Konoha Village, Uchiha Clan Compound.
This clan compound, located at the edge of the Village with its unique architectural style, seemed no different from any other day.
The Guard Unit members on duty still wore vests embroidered with the fan emblem, patrolling with serious expressions, while the clan's Ninjas were either performing missions or training.
Children played in designated areas. The oppressive atmosphere still lingered, yet everything appeared as usual.
Deep within the stone house of Elder Uchiha Setsuna, inside a hidden secret room.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating Uchiha Setsuna's wrinkled face, which was now slightly flushed with uncontrollable excitement.
He sat alone at a stone table with a cup of sake before him, which he hadn't touched for a long time. He merely rubbed the rim of the cup with his withered fingers, his cloudy eyes flashing with unprecedented ecstasy and a complex light.
"Success... It really succeeded..."
He murmured in a low voice, his tone trembling with suppressed emotion.
"That child Sho U... and Renka and the others... they've truly established a foothold in Kumogakure... and were even granted the position of elder by the Raikage... Good! Excellent!"
At the moment he received the confirmed news, the heavy stone in the heart of this old man—who had exhausted his heart and soul for the Uchiha Clan, endured for decades, and even orchestrated a Self-injury ruse to send away the clan's spark of hope—finally half-settled.
What did this mean?
It meant that even if the Konoha Uchiha Clan truly reached the darkest end under the relentless pressure of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura in the future.
Even if they were purged or exterminated, the Uchiha name and bloodline would not be severed.
In the distant Land of Lightning, in the powerful Hidden Cloud Village, a seed of the Uchiha had taken root and sprouted, gaining a new identity, status, and protection.
Carrying the Uchiha Sharingan and Uchiha pride, they would continue the Uchiha legacy on another land.
"Squeak—"
The door of the secret room was silently pushed open a crack, and Patriarch Uchiha Tenjima slipped inside, quickly closing the door and activating the internal Soundproof Barrier.
He also carried a sake flask and two small cups in his hands.
"Elder Setsuna, enjoying yourself alone?"
On Uchiha Tenjima's face, the steady and solemn expression he usually maintained as patriarch had finally slipped, replaced by a relaxed and even smiling expression.
As the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, no one hoped for the clan's well-being more than he did.
Now that Sho U had succeeded and left a spark for the Uchiha Clan, he was naturally overjoyed.
He placed the sake flask and small cups on the stone table and poured two cups for himself.
"Tenjima, you're here."
Elder Setsuna didn't look back, but the joy in his voice was evident.
"You've received the news as well?"
"Yes, it's confirmed. I was just lectured by Hiruzen Sarutobi and received more detailed intelligence. Sho U has not only become a Kumogakure elder, but the Raikage also personally allocated prime clan land for them with extremely high treatment."
"It seems Kumogakure truly values them."
Uchiha Tenjima pushed a cup of wine toward Setsuna and raised one himself.
"Come, Elder, to the Uchiha seeds taking root in a foreign land!"
"Good!"
Elder Setsuna picked up his cup, clinked it lightly with Tenjima's, and the two drank it in one gulp. The spicy liquid went down his throat, turning into a chest full of warmth and emotion.
"It hasn't been easy..."
Tenjima put down his cup and let out a long sigh, his gaze becoming deep.
"That child Sho U has managed to make a way for himself. This step was risky, but it was worth it. Not only did he carve out a future for himself and the clansmen who followed him, but more importantly... he left a path of retreat that might save the lives of our entire Uchiha Clan."
However, this joy and hope did not last long.
Uchiha Tenjima's face soon turned solemn again. He poured another cup for himself and Setsuna, lowering his voice.
"But, Elder, there are also troubles."
"It's those young people in the clan, isn't it?"
Elder Setsuna seemed to have expected this and gave a light snort.
"Sho U's success is like a fire that has completely ignited the long-suppressed ambitions and dissatisfaction of many."
"Exactly."
Uchiha Tenjima's brow furrowed.
