, whose expression seemed to have changed slightly. When this was seen by Elder Zongxuan, the oldest elder opposite him, his eyes sharpened considerably.

Meeting their differing gazes, Fugaku shook his head with a calm expression and said, "Shoji, in your eyes, am I such an imprudent clan leader? Rest assured, even for Itachi and Sasuke's sake, I will make the right choice!"

Looking at Fugaku like this.

Jiang Si frowned slightly. Calm people are often the most terrifying because you can't see through what they're thinking at all. But that's not wrong. Uchiha Mikoto and Itachi are still alive, and Sasuke is still an infant.

Considering the clan's current situation, their clan leader really had no reason to choose to die. Moreover, the word 'die' was strange, and Jiang Si himself found it hard to explain, but deep down he felt a strong sense of unease.

"Fugaku, no matter what you think, you are the clan leader recognized by all of us old folks. Whatever choice you make next, as long as it is in line with your character and status, I will not pursue it. Just remember this!"

Just as Shoji was about to say something, Sogen stepped forward, interrupting Shoji's words. With a solemn expression, he looked at Fugaku and said, "Uchiha Sogen, who came from that era, is even a few years older than Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others. The way of doing things formed by everything he experienced in his early years will not change even in his old age."

Especially now that he has shed his elder's robes and donned them again, the old man's former might on the battlefield seems to have returned.

Looking at these elders in the clan and hearing these words.

Fugaku's expression finally turned extremely solemn. After taking a deep breath, he raised his chin and replied, "Yes, please rest assured!"

"very good!"

Uchiha Sogen nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's go! Kid, it's our turn to do the work!"

Then.

Zong Xuan patted Jiang Si on the shoulder.

"Fugaku is, after all, the head of our Uchiha clan."

As if he could see through Jiang Si's thoughts in advance, he spoke those words in a low voice.

After a moment of surprise, Jiang Si nodded in unison.

"Yes, Elder Zongxuan!"

After responding.

"whoosh"

"Whoosh!"

After giving Uchiha Fugaku a deep look, Jiang Si followed behind Zong Xuan, and the two of them leaped away one after the other. Beside them, the second group of clansmen who were evacuating spread out.

After watching Sougen and Shoji's figures disappear into the distance, Fugaku's face showed a resolute expression. He then strode back to his camp. Once this group of people left, only two or three hundred adult clansmen would remain in the clan, none of whom were under the age of 20.

It could even be said that if it weren't for the need for combat power...

Fugaku wanted to arrange for all clan members under the age of 30 to leave ahead of time, because these people were the hope for the future of the clan.

The departure of this second group of clansmen was clearly difficult to conceal.

Even the most optimistic prediction is still a low-probability event. The number of people involved is large, and even if some members of the clan are still deliberately covering it up after these people are gone, the exposed loopholes are still too great.

It had only been less than three hours since the first group of people left the giant walls of Konoha Village.

The surveillance personnel in the shadows and at the base of the perimeter sensed something amiss.

They immediately dispatched personnel back to report to the Third Generation Leader and Danzo Shimura!

Main text

109. Wrath and the impending confrontation

This is extremely shocking news.

This was an entirely unexpected turn of events. Upon receiving the feedback from the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi could hardly believe his ears. Was the Uchiha clan really this audacious?! Only three days had passed since the day they broke off relations, and the Uchiha clan was already prepared for a full-scale coup?!

Or perhaps his judgment was wrong once again. Although Danzo was falsely accusing the Uchiha clan of involvement in the disappearances, the Uchiha clan did indeed harbor rebellious intentions!

Unable to determine whether the Uchiha clan's movements were a coup or a deviation from the plan, the surveillance ANBU could only make this judgment when they detected a large-scale movement of Uchiha clan members. Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally reached the same conclusion based on the primary data.

"Someone come here!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

"Immediately mobilize the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, twelfth, thirteenth, and seventeenth squads of the Anbu, and then immediately send someone to inform the two advisors, Mitomon and Utatane, to pass this intelligence on to the Hyuga, Aburame, Nara, Inuzuka, and other ninja clans!"

