Chapter 17: Uchiha Needs Rebellion
"Fundamental."
Patting Itachi's shoulder, Kaien clenched his fist.
"That's the root of it."
"Senior, are you talking about strength?"
Kaien shook his head. "Yes and no.
Yes, because strength is everything in the ninja world. When the Uchiha's strength is overwhelming enough to dominate Konoha, then whoever we want to be Hokage will become Hokage.
No, because even if we conquer Konoha, we still have to deal with Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
Back in the days of Madara and Hashirama, Hashirama's strength alone was enough to suppress all the ninja villages. That's why he became Hokage.
But today, the Hokage is nothing more than a product of compromise among various clans.
If you don't grow stronger, you'll never truly deserve the title of Hokage."
"You've seen the disasters shown in my Kaleidoscope. Why not look at the bigger picture?
I suspended the Uchiha from their duties so they could see things clearly—not be blinded by immediate injustice.
What we need is to strengthen ourselves. When every Uchiha warrior can stand on their own, Konoha will beg us to take the Hokage's seat."
Fugaku listened intently. He pressed a hand on Kaien's shoulder.
"Kaien… You should be the clan leader."
Kaien smiled and pushed Fugaku's hand away.
"Clan leader? You're joking. As long as the Uchiha prospers, it doesn't matter who leads."
Silence fell over the group.
[Bite…]
"Shisui!"
"Yes!" Uchiha Shisui responded firmly.
"It's almost time. The psychological weight many of our people carried is now lifted."
"It's time to escape this endless cycle."
"It's time to prepare… for a rebellion."
Fugaku was quiet for a moment. Then he said,
"Let's notify everyone according to the previous plan."
Kaien pulled out a sealed scroll and handed it to Itachi.
"Itachi, this contains some of the clan's savings—and business plans I've written.
Life will be hard once you leave. Everything depends on you now."
They had already decided that Itachi and Shisui would lead part of the clan away from Konoha.
Kaien and Fugaku would remain. Fugaku initially wanted Kaien to lead the exodus, but Konoha still held many talented individuals. He needed to recruit them.
Only then could the Uchiha control their destiny.
Itachi took the sealing scroll, feeling its weight.
Recently, his perspective had shifted drastically—it was as though a new world had opened up.
He was reluctant to leave Sasuke, but Shisui was too soft-hearted to lead. He could only serve as a warrior.
Only Itachi had the composure and strength to lead. The three elders would assist him.
Fortunately, with Kaien staying behind, Itachi felt some peace.
"Don't worry, Father, Senior—I'll do my best. Senior, please take care of Sasuke."
Kaien waved his hand.
"Don't make it sound like a final farewell. Your father is still here and will teach Sasuke well."
"Clan Leader Fugaku, go gather the others."
Shrine Hall
"I know all of you here want our Uchiha clan to rise again."
Kaien sat at the head seat, surrounded by hawkish radicals—many former members of the police force.
"But for too long, Konoha's oppression has denied us what we deserve.
In all this time, not once has an Uchiha been made Hokage.
Not even an advisory elder's position has been given to us."
The clan members began to breathe heavily.
The Uchiha were known to be emotional—and easily provoked.
"A few days ago, the four elders and I suspended you all from duty, just so you could see:
Konoha cannot function without the Uchiha."
"We deserve the rights we've been denied!"
Uchiha Yaoye raised a hand and asked,
"But, Deputy Clan Leader, how do we claim those rights?"
Kaien gave a subtle gesture to Shisui.
The Sharingan in Shisui's eyes began to spin violently.
Kaien discreetly activated the Pupil Amplifier, enhancing the reach of Kotoamatsukami.
"The first step toward power is gaining autonomy.
So long as we're stuck in the police force, we'll never transition into leadership.
The guard only earns resentment—we can't become Hokage from there."
"We Uchiha cannot remain mere soldiers—we need our industries!
We must grow strong—so strong that Konoha can no longer ignore us."
"Why is the Land of Fire always attacked by others, even though it's the strongest?
Because it is the richest and has the most lives to spare.
Other nations collapse after losing a few, but our nation keeps going."
"We must build the economy. Expand the population.
Make Konoha beg us to become Hokage!"
Kaien's voice rang like thunder, his words echoing through the hall.
Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan glowed fiercely—tears of blood streaming down as his chakra drained.
Thankfully, he had the Pupil Amplifier.
The Third Elder, Taku, stepped forward. Seeing Shisui falter, he raised his arm and shouted:
"Develop the economy! Revitalize the Uchiha!"
The room erupted in energy.
As the crowd roared, Shisui embedded the final command through Kotoamatsukami:
Loyalty to Uchiha Kaien.
Then, he collapsed.
Hokage's Office
An Anbu knelt in front of the Third Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha held a secret gathering today."
"Most attendees were radicals. The meeting's purpose is unclear."
"But partway through, we heard a strong chant from inside:
'Revitalize the Uchiha!' The mood was extremely intense."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples in exhaustion.
Didn't the Uchiha just show signs of cooperation?
Many had resigned from the police force recently.
What was Fugaku doing?
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the village.
A powerful chakra pressure surged from the Uchiha district.
Sarutobi's face went pale.
"That chakra… It's from the Uchiha compound."
Smoke and dust billowed from the area. A messenger hawk arrived swiftly.
"Lord Hokage! A battle has broken out within the Uchiha clan! The fighters are Uchiha Itachi and Fugaku!"
"The scale of the ninjutsu is massive. Our scouts can't approach.
Reports indicate… it may be Susanoo."
"Susanoo!?" The Third clenched his fists.
"Mobilize the Anbu! We're heading there immediately!"
Without another word, he vanished from the office using the Body Flicker Technique.
….
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Translated By – Ancient Lores
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