Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

We cannot escape.

There is nowhere to hide.

He didn't have much time to rebel against the tragic fate of his clan.

The Konoha 11 have all officially enrolled, and the night of the massacre... isn't too far off. History was indeed altered somewhat because of Uchiha Sogen, but the changes weren't significant. Uchiha Obito still gloriously sacrificed himself in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, and the Fourth Hokage and his wife ultimately perished on the night Naruto was born...

When the Battle of Kannabi Bridge broke out, nine-year-old Uchiha Munen was just a newly promoted Chunin fighting against the Kirigakure on the eastern battlefield, and had no right to influence the war on the northern battlefield.

On the night the Nine-Tails attacked the village, not to mention the ten-year-old Uchiha Munen, not a single Uchiha ninja was able to go out to support the Fourth Hokage that night. Ninjas from the Anbu and Root surrounded the Uchiha clan's stronghold.

Five years have passed since that night.

Over the course of five years, through tireless efforts and with the help of a cheat system, he became a powerful figure in the clan, on par with Uchiha Shisui.

correct,

Uchiha Sogen's cheat abilities are his unique skill called "Magic Release (Flame)" and his treasure "Knights Never Die Barehanded".

It sounds a bit odd, and in fact it is quite odd. It seems to have two cheat codes, but compared to the omnipotent systems of its peers, its cheat codes... aren't that bad, they're just more difficult to develop.

It's still much better than starting with nothing!

At the age of seven, I went to the battlefield to fight. Now, nine years later, through countless bloody battles, I have improved my [Magic Release (Flame)] power quite a bit. Since there is no system screen or anything like that, it is difficult to judge what level it is.

As for the saying "A knight never dies unarmed."

This invisible Noble Phantasm is quite useful. It can imbue the weapon in hand with the attributes of a D-rank Noble Phantasm and allow it to be used. The limit for activating this Noble Phantasm is that it can be recognized and identified as a "weapon". In other words, kunai, shuriken, kodachi, etc., and even rocks and trees can be turned into D-rank Noble Phantasms for use.

Of course, a large tree is not a very convenient weapon; it is far less useful than a shuriken.

The shuriken, imbued with the attributes of a D-rank Noble Phantasm, possesses enough destructive power to defeat the Hardening Technique of an ordinary Chunin. Combined with the Sharingan and the Uchiha-style throwing technique, to be honest, with just this shuriken skill, as long as one avoids encountering monsters or being surrounded, and is cautious, it would be enough to survive on the battlefield.

but--

This is not enough!

Far from enough!

Regardless of how much outsiders praise his strength, Uchiha Sogen, who still only possesses the three-tomoe Sharingan, has little confidence in dealing with the future ruthless monsters, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito. The Mangekyou Sharingan's unique eye technique, Susanoo, is known as the 'power of gods'...

None of them could be easily defeated by him with just those two golden fingers.

He needs more power!

[2. Chapter Two: How can a coup be staged when people are not united?]

"Or maybe we should just assassinate that brat Itachi beforehand..."

Uchiha Sogen secretly hardened his heart.

Anyway, with Danzo taking the blame, he figured no one in the clan would doubt him if he shifted the blame to Danzo. As for killing Itachi Uchiha and preventing Sasuke from evolving the Eternal Eye... he'd deal with that first. If he couldn't get past the Night of the Clan Massacre, his future would be irrelevant.

Walking through the streets of the clan's territory, Uchiha Munen sighed silently.

Assassinating Uchiha Itachi was just talk.

His preferred fighting style isn't assassination. Killing Itachi Uchiha, who had already awakened his two tomoe, and then framing Danzo... there are too many uncertainties involved. Not only is it uncertain whether he could even kill the incredibly lucky Itachi, but even if he did, what if it were revealed that he was behind it...?

"Zong Xian!"

The shouts coming from above reached my ears.

Uchiha Munen stopped in his tracks.

My unreliable thoughts were interrupted. I looked up in the direction of the sound and saw a man with a round nose, which was rare among the Uchiha clan.

"...Shisui, you're back!"

"I just got back today."

Uchiha Shisui jumped down from the roof of the pancake shop. Uncle Tsubaki, who was sitting on a small stool at the shop entrance reading a newspaper, didn't even lift his eyelids. Ninjas, huh? They're all guys who would rather climb onto rooftops than use the main roads. In a village as big as Konoha, you really can't find a single tile that hasn't been stepped on by ninjas.

"Zongxian, you look so worried, what happened?"

Uchiha Shisui naturally approached and walked side by side with Uchiha Sogen.

They were close friends who had gone through three wars together, a bond forged in the blood of the Mist Ninja on the eastern front, but...

"What else could it be? You know the situation in the clan!"

Upon hearing this, the slight smile on Zhishui's face vanished instantly, replaced by an inescapable gloom that settled over his eyes and brows.

"You didn't attend the gathering the night before last, so I can tell you frankly that the resentment among the tribespeople is growing. Many neutral members have switched to the radical faction, and the number of tribespeople supporting an armed coup has increased significantly. The key point is that the chieftain didn't try to smooth things over this time, and even the two elders from the opposition aren't as resolute as they used to be..."

Zongxian quietly relayed the details of the Shisui family gathering.

He also disapproved of the means of coup d'état. No, to be precise, in his view, armed coup d'état should be the last resort, the last thing to do when all else is done. Such a choice, which would hurt the enemy eight hundred and himself a thousand, is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst. Even if the coup were successful, the losses would be heavy. What would be left to deal with the wolves and tigers surrounding the Land of Fire?

Moreover, a coup d'état is not guaranteed to succeed.