"Yes!"

The ten Anbu squads that were directly mobilized represented the maximum force the Third Hokage could draw from the Anbu in the current situation of the village. Ten squads, plus his personal guards, totaled nearly two hundred Anbu members. He also believed that Danzo would receive the corresponding message at the same time. After gathering the Root forces, the elite force under him would reach at least four hundred people, which would be enough to directly counter the power of the Uchiha clan.

The only thing we need to be wary of is the pair of Mangekyou Sharingan in the Uchiha clan, or even the pair that might exist!

This is why Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately took action and sent someone to notify the various ninja clans.

Prior to this, he had even sent personnel to bring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, who was also an infant, to his home. He planned to have Koharu Utatane personally lead the remaining Anbu forces to protect him in order to prevent any further accidents.

The village can't withstand another Nine-Tailed Fox rampage.

'Evil Uchiha clan! If you are truly determined to betray us, then today we will annihilate you completely!'

Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his Hokage robe and put on the black armor he often wore in his youth. He led over a hundred Anbu members and rushed towards the Uchiha clan's stronghold in the western area.

On the road.

They met up with Mitokado Homura, who had arrived first, as well as Akimichi Torifu and others.

The team quickly expanded to over three hundred people. The Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka Ino-Shika-Cho clans were the first to mobilize. This was partly because the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were naturally close to the Hokage's faction, and Akimichi Torifu was a close comrade of the Third Hokage. Even though he had some sympathy for the Uchiha clan deep down, considering the dangers of the coup and the many doubts from a year ago, Akimichi Torifu made the appropriate judgment in the shortest possible time. And once this elder with the highest seniority and prestige among the three clans made the decision, it was a significant achievement.

Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and Nara Shikaku, the three leading figures of the younger generation in their respective ninja clans, would all obey Akimichi Torifu's orders.

This is why the three clans were the first to arrive. When the Third Hokage saw Akimichi Torifu arrive so quickly with the elites of the three clans, he breathed a sigh of relief and a faint smile appeared on his face.

The remaining ninja clans, including Hyuga, Aburame, Kurama, Inuzuka, Yamashiro, Gekko, and Shiranui, despite their various concerns, still dispatched a portion of their elite forces to the Uchiha clan's territory as soon as they received the news. Regardless of their previous intentions—whether they were hostile or neutral—they were all on the verge of witnessing the Uchiha clan's audacity in launching a coup.

Each ninja clan will choose to stand on the same side.

They were already bound to Konoha. Even though there were people among them who disliked Shimura Danzo or even Hiruzen Sarutobi, they still had to make the most "rational" and "politically correct" choice in the face of the greater good of the village.

That is to maintain the stability of the village and eliminate anyone who dares to disrupt the harmony of the village!

However, these people did not know that at this moment, the Uchiha clan had no intention of staging a coup at all, but openly wanted to break away from the Uchiha clan. Even faster than Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura led the elite Root troops to the front of the Uchiha clan's base and confronted Fugaku. He was the first to notice a trace of extremely unsettling atmosphere.

Because this doesn't seem like the Uchiha clan wanting to rebel at all. Judging from the messages spread by the Root members, the Uchiha clan members seem to be heading towards the western edge of the village.

This caused Danzo's eyes to narrow involuntarily, his heart sinking as if he were contemplating a terrifying possibility, yet he couldn't be certain of it, facing the cold gazes of Fugaku and hundreds of Uchiha clan members who had awakened their Sharingan.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived.

Danzo Shimura really didn't dare to do anything.

"Uchiha Fugaku, what exactly does your Uchiha clan want to do?! Are you really planning to betray the village?!"

Actions need to be put on hold for now, but Danzo couldn't help but probe ahead with his words.

If the Uchiha clan really intends to carry out the plan they've suspected, this is the worst possible scenario.