"Especially the backbone and younger generation of the Hawk Faction. They were already extremely dissatisfied with the status quo and just lacked a successful role model and a clear path."
He paused, his tone filled with worry.
"In these past few days, I've already noticed abnormal restlessness among some radicals in the clan. Private networking, probing for news, even starting secret preparations..."
"They feel that if Sho U could take a dozen people away, they can too. This sentiment is spreading like a plague."
Upon hearing this, the joyful light in Uchiha Setsuna's eyes faded, replaced by his usual depth and sharpness. He slowly took a sip of wine and spoke solemnly.
"As expected. Where there is light, there is shadow. Hope brings not just peace of mind, but also unrealistic fantasies and reckless actions."
"Precisely."
Tenjima nodded.
"Sho U's success was the result of the convergence of multiple factors: timing, location, and people, along with our secret cooperation in acting out a play to barely deceive everyone. Others... how could they have such conditions?"
"Moreover," Elder Setsuna picked up the thread, his voice cold.
"Do you think that after Sho U and the others successfully defected, those two old foxes, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, will still treat us Uchiha as 'tolerantly' as before?"
He put down his cup and used his finger dipped in wine to draw a few lines on the stone table.
"Danzo suffered heavy losses this time; his elite forces were almost completely wiped out, he himself was half-crippled, and he even fled back in terror after being scared witless by Sho U."
"With his vengeful, sinister, and ruthless character, he wouldn't dare settle this score entirely on Sho U, who is far away in Kumogakure, so..."
"It will be counted double against us Uchihas who remain in Konoha."
Uchiha Tenjima added, his tone heavy.
"Surveillance will become tighter, suppression will be more blatant, and various restrictions and provocations will only intensify. Danzo might even use this as an excuse to push for a more radical purge plan."
"At this time, if anyone else in the clan becomes restless and tries to follow Sho U's example of defection... that would undoubtedly be seeking death and would provide Danzo with the perfect excuse to act."
Both fell into silence. The air in the secret room seemed to freeze, with only the occasional crackle of the candlelight.
Hope and crisis often coexist.
Sho U's success preserved a spark for the Uchiha, but it was also like a spark thrown into a vat of oil, instantly igniting the clan's inherent anger and despair, while drawing even more dangerous hostility and pressure from the Konoha higher-ups.
"The situation must be stabilized."
After a long while, Uchiha Tenjima said decisively.
"For those restless clansmen, especially the core of the Hawk Faction, we must take separate actions. Some can be guided secretly, letting them know the difficulty of defection and the danger of the current situation, persuading them to endure for now and build up their strength."
"The other part... if they really can't be persuaded, or if they themselves are problematic and might betray the family, when necessary... we must take decisive measures."
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
As the patriarch, he must be responsible for the survival of the entire family, even if the means were cold-blooded.
Uchiha Setsuna nodded slowly.
"I understand. You lead the internal affairs of the clan, and I will cooperate with you, using my status and influence as an elder to soothe and suppress as much as possible."
The distribution of the Hawk Faction and the Dove Faction was originally a performance where Uchiha Setsuna played the bad cop and Uchiha Tenjima played the good cop, with the two of them leading the clansmen in an act for the Konoha higher-ups.
Who could have known that later, under Uchiha Fugaku's leadership, the Dove Faction would become the Surrender Faction.
Tenjima's abilities and methods as patriarch were not something the future patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, could compare to, let alone an old fossil like Uchiha Setsuna who had lived from the Sengoku period until now.
"Externally... we must be even more low-profile and even show a posture of distancing ourselves, such as publicly condemning Sho U's defection, strengthening the management of our clansmen, and cooperating with Konoha's investigation... In short, we cannot let Danzo catch any leverage."
"Yes, that's all we can do."
Tenjima raised his cup and drained the remaining wine, as if to use it to quench the heaviness in his heart.
"For the future of the Uchiha."
Elder Setsuna also raised his cup, and the two clinked them once more.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808