"A dark and windy night—the perfect time for murder and fire."
Yuzuru Uchiha gazed up at the moon and slowly put on the spiral mask he had crafted in advance.
Its design resembled the one Obito Uchiha would one day wear, except this one had two eyeholes.
Once he was dressed and armed, his figure vanished from the room without a trace.
———
In an apartment building not far from the Uchiha compound.
From the fifth-floor window, a telescope quietly extended into the night air.
Inside the room, the Anbu ninja who had just finished his shift simply adjusted the angle of the binoculars so that he could clearly observe the situation inside the Uchiha compound.
"Yawn~"
"These Uchiha are such a hassle. Why do we waste so many Anbu watching them? Wouldn't it be easier to just round them all up?"
His partner, kneeling on the floor and carefully polishing a kunai, replied in a low, cold voice. "Focus. Watch every movement. Don't get distracted."
"Why so serious..."
He chuckled. "Honestly, these Uchiha are like penned dogs now. If Lord Hokage gave the order, I'd rush in first and kill a few myself. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. Hahaha!"
The observer snorted at his own joke, but no answer came.
"Hey," he said, turning around, "why so quiet? Don't you think that's funny—"
His words froze in his throat.
At some point, a man wearing a spiral mask had appeared in the room. His partner lay on the floor behind him, clutching his neck, lifeless.
"What's so funny?" the masked man asked quietly. "What's amusing about mocking the clan that founded Konoha?"
The smooth, magnetic voice filled the room. The remaining Anbu felt his limbs go weak.
The stranger's eyes were unlike any he'd ever seen—shimmering with an unnatural, distorted pattern that radiated pure dread. Just looking into them felt like falling into an abyss.
'Damn it, how did he get in?!'
Every inch of the surrounding area had been reinforced with powerful barrier seals for surveillance. Not even a fly could slip through unnoticed.
Yet no one had sensed this man's arrival.
No time to think.
The Anbu formed hand signs, trying to raise an alarm—
But before he could complete the first seal, his vision spun violently.
"Kamui."
That single whisper was the last thing he heard before darkness swallowed him whole.
———
Naka Shrine.
In the hidden chamber below, over a dozen members of the Uchiha clan sat in tense silence.
Tarou Uchiha raised a hand, signaling the group to quiet down.
Lihuo Uchiha frowned. "Clan Head, you summoned us so suddenly. What's going on?"
Tarou nodded gravely. "This meeting concerns the very future of the Uchiha clan. I've called everyone here to discuss our path forward."
Everyone gasped softly.
The future of the Uchiha clan?
What could possibly be that serious?
Before anyone could ask, Yuzuru Uchiha's figure materialized in the center of the room.
"Apologies for being late—I had something to handle."
"It's fine," Tarou said with a nod. "You may begin."
Yuzuru wasted no time. "You've all heard by now: the Third Hokage has forbidden any of us from approaching the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. His reason—our Sharingan can control tailed beasts."
"That decision proves one thing: the village leadership has no trust in us whatsoever."
"The Uchiha are standing at the edge of life and death!"
"We cannot sit and wait for disaster!"
The room fell into a shocked silence.
Though many had felt resentment toward Hiruzen's decree, none had thought of it as life-or-death.
Yashiro Uchiha couldn't hold back. "Yuzuru, you're exaggerating! Because of Madara's actions long ago, the Hokage's caution is understandable!"
Yuzuru's gaze slid toward him. His eyes twisted and deepened into a pair of swirling Mangekyō Sharingan.
Gasps erupted. Even Tarou and Fugaku rose to their feet in shock.
"Yuzuru… your eyes—"
"That's right," he said calmly. "The Mangekyō Sharingan—the legendary power of our clan."
Though the Warring States era wasn't that distant, few had ever seen such eyes in person.
It was the power said to have ended an age of chaos—the power once wielded by Uchiha Madara himself.
And now, Yuzuru possessed it.
"No wonder your dōjutsu power was stronger than mine," Fugaku muttered in realization. "You'd already awakened the Mangekyō."
He finally understood why Yuzuru's Sharingan had outclassed his so completely.
Lihuo swallowed hard. "Yuzuru… when did you awaken it?"
"The moment I saw the Uchiha's future clearly."
Yuzuru raised a hand, and the unconscious Anbu he'd captured earlier appeared out of thin air.
Under genjutsu, the man confessed everything—Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders to spy on the Uchiha.
Once Yuzuru was done, he slit the man's throat without hesitation.
A soft hiss rippled through the room.
None of them were strangers to killing, but this was different.
He had just executed an Anbu—Hokage's direct agent. That was treason.
Yashiro stammered, voice trembling. "Yuzuru—you'll get us all killed!"
Yuzuru turned his eyes to Fugaku, who immediately stepped forward.
"Yashiro's a hardline conservative. He's always pushed for submission to the Hokage's authority."
Yuzuru nodded once. He strode forward and wrapped his hand around Yashiro's throat.
"Sorry," he said coldly. "The Uchiha can no longer afford divided voices."
"Relics of the old era should fade quietly into the dark."
Crack.
Yashiro didn't even have time to resist. His neck snapped like a twig.
The others froze in horror.
First, Yuzuru had revealed the Mangekyō Sharingan. Then he'd killed an Anbu. Now, he'd executed a Police Force Squad Leader in front of everyone.
And the clan head—Tarou—and Fugaku stood by his side without objection.
There was only one choice left. Submit.
After a long, heavy silence, Lihuo finally asked, voice shaking, "Yuzuru… what exactly are you planning?"
Yuzuru dropped Yashiro's corpse to the ground and looked around the chamber.
"I've had enough of this hollow village."
"I will carve a new path for the Uchiha."
"Who stands with me—and who stands against me?"