"Three days?"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned the moment they returned home. He pulled Uchiha Jin straight into the study, shutting the door behind them.
"Isn't that too slow? Delay invites change."
From Fugaku's perspective, speed was everything. After hearing Setsuna's deranged declaration, he was genuinely afraid the First Elder might act rashly before the clan assembly even arrived.
Jin shook his head calmly.
"Three days is already fast."
"I've sent Uchiha Shisui to prepare one contingency. That alone needs at least three days."
"My second measure also requires time."
"And more importantly—things aren't chaotic enough yet."
He paused, then added with a faint smile:
"Let the bullets fly a little longer."
Right now, the Uchiha were angry—but it was surface anger. Grumbling. Complaints. Pride wounded, but not yet ablaze.
Jin wanted something different.
He wanted a clean break.
If the resentment wasn't fully drawn out, if every suppressed grievance didn't erupt at once, then nothing would truly change.
The tension between clan and village needed to tighten further—until it was a blade at the throat.
"Two contingencies?" Fugaku blinked. "What measures? Why don't I know about them?"
"Improvised," Jin replied lightly. "You'll know in three days."
Fugaku narrowed his eyes but didn't press.
Instead, he brought up something more immediate.
"When I was at the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi Hiruzen said he intends to suppress the rumors."
"He plans to use news of frontline forces returning to shift public attention."
"If that works, the rumors may not continue escalating."
"Frontline forces?" Jin's eyes sharpened slightly. "Did he name anyone?"
"Namikaze Minato," Fugaku replied. "He expressed goodwill, but it's also a warning. With Minato returning, he expects us to think twice."
"Yashiro was visibly shaken by the news."
Jin went quiet for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"That's a misstep."
"Hiruzen probably never imagined Minato is effectively on our side."
Fugaku's gaze flickered.
Jin continued:
"If that's the case, let's help him."
"Let's have Minato ascend earlier than planned."
"He wants to build momentum for Minato? Fine. We'll add fuel."
"Clan Head—have someone compile every political stain from Hiruzen's tenure."
"Especially his strategic errors during this war. And the concessions made in negotiations with Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure."
Fugaku thought for only a few seconds before understanding.
"You want to elevate Minato by lowering Hiruzen."
He hesitated.
"That could damage Hiruzen's standing—but it may also sour his view of Minato. If he suspects Minato benefits from his humiliation, that could jeopardize the succession."
Becoming Hokage required prestige, yes.
But above all—
It required Hiruzen's blessing.
Jin's eyes glinted.
"What if Hiruzen believes the information came from the First Elder's faction?"
Fugaku stiffened.
Before he could object, Jin continued smoothly:
"Have Setsuna's people leak it."
"You visit Hiruzen and subtly inform him of Setsuna's thinking. At the same time, distance yourself—make clear you oppose it."
"Hiruzen already believes the earlier chaos originated with Setsuna."
"Let him fix his gaze there."
"If Setsuna becomes, in Hiruzen's mind, a man marked for death—then no matter how outrageous his faction behaves, Hiruzen won't extend that suspicion to the rest of the clan."
"You then promise to settle the internal Uchiha issue at the clan assembly."
"With Hiruzen's personality, he'll endure—for now."
Jin's voice remained steady.
"Hiruzen will believe Setsuna is trying to drive a wedge between him and Minato."
"He'll focus entirely on the Uchiha."
"He won't suspect Minato."
"And every move he makes against Setsuna will inflame the clan further."
"After all, we are still one family. The average clansman won't care which elder he's targeting."
Fugaku considered carefully.
There was room to maneuver.
Plenty of it.
But then another concern surfaced.
"How do you get Setsuna's people to act?"
"He's not a fool. He'll notice even the slightest inconsistency."
"If he senses manipulation—"
Jin smiled.
"That part is easy."
He clapped his hands lightly.
"Come out, Afei."
Fugaku turned sharply—
And froze.
The floor beneath them rippled.
A strange spiral-patterned being rose slowly from underground.
"Hello there!" the creature chirped brightly. "I'm White Zetsu. You can call me Afei!"
Fugaku's scalp tingled.
He hadn't sensed anything.
At this range—
Not even a trace.
Jin gestured casually.
"Show him."
Afei tilted his head, tapped his chin, then snapped his fingers.
"Got it!"
Before Fugaku's stunned eyes, Afei's body began to morph—bone structure shifting, chakra signature fluctuating—
Until—
Uchiha Tekka stood in his place.
Every detail.
Height.
Build.
Breathing rhythm.
Even chakra fluctuation.
Fugaku felt a chill run down his spine.
"This… is impossible."
He knew Tekka well.
Yet if not for witnessing the transformation himself, he would have sworn this was the man.
Jin's tone remained light.
"A high-level transformation technique. Even sensory types or close associates can't distinguish it."
"With Afei, we decide where the rumors originate."
He met Fugaku's gaze directly.
"And when the dust settles—"
"We decide who stands at the top."
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