Chapter 2—Brinkmanship

Hiruzen Sarutobi was well aware that the Uchiha clan was planning a coup. He also knew that how he handled it would define how people view his reign as third Hokage. Being Hokage… he thought to himself as he took a puff of his pipe. What does it really mean?

Before he became Hokage, Hiruzen had a glorified notion of the position. He, like many others, had naively thought it was a job that required pure strength alone. It wasn't entirely his fault for feeling that way though. At the academy, when his teachers broached the subject, they merely said that the strongest person in the village became Hokage, without mentioning the mental strength, sacrifice, tough decisions, and … paperwork that came with the position. It also came with a lot of unforeseeable events. Back when Tobirama passed him the position, Hiruzen could have never, not even in his wildest imagination, fathomed that being the Hokage meant he might have to lead a civil war against the Uchiha clan. Sighing to himself, he recognized that he was being unfair. The Uchiha clan didn't always feel like exiles in their own village. In fact, the change was sudden and relatively recent. Taking a long drag on his pipe, Hiruzen thought back to the night that permanently altered the fate of the Uchiha clan. The night of the Kyuubi attack, 7 years ago.

The Kyuubi attack had shaken all of Konoha. The Fourth Hokage, who had just begun his reign, was killed while sealing half of the nine-tails into himself and the other half into his newborn son Naruto. That wasn't the official story that circulated though—people knew that the Fourth Hokage had died while valiantly taking down the beast and that Naruto had become a jinchuriki as a result, but they didn't know the true nature of Naturo's lineage. Shaking his head, Hiruzen digressed. That was beside the point. For now, anyway.

In the fallout of the tragedy, the people of Konoha wanted someone to blame. It's hard to nurture hatred without a specific target. Since the legend of Madara being able to tame tailed beasts with his Sharingan was well known and taught to all in the village, the Uchiha clan unjustly, yet naturally in the minds those grieving, became the target of their hatred and distrust. Even if one member was responsible for the crime, it would still be unfair to blame an entire clan for the actions of one person. But unfortunately, there is little room for rational thought in the minds of those overcome with hatred and fear.

The blind hatred many felt towards the Uchiha clan had slowly pushed the Uchiha further and further towards the outskirts of the village, physically and symbolically. The Uchiha, one of the two clans that had cofounded the village, became shrouded in distrust, while the other, the Senju, maintained the highest esteem. To make things worse, other clans exacerbated the issue by seizing the opportunity to increase their own position in Konoha at the expense of the Uchiha. Almost all clans were guilty of it, but the Hyuga were the worst of all. Perhaps it was because of the rivalry between the Sharingan and the Byakugan, but whatever the reason, Hiashi had clawed his clan to the second most influential position in the village, overtaking the Uchiha for the first time since the founding of Konoha.

To be honest, Hiruzen completely understood why the Uchiha were planning a coup. Anyone in their position would no doubt feel the same way—hurt, abandoned and angry. Even before the Kyuubi attack, the Uchiha had been treated unfairly (although the Kyuubi attack was clearly the breaking point). It was obvious to anyone who looked at the line of Hokages. All of the Hokages were somehow connected to the Senju, whether it be through heritage or mentorship. Hashirama and Tobirama were Senju brothers, Tobirama was Hiruzen's, sensei, and Jiraiya, who was taught by Hiruzen, was Minato's sensei. The Uchiha weren't the ones who threw away Konoha. Rather, Konoha had thrown them away first.

Hiruzen stood up and looked out of the large Hokage tower window. The sky was nearly completely covered with clouds; it looked like a storm was brewing. Despite the turmoil in the sky though, the village was a little too quiet. Something felt ominous, and Hiruzen had a gut feeling it had to do with the Uchiha coup. Confused, he squinted his eyes and scanned the near empty streets. His informant had told him that the Uchiha weren't making a move for at least another few weeks, so why did he feel so uneasy? Hiruzen had a sinking feeling that it related to Danzo and his unquenchable thirst for power. But, Hiruzen didn't have any evidence, so he tried to swallow the feeling.

Hiruzen had just gone to sit back down when he heard a knock at his door. Confused, since it was late and he didn't have any appointments, Hiruzen tried to sense the chakra behind the door. When he, the Hokage, couldn't sense it enough to tell who it is, Hiruzen realized it had to be an extremely high-level shinobi, and his curiosity grew even more. Staring at the door skeptically, Hiruzen muttered a quick "Come in" while bobbing his pipe up and down in his mouth.

The door opened, and behind it stood one of the last people Hiruzen expected to see—Itachi Uchiha. After the mysterious suicide of Itachi's cousin Shisui, people outside of and within his clan regarded Itachi with distruct. While Hiruzen didn't know the exact circumstances of Shisui's death, he did know Itachi. Itachi was a pacifist at heart, and as such he would never kill his best friend and cousin in cold blood, so there had to be more to the story. Raising his brow, Hiruzen motioned for Itachi to come in and sit down. Sensing they were about to have a serious conversation, Hiruzen took off his Hokage hat and emptied out his pipe before setting it aside. Glancing up at Itachi curiously, Hiruzen asked,

"Hello Itachi. What brings you to my office at this time of night?"

It was a loaded question, and Hiruzen didn't know if Itachi himself knew the answer. Admitting the coup to Hiruzen would be infallible evidence of its existence, since Itachi was heir to the Uchiha clan. While Hiruzen was 98% certain of its existence, a confession from Itachi would bring it up to the full 100%. Instead of diving straight into the heart of the matter, Itachi responded to Hiruzen's question with one equally as loaded but more indirect.

Slowly, Itachi asked, "Hogake-sama, does Danzo-san need your approval before he assigns missions, or can he do it on his own?"

Hiruzen's pulse quickened as he simultaneously praised and cursed his instincts for their accuracy. It seemed Danzo had tried making a move without him, and judging by Itachi's expression, whatever he ordered must be quite severe. Sighing, Hiruzen closed his eyes and started massaging his temples.

