Shisui froze. It wasn't just him—everyone was stunned.
But Fugaku didn't look like he was joking.
Shisui knelt on one knee before Fugaku.
"Fugaku-sama, please reconsider. Mobilizing the entire clan at night, even without weapons, will be misinterpreted by Konoha's higher ups!"
"Shisui, you don't need to mince words. You mean it will be seen as a rebellion, don't you? I know what you mean."
Shisui looked up, a trace of surprise on his face. He didn't understand why Fugaku would do something knowing full well the consequences it might trigger.
"Because the Sky Screen has already pushed us to the edge of a cliff."
Fugaku looked at the youngest prodigy of the clan, fully aware that the two of them were the Uchiha's top fighting forces right now. They absolutely couldn't afford internal conflict. So he explained patiently.
"Shisui, you've always believed that as long as the Uchiha show sincerity, the village will change its attitude toward us. Is that right?"
Shisui remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
"Then now, I will let you see."
"If the Uchiha walk openly through the streets of Konoha without weapons, how will the Konoha higher ups respond?"
Seeing Shisui remain silent again, Fugaku smiled.
"Look, even you don't have confidence, do you?"
With that, he turned to face all the clansmen, his gaze sweeping across every face.
"We are going to the Hokage Building—not to rebel, not to kill."
"But to demand fairness!"
Under the moonlight, hundreds of pairs of Sharingan watched him quietly.
"The Sky Screen said the Uchiha will be massacred in the future."
Fugaku's voice carried far in the night wind.
"But the Sky Screen didn't say what the Uchiha did to cause that. We've done nothing. We haven't rebelled, we haven't attacked the Hokage, we haven't violated any village rules—it's simply because we are Uchiha!"
His voice began to fluctuate with the indignation that had been suppressed for decades.
"Do you know what has been the most painful thing for me as the Clan Head over the past ten-plus years?"
"It's not being isolated and monitored, not the budget being cut year after year, nor is it those suspicious gazes in the Village. It's that no matter how much we endure and yield, we still can't seem to prove that the Uchiha are also a part of Konoha!"
Fugaku closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the edges of his pitch-black eyes were bloodshot.
"So tonight, we will let everyone in Konoha see that the Uchiha are not conspirators hiding behind the walls of our compound plotting a rebellion! We are one of the clans that founded Konoha, and that no one loves Konoha more than we do!"
He paused, "And if, even after this, Konoha still chooses to move against us…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood.
If they were still to be exterminated after this, then the Uchiha could fight with a clear conscience.
Because they had already shown their final sincerity.
In the crowd, several hawkish elders exchanged glances. Yashiro took a deep breath and tucked his kunai pouch into the lining of his uniform. Then Tetsuka, Inabi, and the young Uchiha who had been clamoring to settle scores with Danzō followed suit.
Clearly, they were giving their Clan Head face, but they didn't choose to just stand by and be captured.
Seeing the understanding Yashiro and the clansmen, Fugaku nodded in satisfaction.
"Move out."
[Konoha Village · Main Street]
Since the founding of the Village, there had never been such a sight.
The gates of Naka Shrine slowly opened, and the red and white clan crests lined up in the moonlight. Hundreds of people walked down the street, and there was only the sound of footsteps and the rustling of fabric.
In an instant, the movement alerted the ANBU responsible for surveillance. Limited by Hiruzen's orders, apart from two ANBU who dashed toward the Hokage Building, the rest of the ANBU dared not act rashly and could only follow from a distance.
Fugaku and Shisui had already noticed, but neither paid them any mind.
Soon, the people of Konoha were awakened.
Houses on both sides of the street lit up one after another.
Villagers threw on coats and pushed open their doors. Seeing this silent procession, they were first bewildered, then shocked, and finally wore expressions of indescribable complexity.
"The Uchiha… the whole clan…"
"What are they doing? A rebellion?"
"No, look, there are old people and children… and no weapons."
"Where are they going? It looks like the direction of the Hokage Building?"
Countless whispers spread like a tide on both sides of the street.
Some people fearfully closed their doors and windows, while others stood at their doorways, staring blankly.
