"My God, what's wrong?"
Chifusa Manyū, who was massaging Rasa's shoulders, suddenly felt his body stiffen for an instant before returning to normal.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked softly.
"Hehe, it's nothing."
Rasa opened his eyes slowly, a look of pure joy flickering within them. He closed them again, relaxing deeper into the chair.
Just a moment ago, the system had notified him that his daughter had been born, granting him a hundred Skill Points.
Rasa now knew that Karura had given birth earlier than expected.
Although his first instinct upon hearing the news was to rush back immediately.
After thinking for a moment and checking Karura's status interface to confirm she was safe and healthy, he forced down the urge.
Since both mother and daughter were safe, returning right this second wouldn't change much.
He decided to finish settling things here first, then return to the Ninja World to stay for a few months.
Ninja World, Konoha, Uchiha Compound.
Fugaku Uchiha remained kneeling on the floor, listening quietly to the increasingly faint breathing of the old man on the bed.
Cough! Cough!
Suddenly, a violent coughing fit wracked the old man's frail body.
Hearing this, Fugaku stood up in a panic, rushing to the bedside to carefully help the elder sit up.
While gently patting the old man's back, Fugaku asked softly:
"Uncle, do you need your medicine?"
The Uchiha Clan Head, whose hair and beard had turned completely white and whose body had withered to skin and bones, shook his head weakly.
His face was etched with the shadow of death. From his dry, cracked lips came a voice that was hoarse, feeble, and devoid of hope.
"It's useless. The old wounds from my youth... I can no longer suppress them. My lamp is out of oil..."
Hearing this, Fugaku lowered his head, his voice heavy with grief.
"Uncle..."
"Are you really determined to do it?"
Hearing the old man's sudden question, Fugaku's body stiffened. His hand paused mid-pat on the elder's back before resuming its rhythm unnaturally.
He fought to suppress his shock, trying to keep his tone calm.
"What are you talking about, Uncle? I don't understand."
The Clan Head turned his head slightly to look at Fugaku. His dim, cloudy eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Eventually, he looked away and closed his eyes. His voice, devoid of emotion, was a raspy whisper.
"Do you really think I don't know what you've been doing for the past six months?"
"Relying on a few ordinary elders to cover for you might have worked at first. But as the numbers grew, did you honestly believe you could hide it from the Core Elders?"
"If I hadn't been cleaning up your tracks in the shadows, you would have been exposed long ago..."
Fugaku fell silent, shock filling his eyes. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
But the silence lasted less than two seconds before Fugaku spoke with absolute conviction.
"Uncle, I made up my mind a long time ago."
A sharp glint appeared in Fugaku's eyes.
"And since you've been covering for me in secret, doesn't that mean you support me?"
The Clan Head opened his eyes slightly, glancing at Fugaku with a look of relief.
"Mmh. At least you have some wit."
Without waiting for Fugaku to respond, the old man continued:
"Originally, I hesitated. I debated whether to pretend I knew nothing."
"After all, I chose you as my successor not just because of blood or your talent, but because of your patience—your ability to read the situation and endure."
"I hoped that after us old fossils were gone, you could mediate the clan's dissatisfaction and keep the peace."
Fugaku looked up, a trace of shame in his eyes, but mostly determination.
"Then why did you..."
"Hehe. Because Danzo went too far. The clansmen we sent to the front lines... in just a few days, half of them never came back."
The Clan Head's tone suddenly filled with resentment, a flicker of madness in his dying eyes.
"If he dares to act so brazenly now, and we continue to endure... who knows what atrocities will follow in the future?"
"If you hadn't started this, I would have just kept enduring. But since you've already set things in motion, I will help you."
"My old bones won't last much longer anyway."
At this, the Clan Head looked at Fugaku with anticipation.
"And given your cautious nature, since you decided to act, you must have some assurance of success, correct?"
Fugaku smiled and nodded. Suddenly, his eyes turned blood-red, and his pupils morphed into a spinning, three-bladed shuriken pattern.
"Haha! The Mangekyō Sharingan?!"
"Cough! Good! Very good! Cough!"
Seeing the pattern in Fugaku's eyes.
The old man's withered face lit up with a wild ecstasy.
His own eyes shifted into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan due to the sudden surge of emotion as he coughed violently.
"Cough! With this... cough... it won't be... hitting a rock with an egg... cough!"
Fugaku hurriedly patted the old man's back harder.
"Uncle!"
The Clan Head waved his hand weakly, his eyes shining with joy as he stared intently at Fugaku.
"Tell me your plan. Perhaps I can help you refine it."
Fugaku hesitated for a moment before whispering his strategy.
Minutes later.
The Clan Head stroked his dry beard, nodding slightly.
"Mmh. The plan has merit."
"At least a thirty percent chance of success."
"However, the timing and method of your internal purge need correction."
"Speed is essential. Delay invites disaster. Launch the plan within days of my death—on the very night of my funeral."
"Gather all the clansmen. Pick one dissenting Core Elder to make an example of. Killing too many will only instill fear and weaken our high-end combat power."
The old man laughed self-deprecatingly.
"Us old things... even though we've obeyed Konoha all these years, there is still resentment deep in our hearts."
"Once you reveal your Mangekyō Sharingan, ninety percent of the old guard will be willing to gamble on you."
"Also, your targets must change."
"Our strength is already inferior to Konoha's."
"Picking too many targets disperses your power. Focus on a select few; ignore the rest."