"He is legally supposed to get my permission," Hiruzen began, "but unfortunately he rarely does. I'm guessing your issue is related to Danzo?"

Itachi deliberately and slowly nodded his head once. "A few hours ago, Danzo gave me a mission. At first, I was going to do it, but I now find myself unable to do so."

Hiruzen didn't want to push Itachi too far and risk Itachi leaving without saying anything, but he also needed to know what was really happening. Treading lightly, Hiruzen asked, "Could you possibly tell me what the mission is? As Hokage, I give you the right to violate any secrecy agreement you may have made. And, depending on the circumstances, I will make the mission void if I do not agree with it."

Itachi mulled the Hokage's words over in his mind, but he didn't seriously ponder his options. From the moment he decided to go to Hokage tower, Itachi already knew what he would do. After closing his eyes in shame, Itachi began to speak.

"Danzo ordered me to massacre the Uchiha clan in order to ensure Konoha's lasting peace. As I'm sure you know, the Uchiha are planning a coup, and Danzo believes the annihilation of the Uchiha clan is the best solution. At first, I agreed to carry it out on the condition that Sasuke was allowed to live, but I recently realized that killing the Uchiha clan isn't the answer."

Itachi opened his eyes and made eye contact with Hiruzen. With resolve, he said, "The Uchiha clan isn't the Uchiha clan without Konoha, and Konoha isn't Konoha without the Uchiha clan there We must find a compromise."

Hiruzen's blood ran cold. While he had known Danzo was power thirsty and willing to make sacrifices as long as the ends justify the means, Hiruzen never realized just how far Danzo was willing to go. Planned coup or not, annihilating the Uchiha clan was blasphemy. Not only did it go against the morals upon which the village was founded, it would also weaken Konoha severely in the long run. Whether others recognized it or not, the Uchiha clan embodied the heart, spirit and passion of the village. Feeling thoroughly nauseous, Hirzuen knew he needed to get rid of Danzo. Once upon a time, Danzo was his rival, and they grew stronger together through their competition. But unfortunately, the person Hiruzen had competed with didn't exist anymore.

Itachi examined the Hokage quietly, searching for a reaction, but Hiruzen's mask was perfect. When Itachi figured he had given the Hokage enough time to digest what he said, decided to continue.

"There's more," Itachi began.

Hiruzen kept his expression neutral, but internally he was filled with dread. How can there be more than that? Hiruzen nodded once, which Itachi took as a signal to continue.

"I want to tell you the true story of Shisui's death. Shisui did kill himself, but only because he thought he was going to die anyway. In order to prevent the Uchiha coup, Shisui planned to use Kotomatsuki on my father to subtly get him to stop planning it. Unfortunately, Danzo found out about Shisui's plan and thought it wouldn't be enough to protect Konoha from the Uchiha clan, so he tried to kill Shisui. During their battle, Shisui subdued Danzo, but then Danzo used Izanagi to catch Shisui off guard and steal his right eye. Apparently Danzo had stolen multiple Sharingan eyes from dead Uchiha clan members and implanted them in his arm, and Danzo used Izanagi before Shisui even realized that he was able to. Shisui managed to escape, but after the encounter, he lost hope in preventing the coup and was afraid Danzo would come after him. So, to prevent Danzo from getting his left eye, Shisui entrusted it to me before he killed himself…" Itachi paused and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will away the pain that came with the memory. Slowly, Itachi opened his eyes and poured chakra into them. His eyes bled red and then eventually settled into the distinctive shape of the Mangekyo Sharingan. "After Shisui killed himself I was able to unlock Mangekyo… It was what Shisui wanted."

They were silent for a moment and Hiruzen went to refill his pipe. At first Hiruzen had thought it would be better if he refrained from smoking during their conversation, but after processing everything Itachi said, he needed to take the edge off.

Itachi waited for Hiruzen to take a few puffs before he revealed his true reason for coming to the Hokage tower.

"To protect Konoha, and ensure peace in the village," Itachi began, "I am going to eliminate Danzo. The village, especially the Uchiha clan, is not safe as long as Danzo is here. I cannot allow someone who ordered me to kill my entire clan under the guise of peace, despite having murdered for Sharingan eyes, to live. I want permission from you, the Hokage, but if you order me to leave Danzo alone I don't know if I will be able to…Please Hokage-sama, I am begging you. Please allow me to eliminate Danzo for the sake of the village."

To show the Hokage how serious he was in his request, Itachi gave the Hokage a 90-degree bow. It was the first time in Itachi's life he had lowered himself to this extent. As the heir to the Uchiha clan, Fugaku had ingrained in Itachi that he was to lower himself to no one. But, in this situation, Itachi didn't care about clan politics. He needed the Hokage to realize the gravity of the situation.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and took a few long drags on his pipe. Smoke began to fill the room as Hiruzen pondered his next step. Hiruzen had already concluded that Danzo needed to be eliminated as quickly as possible, but he didn't know the proper way to go about it. On top of that, he didn't think that killing Danzo would necessarily prevent the Uchiha coup, which was another pressing issue. Somehow, he needed to think of a way to link the two. Bobbing his pipe up and down in his mouth, Hiruzen poured all his concentration into findng a solution. Then, he had a stroke of genius.

Smiling, Hiruzen said, "Itachi Uchiha, I, the Saindaime Hokage, declare the mission to exterminate the Uchiha clan void and hereby assign you a new mission."

Itachi was silent. He rose from his 90-degree bow and eyed the Hokage. While he was relieved that he was officially dismissed from killing his clan (although he wouldn't have done it even if the Hokage had ordered him to), he had only gained half of what he wanted. He really hoped the Hokage agreed that Danzo was a threat to the fabric that held the village together. While Itachi was loyal to Konoha first and foremost, if he were ordered to spare Danzo, Itachi wasn't sure if he could comply. The mere existence of Danzo threatened his clan and the entire village. Itachi wanted to make sure that the version of the village Sasuke grew up in was better than the one he did, and as long as Danzo was alive, Itachi could not ensure Sasuke's safety. Itachi, consumed in his thoughts, could barely breathe by the time the Hokage spoke again.

