I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

The masked man possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan and sometimes spatial abilities, which even the village and clan's barriers cannot stop him.

He was a madman who was disappointed with his family and village and only wanted to leave with himself. The deaths of the Nine-Tails and the Fourth Hokage and his wife were all closely related to the masked man.

However, to Itachi's surprise, he seemed to have sensed a familiar gaze just now.

When she got home, Mikoto was a little surprised by Itachi's arrival. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions, and she could only say one short sentence: "Itachi, are you having dinner at home today?"

Itachi nodded: "Yeah, I'm not too busy today, I plan to eat at home."

Mikoto's face lit up with a smile again: "It's good that you're back. We're all family. You and Fugaku shouldn't bring your work troubles home. Have you even considered Sasuke's feelings...?"

Fugaku, sitting in the living room, didn't speak, but merely glanced at Itachi, his eyes saying everything.

Itachi returned the same look. They really needed to have a serious talk, and given the current situation, it was very likely the last time.

Chapter 57 Sasuke felt he understood Naruto

To celebrate Itachi's return, Mikoto Uchiha prepared a large table of dishes.

Looking at his favorite scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Sasuke's appetite increased. While eating, he answered his father and brother's questions about life at the ninja academy, a smile appearing on his face.

He enjoys his time now, with his family eating together without arguing or giving each other the cold shoulder.

In the past, his father and brother would always bring their work-related worries home during meals, which gave him a lot of headaches.

Suddenly, Sasuke gradually realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

Although the family members all wore smiles, the mother's smile seemed somewhat forced, while the father's and brother's smiles looked more like suppressed emotions, as if they might explode at any moment.

Realizing this, Sasuke did not expose them, but continued to eat.

He just wanted to see smiles on his family's faces, even if they were fake, as long as they still cared about him and there was still room for reconciliation.

After dinner, Sasuke took the initiative to ask to practice shuriken together.

Fugaku and Itachi exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement. During the training, Sasuke kept trying to speak well of his father and brother to salvage the fragile family relationship.

But neither Fugaku nor Itachi took Sasuke's words to heart.

Even after the practice session ended, Sasuke could still sense the hostility between them.

Just as Sasuke was about to continue his efforts, Mikoto walked over and said, "Sasuke, it's time to sleep. Go wash up quickly, you have an exam tomorrow."

Sasuke was somewhat helpless, but he could only obediently listen to Mikoto and go to his room to sleep.

A day of training left Sasuke physically exhausted, but his mind was unusually active. He couldn't fall asleep in bed, constantly thinking about how to mend the rift between his father and brother, but he couldn't come up with any good solutions.

"If it were Naruto, he could probably help his father and brother understand each other..."

After thinking it over and over, Sasuke thought of his rival Naruto and said to himself, "Naruto is so strong and knows so much, he can definitely do it."

"Sasuke, go to sleep and stop thinking nonsense."

Just then, Mikoto's voice came from outside again, making Sasuke frown. But having mastered the Shadow Clone Technique, how could he be stopped by such a small difficulty?

After forming hand seals, Sasuke hid his clone in the wardrobe, while his main body continued to sleep.

Not long after, Sasuke heard the real body snoring. Just as he was about to go find his father and brother, he heard a conversation coming from the study next door.

Are the father and brother talking?

Sasuke pricked up his ears and began to enhance his hearing with chakra. He desperately wanted to know about the conflict between his father and brother. Only by knowing this could he consult Naruto and ask him for advice.

Inside the study, Fugaku and Itachi knelt on the tatami mats, gazing at each other.

The silence didn't last long. Fugaku looked at his eldest son: "Itachi, are you still not going to hand over the list of Anbu members? The clan is about to launch a coup against the Hokage Building. With this list, we can reduce a lot of casualties."

"I'm sorry, even if the clan launches a coup, it has no chance of success. I cannot betray the village and the Dark Guard for your ambition."

After a pause, Itachi Uchiha continued, "So, Father, you should abandon the idea of ​​a coup."

Itachi's words made Fugaku frown: "It's too late to give up the coup now. If we don't launch the coup, the clan will be the first to fall into internal strife. Besides, launching the coup is just to take back what belongs to the Uchiha."

“Father, have you considered the impact a coup would have on the village? Whether it succeeds or fails, the village will be unable to withstand the threat from other ninja villages, so I cannot stand idly by and watch a coup happen.”

Itachi remained expressionless; he was nearing his breaking point with Fugaku's ambition.

Fugaku's face darkened, and his three-tomoe Sharingan appeared. He sneered, "So this is why you killed Shisui and stole his eyes? He should have been the strongest fighter in the clan."

Itachi also became agitated and stared back with his Sharingan without any politeness: "Shisui committed suicide to stop your coup, but unfortunately you can't see his greatness and have always been limited by the narrow vision of your clan."

Fugaku, unable to contain his anger at Itachi's questioning of his magnanimity, retorted: "Are you Itachi of the Anbu or Itachi of the Uchiha clan?"

"The clan has devised a meticulous plan. Once they control Naruto, the Jinchuriki, the Uchiha can manipulate the Nine-Tails and launch an attack on the Hokage Building. And I will become the Fifth Hokage!"

At this point, Fugaku's eyes turned icy cold, and he issued Itachi his final ultimatum:

"Itachi, the clan will hold its final meeting next week regarding the coup. If you are still my son and still acknowledge yourself as an Uchiha, then join us at the meeting that day."

Itachi did not give Fugaku an immediate reply, but turned and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave from the direction of the window.

After Itachi left, the sliding door to the study opened, and Mikoto looked at her husband with a worried expression, saying, "Fugaku, you and Itachi argued again. Did he agree to stand on the Uchiha's side?"