"Since you have the Mangekyō, you only need to control the Third Hokage. I assume I don't need to teach you the rest?"
Hearing this, Fugaku's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
"As expected of you, Uncle!"
The two began to refine the details further.
Half an hour later, Fugaku stared in shock as his uncle suddenly went limp, the life fading from his body.
His pupils shrank. He hadn't expected the end to come so abruptly.
Just seconds ago, the old man had been excitedly discussing the details of the coup.
Fugaku had thought he might have a few more days...
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched silently as Tsunade left the room. A look of profound loneliness crossed his face as he sighed.
Half an hour ago, Tsunade had come to declare she was leaving for a long-term trip, heavily implying she was going to the Hidden Sand.
After thirty minutes of pleading, seeing her resolve unshaken, Hiruzen had no choice but to agree.
Minato Namikaze, sitting nearby assisting with paperwork, glanced up briefly before lowering his head again.
As a junior, he could only watch such events unfolding; he dared not intervene.
Suddenly, an Anbu appeared silently beside the Third Hokage, bowing low.
"Lord Third, the Uchiha Clan Head passed away ten minutes ago."
"Is that so? He's gone too..."
Hearing the news, the loneliness on Hiruzen's face deepened.
After a few seconds of silence, he spoke softly:
"Ask the Uchiha when the funeral will be held."
"The Konoha high command will attend in full force."
Watching the Anbu vanish, Hiruzen's eyes flickered with thought before he murmured:
"Fugaku Uchiha is a very steady man. He should continue to maintain the current relationship..."
At that thought, Hiruzen smiled self-deprecatingly and shook his head.
He was overthinking things.
Konoha was at the height of its power, having suffered minimal losses in the Third War.
The Uchiha, on the other hand, had bled heavily.
The gap between the village and the clan, already wide, had become a chasm.
No matter how you looked at it, the Uchiha couldn't possibly harbor any rebellious thoughts now.
"Minato, what do you think?"
Hiruzen turned to ask.
Minato pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"You are right, Lord Third."
"Logically speaking, whether looking at top-tier power, mid-level forces, or the base, the Uchiha have zero chance of winning."
"If Fugaku has any intelligence at all, he would never attempt such a thing."
"Besides, he has only just succeeded as Clan Head. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have enough support."
"Mmh. I'll make a rich dinner tonight. After we eat, I'll tell Minato everything!"
Kushina Uzumaki looked at the abundant ingredients before her, nodding with determination.
Since revealing everything to Rasa half a month ago.
Kushina had been looking for a chance to explain things to Minato and break up with him.
But for the past two weeks, he had been so busy she felt bad bringing it up.
However, starting a few days ago, Minato had become more proficient in his duties and was coming home earlier.
So, Kushina finally decided to lay her cards on the table tonight.
Konoha Main Gate.
"Master, it's already afternoon. Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow?"
Shizune, carrying a large pack, looked back at the streets of Konoha reluctantly.
Tsunade shook her head, a smile on her beautiful face.
"We'll walk for half an hour, then catch a Swift to the Sand Village."
"The reason I didn't have the Swift come to the gate is to avoid drawing too much attention. After all, one of the Sannin moving to the Sand Village doesn't look good on paper."
"We have to leave Konoha a little face, at least."
Three days later. November 31st, Konoha Year 46.
The funeral of the Uchiha Clan Head was held as scheduled.
All the high-level officials of Konoha attended, giving the clan immense face.
"Fugaku, don't be too sorrowful. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the way of life."
Hiruzen sighed, his face full of grief as he patted Fugaku's shoulder.
Fugaku wiped the tears from his eyes, looking up gratefully at Hiruzen and the surrounding officials who wore expressions of mourning.
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage!"
"I will inherit my uncle's will and ensure the Uchiha and Konoha become a true family."
Hearing this, a smile involuntarily touched Hiruzen's lips before he forced it back into a mournful expression. He reached out to help Fugaku up.
"What are you saying?"
"The Uchiha and Konoha have been an inseparable family since the founding of the village. We have always been one!"
Fugaku's tears, which had stopped, began to flow again at these emotional words.
He choked out:
"Then from now on, the Uchiha and Konoha will be an even closer family!"
After a few minutes of intimate condolences, Fugaku turned to leave.
The surrounding Uchiha clansmen in mourning clothes followed suit.
After walking for a while, a glint of ice and excitement flashed in Fugaku's eyes.
Starting tonight, the Uchiha and Konoha will indeed become a "true family"!
The World of Manyū Hiken-chō.
Rasa sat cross-legged on a floating platform of sand, hovering in mid-air as he looked into the distance at the dark tide of the approaching army.
Mmh. Once I deal with this lot, I'll stay for another day or two to handle the aftermath, then return to the Ninja World.
Based on the time dilation, it should be November 31st in the Ninja World right now.
He would arrive around December 2nd or 3rd.
Suddenly, Rasa sat up straight, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Ding! Danzo Shimura is officially dead. Timeline altered. Acquired 2,000 Skill Points!
Rasa patted his own cheek, muttering in shock:
"Danzo is dead?"
"He's been turtling in Konoha this whole time, never leaving the village. Who could possibly kill him?"
judging by the number of Uchiha casualties during the war six months ago.
Danzo should have already implanted a large batch of Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
With that many extra lives and the heavy protection of Konoha... who had the motive and the ability to take him out?
Ding! Minato Namikaze is dead!
Timeline severely altered. Acquired 10,000 Skill Points!