"Itachi Uchiha, I order you to kill Danzo Shimura."

Itachi let out a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as Hiruzen kept talking.

"But," Hiruzen said with a smile, "to simultaneously prevent the Uchiha coup, we are also going to do something else …"

…

It was around midnight when Itachi had left the Hokage tower and around 8 am when he returned. He was soaked in blood—half of it his and half of it someone else's. Unlike the previous night, the Hokage tower was full of life. There were many people scurrying about and running errands, and as Itachi limped by, still in his Anbus attire, they all stopped and gawked at his grisly appearance. Itachi paid them no mind and didn't even seem to notice the thick trail of blood he was leaving on the pristine hardwood floor. After making it to the top floor of the tower, Itachi stumbled into the Hokage's office and slammed a scroll on the Hokage's desk before promptly passing out. Hiruzen quickly opened the scroll and confirmed its contents, before ordering an Anbu to carry Itachi to the hospital. Hiruzen pulled out several scrolls and quickly wrote a message for each clan head. At 1pm, there would be an emergency clan meeting that each leader was required to attend.

Hiruzen snapped his fingers and several of his Anbu guards appeared immediately. After Hiruzen gave several scrolls to each of them, the Anbu guards flitted across Konoha, scrambling to give the summons to each clan. Because of the remote location of the Uchiha district, the Uchiha clan was the last to receive the summons. Ripping open the scroll, Fugaku Uchiha scanned the content and immediately suspected that the emergency meeting was related to the Uchiha coup. Recognizing that the Hokage may have summoned the emergency meeting to distract him, Fugaku summoned an emergency Uchiha clan meeting for 10:30 am, and told everyone that they should be alert and ready for an attack. Even if he hadn't returned from the meeting yet, Fugaku told them, if a Konoha shinobi so much as rose a hand at an Uchiha member, the clan should commence the coup.

Sasuke watched from his yard as the members of his clan ran around seemingly preparing for something. Curious, he went back inside to ask his mom about it. When he did, Sasuke was surprised at how panicked she was. Instead of giving him an answer, Mikoto told him to go to his room and not come out for the rest of the day. Sasuke protested, because he hadn't done anything wrong and couldn't understand why, but his mother shushed his protests by picking him up and locking him in his room. From outside his door, Mikoto ordered him to hide in the closet if he heard any loud noises coming from outside or downstairs. Realizing the situation must be serious if his mom was this distressed, Sasuke said, "Okay Mom. Just come get me when I can come out okay?"

Mikoto, holding back tears because she wasn't sure if she would be able to fulfill that request, shakily said, "Of course Sasuke. Always remember that no matter what, your Mommy loves you, okay?"

Meanwhile, Fugaku searched everywhere for Itachi, who would be an invaluable asset during the coup, but he couldn't find him anywhere. After searching for twenty minutes, Fugaku remembered that Itachi had been summoned for what was supposed to be a quick mission the previous night and had yet to return. Fugaku quickly deduced that there were only two possible reasons as to why Itachi had yet to return from a simple mission. Either the Hokage recognized that Itachi would play a decisive role in the success or failure of the Uchiha coup and sent him on a long mission so the threat would be mitigated, or Itachi was responsible for the current situation. While Fugaku would be disappointed if Itachi chose the village over his clan, he also wouldn't be able to help the slight tinge of pride that would come with knowing Itachi was a true leader who followed no one. Either way, Fugaku was proud of the man Itachi had become.

By the time 1pm rolled around, the entire Uchiha clan was tense. At first glance, everyone appeared to be going about their daily life, but a closer examination revealed that they were all too well armed for simply running errands. Each person was ready to strike at a moment's notice.

After making sure his clan was well prepared, Fugaku leisurely strolled to the Hokage tower. A wave of sad nostalgia flowed through him as he thought about how this was likely the last time he would be summoned by Hiruzen for a meeting. The sentiment was bittersweet. Fugaku had no ill will toward Hiruzen himself, only towards the mechanics of the village that isolated his clan to the benefit of others. As Fugaku neared the Hokage tower, he saw Hiashi approaching from the opposite direction and felt anger rise in his throat. Back in their academy days, they used to be friends, but that had promptly ended when Hiashi came to power. Hiashi did everything he could to increase the position of the Hyuga at the expense of the Uchiha. The entire Uchiha clan knew about Hiashi's schemes and wanted to make him and the Hyuga clan pay.

Hiashi and Fugaku reached the Hokage tower at almost the exact same time, to Fugaku's dismay. Hiashi nodded to Fugaku, and Fugaku, who really wanted to tell Hiashi to screw himself, nodded back for the sake of propriety. Fugaku was content with walking in silence to the clan conference room, but Hiashi had other ideas.

"I wonder what this summons is for," Hiashi said. "Usually, we only get an emergency summons when there is a severe threat to the village. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"

Already knowing the answer, Fugaku asked, "What are you insinuating, Hyuga-san?"

"Nothing at all," Hiashi responded with a light, airy tone. But Fugaku knew differently. "I'm only asking because you are the head of the Uchiha police force and are consequently more likely to know about domestic troubles."

"Oh yes, I'm sure that's why you asked," Fugaku replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Changing his tone to a lighter one, he continued. "I just wanted to clarify because you have always been more preoccupied with the 'Uchiha', rather than the 'police force', part of the Uchiha police force."

