Konoha Village in May was in its most pleasant season of the year.
Sunlight spilled onto the streets, and a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the scent of flowers.
However, in the Forest of Death on the outskirts of Konoha Village, there was a scene of chilling desolation.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
A dark shadow darted between the ancient trees.
Wherever the figure passed, the air was displaced, creating sonic booms.
A gust of wind swept up the withered leaves on the ground, and before they could even land, the afterimage had already crossed several hundred meters.
In the entire Ninja World, only one person could achieve such speed.
“Shisui of the Body Flicker”—Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui came to a halt at the edge of a clearing, his feet plowing two furrows into the dirt.
He didn’t bother to calm his Chakra, his gaze locked onto a giant rock ahead.
Atop the giant rock, a young man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his breathing steady.
Lu Ming.
Seeing this man, Shisui’s tense nerves finally relaxed.
During the Third Shinobi World War, they were life-and-death friends who had fought side-by-side.
Back then on the battlefield, Shisui used his Sharingan and Body Flicker Technique to strike fear into the hearts of enemy Ninjas, while Lu Ming took a different path.
Relying on Medical Ninjutsu, Lu Ming saved countless heavily injured Uchiha Clan members.
In that era where life was as cheap as grass, Lu Ming was the pillar of the Uchiha Clan.
His heroic deeds in saving the wounded earned him deep respect from the Uchiha Clan members; his prestige within the clan now even showed signs of surpassing the Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku.
Shisui leaped and landed at the base of the giant rock.
He looked up at Lu Ming, who was resting with his eyes closed.
“Lu Ming, you’ve heard about the recent events in the clan, haven’t you?”
Lu Ming didn’t move, not even lifting an eyelid.
Shisui grit his teeth, his hands clenched into fists, and decided to speak plainly.
“The entire clan compound is secretly mobilizing! The secret meetings at Naka Shrine are becoming more frequent. Radical Faction members like Yashiro and Inabi are spreading rumors everywhere about launching an Armed Coup to overthrow the Konoha High Command!”
At this point, Shisui’s breathing became hurried, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
“They’ve even started secretly stockpiling explosive tags and Ninja Tools.”
“Lu Ming, tell me the truth… is this movement… actually being masterminded by you behind the scenes?”
Shisui held his breath as he asked this.
He knew Lu Ming’s influence within the clan all too well.
If Lu Ming were truly determined to lead a rebellion, he would only need to give the word…
…and those Uchiha Clan members whose lives he had once saved would hesitate for a moment before drawing their blades and following him to charge the Hokage Building.
If it really came to that, the Uchiha would truly have no way back.
Hearing these questioning words, Lu Ming opened his eyes.
He looked at Shisui.
“Shisui, have you used the Body Flicker Technique so much that you left your brain halfway behind?”
Shisui was stunned.
“Use that pig brain of yours and think for a moment.”
Lu Ming stood up from the giant rock and brushed the dust off his clothes, his voice echoing in the clearing.
“If I were really planning an Armed Coup, would I make it so sensational that everyone knows about it?”
“Would I let those idiots, who can’t even perform the Three Basic Jutsu properly, blabber about cutting down the Konoha High Command after having a few drinks in an Izakaya?”
Lu Ming stepped down from the rock one step at a time, approaching Shisui.
“We both came from that world; have you ever seen a coup where anyone with a functioning brain announces it to the enemy in advance with drums and gongs?”
“If I were to actually take action, I would never be so blatant!”
“I would cut off the Anbu’s communications, blockade the Hokage Building, and have those old geezers in the high command get their throats slit in their sleep!”
“Do you really think these rumors, which are leaking like a sieve and are practically a joke, could be my handiwork?”
Hearing this rebuttal, Shisui’s tense body relaxed, and he let out a long breath.
He was completely relieved.
That’s right, Lu Ming always planned before acting, leaving no room for error.
If he were to strike, it would be a lethal, inescapable trap that wouldn’t give the Konoha High Command any time to react.
Since Lu Ming said so, it proved that this matter had nothing to do with him.
“As long as you’re not the one leading it…”
Shisui raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; the clothes on his back were soaked through.
“Not only did I not plan it, but I also absolutely do not approve of such a brain-dead Armed Coup!”
Lu Ming walked up to Shisui and tore away the Uchiha Clan’s superficial facade.
“Look at the Uchiha now. What do they look like? Their hearts aren’t united; they’re all fighting their own battles.”
“The Radical Faction clamor for power every day, while the Moderates only think of living in ignoble ease. There isn’t even a unified voice.”
Lu Ming pointed in the direction of the clan compound.
“And what about strength? It’s long past the peak era when Uchiha Madara swept through thousands of troops!”
“Do those few frogs in a well, who think they’re invincible just because they’ve awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, really think they can shake the giant tree that is Konoha?”
Shisui’s face turned pale from Lu Ming’s words, but he couldn’t refute them because that was the reality.
“Even if we take a step back!”
Lu Ming’s voice suddenly rose.
“Even if these idiots get incredibly lucky and succeed in a forced coup, slaughtering all the high command, so what? Do you think seizing power means you can sit securely in the Hokage’s seat?”
Lu Ming stared into Shisui’s eyes and said word by word,
“Konoha’s foundation is right there! Will the Ino–Shika–Chō follow us? Will the Hyūga Clan follow us?”
“Will the Civilian Ninjas follow us? This is a messy war where you’d lose more than you’d gain!”
“After the fighting, Konoha would be severely weakened. Do you think Kumogakure or Iwagakure would let such a choice piece of meat go?”
“When the time comes, with internal strife and external threats, and all the Major Ninja Villages attacking at once, the Uchiha will only end up in a dead end with no way out!”
Dead end.
These words struck heavily at Shisui’s heart.
Shisui closed his eyes, his hands clenched into fists, blood dripping onto the grass from between his fingers.
He deeply loved this Village, a home built on the blood and sacrifice of countless ancestors; he also deeply loved his clansmen, his own flesh and blood.
But now, the Village and the clan were on a collision course, and caught in the middle, he was powerless to reconcile the increasingly sharp conflict between the two.
“Lu Ming, then what should we do?”
Shisui opened his eyes and stepped forward, grabbing Lu Ming’s arm.
“Are we just going to watch them march to their deaths? Can we find a way to stop the actions of the Radical Faction in the clan?”
Lu Ming looked at Shisui and patted his shoulder.
“To stop them, just suppressing them within the clan won’t work.”
“The root isn’t with the Uchiha, but in the Hokage Building. As long as Hokage-sama’s side…”
Hearing the words “Hokage-sama,”
Shisui suddenly remembered something and picked up the conversation.
He looked at Lu Ming.
“Speaking of which, there’s something I’ve never been able to figure out.”
“Hokage-sama giving the Police Force to us Uchiha was originally meant to be a sign of trust.”
“But why… why has the Police Force’s reputation in the Village deteriorated to such an extent?”
“Now, walking down the street, even three-year-old children who know nothing are criticizing us behind our backs!”