"The Clan Leader is right. Now is not the best time to launch a coup."
"Only after Shisui and Itachi have fully matured will the time be ideal."
An elder with a pale face and a mole under his left brow spoke. He was Uchiha Mori, the second elder of the Uchiha Clan one of the few voices of reason among those constantly clamoring for a coup.
"True, as talented as Shisui and Itachi are, they're still too young. Their strength hasn't yet reached its peak."
"Exactly. When you put it that way, it really isn't the right moment for a rebellion."
"Give it a few more years. Once those two have grown, that will be the perfect time to act."
…
Many of the Uchiha were swayed by Fugaku's reasoning. Though disappointed, they couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. In just a few years, Shisui and Itachi would come into their own.
When the clan produced two powerhouses on par with Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, how powerful would the Uchiha be then?
At that time, even if they stood against the entire Hidden Leaf, the Uchiha would have nothing to fear.
…
Hearing the voices of agreement, Uchiha Satsuna and Uchiha Inabi remained silent.
Though they had always opposed Fugaku and considered him weak, they had to admit his words tonight made sense.
The clan was thriving with talent and rapidly growing in strength. It truly wasn't the right moment to spark a rebellion.
"That's enough for today's clan meeting. Remember everything discussed here must remain confidential. Not a word to anyone outside."
Uchiha Fugaku let out a silent sigh of relief as he stood to make the announcement. He had successfully persuaded the others to postpone the coup.
As for what came next… he'd have to take it one step at a time.
It was just his luck, really. Of all the people he could've transmigrated into, he had to end up as Uchiha Fugaku the last patriarch of the Uchiha Clan.
After leaving the Naka Shrine, Fugaku returned home.
"You're back?"
At the entrance, a gentle voice greeted him. A beautiful woman in a kimono, long black hair flowing, smiled softly like a warm spring breeze. She was Uchiha Mikoto, his wife in this new life.
Despite being a mother of two, she had maintained her figure perfectly, thanks to her life as a shinobi. She even carried a mature allure no young girl could match, like a blooming peony in full splendor.
"Yeah," Fugaku replied a bit guiltily.
Though he wore Fugaku's face, the soul inside was from another world entirely. Facing Mikoto, he couldn't help but feel like a fraud.
After replying, he mimicked Fugaku's usual mannerisms and made his way to the study based on the memories he now carried.
Once he shut the door behind him, he finally exhaled. He needed time to sort through the chaos in his mind.
"I can't believe I actually transmigrated into Uchiha Fugaku."
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
A random transmigration… into a man fated to die during the Uchiha Clan's massacre. What kind of terrible starting point was this?
If you divided transmigration scenarios into Easy, Normal, and Hard his was definitely Hard mode.
"I must change the outcome… or I'll die for sure."
He sighed, mind racing.
He couldn't change the difficulty of his starting point. Like it or not, this was his new reality. What mattered now was altering that future he couldn't just sit back and wait for death.
"Hmph. Uchiha Itachi..."
Thinking of the man who would lead the massacre his supposed son his eyes turned cold.
If it were him, he would never go down without a fight. No way he'd let Itachi slaughter him.
Strictly speaking, he and Itachi weren't truly father and son. So even if it came to bloodshed between them, he felt little guilt. Even if they were father and son it still wouldn't justify lying down and dying.
The original Fugaku was a fool, doing nothing simply because his killer was his own son.
"But even with resistance, if nothing changes, the Uchiha will still be wiped out."
"Though Konoha publicly claimed Itachi killed the clan, in truth, he didn't act alone."
"Besides Itachi, there was also Uchiha Obito. With my current strength, I don't stand a chance against him."
He frowned slightly.
Like Itachi in the future, his current body also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. Power-wise, he might not be weaker than future Itachi.
But his enemies weren't limited to just Itachi there was also Obito, manipulating events from the shadows.
At his current level, he was no match.
To survive, he'd have to grow stronger fast.
"It's a pity I didn't receive any golden finger... who knows if one will appear later?"
It had already been hours since he transmigrated, yet the cheat power every transmigrator dreamed of hadn't shown up. Maybe he wasn't in a protagonist template after all.
"No golden finger… then I'll have to rely on foreknowledge to grow stronger."
He tapped his fingers subconsciously.
Currently, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was at Kage-level strength. To get stronger, there were two options.
The first: transplant the Mangekyō of a close blood relative to evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan which wouldn't go blind from overuse and would significantly enhance his power.
The second: transplant Hashirama's cells. These could slow or stop the blindness from Mangekyō use. That's how Obito could abuse his Mangekyō so freely because he had Hashirama cells.
If the risk of blindness was removed, his power would increase naturally.
"Either method could make me stronger. If I manage both, I might even evolve the Rinnegan like Madara!"
A sharp light flickered in Fugaku's eyes.
Since he was now in this world as Uchiha Fugaku he had no reason to wait around for death.
He would use his foreknowledge to grow stronger and fight for survival.