Hiashi's face grew red with anger and he was about to speak once more before he realized they had arrived at the clan conference room. Nodding to each other once more, Hiashi and Fugaku parted and went to their respective seats within the meeting room. The clan meeting room was a large room, around the size of a basketball court, and there were clan insignias painted on the wall that designated where each clan representative sat. There was a large chair for each clan head and cushions scattered on the floor for when other clan members were invited. Even though there were no Senju clan members in the village anymore, there was still a Senju chair in case any of them came back. The Uchiha and Senju clans were the closest to the front of the room on opposite sides, and after that, the clans were ordered based off of when they joined the village. The Sarutobi clan, as the third clan to join Konoha, was seated right next to the Senju, the Aburame clan, as the fourth, was next to the Uchiha, etc. The Hyuga clan, having joined relatively later, was positioned in the middle of the room on the same side as the Senju, but their position belied their overall influence. Although the Senju clan was still seen as the most powerful clan, Tsunade had left the village and had yet to return. Noticing this power vacuum, the Hyuga did everything in their power to replace the gap in leadership with their own increased influence. Part of the Hyuga strategy was to cast suspicion on the Uchiha clan while simultaneously painting an image of Hyuga reliability. After bitterly watching Hiashi get settled in his chair, Fugaku refocused his attention to the front of the room, where the Hokage sat. The Hokage's chair was the largest of all, and it was positioned on a slightly elevated platform so all clan heads could see him despite their distance. To the right of the Hokage's chair, there was a table for the scribe who recorded everything discussed during the meeting. There was also a gavel on the scribe's table, that the scribe would hit once the Hokage signaled the meeting was over. The two elders sat just behind the Hokage on either side. While the Hokage had the final authority, they were always extremely influential in the outcome of meetings. Finally, there was a chair for Danzo just to the right of the platform, that had been constructed specifically for him as his authority grew.

Refocusing his attention on his own position, Fugaku went to sit down. As soon as he did, Fugaku froze. In the back-right corner of the room, Itachi was there, in a wheelchair. Itachi's chakra was so weak that Fugaku hadn't even noticed him when he walked in, and it appeared that none of the other clan heads had noticed him yet either. Fugaku flared his chakra and Itachi turned toward his direction and gave his father a small nod. Itachi was conscious, but barely. After seeing Itachi in such a battered state, Fugaku realized that although he had entered the room assuming he knew what to expect, he actually had no idea what was going on. Fugaku had initially thought that this meeting was purely to expose the Uchiha coup, but if that were the case, why would Itachi simultaneously be so docile and in such a battered state? If Itachi had ratted out the Uchiha clan then he would be docile but not battered, and if he had fought for the Uchiha coup then he would be battered but not docile. Fugaku was missing a piece of the puzzle—Itachi should be in one state or the other, but not both.

It took a while for the first clan head, besides Fugaku, to notice Itachi. But once one did, the rest soon followed. Some of the clan heads whispered amongst themselves as they glanced back and forth between Itachi and Fugaku, undoubtably speculating about what Itachi's macabre presence signified.

Then Hiruzen walked in, his Hokage robes flowing, and all of the clan heads were immediately silent. The elders and the scribe entered immediately afterward. After situating himself in his chair, the Hokage began to speak, his voice booming in the otherwise silent room.

"You are all undoubtably curious as to why I summoned a clan meeting so suddenly."

The elders glanced at each other and then Homura Mitokado spoke up. "Shouldn't we wait for Danzo, Sandaime Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "There's no need for that. Since showing you the current situation will aid in explaining it, I am going to do just that."

Hiruzen reached into his sleeve and pulled out the scroll Itachi had given him earlier. He did a simple summoning spell, and out came Danzo's decapitated dead body. There was a collective gasp as everyone tried to make sense of what they were seeing. Danzo's head rolled towards the edge of the raised platform, but it stopped right before it fell off. Before anyone could say anything, Hiruzen calmly went up to Danzo's dead body and rolled up Danzo's sleeves, revealing the Sharingan eyes that were embedded in Danzo's arms. All of the clan heads looked toward Fugaku, searching for an explanation, but were surprised to see that Fugaku looked as shocked as they did (though much angrier).

"As you can see," Hiruzen began. "Danzo is dead. But before you all demand answers, let me explain. Please do not interrupt me until I finish the entire explanation."

The elders, despite the Hokage's request, immediately started protesting. "What is the meaning of this Hokage-sama? How could you eliminate Danzo, one of the three council members, without discussing it with us first?" Koharu Utatane practically shouted. She continued to loudly ramble in a shell-shocked state, with Homura agreeing every once in a while, until Hiruzen stood up and glared at them.

"I think you both forget sometimes that as Hokage, I have final authority. I can act without the guidance of the council if I wish to do so. Although discussing matters with the council has become somewhat of an informal rule, it is not a true one. So, I am going to ask you once more to b T."

Koharu and Homura, having never seen Hiruzen so tense, could do nothing but dumbly nod. Hiruzen sat back down and continued. "The first thing you all need to know in order to make sense of Danzo's death is that the Uchiha clan has been planning a coup d'état, and they are planning to carry it out in around 2 weeks."

Gasps once more filled the room as every clan head turned toward Fugaku, who was immediately on edge. It was silent for a few seconds before all hell broke loose, and the clan leaders started demanding explanations. Sighing, Hiruzen stood up once more and summoned Enma, who immediately transformed into the Adamantine Staff. Hiruzen, having expected this chaos beforehand, asked Enma earlier if he could use his transformed state to calm things down if necessary. Slamming the staff into the platform, creating a large hole, Hiruzen yelled, "SILENCE."

The clan heads were initially reluctant, but when they saw that Hiruzen had summoned Enma they promptly shut up. Hiruzen waited for everyone to resettle themselves before continuing.

"I, along with each member of the village council, have known about this plan for a while now. We had been meeting nightly to discuss possible solutions, but we had yet to agree on one. The council wanted to solve the conflict with force, whereas I wanted to settle it peacefully. Even though the council and I's opinion differed, I initially thought that everyone who knew about the coup was on the same page. That is, we wouldn't act until we agreed on a resolution. But yesterday, Itachi Uchiha informed me otherwise."

At this, Homura and Koharu grew extremely nervous. When Danzo had discussed his plan of action with them, they hadn't necessarily agreed but they hadn't disagreed either. Glancing at Fugaku then back to Hiruzen, the elders realized that this time, they might have made a grave mistake by meeting with Danzo behind the Hokage's back. Hiruzen, while undoubtably aware that his council members had been meeting without him for quite some time, never said anything. As such, the elders thought that Hiruzen was too spineless to forcefully take back his lost power, but Danzo's decapitated body on the platform proved otherwise. Hiruzen didn't make a fuss over small things, but this time, the three of them had went too far.

