"The Clan Head is right. Now is not the best time to launch a coup."
"Only when Shisui and Itachi have grown stronger will it be the right moment."
An elderly man with pale skin, no beard, and a mole above his left eyebrow spoke.
He was Uchiha Mamoru, the Second Elder of the Uchiha clan — and one of the few rational members among those constantly pushing for rebellion.
"That's right. Although Shisui and Itachi are extraordinarily talented, they're still too young. Their strength hasn't reached its peak yet."
"Exactly. Under these circumstances, now is certainly not the time for a coup."
"In a few more years, once they've matured, that will be the perfect moment!"
…
Persuaded by Uchiha Fugaku's reasoning, many clan members nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with anticipation.
In just a few years, Shisui and Itachi would reach their prime.
Once the clan produced two figures on the level of Namikaze Minato, how powerful would the Uchiha become?
By then, even facing the entire village, they would have nothing to fear.
"…"
Hearing the growing support, Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Tsukasa fell silent.
Although they had always opposed Fugaku and looked down on what they saw as his weakness, they had to admit that his words made sense.
The clan was producing geniuses at a rapid pace — this truly wasn't the right time for rebellion.
"Today's meeting ends here," Fugaku said as he stood. "Remember — everything discussed today must remain absolutely confidential. Not a word to outsiders."
He finally let out a breath of relief.
He had managed to postpone the coup, at least for now.
As for the future, he could only take things one step at a time.
Of all people, he had transmigrated into Uchiha Fugaku, the last head of the Uchiha clan.
His luck was truly terrible.
Leaving Naka Shrine, Fugaku returned to his residence.
"You're back?"
At the doorway, a beautiful woman greeted him softly.
She wore a kimono, her long black hair falling loosely down her back, her gentle smile like a warm spring breeze.
She was Uchiha Mikoto, his wife in this body.
Although already the mother of two children, her years as a kunoichi had kept her figure graceful and fit, no less attractive than a young woman. At the same time, she possessed a mature charm that youth alone could never match — like a peony in full bloom.
"…Mm."
Fugaku replied, a trace of guilt rising in his heart.
Though he occupied Fugaku's body, his soul came from another world.
Facing Mikoto, he felt like a thief.
After responding, he followed Fugaku's familiar routine and headed toward the study.
Once inside, he closed the door and released a quiet sigh, finally having time to organize the chaos in his mind.
"I never expected to transmigrate into Uchiha Fugaku…"
A bitter smile crossed his lips.
Not only had he transmigrated, but he had become someone destined to die on the night of the Uchiha clan's annihilation.
This kind of opening was simply brutal.
If transmigration starts were ranked as easy, normal, and hard, then his was definitely nightmare mode.
"I have to change this… or I'll definitely die."
The difficulty of his situation couldn't be changed — but the outcome could.
What he needed now was to rewrite fate, avoid death, and absolutely not sit around waiting for it.
"Hmph… Uchiha Itachi."
Thinking of the son who would one day massacre the clan and kill him, Fugaku couldn't help but snort inwardly.
If it were him, he would never just stand there and let Itachi kill him.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't truly Itachi's father — only someone wearing Fugaku's body — so he had no emotional burden about father and son becoming enemies.
And even if they truly were father and son, that still wasn't a reason to offer no resistance.
The original Fugaku had been far too foolish, choosing death simply because his killer was his own child.
"Even if I fight back, though, without changing the bigger picture, the Uchiha clan will still be wiped out."
"Konoha publicly claimed that Uchiha Itachi annihilated the clan, but in reality, he wasn't the only one involved."
"Besides Itachi, there's also Uchiha Obito — and with my current strength, it'll be extremely difficult to contend with him."
He frowned slightly.
Like Itachi a few years later, this body already possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
In raw power, he might not be weaker than future Itachi.
But his enemy wasn't just Itachi — it was also Obito, the man pulling strings from the shadows.
At his current level, Fugaku couldn't stand against him.
If he wanted to survive, he needed to become stronger — much stronger.
"It's a pity my cheat ability hasn't appeared yet… I don't even know if it ever will."
A trace of regret surfaced.
Several hours had passed since his transmigration, yet the so-called protagonist "golden finger" still hadn't shown itself.
It seemed he wasn't destined for an easy-mode run.
"Since I don't have a cheat, I'll rely on foreknowledge to grow stronger."
His fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
Right now, he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and stood at Kage-level strength. There were two ways to improve further.
The first was to transplant the Mangekyō Sharingan of a blood relative, evolving it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, which never went blind and possessed far greater power.
Once he obtained the Eternal Mangekyō, his strength would naturally skyrocket.
The second was to transplant Hashirama's cells.
These cells could suppress the blindness caused by the Mangekyō. With them, even without evolving into the Eternal Mangekyō, he could use his eyes without restriction.
That was exactly why Uchiha Obito could spam his Mangekyō abilities without fear of losing his sight.
Once the Mangekyō's limitations were removed, his combat power would naturally rise.
"If I combine both methods… I might even evolve the Rinnegan, just like Uchiha Madara."
A sharp glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes.
Since he had come to this world and become Uchiha Fugaku, there was no reason to wait for death.
He would use his foreknowledge to grow stronger — and ensure his survival.