Fugaku walked at the very front of the procession, eyes straight ahead. Shisui walked half a step behind him, his face pale, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Fugaku-sama."
Shisui said in a low voice, audible only to Fugaku.
"If the village—"
"Shisui."
"Do you believe the Uchiha will be annihilated?"
Fugaku didn't look at him, his gaze fixed forward.
Shisui hadn't expected his Clan Head to start with such a difficult question. He could only remain silent. Or rather, deep down, he believed in the outcome the Sky Screen had shown.
"Then do you believe that if we continue to endure, we will ever see the day the village higher ups trusts us?"
"Will that future change?"
Shisui still did not answer.
"I don't believe it either."
"Decades have passed, from my father to me—endurance, restraint, moving out of our original compound, accepting isolation and surveillance. Haven't we yielded enough?"
"So tonight…"
"I will yield no more."
Looking at Shisui's somewhat dejected expression, Fugaku paused.
"If the Village chooses dialogue, the Uchiha are willing to talk. And while we're at it, we'll tell the Sandaime about all our grievances and the contributions the Uchiha have made to the Village."
"If they still choose the blade…"
He did not finish, but Shisui saw it. Under the moonlight, the edges of Fugaku's pupils glowing with a dark red light.
"…I understand."
Shisui said in a low voice.
[Hokage Building]
Hiruzen, who had been monitoring the situation through the Telescope Jutsu ever since the Uchiha clan began gathering, looked somewhat weary.
Outside the window, a dark tide surged through the distant street.
The Sky Screen's evaluation of him still lingered deep in his mind.
Mediocre. Compromising. Indecisive. Tolerating darkness…
"Sandaime-sama."
Just then, two ANBU knelt on one knee, their voices urgent.
"The entire Uchiha Clan has mobilized and is marching along the main street toward the Hokage Building, including the elderly, women, and children."
"However… they are not carrying any weapons."
Hiruzen did not speak.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzō, standing in the office, could barely contain his excitement.
"This is a rebellion! The Uchiha finally couldn't hold back! We must mobilize the ANBU, seal off the streets, and before the situation escalates—"
"Are they carrying weapons?"
Hiruzen didn't turn around. He felt that Danzō became a fool when it came to Uchiha. In this situation, how could they possibly take action? If they did, would Konoha still be Konoha?
With such a massive commotion, civilians and Shinobi clans were all watching, and anyone could see that the Uchiha were not rebelling. If they took action on a false charge, they would likely lose the support of the people immediately.
Danzō froze.
"What?"
"Didn't you hear? The ANBU reported that they are not carrying any weapons."
Hiruzen turned and looked at Danzō with a gaze like he was looking at an idiot.
"Bringing the elderly and children, with no weapons in their hands and no kunai pouches at their waists. You call this a rebellion?"
"This is a smokescreen!"
Danzō stepped forward, his single eye widening to its limit.
"They're trying to use women and children as human shields to gain sympathy, to make the village afraid to act! Hiruzen, can't you even see through such a ploy?!"
Hiruzen looked at him.
"Danzō."
"If there were hundreds of Shimura Clan shinobis, elderly, women, and children walking toward the Hokage Building unarmed, would you still say they were rebelling?"
For a moment, Danzō's throat seemed choked by something.
"Or is it that only when the Uchiha do this, that you immediately think of the word 'rebellion'?"
The office was silent for a few seconds. Koharu and Homura had also arrived at some point. They stood at the doorway, saw this scene, exchanged glances, and neither stepped into the Hokage Office.
"Hiruzen."
Danzō's voice was somewhat hoarse.
"What are you implying?"
Hiruzen didn't answer, he turned his gaze back to the window.
The dark tide was drawing closer, and under the moonlight, the Uchiha clan crests looked like countless silent eyes.
"Everyone stay in position."
"The ANBU are only responsible for vigilance and must not have any contact with the Uchiha. Also…"
"Turn on all the lights in front of the Hokage Building."
As the order was given, the lights turned on one by one, and the Hokage Building became a tower of light in the dark night.
Orange light poured down from the porch, spreading out over the stone steps.
Hiruzen, wearing the Hokage robe, stood alone beneath the porch.