Meanwhile, the clan heads, having forgotten about Itachi after they saw Danzo's dead body, once more turned toward the back of the room, where Itachi was sitting in a near comatose state. Everyone immediately assumed he was like that because Ibiki had gotten to him. After all, Itachi was the Uchiha clan heir. It wouldn't make sense for him to betray his clan when the coup would bring him more power later on.

While the other clan heads assumed Hiruzen's personal Anbu had killed Danzo, Fugaku knew differently. Itachi valued peace and Konoha above all else, and the coup threatened that. Above that, Itachi would not be in such a pathetic state after one interrogation. Itachi would only be that exhausted after fighting a ninja of Danzo's caliber.

Hiruzen, wanting to draw the attention off Itachi, continued. "Last night Itachi came to the Hokage tower and told me that Danzo had assigned him an S level mission, without getting my approval first. Danzo had been testing the limits of his authority lately, and at first I was going to merely knock him down a level, but when Itachi told me what the mission entailed, I realized that Danzo needed to be eliminated."

The Hokage paused for a moment. "The mission that Danzo gave Itachi was to kill every single member of the Uchiha clan. Itachi bargained with Danzo and got permission to spare Sasuke, but besides that, when Itachi first received the mission, he fully intended to annihilate the Uchiha clan for the safety of the village as a whole."

Fugaku immediately grew pale and slowly turned towards Itachi. He wasn't ashamed of Itachi per say, since Itachi had firmly chosen a side, and displayed true leadership by following his own morals. However, Fugaku could have never imagined that the punishment for planning the coup would have been so severe had Itachi not changed his mind. This just proved that Konoha unfairly discriminated against the Uchiha clan, and once he got over the initial shock, Fugaku's blood began to boil. The other clan heads stared at Itachi in surprise, then glanced back at Fugaku.

Once he thought his words had sunk in, Hiruzen continued. "However, on his way to the Uchiha district, Itachi changed his mind, and decided to go to the Hokage tower instead. There, Itachi explained the situation and convinced me that Danzo was a bigger threat to the village than the Uchiha clan. In addition to ordering the massacre of the entire Uchiha clan, Itachi also revealed the true circumstances of Shisui Uchiha's death. As you all know, Shisui Uchiha killed himself a few weeks ago. Many people suspected Itachi was somehow involved in the events that led up to Shisui's suicide, but the true perpetrator was Danzo. Shisui, like Itachi, was morally opposed to the Uchiha coup and planned to prevent it by using his Kotomatsuki on Fugaku Uchiha to get him to slowly call off the coup. However, Danzo didn't think this would work, and decided to eliminate Shisui, without my permission. The battle was initially in Shisui's favor, until Danzo surprised Shisui with Izanagi. Up until that point, Shisui didn't know that Danzo had embedded stolen Sharingan in his arm, so Danzo caught Shisui off guard and ripped out Shisui's right eye. Realizing the battle was already lost, Shisui escaped, but he knew that Danzo wouldn't stop until he killed him and stole his left eye. So, Shisui searched for Itachi, explained the turn of events, and entrusted Itachi with his left eye before he killed himself."

The clan heads believed Itachi's story, with Hiashi being a notable exception, but the clan elders looked suspicious. It didn't make sense to them that Danzo would tell them about the plan to exterminate the Uchiha clan but not the encounter with Shisui.

"Can you verify these events?" Homura asked while skeptically looking at Itachi. Without saying a word, Itachi poured his remaining chakra into his eyes. The Mangekyo Sharingan flashed for a few seconds before it flickered out from chakra exhaustion.

Everyone stared at the wounded prodigy with wonder. They could not believe a mere 12-year-old had awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan. Fugaku, knowing exactly how one awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan, squeezed his eyes shut as he imagined the pain Itachi must have felt watching his best friend kill himself.

Homura, after recovering from his initial shock, snorted. "How does that prove anything? You can flaunt your newly awakened kekkei genkai after the meeting."

Fugaku sneered at Homura. What a jackass, he thought. But, after looking around the room and seeing a few similar looks of confusion, Fugaku sighed and started to explain.

"As you all know, the Sharingan initially awakens during a moment of immense emotional distress. Each time the user experiences another traumatic event, another tomoe is awakened. Since most people experience quite a bit of emotional trauma during their lifetime, most members of the Uchiha clan awaken all three tomoe by the time they die. However, awakening the Mangekyo requires something way beyond trauma, which is why most people never unlock it. In order to awaken Mangekyo Sharingan, the user must witness the death of someone they care about immensely—someone they consider a best friend or close family. The fact that Itachi awakened Mangekyo after Shisui's death demonstrates how much Itachi cares about Shisui. Therefore, Itachi's Mangekyo means that it is extremely unlikely Itachi killed Shisui in cold blood."

All of the clan heads, even Hiashi, accepted the explanation. But Homura, still unwilling to believe that Danzo had hid something from him, opened his mouth to protest once more. Itachi, feeling fed up, decided there was only one way to get Homura to truly believe him. To get Homura to look in his direction, Itachi flared his remaining chakra—violently, suddenly. Then, as soon as Homura looked in his direction, Itachi activated Mangekyo and poured his memories into Homura's brain directly. The entire process took only a second, but for Homura it felt like days. After showing Homura everything he needed to, Itachi fell limp in his wheelchair, almost passing out from chakra exhaustion. Gasping and sputtering, Homura pointed an accusing finger at Itachi, and started screaming.

"How DARE you use Mangekyo Sharingan on a council member. I could have you arrested for such a vile, treasonous deed!" Homura continued to rant until Hiruzen stood up and slammed his Adamantine Staff right in front of Homura's chair. Hiruzen couldn't tolerate the elders for even a second longer.

