When Yuzuru Uchiha's words fell, the underground chamber went completely silent.
No one dared to speak—not before the man who wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan and killed without hesitation. Even the proudest Uchiha weren't stupid enough to provoke him now.
Seeing their reaction, Yuzuru nodded in satisfaction.
If possible, he would have preferred not to use such extreme measures. But for the plan to proceed smoothly, this was the fastest and most effective way.
After gathering his thoughts, Yuzuru spoke slowly. "Years ago, our Uchiha clan and the Senju clan joined forces to found Konoha."
"But after all these years, we've been pushed out of the village's core of power, while the Senju have all but vanished."
"Since the time of Tobirama Senju, suspicion and fear toward us have never stopped."
"When Hiruzen Sarutobi took power, the Anbu began stepping on us completely, stripping away the pride that once defined our name."
"The Military Police Force, independent self-governance... it was all nothing more than a carefully designed trap."
He repeated before the group the same words he'd once spoken to Tarou and Fugaku.
As Yuzuru finished, realization dawned across every face in the room.
Rage burned in their eyes, the crimson glow of their Sharingan intensifying as Dōjutsu Power surged.
So that was it. The village leaders had never treated them as their own—they had been scheming to suppress them from the start.
"Damn those bastards! Only now do I see their true faces!"
"Yuzuru, what's the plan? Should we strike now? Stage a coup immediately?"
"If we move fast, we can take them by surprise!"
As their fury boiled over, Yuzuru shook his head. "We don't yet have the strength to fight Hiruzen Sarutobi head-on. A revolt now would only lead to the slaughter of the Uchiha."
Tarou slammed his fist on the table. "Better to die fighting than wait to be caged and butchered! If we perish, we'll at least take a chunk of their flesh with us!"
"Right! The Uchiha aren't cowards afraid of death!"
"Yuzuru, with your Mangekyō Sharingan, you could assassinate the Hokage yourself, couldn't you?"
Seeing their wild, almost feral eyes fixed on him, Yuzuru nearly choked.
Damn it. I've somehow become the conservative one!
He exhaled and began explaining his plan. "Don't worry. I have no intention of waiting around to die. I plan to lead the Uchiha clan out of Konoha."
"What?!"
Tarou, Fugaku, Lihuo, and the others all stared at him in shock.
"Yuzuru, you can't be serious. Even if some of us could slip past the Anbu's surveillance, what about the elders, the children, the civilians? You'd abandon them?"
Yuzuru's tone remained calm. "You all saw it earlier—my Mangekyō Sharingan has spatial-transfer abilities."
"I have a way to transport every single member of our clan out of the Land of Fire."
The room froze in disbelief.
There were thousands of Uchiha in total. Moving them all at once? It sounded utterly impossible.
Tarou frowned deeply. "Even if you could, the chakra and eye strain would be tremendous. Clan records say that once the Mangekyō's Dōjutsu Power is depleted, blindness follows."
"No need to worry. I know my limits."
With the system's teleportation scroll at his disposal, exhaustion wasn't an issue.
He continued, "Before we move, pack every clan asset—ninjutsu scrolls, resources, equipment—seal them all up. Don't leave Hiruzen and his lapdogs a single coin."
He smirked faintly. "I can't wait to see their faces when they wake up and realize the entire Uchiha clan has vanished overnight."
At that, dark smiles spread across the others' faces as well.
Just imagining it was deliciously satisfying.
After finalizing the relocation plan, the meeting dispersed quietly.
Back home, Yuzuru left a shadow clone behind. His real body activated Kamui and slipped out of Konoha.
———
"What?!"
"Two Anbu assigned to monitor the Uchiha have gone missing?!"
Upon hearing Sakumo Hatake's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression hardened. "Sakumo, did you find anything?"
Sakumo shook his head. "Nothing except blood traces. No clues left behind."
"..."
A single name surfaced in Hiruzen's mind—
Yuzuru Uchiha.
That night, during Kushina Uzumaki's kidnapping, Yuzuru had slipped past the village's barrier without anyone noticing.
Could it be him?
Hiruzen couldn't be sure. But that didn't matter.
He'd already made up his mind.
"Sakumo," he said darkly, "watch Yuzuru Uchiha closely. If the opportunity arises—kill him."
"Make sure no one ever finds out."
There was no hard evidence linking Yuzuru to the killings. If word spread that he'd ordered an assassination, the Uchiha would never forgive it.
This had to be handled silently.
"Understood."
Without hesitation, Sakumo's form flickered and vanished.
Hiruzen looked down at the file on his desk—Yuzuru's dossier—and drew a large black X across his photograph.
With Sakumo's strength, he was certain: the next time Yuzuru was alone, he'd be dead.
———
Late night.
Land of Rice Fields.
The Daimyo's mansion.
After his evening bath, the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields strolled lazily into his chamber, servants dismissed.
He stretched, silk robes slipping from his rotund body—then froze.
"Wh–who are you?!"
"Guards! An assass—"
A flash of red light cut his words short.
Under a simple genjutsu, the Daimyo's body went limp. Yuzuru Uchiha turned and left the room.
The Land of Rice Fields, one of the few nations without a shinobi village, would make a perfect temporary refuge for the Uchiha.
"By now, everything should be in place."
"I've been away long enough. Time to head back."
Setting a space coordinate, Yuzuru willed his chakra to twist. His body blurred—and vanished into the void.