Chapter 73: The Incident Revealed
Early the next morning, the Hokage Office made a shocking announcement that rocked the entire village—an unprecedented act of internal betrayal: Root had launched an unauthorized attack against the Uchiha clan due to political hostility.
In the ensuing conflict, nearly the entire Root organization was annihilated—including its leader, Shimura Danzo. Only a few non-combatants, uninvolved in the operation, managed to survive.
The Uchiha clan also paid a heavy price. Nearly thirty percent of its shinobi perished in the battle, among them the clan head—Uchiha Fugaku.
Deeply grieved by the tragedy, the Third Hokage publicly expressed his sorrow over the loss and, on behalf of the village, promised the highest possible compensation and benefits to the families of the fallen Uchiha.
To ensure the clan's safety, the Uchiha would also be relocated back to their original residential district within the village.
Moreover, when the Third ordered the ANBU to investigate Root's headquarters overnight, they uncovered extensive evidence of Danzo's past crimes and the organization's long-standing misconduct.
Outraged, the Hokage formally declared the complete dissolution of Root. All surviving members would undergo strict interrogation and investigation. Only after being cleared would they be reassigned to other divisions within the village.
The moment this news was made public, a storm of chaos swept across Konoha.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, upon hearing the announcement, was alarmed.
"Damn it… I hope Kabuto wasn't caught in the crossfire. If something's happened to him, Minato-sensei's treatment could be compromised again!"
Without delay, Kakashi rushed to the Uchiha district to check on Kabuto's condition.
The entire area was bustling with movement—members of the Uchiha clan and village personnel were working together to clean up the aftermath of the previous night's battle.
At Fugaku's estate, Itachi was comforting his grieving mother and younger brother when a servant informed him that a clan elder had arrived. Itachi quickly composed himself and made his way to the reception hall.
With Fugaku gone, the responsibility of head of the household now fell to Itachi, as the eldest son. It was only right that he received important guests himself.
In the reception hall stood a tall, broad-shouldered elder with a head of white hair—Uchiha Kenjirō, one of the three current elders of the clan.
When Itachi entered, Kenjirō greeted him solemnly.
"Fugaku… I watched that boy grow up. I never imagined he'd fall victim to that treacherous Danzo. Such a tragedy… You have my condolences."
After a heavy sigh, he added,
"It's a shame. If only Fugaku had heeded my advice to strike first, this disaster might've been avoided."
It was clear that Kenjirō belonged to the more hardline faction of the clan, and his relationship with Fugaku had always been strained.
After speaking, he observed Itachi carefully—but the young man's expression remained unreadable. He gave no hint of whether he agreed or disagreed.
"Elder Kenjirō," Itachi said calmly, "if you have something to say, please speak plainly."
Kenjirō nodded slowly.
"With Fugaku gone, the clan cannot remain leaderless. I wish to nominate you as his successor—to become the new head of the Uchiha clan."
Itachi was caught off guard. "Surely you're joking. I'm far too young and inexperienced. I lack the authority or support to lead."
Kenjirō's expression softened, and he placed a reassuring hand on Itachi's shoulder.
"Nonsense. You are Fugaku's son—who better to inherit his legacy? This is the natural order of things."
"Besides, I can assist you in managing clan affairs. With my guidance, there's no doubt you'll firmly hold the position of clan head."
As Kenjirō spoke, Itachi understood clearly—what the elder truly wanted was influence through him.
This was clearly a plan to make Itachi a puppet, while Kenjirō himself would seize actual control of the Uchiha clan from behind the scenes.
It was only the day after the Root assault, and Itachi had yet to announce Fugaku's final decision—his appointment of Yusuke as the new clan head.
That delay gave certain influential elders an opening. They had already begun maneuvering to reshuffle the clan's power structure, either to claim leadership for themselves or to install trusted allies as the next clan head.
Seeing Itachi remain silent, Uchiha Kenjirō assumed the boy was still hesitant. He pressed on with reassurance.
"You don't need to worry. Don't forget, you have your teacher Yusuke backing you. With my arrangements in place, no one in the clan will dare oppose you."
It had to be said—Kenjirō's political cunning surpassed that of the other two clan elders. By leveraging Itachi's bloodline and Yusuke's prestige, he intended to orchestrate Itachi's rise and control him from the shadows as the true power behind the title.
In Kenjirō's eyes, Itachi was still just a ten-year-old child, far too young to have a will of his own.
And as for Yusuke? He rarely involved himself in clan affairs. So once Itachi became clan head, the real authority would naturally fall into the hands of the elder "supporting" him.
Kenjirō's plan was airtight—on the surface. What he didn't know was that Yusuke had already resolved to take on the role of Uchiha clan leader himself. Kenjirō's ambitions were doomed to fail.
After a brief pause, Itachi made up his mind not to reveal Fugaku's decision just yet. He didn't want to alert the power-hungry elders and give them time to scheme.
He would wait for the clan assembly that night—then strike with surprise and announce Yusuke as the new clan head, catching them all off guard.
With his plan set, Itachi decided to play along and gave a small nod.
"I assume you're planning to propose this at tonight's clan meeting? Then I'll leave the arrangements to you, Elder Kenjirō."
Kenjirō beamed with satisfaction.
"Leave everything to me. Tonight, I'll handle it all!"
—
Elsewhere in the Uchiha compound, Kabuto was resting in his room.
Though he had nearly recovered—thanks to his powerful regenerative ability and the healing effect of Yusuke's Seal of Vitality—the damage from Obito's "Cutting Technique" had been severe.
Still, Izumi had insisted he stay at home and recover fully. No exceptions.
Kabuto had tried to argue, but in the end, he couldn't win against her stubborn concern. So he resigned himself to staying put.
This incident had shaken him deeply. He realized just how powerless he still was. If Yusuke hadn't arrived in time, the people he cared about—Izumi, Uchiha Hazuki, and others—might not have survived.
"It's time," Kabuto thought grimly. "Time to start learning that Sage Art Yusuke-sensei told me about."
Yusuke had once mentioned Sage Techniques—formidable powers taught by the Great Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest.
Kabuto had hesitated before, wary of the risks involved in learning Sage Mode. But now, after tasting the bitterness of helplessness, he was ready to take that risk.
He clenched his fists in quiet resolve.
"I'll master Sage Mode… no matter what it takes."
Knock knock knock.
Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door, pulling him from his thoughts.