The Uchiha clan is not weak nowadays, but it is not particularly powerful either. It has long lost its former glory and prestige. Although it is still called the number one clan in Konoha, how much of that is genuine and how much is mockery is a matter of opinion.

The clan has a large number of Jonin, but not as many as the other clans and commoner ninjas in the village.

What's worse is that Uchiha Shisui, the only one who clearly awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, was a man who transcended 'clan narrow-mindedness' and accepted the Will of Fire from his fathers. He was incapable of betraying the village, only slightly better than Obito and Itachi. He would rather commit suicide than harm his clansmen.

The clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, who was suspected of having awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, faced with his son's raised knife... to avoid fratricide, he chose not to resist. He himself may have found peace, but unfortunately, all his clansmen ended up suffering.

How can a group with such divided members carry out a coup?

Zongxian saw no hope of a successful coup.

"Sigh! In the end, it's because I'm too weak. If only I could be stronger..."

Zongxian clenched his fist.

Then it loosened its grip weakly.

Becoming stronger is not something that can be achieved overnight. During the Third Shinobi World War, he exhausted all his strength just trying to survive on the battlefield. When the Third Shinobi World War finally ended, the Nine-Tails' rampage broke out not long after, immediately pushing the Uchiha clan to the brink of disaster.

In this harsh and turbulent environment, just surviving is exhausting enough.

"Has the situation gotten this bad...?" Shisui frowned with great pain. He cherished his clansmen, but he also loved the village. When the two had irreconcilable conflicts, and it seemed that they were heading towards a fight to the death, he was bound to suffer great pain.

Later, he committed suicide by drowning. In his suicide note, he said: "I am tired of missions. If this continues, the Uchiha clan will have no future, so I don't want to go on like this."

At that time,

Zhi Shui was probably crushed by the profound despair that saw no future.

Suicide is a choice made by people who are in utter despair.

Especially for someone as gentle and cheerful as Shisui, how could he possibly choose such a tragic ending unless he was utterly desperate!

"Zongxian, is there really... no way to stop... the actions of the clansmen?"

"Yes! As long as the village leadership stops deliberately suppressing and making things difficult, at least the radical faction won't become too powerful. There are actually quite a few people in the clan who oppose the coup, but... the endless difficulties are really... infuriating!"

"The Hokage is also..."

Shisui opened his mouth, wanting to say a few words in defense of the Third Hokage.

“Shisui, I know this is a consequence of the Nine-Tails’ attack. If I were the Hokage, I would definitely be wary of the Uchiha clan as well. But the problem is that the incident really had nothing to do with us! You are probably the only one in the clan who has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, and you only did so after the Nine-Tails’ attack.”

"The clansmen will never understand how much effort the Hokage has put into maintaining peace in the village. They... no, we, we only feel the endless malice coming from the village. Even though you work in the Anbu, you should know how bad the reputation of the clansmen in the police department is, right?"

Ignoring Shisui who was about to speak, Zongxian looked around and pointed to a three-story building not far away. "Shisui, let's go over there. You just finished your mission, and if you don't have anything to do... how about we have a good chat?"

"it is good!"

Zhi Shui nodded in agreement.

There is no reason to refuse.

Feeling depressed, he also needed someone to confide in. It's pitiful, really. As a top expert of the Uchiha clan, he actually didn't have many friends. Too many people treated him as an object of worship, rather than as an equal friend.

If it weren't for Uchiha Munen, the only person in the clan he could get along with was Uchiha Itachi, who was several years younger than him.

However, Itachi was too young to be a good person to complain to. In the original history, he had no like-minded friends to confide in, so he could only keep everything bottled up inside. In front of Itachi, he had to force a smile. That's probably how the pressure and despair accumulated.

Fortunately,

History has indeed changed somewhat. With the addition of Uchiha Sogen as a friend, Shisui now has someone to confide in about his troubles.

Although their views are not entirely the same.

[3. Chapter Three: The Unqualified Clan Chief]

The rooftop is open and spacious, with no place to hide. As long as you watch your step, you don't have to worry about being overheard. It's an excellent place to chat. In Zongxian's opinion, this kind of place is much more reliable than those dark and secluded rooms.

"Oolong tea flavor or natto flavor, which do you want?"

Zongxian held up two popsicles.

Although it's only April, the weather in Konoha is already getting hot. The uncle in the clan who makes popsicles can't wait to start trying to make exclusive products, such as oolong tea flavored popsicles and natto flavored popsicles. The former is fine, but the latter... natto flavored popsicles are really a bit confusing.

"Isn't there anything else?"

Zhi Shui stared wide-eyed.

"These are the only two kinds today. I remember you seem to really like natto. Here, take this natto flavor."

Without saying a word, Zongxian shoved the natto-flavored popsicle into Shisui's hand.

"I don't hate natto, but there's no need for popsicles to be made with natto..." Shisui looked at the natto-flavored popsicle in his hand with a complicated expression. If he had known this would happen, he should have gone to buy popsicles with Sogen. Was this sly guy doing it on purpose?

Natto-flavored popsicles —

With mixed feelings, he took a bite... Hmm! The taste wasn't too bad, at least it was quite palatable.

Where were we?

Zongxian licked his popsicle and finally got back to the main topic.

"The police department's reputation is...very bad."

“That’s right, the police department has a bad reputation.” Zongxian nodded. “Then, Shishui, what heinous things do you think the police department’s clansmen have done? So much so that the police department’s reputation is so bad that even children are spitting on it behind people’s backs, just like the adults.”

Shishui fell silent.

Have any members of the police force ever done anything so heinous?

They certainly don't have those traits—arrogance, haughtiness, and self-importance—but it's precisely because of this deep-seated pride that the tribespeople disdain doing anything illegal or disorderly.