"No, Homura," Hiruzen said in a raspy, worn out voice, "how DARE you? How dare you question the veracity of the Anbu who prevented the massacre of an entire clan, which would have crippled the entire village, while you actively condoned it? How DARE you sit in this chair and act like you should still hold authority when you almost lead an entire clan to ruin. Even after Itachi showed you his memory, which clearly proves his innocence, you still have the gall to question his loyalty to the village? I would say that you need to reexamine your position on the Hokage council, but I am hereby dismissing you from it. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, for your role in encouraging what would have been the Uchiha massacre and actively conspiring behind my back on multiple occasions, I am hereby dismissing from the Hokage council. Effective immediately. Now, get out. You are lucky I am not arresting you for treason."

Homura and Koharu, realizing that if they tried to protest their dismissal they would be sent to prison, exited the room in horrified silence. The rest of the room watched the scene unfold in utter disbelief. Even after the Kyuubi attack, Hiruzen hadn't been this angry. It was the first time in the Third Hokage's long reign that he had nearly become unhinged.

Hirzuen stared at the Adamantine Staff, and after debating it internally, decided to leave Enma in front of Homura's chair as a warning to the other clan leaders. Collecting himself, he once more went to sit down in his chair. He had already stood up three times during the duration of the meeting and he could feel a headache coming on. Wanting to get this entire thing over with, he continued his explanation.

"I'm sorry you all had to witness that. Let me continue where I left off. After Itachi informed me of Danzo's treachery, I made Danzo's mission to eliminate the Uchiha clan void and ordered Itachi to kill Danzo instead, which brings us up to this morning. At around 8am, Itachi successfully returned from his mission. Since Danzo's recent actions were heavily intertwined with the Uchiha coup, I decided to summon this meeting to broach both topics at once. The Uchiha clan has yet to commit the coup, so there may still a peaceful way to resolve everything. I would like to hear each of your opinions regarding the matter. Let me just remind you that Danzo's actions highlight the structural injustice the Uchiha clan faces in Konoha. The Uchiha clan, while they may have chosen the wrong path, is by no means irrational. Their anger and frustration towards Konoha is justified, which I'm sure you all have at least slightly realized."

Hiruzen was about to ask Fugaku to explain the Uchiha's side of the story, but before he could, Hiashi had already pounced on the opportunity to speak. "Hokage-sama, if I may," Hiashi began, "Although Danzo clearly went too far by ordering Itachi-san to kill his entire clan, the Uchiha clan cannot be let off unscathed. While I'm sure we can find a solution that is suitable to everyone without things escalating to violence, not reprimanding the Uchiha clan would set a bad precedent for the future. At the very least, the Uchiha clan should receive a large punishment for even considering rebellion. Before we figure out that punishment, I don't think we should dive into possible solutions."

Almost all of the other clan heads voiced their agreement and Hiashi smugly grinned at Fugaku, taunting him. This action was not missed by the Hokage and Itachi, who were both angered by Hiashi's unwillingness to cooperate for the greater good just because it would likely decrease his own relative power. Fugaku, enraged by the action, asked him, "Hasn't the Uchiha clan been punished enough already?" but his voice was drowned out by the loud protests of the other clan leaders.

Itachi, realizing things were taking a turn for the worse, gathered his remaining strength. While he knew he would pass out soon, he could not let Hiashi ruin everything. The room was a cacophony of voices until Itachi spoke.

"Is the Uchiha clan really the only one at fault?" Itachi asked in a low voice. It was the first time Itachi had actually spoken the entire meeting, and despite the fact he had spoken quietly, Itachi's voice silenced everyone. Itachi clenched his hands into fists in his lap, and he was looking down, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"Can you really say that you all are innocent?" Itachi questioned, looking up at the clan heads. "Why do you think the Uchiha feel this way? Is it really baseless anger? It's easy to just blame the Uchiha clan but stop and think about it for a moment. Who pushed the Uchiha to the outskirts of Konoha? Who caused this dissatisfaction? You all did, with your greed and desire for power. Even if an Uchiha clan member did cause the Kyuubi attack, it's not like people from other clans have never defected against the village. Is it really okay to blame an entire clan for the action of one who may not have even been from that clan? Because that is the precedent you are all setting. If it really is okay to blame a clan for one individual, why isn't the Hyuga clan under fire right now? If I remember correctly, just last month someone from the Hyuga clan, a main branch member no less, defected against the village and killed 14 Konoha shinobi. Should we not move the Hyuga clan to the outskirts of the village as punishment? After all, this is a confirmed incident whereas the Kyuubi attack is mere speculation."

Enraged, Hiashi rose to his feet and glared at Itachi. "You insolent—" Hiashi began before Itachi cut him off.

"Do not interrupt me," Itachi said, his eyes overflowing with malice. It was the first time Fugaku had seen Itachi so enraged—it was completely out of Itachi's character. Images of tear stained lavender eyes and dark purple hair overwhelmed Itachi, and for a moment Itachi was engulfed in the foreign sensation of rage before he snapped out of it. Keeping his eyes on Hiashi, Itachi continued. "At first, when Danzo ordered me to kill the entire Uchiha clan, I agreed with his reasoning. Last night, I planned to kill all of my living relatives with the sole exception of Sasuke."

All of the clan leaders shifted uncomfortably when they heard the Uchiha clan heir himself confirm how close the Uchiha clan had come to near extinction.

