“Now, I will begin the roll call.
Anyone unwilling to participate may stand to my right.” “I will personally respect your choice.” ‘If someone actually steps forward…’ Senya chuckled inwardly.
‘That would be a good thing.’ A memorized list of names surfaced in his mind.
Senya began calling out the names in order.
When he reached the eleventh name, no one answered.
That name was none other than— Uchiha Itachi!
Senya asked with a cold expression, “Why is Uchiha Itachi absent from the full clan assembly?” Someone couldn’t help but mutter, “I just saw that guy here a moment ago.” Elder Uchiha Setsuna knew it was his time to step forward.
“He left halfway through, acting in his capacity as an Anbu.” Those words detonated like a bomb in everyone’s hearts.
They had never imagined that Uchiha Itachi, the eldest son of the clan head and the pride of their family, would betray them.
This emotional collapse made everyone exceptionally furious.
It felt exactly like discovering that the pure, lovely, and outstanding girl you had a crush on was actually a…
‘Well, the metaphor is a bit off the rails.’ But that was roughly the sentiment.
Uchiha Fugaku felt his brain buzzing.
Bizarrely, his anger…
Alright, he wasn’t actually that angry.
No one knows a son better than his father.
If Fugaku hadn’t noticed anything strange about Itachi by now, he would have to be completely blind.
“Elder Uchiha Setsuna, that child Itachi would never betray the clan.” Between his clan and his child, he still chose his child.
Fugaku kept a straight face and lied through his teeth, “I was the one who sent him.
I ordered him to secretly keep an eye on Shimura Danzo to prevent him from trying any new tricks.” It was a very flimsy excuse.
But the crowd subjectively wanted to believe Fugaku’s words.
Because he was the clan head, and his son was the bright young heir.
Anyone else might betray the clan, but they were the least likely candidates.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it wasn’t betrayal.
Uchiha Itachi was still that pure, lovely, and outstanding good girl in their hearts.
Senya wasn’t disappointed.
Aside from wanting to weed out the brain-dead idiots early on, his roll call was also a convenient way to dig a little pitfall for their ‘most filial’ son.
Without concrete evidence, bringing down this disastrous father-son duo would be quite difficult.
However, he hadn’t come up entirely empty-handed.
Today’s conversation would act as a thorn, a buried landmine.
They seemed to brush it off, but did they truly not care?
At thirteen years old, Uchiha Itachi was prone to acting on impulse.
He also fancied himself as always being in the right.
Dealing with a brat like that didn’t require much scheming.
Just dig a shallow hole in the ground, and he would jump in all on his own.
And then, the landmine planted today would completely detonate!
With a massive boom, the great filial son Uchiha Itachi would blow the halos off both himself and his father, shattering them to pieces!
After that, no further incidents occurred, and no one foolishly stepped out of line.
With Uchiha Setsuna’s full support and the groundwork laid earlier, Senya’s orders met no opposition.
Weapons were distributed to everyone.
Pregnant women and the elderly who could barely walk were sent back home.
A few people were left behind to care for them, while the rest formed a square battle formation.
It was divided into three layers.
The shinobi voluntarily stood on the outermost layer, surrounding and protecting the non-combatant clan members in the center.
The able-bodied adults stood in the second layer, while the innermost layer consisted of women, the elderly, and children.
The full mobilization of the Uchiha clan alarmed all of Konoha.
At first, the monitoring shinobi had joked about whether the Uchiha were going to hold another meeting until dark.
But when they saw the white-haired elders and babbling infants in the crowd…
The smiles on their faces instantly froze.
A chill shot straight up from their tailbones to the tops of their skulls!
Something was wrong.
Something was horribly wrong!
The Uchiha clan was playing for keeps this time!!
The civilians on the streets scattered like startled deer, hiding inside shops and shrinking their necks like quails.
In the past, under the deliberate guidance of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, they had always cursed the Uchiha Military Police Force for being arrogant and unfair.
But now, seeing those cold Sharingan eyes radiating killing intent, they all snapped their mouths shut.
They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, terrified of becoming targets.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi was kneeling on one knee, respectfully delivering his report.
Sitting in his soft leather chair, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a massive headache coming on.
He couldn’t understand why the usually simple-minded Uchiha clan seemed to have suddenly grown a brain overnight.
It made things incredibly thorny for him.
Fortunately, he still had Itachi!
Hiruzen looked at the kneeling Uchiha Itachi, feeling a wave of relief.
This dutiful son had immediately rushed over to report, giving Hiruzen time to prepare.
“Itachi, this is your clan.
What do you think?” Without hesitation, Uchiha Itachi replied, “Lord Hokage, the Uchiha clan is no different from bugs crawling on the ground.
Their capacity is far too narrow.” ‘The truth?
An explanation?
How ridiculous!
Shisui’s dying wish was to protect the peace of Konoha!
What do they know?’ ‘Exactly.
They can’t see the sacrifices Shisui and I have made for peace.
They blindly obsess over a coup.
It’s pathetic and ugly.’ Uchiha Itachi stated firmly, “Lord Hokage, I request that you immediately purge the Uchiha clan.” “I am willing to assist you and bear the sin of exterminating my own clan.
I have only one request.
My younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, is innocent.
I only ask that he be allowed to live and remain in Konoha.” Sarutobi Hiruzen looked hesitant.
It wasn’t out of soft-heartedness, but rather because the current situation was incredibly tricky.
If they clashed head-on, even if Konoha won, the village would suffer catastrophic losses.
The surrounding great nations of Lightning, Earth, Wind, and Water would absolutely not pass up such a golden opportunity.
When that happened, Konoha would face a true crisis of annihilation!
The cost of a direct confrontation right now was too high; he couldn’t afford it.
Hiruzen planned to use other methods to temporarily gain the Uchiha clan’s trust.
Once they lowered their guard, he would have Itachi, the traitor, strike from the inside, wiping out the Uchiha in one fell swoop!
Though many thoughts flashed through his mind, he let out a heavy sigh on the surface.
His expression was complex, seemingly filled with reluctance.
“Itachi, until things reach a point of no return, I do not wish to resort to our final option.” Itachi was moved beyond words, lowering his head even further.
“Lord Hokage…” Hiruzen sighed emotionally, “Stand up now.
After all, the Uchiha is your and Shisui’s clan.
If possible, I don’t want you caught in the middle, torn between both sides.” Uchiha Itachi felt even more touched.
His clan was always blindly demanding this and that from him, yet they had never truly cared about him.
In contrast, the Third Hokage genuinely treated him like a beloved nephew.
That earnest protectiveness was truly moving!
This comparison made him even more certain that his decision was the right one!
“You should leave first.
If your father and your clansmen see you here with me later, it will be hard for you to explain.” Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, his tone hardening.
“As for Shisui’s death, I will definitely punish Danzo severely to comfort Shisui’s spirit in heaven!” Itachi’s eyes instantly reddened, his voice trembling faintly.
“Thank you, Lord Hokage!” The Third Hokage blew two streams of smoke from his nose.
The white smoke diffused, obscuring his face and blurring his expression in the haze.
“Go, Itachi.
If anything happens, contact me immediately.” Having successfully dismissed Uchiha Itachi, the boy turned into a dark shadow and vanished from the room.
‘This child, Uchiha Itachi, is so naively cute.
He believes whatever he’s told.’ Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled imperceptibly.