Night had fallen over the Uchiha district.
Shinzuki Yu appeared openly at the entrance to the clan compound, making no attempt to conceal his presence.
“I’m Konoha’s Chief Honorary Advisor, Shinzuki Yu.”
“I’ve come to see Clan Head Uchiha.”
The message was delivered immediately.
Inside his residence, Fugaku paced back and forth in his study, his brows tightly furrowed.
The young Chief Honorary Advisor had chosen to visit in the middle of the night.
Why?
He had heard countless stories about the man.
A shinobi of unfathomable strength.
Impossible to predict.
Impossible to understand.
“Show him in.”
A short while later…
Yu stepped into the study.
The room was simple and austere, decorated in the unmistakable style of the Uchiha.
Fugaku dismissed everyone.
Even his closest retainers.
Once the room was empty, he spoke first.
“Advisor Shinzuki, you’ve come at a rather late hour.”
“What brings you here?”
His tone remained calm.
At least on the surface.
Yu looked the Uchiha patriarch over.
He appeared even steadier than expected…
Yet the exhaustion and anxiety between his brows couldn’t be hidden.
“Clan Head Fugaku.”
“I’ll skip the pleasantries.”
Yu sat casually in a nearby chair.
“You already know the position the Uchiha currently occupy within Konoha.”
Fugaku’s pupils contracted slightly.
He hadn’t expected Yu to expose the most sensitive issue the moment he arrived.
“The Uchiha have always been loyal to Konoha.”
“The Police Force has carried out its duties faithfully.”
“I don’t understand what difficult position you’re referring to.”
His voice grew noticeably heavier.
The authority of the clan head surfaced naturally.
Instinctively…
He resisted.
Yu’s expression never changed.
“Loyalty?”
“You can say that to the Third Hokage.”
“But someone like Danzō?”
“You’re wasting your breath.”
“…Danzō…”
Fugaku paused.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed the little tricks he’s been using against your clan.”
Yu lightly tapped the desk.
“Or perhaps…”
“You noticed.”
“But couldn’t stop him.”
“So you’ve chosen to pretend nothing is happening.”
Every sentence struck like a hammer against Fugaku’s heart.
His expression darkened.
“Advisor.”
“Those are merely assumptions.”
“Elder Danzō’s actions are ultimately for the Hokage to judge.”
He tried steering the conversation toward the village leadership.
Yu chuckled softly.
“Assumptions?”
Slowly…
He raised his eyes.
A flash of crimson appeared deep within them.
The pressure of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spread through the study…
Then vanished just as quickly.
Fugaku’s entire body trembled.
That power…
Far exceeded every Mangekyō Sharingan he had ever known.
Only an instant of eye contact…
Yet his soul felt completely exposed.
Cold sweat soaked his forehead.
His back was already drenched.
Just what kind of monster…
…was this Chief Honorary Advisor?
Every prepared rebuttal died inside his throat.
He suddenly realized…
Yu’s words were probably not speculation at all.
The Uchiha’s situation…
Might be even worse than he had imagined.
“Do you still believe they’re only assumptions?”
Yu asked calmly.
Fugaku fell silent.
The atmosphere inside the study became unbearably heavy.
After a long while…
He finally spoke.
“…Advisor.”
“What exactly are you trying to tell me?”
Yu leaned forward slightly.
“The suspicion directed at the Uchiha…”
“Isn’t only because of the Nine-Tails Incident.”
“And it isn’t only because of Danzō’s ambitions.”
“There’s an even deeper reason.”
“A fuse…”
“Capable of destroying the entire clan.”
Fugaku abruptly looked up.
“What reason?”
“A masked man.”
Yu slowly spoke the words.
“…A masked man?”
Fugaku frowned.
He searched his memory…
Finding nothing.
“He possesses a space-time dōjutsu.”
“And…”
“He also possesses the Sharingan.”
Yu continued.
“The Nine-Tails Incident…”
“Was orchestrated entirely by him.”
“What?!”
Fugaku lost his composure.
The revelation struck like lightning.
The true mastermind…
Was an Uchiha with the Sharingan?
Impossible!
“He used the power of the Sharingan to plunge the village into chaos.”
Yu calmly watched Fugaku’s shocked expression.
“Tell me, Clan Head.”
“When Konoha’s leadership eventually learns that truth…”
“How do you think they’ll judge the rest of the Uchiha?”
Fugaku’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
He didn’t need to think.
If that were true…
The entire clan would inevitably be branded accomplices.
Traitors.
Enemies of Konoha.
Clan extermination…
The phrase surfaced within his mind like a nightmare.
The worst possibility he’d always feared…
Was steadily becoming reality.
“…Impossible…”
“I’ve never heard of anyone like that among our people…”
His voice trembled.
“He hides himself well.”
“Perhaps he left the clan long ago.”
Yu replied calmly.
“But that isn’t important.”
“What matters…”
“Is that his existence has already tied the entire Uchiha clan to a barrel of explosives.”
“When it detonates…”
“Everything burns.”
Fugaku completely fell silent.
Pain.
Anger.
Fear.
Frustration.
Countless emotions collided inside him.
As clan head…
The fate of every Uchiha rested upon his shoulders.
Yu’s words had shattered every illusion he’d been clinging to.
The Uchiha…
Really were standing on the edge of a cliff.
“…Advisor.”
His voice had grown hoarse.
“Why tell me all this?”
Yu interrupted him.
“Because I’m offering you…”
“And the Uchiha…”
“A chance.”
Fugaku’s head snapped upward.
Hope flashed through his eyes.
“The extremists inside your clan must be dealt with.”
Yu raised one finger.
“You must actively demonstrate your loyalty and sincerity to the Fourth Hokage.”
“Not your resentment.”
A second finger.
“I’ll personally guarantee the Uchiha’s position…”
“As Chief Honorary Advisor.”
A third finger.
“In return…”
“I expect genuine cooperation.”
“You’ll help me expose the masked man.”
“And stabilize Konoha.”
Yu looked directly into Fugaku’s eyes.
“Well?”
“Does that bargain satisfy you?”
Fugaku stared silently at him.
Every condition struck precisely where it mattered most.
Removing the extremists…
Would plunge the clan into internal turmoil.
Demonstrating loyalty…
Meant abandoning generations of Uchiha pride.
Yet…
Yu’s guarantee…
Was like a ray of dawn breaking through endless darkness.
This young man…
Possessed unimaginable strength.
Held extraordinary influence.
Understood every danger surrounding the Uchiha…
And had chosen to extend a hand.
Perhaps…
This truly was the clan’s only path to survival.
Fugaku clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Sweat trickled down his face.
This decision…
Was unimaginably difficult.
It would determine the fate of the entire Uchiha clan.
Yu didn’t rush him.
He simply waited.
The choice had already been laid before him.
Whether the Uchiha embraced a new future…
Or stubbornly marched toward destruction…
Would depend entirely…
On Fugaku’s decision.
The study fell silent.
Only the faint sound of two people’s breathing remained.
Fugaku slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again…
They were bloodshot.
“…I…”