"But then," Itachi said, "as I thought about it, isn't someone who orders the annihilation of an entire clan more dangerous than that clan? The Uchiha clan helped found Konoha, and Konoha would not be the same without the Uchiha clan there. Each clan is equally important to the survival of the village and eliminating one would cripple the entire village. While the Uchiha clan planning a coup was undoubtably a threat, an indiscriminate massacre is as well. Eventually, I concluded that Danzo didn't really care about Konoha, he only cared about his power over Konoha. By eliminating the Uchiha clan and becoming one of the four remaining wielders of the Sharingan's power, Danzo would become unstoppable. Thankfully, last night I realized that the real issue is Danzo and not the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha clan hasn't committed the coup yet. As of right now, they are still innocent; the Uchiha clan can still be stopped. But Danzo, by ordering me to massacre the Uchiha clan, proved that he is capable of great evil and is already a threat to the safety of the village. While it is true that I care more about the village than my own clan, the village needs my clan, just as my clan needs the village. Danzo clearly didn't care about anything but himself, so I eliminated him. What you are suggesting, punishing the Uchiha clan, stems from a line of thinking that is similar to Danzo's. The Uchiha clan does not want to commit a coup, but they feel they have to because right now, there is no other way for them to eliminate the discrimination they face in the village. By punishing the Uchiha clan, nothing would be resolved. Instead, it would exacerbate the issue by increasing the power of the remaining clans at the expense of the Uchiha. Each clan individually would be better off doing this, but the village as a whole would be severely damaged. Although the decision to plan a coup is unforgivable, punishment will only lead to greater issues later on. It would be one thing if the Uchiha clan planned the coup out of greed, but they didn't. As the heir to the Uchiha clan, I can confidently say the Uchiha clan's goal was to end discrimination against them. Nothing more, nothing less."

Hiashia opened his mouth to say something, undoubtably argue with Itachi, but Shikaku Nara beat him to it.

"He's right," Shikaku said. "About everything. The frustration of the Uchiha clan and the consequent plan to overthrow the government is as much our fault as it is theirs." Sighing, Shikaku closed his eyes and shook his head. "This whole thing is so troublesome… but the Uchiha clan is right. The Uchiha clan was one of the founding clans of the village, but they live in the outskirts and have been reduced to the Konoha police force. We have forced a clan with an exceptionally powerful kekkei genkai to stay within the confines of the village and do menial tasks like find lost pets. Instead of field work, the adults do paperwork. Then, Danzo ordered Itachi to eliminate the entire clan before they even attempted the coup, which is way too severe. The fact such a severe punishment was even considered clearly shows the unfair treatment of the Uchiha within the village. To be honest, I can't blame the Uchiha clan for considering a coup." In an attempt to bring things back from the brink, Shikaku finished his argument by saying lightly, "Not that I would ever plan one. Way too much effort."

While Shikaku spoke lightly, the other clan leaders knew that his words were not to be taken lightly. As the room pondered Shikaku's words, Hiashi sat back down, indignant. Before, the other clan heads had presented a unified front against the Uchiha but Shikaku's words changed the tides. The Nara clan was famous for their intelligence, so the fact the Nara leader was defending the Uchiha clan made everyone pause. This was compounded by the fact that Shikaku rarely spoke during clan meetings, so the mere act of speaking up signified that he strongly believed that the Uchiha clan was right. Furthermore, since the Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara clan always took the same position on issues during clan meetings (so they had more collective bargaining power), the support of the Nara clan consequently meant that the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans would also support the Uchiha. What had previously been a one-sided onslaught against the Uchiha suddenly turned into a more even battle amongst clans.

Shibi Aburame was the next to speak up. Having sat next to Fugaku for years during each clan meeting, he knew that Fugaku was not an irrational person. Shibi would even go as far as to say he saw Fugaku as a kindred spirit. They were both analytical types, who consider every possible outcome before selecting one. Consequently, Shibi knew that Fugaku had only planned a coup because he had exhausted every other possible solution.

"I agree with Nara-san. Fugaku is not someone who would endanger his clan for no reason. Ever since the Kyuubi attack 7 years ago, the Uchiha clan has been slowly losing its influence. While the Uchiha Police Force was created in theory for domestic security after the attack, we all know it was truly constructed as a means to monitor the Uchiha clan. I believe that the first step to quelling Uchiha dissatisfaction is eliminating the Uchiha Police Force."

Fugaku nodded in Shibi's direction once to express his gratitude. Even Fugaku could admit that they had formed an odd friendship over the years.

The other clan heads vocally agreed with Shibi, until Hiashi voiced his concern.

"If the Uchiha Police Force is disbanded, who would take care of domestic incidents and work to prevent another Kyuubi-scale attack on our village?"

Hiruzen, having thought of this already, replied with confidence. "We could establish a new police force called the Konoha Police Force. To prevent one clan from shouldering the burden of maintaining the police force, I propose that we rotate which clan runs it on a monthly basis. This way, each clan will equally contribute to the domestic security of the village. If we agree to this solution, I will draft a tentative schedule after this meeting and send it to each of you for approval. Now then, let's take a vote on this proposition. Who agrees to eliminating the Uchiha Police Force and forming the Konoha Police Force, which is run by every clan equally?"

For the proposal to be passed, two-thirds of the clan heads were required to vote in favor of it. Despite the fact none of the clan leaders really wanted to deal with the police force, they all recognized the truth in Shibi's words. The vote was unanimous—everyone voted in favor of the proposition.

Fugaku couldn't believe how things were turning out, but he kept his emotions carefully concealed. He had walked into this meeting believing that he would be battling Hiruzen by the end of it, but things were actually being resolved. Glancing at Itachi, who at this point was unconscious, Fugaku gave him a small smile. He had raised his son well indeed.

Tsume Inuzuka was the next to speak up. Staring at Fugaku, she bluntly asked, "Is there anything else your dissatisfied with? If you don't speak up now don't come crying to us later if your unhappy."

Used to the Inuzuka's crass way of speaking, Fugaku calmly replied, "I would like the Uchiha district to be moved from the outskirts of the village to a more central location. To avoid relocating anyone else, I suggest that we convert Shoudaime Hokage Park into the Uchiha district and then turn the old Uchiha district into a new Shoudaime Hokage Park."

While the fact that Fugaku already had a location in mind for the new Uchiha district pretty much confirmed that Fugaku was going to attempt a coup soon, no one commented on it. But, a few of the clan leaders were surprised at how ironed out all of the deails were.

"Those in favor of Fugaku's proposal, raise your hand," Hiruzen said.

The vote was again unanimous in favor of the proposition. No one really cared about switching the location of the park.

