After several days of travel, Senju Haruto and his companions finally returned to the village.
However, for Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was no time to rest. The moment he set foot in Konoha, he ordered someone to summon the village's top council for an urgent meeting.
As for the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, she was temporarily handed over to the ANBU. Haruto didn't object—so long as she remained in the village, it didn't matter where she was kept.
Still, Haruto didn't immediately head to the Root division to officially announce that he was taking control of the organization.
Right now, he had something more pressing to deal with—
a visit to the Uchiha compound's Naka Shrine.
This was of great importance to him. Yet, before he could arrive, Uchiha Itachi sought him out on his own.
News of the Third Hokage's return had already begun to spread.
"Haruto."
The moment Haruto heard Itachi's voice, he stopped in his tracks. The shrine visit could wait; there was no strict time limit on the task anyway.
"Itachi."
Haruto turned to face the young Uchiha, who had appeared silently behind him.
"I've already spoken with my father," Itachi began without preamble.
Before showing himself, Itachi had carefully confirmed that no one was tailing Haruto. And since they were near the Uchiha district, most villagers tended to keep their distance from this area.
"I didn't expect you to return so quickly. How did the talks go? Smoothly?"
Itachi hesitated for a moment but asked anyway. Even now, while he wanted to resolve the tensions between the Uchiha and the village, he was still an ANBU operative of Konoha.
Knowing the outcome of the Iron Country negotiations could mean the difference between peace and war with the Hidden Cloud, he was eager for news.
At four years old, Itachi had already fought in the Third Great Ninja War—he understood the horrors of battle all too well.
"Not well," Haruto said with a shake of his head. His expression showed he wasn't eager for war either. "The Cloud's shinobi still carry themselves like they're on top of the ninja world, expecting us to compromise. The Fourth Raikage has decided on full-scale war. The Third Hokage is meeting with the council now—"
"—to decide our next move," he finished.
Haruto quickly dropped the topic and moved on. "What about Uchiha Fugaku? Since you've told him the truth, how did he respond? Will he choose his clan, or the village?"
Given the situation, Fugaku was caught in a lose-lose position.
If he sided with the village, he would have to purge the destabilizing elements within the Uchiha. If he sided with the clan, he'd be standing against his own son.
And with Fugaku's history of being influenced by his clansmen despite being the clan head, Haruto didn't have high hopes.
The most dangerous moment had already passed: the Third Hokage and Haruto had been out of the village, Kakashi and Tenzo had been incapacitated by genjutsu, and Danzō had been eliminated by Haruto and Itachi—crippling Root in the process.
If the Uchiha had staged a coup then, their chances of success would have been at their highest.
But isolated on the village outskirts, the Uchiha had no way of knowing the full picture—
and Itachi had been there to prevent it.
He had done remarkably well.
"My father deserves some credit too," Itachi admitted.
After the Hokage left the village, the Uchiha's coup fervor had only grown stronger. On the night before Haruto's return, the clan had nearly moved to slaughter the village leadership.
At the critical moment, Fugaku decided to delay the coup, claiming the timing wasn't right.
"That's why I came straight to you," Itachi continued after a brief pause. "The clan has already missed two opportunities. They won't let a third slip by. With the Hokage just returning and needing rest after his travels, they see this as the perfect chance.
We can't wait for your later plans—
The Uchiha are set to launch the coup tonight."
He said it all in one breath, his expression conflicted.
His father might have understood him, and even wished to side with the village, but he couldn't bring himself to deny his people what they saw as their last chance.
"Tonight?" Haruto frowned. In the original timeline, the coup should have taken place after Itachi became a squad captain—when he was thirteen. That was still a year away.
"Do they know about Danzō?" Haruto asked after a moment's thought.
"Only my father."
Itachi explained his conversation with Fugaku in detail. After learning the truth, Fugaku had chosen to keep it secret. The rest of the clan still believed Danzō was alive.
"Mm." Haruto nodded, glancing toward the darkening sky.
It was already evening, and the coup was set for the early hours of the morning. That left him and Itachi only a few hours to stop it.
"I was planning to draw the Uchiha into the coming war with the Cloud. If they move now, it will not only cripple Konoha's strength but might also make the leadership reconsider going to war at all—"
"—and if that happens, even Hiruzen Sarutobi might change his mind," Haruto thought grimly.
"I've already prepared for the worst," Itachi said suddenly, breaking Haruto's thoughts.
"Oh?"
"If it comes to it, I'm willing to stain my hands," Itachi said, his voice trembling, "but… I'll need your help."
Haruto immediately understood—Itachi was considering that decision.
In the original events, Itachi had made a deal with Danzō. The Hokage himself would likely never approve of such an action.
So now… was Itachi making that offer to me?
"This is only the last resort," Itachi added, shaking his head as if to clear it. "There's one more thing—my father, Fugaku, wishes to meet you in person."
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