The Uchiha clan's secret coup plot had been brewing for quite some time, as the rapid unification of Konoha had far exceeded Uchiha Yamashiro's expectations.
He had originally believed that, with the great clans and figures like Danzō in the mix, it would take a long time before Konoha could truly become united under a single will.
But unexpectedly, once Tsunade took office, those opposition forces vanished like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.
Yamashiro hadn't become clan head by being a fool—he knew very well that once Konoha achieved true internal unity, the Uchiha would no longer have any chance to rise again.
Faced with a Konoha that was solid and unbreakable as an iron wall, even if the village didn't actively purge the Uchiha, the clan would still eventually be assimilated and consumed, piece by piece.
Perhaps the name "Uchiha" would remain—but its descendants would no longer feel pride in that name.
The thought of his descendants forgetting their ancestral heritage, forgetting the honor of the Uchiha, and even praising their former enemy, Senju Hashirama, made Yamashiro's blood pressure skyrocket.
This was no joke. Watching more and more people side with Kuugetsu, Yamashiro knew that if he didn't act soon, the Uchiha might truly end up like that one day.
He only had to look at his foolish son to see it—the boy's constant hesitation and indecision.
If Yamashiro were to die and Konoha offered the clan some token kindness, his naive son would almost certainly choose submission.
Seeing this both pained and infuriated Yamashiro.
That was why, unlike in the original story, he didn't step down peacefully after passing the title of clan head to his son.
Instead, he kept the real power in his hands, using his son as a figurehead while secretly pushing the Uchiha toward one final, decisive move.
...
However, unlike in the original story, the Uchiha of this world had undergone a deeper ideological transformation.
At the time of Konoha's founding, the Uchiha had grown tired of endless wars.
To preserve that hard-won peace, they had abandoned their former leader, Uchiha Madara.
But after Hashirama's abdication and the rise of Tobirama and Hiruzen, the Uchiha began to feel increasingly alienated by the village leadership.
As tensions grew between the Uchiha and Konoha's citizens, many in the clan started to think about changing the village from within—or seizing power to reshape their fate.
This was, in fact, the mindset most Uchiha held even up to the time of the Nine-Tails' attack in the original story.
Yet, due to the existence of Hoshiyomi and Kuugetsu, the situation was different now.
The Uchiha had split into two distinct factions:
The Hawk Faction, representing the traditional hardliners.
And the Dove Faction, a new, reformist group led by Kuugetsu.
Because of Hoshiyomi's intervention, Kuugetsu did not die in the Second Ninja War, and Hokushin (Kuugetsu's father) lived much longer than he had in the original story.
Their survival allowed the Dove Faction to emerge early and grow rapidly.
Both Hokushin and Kuugetsu were deeply trusted by Hoshiyomi.
In fact, from the very beginning, Hoshiyomi had intended to use the two of them to peacefully reform the Uchiha from within.
And they didn't disappoint him.
Hokushin, once merely a harmless "nice guy" caught awkwardly between Konoha and his clan, had changed.
During the Second Ninja War, serving under Hoshiyomi, Hokushin had performed outstandingly, earning great authority and an excellent reputation among Konoha's civilians.
Kuugetsu, under Hoshiyomi's mentorship, had transformed from a near-failure into a genius kunoichi rivaling Minato Namikaze himself.
It was obvious to everyone that her future shone with promise.
The remarkable transformation of the father and daughter naturally caught the attention of many neutral Uchiha.
They hadn't witnessed the discrimination that Kuugetsu and Hokushin had once endured outside the clan—
so to them, it seemed simple:
"If we follow in Hokushin and Kuugetsu's footsteps, won't we be treated the same way they are?"
When Hokushin was still alive, there were only a handful of people in the Uchiha clan who shared such ideas.
But after Hokushin's death — when Hoshiyomi appointed Kuugetsu as the Hokage's personal guard — the number of those who did grew dramatically.
Kuugetsu was now serving as the Hokage's bodyguard, and just one step further would make her the Hokage's advisor.
Such a position had never been held by an Uchiha since Konoha was founded, not since Uchiha Kagami in the days of old.
Now, Kuugetsu had effortlessly taken that role, giving many Uchiha clansmen a newfound sense of hope.
Her appointment clearly showed them that Tsunade was different from Hiruzen — she didn't seem to fear or distrust the Uchiha.
Many began to think: If we, too, can earn the trust of Konoha's leadership like Kuugetsu has, perhaps the troubles that have haunted our clan for generations can finally be resolved.
After her father's death, Kuugetsu had inherited his will — to fulfill his dream of true unity between the Uchiha and Konoha.
So when she noticed this shift among her clansmen, she faced it head-on instead of avoiding it.
On one hand, she publicly revealed that she had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, forcing the conservative elders in the clan to tread carefully around her.
On the other, through Obito's loudmouth enthusiasm and her own consistent example, Kuugetsu inspired more and more Uchiha to join the Dove Faction.
Tsunade, acting under Hoshiyomi's prior instruction, chose to be especially tolerant and supportive toward those who aligned with the Dove Faction.
And once people began to taste the benefits of peace and cooperation — once they saw a real glimmer of hope — the number of those willing to risk everything for rebellion shrank drastically.
Not everyone is born an ambitious schemer; even the proud Uchiha were no exception.
Many within the clan valued companionship and peace even more deeply than ordinary Konoha citizens did.
If not for years of discriminatory policies and hostility from certain villagers, they would never have worn those cold, prideful masks to begin with.
After all, the Uchiha have always been known as "the clan of love."
And so, under the quiet but steady influence of Kuugetsu and Obito, the Dove Faction grew rapidly.
In less than two years, it had become a significant force that could no longer be ignored.
However, the rise of the Dove Faction only made the dying Uchiha Yamashiro more anxious and furious.
To him, these "Doves" were nothing more than a group of brainwashed fools deceived by Konoha's leadership.
If the Doves were allowed to keep growing, the Uchiha would be doomed.
Fortunately for him, before his death, he saw what he believed to be one final chance —
the Third Great Ninja War.
In this war, Konoha had to fight against three other great villages simultaneously.
This, Yamashiro thought, was the perfect opportunity — a faint glimmer of light in his darkness.
And in his mind, a bold and desperate plan began to take shape.
There was no doubt that this period was the weakest Konoha had been in years.
Most of its shinobi were fighting abroad, leaving the village's internal defenses stretched thin.
Kuugetsu's death had already proven how vulnerable things could become.
So Yamashiro thought: If I can spark an uprising from within the village, could we seize Konoha before Hoshiyomi and his army return?
With that in mind, Uchiha Yamashiro decided to create one last great upheaval before he died.
...
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