"Anything else?" Tsume asked, while tapping her long fingernails against her armrest.

"One more thing," Fugaku said.

Hiashi's eyebrow twitched. While Fugaku hadn't asked for anything too unreasonable, he was sure it was coming. There was no way that Fugaku would miss the opportunity to tarnish the Hyuga image as he, Hiashi, had done to the Uchiha's 7 years ago. But, to his, and everyone else's surprise, Fugaku's last request was something extremely simple—something other clans took for granted but hadn't realized until then. It was through Fugaku's final request that the rest of the clan heads internalized the degree to which the Uchiha clan had been mistreated.

"I want every Uchiha clan member, even the adults, to be able to go on missions and travel freely outside of the village," Fugaku said.

Hiruzen watched as the other clan leaders unconsciously lowered their heads in shame. They each realized that they had gotten so carried away in a blind witch hunt against the Uchiha clan that they had failed to treat the people of the Uchiha clan as viable members of the village. Even Hiashi grew a little pale at Fugaku's humble final request. Hiruzen wore a sad smile as he asked who was in favor of the proposal, and again everyone agreed. Tsume asked once more if Fugaku was sure there was nothing else he wanted, and Fugaku nodded. Finally directly admitting to the Uchiha coup, Fugaku said that these were the only changes the Uchiha clan would have made if the coup succeeded.

"Couldn't you have asked for these conditions without going as far as planning a coup?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked. Implicit in Inoichi's question was the sentiment shared among the other clan heads; Fugaku hadn't really asked for much.

Fugaku looked bitter as he replied. "I had asked multiple times, but each time I was denied. The only reason you are all agreeing to these terms now is because I planned the coup. Without it, nothing would have changed. I am not saying what I did was right, but there were no other options."

As the clan leaders digested the hard truth contained in Fugaku's words, Hiruzen set in motion the last part of his plan—his stroke of genius from the previous night.

"Fugaku Uchiha, there is one more thing I would like to ask you."

Fugaku nodded, expecting this. Although things had gone smoothly so far, the Hokage would still undoubtably want to know the details of the coup.

"As of today, there are three vacant seats in the Hokage council. One of the reasons things escalated so far is because I failed to properly fulfill my duty as Hokage. As the leader of this village, I should have been more sensitive to the suffering of the Uchiha clan. To make up for my shortcomings, I would like to offer you a position on the Hokage council. You can decline of course, but the seat is yours if you want it."

Fugaku sharply inhaled. He couldn't believe how much Hiruzen was willing to cede to win back the Uchiha clan's favor. Before this meeting, Fugaku was convinced that violence was the only way he could end Uchiha oppression. Now, it was Fugaku's turn to feel slightly ashamed. While he had brought up the marginalization of the Uchiha clan during previous meetings, Fugaku had never directly talked to the Hiruzen about it. If he had talked to the Hokage earlier, Fugaku wondered, how might things have changed?

The other clan heads were slightly bitter, but for the most part understood. Since the Uchiha clan had been marginalized before, they could be marginalized again in the future. The best way to prevent that, and thus ensure the loyalty of the Uchiha clan, was to put the Uchiha clan head in a position with greater authority. To some, like Shikaku Nara, having an Uchiha member in the Hokage council seemed like an almost natural solution, since the Uchiha had cofounded the village yet there was never an Uchiha Hokage. Others, but mainly Hiashi Hyuga, were furious because they felt that Hiruzen was rewarding bad behavior. But, no one protested because they had no say in the composition of the Hokage council.

Fugaku stood up and faced Hiruzen. After bowing deeply, he said, "I accept the position Hokage-sama. Thank you for entrusting me with such an esteemed position. I will advise you to the best of my ability.

After smiling and nodding at Fugaku, Hiruzen prepared to draw the meeting to a close. Right before he ordered the scribe to strike the gavel though, he saw Itachi begin to stir and decided that Itachi should be given a chance to provide his input. Hirzuen waited until Itachi completely regained consciousness before he addressed him.

"Itachi Uchiha, for preventing the Uchiha coup and eliminating Danzo for the sake of the village, I would like to ask for your feedback." After quickly summarizing everything Itachi had missed while he was passed out, Hiruzen asked, "Is there anything, as heir to the Uchiha clan, that you wish amend or add to the agreement?"

Itachi immediately thought of Hinata. He was indebted to her, and this was the perfect opportunity to start paying back that debt. Smiling lightly, Itachi said, "The Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan's relationship has been unstable since the Kyuubi attack. To ensure that the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan will have a peaceful relationship in the future, I think that I, the heir to the Uchiha clan, should cordially meet up with the heir to the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hyuga, once a month."

Hiashi stood up and was about to protest before Hiruzen signaled his scribe to hit the gavel, which meant that the meeting was over.

"Wish granted and meeting adjourned. If anyone has any follow up questions, feel free to come find me in my office."

With that, Hiruzen quickly resealed Danzo's dead body into Itachi's scroll and walked out of the clan meeting room. Itachi began to wheel himself out of the room before his father came up behind him and started pushing him. They were silent as they made their way out of the tower, but Itachi knew that as soon as they got home his father would have a lot to say. Itachi felt Hiashi glaring at him from behind as he exited, but Itachi couldn't get himself to care.

A/N: Thank you so much to Niru-chan, HinaCat, LouiseValliere, silviaw, Applejax XD, Sunny Shell, Guest, nazt-zeptine, Ly, Anon, ALIASTESIN, Senpai the God, , Komorebi-chama, and ACorf for your reviews!

I hope that you guys aren't disappointed I didn't write out the fight scene between Itachi and Danzo. I can write it if you guys really want it, but I wanted to condense as much as possible into this chapter so I could continue on with the story. This chapter was wayyy longer than I was anticipating and I didn't want to add even more by including a long fight scene. I promise there will be fight scenes later on as Hinata gets older. There will also be more Itahina in the next chapter, this chapter was mainly to set the new world up and put everything in place. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all like how I decided to prevent the massacre!