Chapter Fifty-One: The Show Begins

Uchiha Li carried Kamui on his shoulder, racing toward his clan’s territory. The patrolling guards had already been reassigned, replaced entirely with Uchiha Fugaku’s trusted subordinates, ensuring his path was unobstructed.

He arrived at the alley they had agreed upon in advance and stepped inside. As his silhouette appeared, Uchiha Fugaku, who had been waiting for some time, emerged, his tone laced with urgency. “How did it go? Was everything smooth?”

He could hardly contain his anxiety; the plan Uchiha Li was carrying out this time could not afford any mistakes. Otherwise, the clan might find itself unable to survive in Konoha.

“No problem. Clan Chief Hizashi has already agreed,” Uchiha Li replied. “What about your arrangements?”

Fugaku glanced at Kamui in Li’s hands and took a deep breath. “Everything is ready. I’ve replaced the guards in the secret vault. Now, even if we put a pig inside, they’ll cooperate.”

Because the secret vault was located in his own courtyard, he had, for safety’s sake, sent Mikoto and their two sons to stay elsewhere for the night under the pretense of a thorough cleaning.

He paused, then asked again, “But are you certain this will work?”

Uchiha Li nodded seriously. “Clan Chief, by helping the Hyuga through this crisis, the rewards in the future will be well worth it.”

In his view, the widening rift between the Uchiha and all of Konoha stemmed from two main causes.

First, it was the village leadership’s deep-seated aversion to the Uchiha. This attitude was inherited from the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Danzo and the two village advisors were heavily influenced by this philosophy. Though the Third Hokage didn’t officially endorse it, he never intervened and, in the end, even consented to the clan’s destruction.

Thus, Uchiha Li believed a thorough purge of the current village leadership was necessary, replacing them with those who harbored no ill will toward the Uchiha. This was why he was so determined to save the Fourth Hokage during the Nine-Tails incident—not only because his Terra needed chakra to evolve, but also because the Fourth was friendly to their clan.

Second, the problem lay within the Uchiha themselves. The clan was not only proud, but more critically, isolated and unsupported within the village. They had no allies; clan members seldom interacted with outsiders, and only a rare few Uchiha had friends from other clans. Moreover, despite knowing the Police Force was a trap designed by the Second Hokage to make enemies, the Uchiha couldn’t bear to let it go. It seemed a position of prestige, but in truth, it drove all other clans in the village away.

In such circumstances, the Uchiha were fighting alone. When faced with unfair treatment, there was no one to speak for them. With factional strife rampant within the clan, those blinded by internal conflict only quarreled senselessly.

Over time, the Uchiha and the village naturally drifted apart. What Uchiha Li now sought was to first ally with the Hyuga, then gradually win over other clans, step by step. Ultimately, he aimed to break the isolation and fuse the clan with the village—a much more practical approach than the empty ideals of the Will of Fire.

“Li, sometimes I truly feel you’re nothing like a teenager,” Fugaku said, moved by the detailed analysis. Despite Li’s youth, his perspective was far deeper than Fugaku’s own. Though Fugaku understood the clan’s shortcomings, he’d never dared to make real changes for fear things might worsen. Uchiha Li, however, was fearless, and previous decisions had proven effective. This was why Fugaku had resolved to support Li’s plan this time. Of course, Li’s Mangekyo Sharingan was also crucial.

Uchiha Li didn’t answer the question. Instead, he said, “Clan Chief, if everything is ready, I’ll begin.”

“Go ahead,” Fugaku replied, stepping aside to clear the space.

Li said no more. He stood before Kamui, who lay on the ground, and dispelled the genjutsu on him. Kamui’s vacant gaze began to focus, his consciousness returning. But then, he saw those same Sharingan eyes that had thwarted his suicide attempt. This time, the Sharingan was no longer the familiar three tomoe, but a pattern formed by triangular rhombuses.

...

While Uchiha Li used his Mangekyo to control Kamui, the Cloud delegation also arrived at the Hyuga estate. They did not come alone, but with a large contingent of Konoha’s Anbu.

“I saw with my own eyes a ninja dressed in your Hyuga clan attire kidnapping our leader, Lord Kamui!” A Chunin in the delegation declared indignantly at the gate, addressing Hyuga Hizashi.

Hizashi’s face flashed with anger. His voice was cold. “I haven’t even confronted you for what you’ve done, yet you dare to come here and accuse us?”

At that, the hastily assembled Hyuga clan members behind Hizashi stepped forward, glaring with hostility at the Cloud delegation.

Witnessing the scene, the Anbu captain who had accompanied them was utterly perplexed.

Anbu had originally received word from the Cloud delegation that their leader had been assaulted by the Hyuga in Konoha—a matter that could spark war between the two villages. They had urgently roused the Third Hokage, who immediately ordered them to assist the Cloud in finding their leader.

Yet upon arrival, they found the Hyuga clan burning with rage, on the verge of revolt. What was really happening? Who was the true victim?

The Anbu captain, full of questions, stepped forward and asked, “Lord Hizashi, what happened here?”

Hizashi replied coldly, “That Kamui infiltrated my home and tried to kidnap Hinata. I injured him and he fled.”

He turned to the Cloud delegation. “My daughter is still unconscious. I warn you, hand over Kamui to atone, or the Hyuga clan will not be so courteous.”

“Nonsense! It was your clan that attacked our leader!” the Cloud delegation retorted, refusing to admit any wrongdoing.

Not only that, a Cloud ninja turned fiercely to the Anbu captain. “Konoha has attacked the leader of our delegation! This violates the peace agreement. If you don’t hand over Hizashi, prepare for war!”

The Anbu captain’s face darkened, angered by the Cloud’s shameless accusation. Yet under such circumstances, he had to make a decision immediately, or the fragile peace would dissolve. The Third Hokage had repeatedly warned him before their departure that, no matter what, the situation must not deteriorate.

Thus, the captain gritted his teeth and addressed the Cloud delegation, “Please return with us. We’ll be responsible for finding your leader. The village will convene a meeting to address this matter.”

He then approached Hizashi, his tone apologetic. “Lord Hizashi, may I trouble you to attend the meeting as well?”

Hizashi nodded slowly, and before leaving, cast a cold glance at the Cloud delegation.

The Cloud ninja, refusing to be outdone, stared back with barely concealed hostility.

In an instant, the standoff resumed.

The Anbu captain hurried to separate both sides, restoring a semblance of calm.

But this was merely the calm before the storm; the diplomatic crisis had only just begun.