Fugaku, his hands folded across his chest, said wearily, "I don't know Itachi's decision, but I do know that the Uchiha can die for honor, but they cannot tolerate the humiliation from the Hokage Building."

Mikoto sighed helplessly, unsure whether she should support her husband or her son.

Unbeknownst to Fugaku and Mikoto, Sasuke, who had been eavesdropping from inside the closet, was now slumped helplessly on the floor, trying his best to remain silent, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He overheard his father and brother's conversation, simply wanting to understand their conflict and then find a way to resolve it.

Unexpectedly, the conflict between the father and brother turned out to be a coup. The father wanted to lead the clan in a coup, while the brother chose to stand on the side of the village and tried his best to stop it.

He had tried several times to step forward and stop the conversation between his father and brother, but he backed down each time.

Because he didn't know whether to persuade his father or his brother, the education he received at the Ninja Academy instilled in him a love for the village, and everyone in the village was a comrade. He also always believed in the Will of Fire.

But whether it's the differential treatment the Uchiha clan received in the village, or what happened to Naruto.

All of this made him doubt the Will of Fire and unable to oppose the coup led by his father.

Moreover, even if he were to speak out, he would most likely be ignored by his father and brother, or even have his memories erased by the Sharingan, leaving him without the right to know the truth.

Being weak and powerless, he could only keep these things to himself, unable to change anything or do anything.

Now, he suddenly understands Naruto a little better.

Chapter 58 Close Friend

After arguing with Fugaku, Itachi went to a cliff near the Naka River.

Looking down at the rushing river, Itachi was already disheartened.

The argument he had just had with his father made him realize that his efforts to maneuver within the family and village over the past six months had failed. He could neither change the minds of those in power nor his father's intention to launch a coup.

Even though he possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, the supreme power of his clan, he could not change the status quo.

With a soft sigh, Itachi recalled his memories of meeting Shisui here before. At that time, he and Shisui shared a common goal: to navigate between their clan and the village and prevent the conflict from escalating.

But Shisui died half a year ago, leaving him as the only Uchiha left to act as a bridge.

As a double agent, he was constantly under pressure from higher-ups and his family, which almost drove him insane.

When he was alone, Itachi also thought about ending his life, but in the end he gave up the idea of ​​suicide.

Shisui proved with his life that the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village could not be resolved by the death of one or two people. It was a contest between two interest groups, and it would not end unless one side completely lost the ability to resist.

His decision to end his life now will only ignite the conflict between his clan and the village, accelerating the outbreak of further conflict.

Therefore, even if his father hadn't questioned him just now, he should have considered whether to stand on the side of the village or the family. Hesitation would only lead to the same fate as Zhishui.

However, he had already made his decision on the day he activated the kaleidoscope.

He couldn't abandon the majority of the village to support a clan's coup, because he would lose both the village and the clan. He had no choice but to abandon the Uchiha clan.

The only person in his clan he still cared about was Sasuke.

As Itachi pondered, Obito slowly emerged from the whirlpool. Having observed Itachi for a long time, he remarked with considerable emotion:

"Still worried about the Uchiha? Your perspective is far too narrow."

"Let's forget about these trivial matters and leave Konoha with me. We have greater things to do: to help the entire ninja world escape the vortex of war and establish a completely new order."

Obito's words were extremely persuasive, but Itachi didn't make many moves.

He couldn't trust this mysterious masked man. The man had personally killed his friend and was the prime suspect in the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage. Now that he was entrenched in the village, his intentions were definitely not just to take him away.

There must be other motives involved, but I'm not aware of them yet.

However, with the Mangekyou Sharingan, he could restrain the masked man to some extent, and it would be best if he could figure out the other party's thoughts.

To deal with an entire clan, he might need their help... He wasn't confident he could stop the clan's coup.

After weighing the pros and cons, Itachi turned to the masked man and said, "I can join your organization, but before that, you must do me a favor and promise not to attack Konoha again."

Obito glanced at Itachi, then suddenly became curious and said in a low voice, "What do you need me to do?"

Itachi said expressionlessly, "Help me sever the bonds of our clan and assist me in destroying the entire Uchiha clan!"

Upon hearing this, Obito narrowed his eyes and his gaze toward Itachi became playful.

He released the Nine-Tails and caused the Nine-Tails' rampage in order to weaken Konoha, but why did Itachi want to destroy the Uchiha clan? Did he also lose hope in the Uchiha clan?

After a moment's hesitation, Obito nodded: "Okay, I agree to your request. When shall we set off?"

Under the moonlight, Itachi's shadow looked somewhat menacing. He said emotionlessly, "I will choose the best time, and I will let you know when the time comes."

Obito's lips curled into a smile; he was also somewhat looking forward to how things would unfold.

Meanwhile, in a secret room within the Uchiha clan compound.

After a period of activity, Shisui formed a small group of several dozen people, including Chunin and Jonin.

Many Uchiha ninjas wanted to participate in the coup, but were hesitant because they worried that their families would be affected if the coup failed.

So he sent his wife and children to Shisui, hoping Shisui would help them leave Konoha, so that even if the coup failed, the Uchiha clan could still survive.

Shisui was unable to persuade them to abandon the coup, but he welcomed all the old and young.

Those ambitious people in the clan are dead and that's it. He will lead these women, children and the elderly away from Konoha.

How to leave Konoha became the biggest problem facing his small group.

Konohagakure is a major military stronghold in the Land of Fire. Ordinary people need the Hokage's permission to leave, let alone the Uchiha clan, who have a very poor relationship with the higher-ups.