"A traitor? No… that's impossible!"
Elder Uchiha Setsuna instinctively objected.
As members of the most prestigious clan in the Leaf Village, every Uchiha took pride in their heritage.
How could such a noble clan produce a traitor?
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Third Elder Uchiha Yashiro shook his head repeatedly.
The Uchiha were proud and dignified by nature—steeped in loyalty and honor. Betrayal simply didn't align with their values.
He wouldn't be surprised if another clan in the village had defectors. But from the Uchiha Clan? That was something he couldn't bring himself to believe.
"Clan Head… could there have been a misunderstanding?"
Second Elder Uchiha Mamoru also voiced his doubts.
Although he often held different views from the First and Third Elders, on this matter, they were in full agreement:
The Uchiha were proud of their lineage. Betrayal was unthinkable.
"Take a look at this scroll."
Uchiha Fugaku tossed a prepared scroll toward the three elders. They passed it among themselves quickly.
The moment their eyes scanned the contents, their expressions darkened. Veins bulged on their foreheads, and their faces twisted in uncontained fury.
"A traitor… that bastard!"
Elder Setsuna gripped the table, his hands trembling from rage.
"Serves him right for dying! If anything, he got off easy!"
Elder Yashiro's eyes were bloodshot, brimming with hatred.
"H-how could he be a traitor…?"
Elder Mamoru seemed completely lost, unable to accept what he had just learned.
The scroll they were reading contained the investigation file on Uchiha Sen, one of the few members of the clan who like Mamoruhad remained calm and refrained from supporting the coup. Someone Mamoru had even regarded as a close ally.
When Sen died a few days earlier, Mamoru had genuinely mourned him. Never would he have imagined the man was actually a traitor.
"He lived among us for sixteen years… Sixteen years of deception! That ungrateful bastard! Death was too kind for him!"
Elder Setsuna growled through clenched teeth.
Just the thought of Uchiha Sen infiltrating the clan for sixteen years was enough to drive him mad.
Who knew how much sensitive information had been leaked during that time?
"But he didn't get off easy."
Fugaku's tone was cold.
"Once his identity was confirmed, I personally executed him. To avoid arousing suspicion from the Third Hokage, I made it appear as if he'd been killed by a ninja with Wood Release bloodline abilities."
Now that Uchiha Sen's betrayal was public knowledge, there was no need to hide the truth of his death.
Fugaku had already ruled out the possibility of the three elders being involved. Not only had they passed his investigation, but given their status, it was also unlikely.
As the only three elders in the clan, their power and interests were deeply tied to the clan's fate. They would rise and fall with the Uchiha betrayal would bring them nothing.
As for the Third Hokage's talk of the "Will of Fire," it may have swayed the younger generation, but these three were too seasoned to fall for such ideology.
"Well done!"
"Yes. He deserved to die!"
For the first time in years, Elders Setsuna and Yashiro looked at Fugaku with approval.
Under the oppression of the village's leadership, Fugaku had long been seen as too soft—too willing to compromise, too quick to sacrifice the clan's interests. They had been deeply disappointed in his leadership.
But this time, in dealing with Uchiha Sen, Fugaku had shown a ruthlessness and decisiveness they respected.
"But… if Uchiha Sen was a spy… doesn't that mean the Third Hokage already knows about the clan's plans for a coup?"
Suddenly, Elder Mamoru face went pale. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Sen had been planted in the clan for sixteen years, and the plans for the coup had begun to form years ago.
Given the timeline, it was likely Uchiha Sen had already passed along the clan's intentions to the Hokage.
A cold chill crept up Mamoru spine, as if ice water were pouring into his very soul.
"The Third Hokage already knows… about the coup?"
Setsuna and Yashiro's pupils contracted sharply. Panic flashed across their faces.
They recalled the bold, seditious statements they had made during clan meetings words that had now likely reached the Hokage's ears.
The rebellion hadn't even begun, and it might already be doomed.
Both elders felt an overwhelming sense of danger rise from deep within.
"With a spy like Uchiha Sen embedded in our clan for sixteen years, the Third Hokage has likely known from the very beginning," Fugaku said grimly.
"The only reason he hasn't acted yet is because he's waiting to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan in one decisive strike."
"If I hadn't used my position as clan head to suppress the rebellion—keeping it all talk and no action—he would've already had the justification to eliminate us."
"If not for that restraint, the Uchiha might already be extinct."
"…"
The cold sweat on Setsuna and Yashiro's backs soaked through their robes. Their bodies trembled, yet they didn't even notice.
Had they actually gone through with the coup, the consequences would've been disastrous.
Even they had to admit that with the Third Hokage prepared and forewarned, the odds of success were practically zero.
"Clan Head… if you already executed Uchiha Sen, then why did you say there's still a traitor among us? Why restrict this meeting to just the four of us?"
Elder Mamoru wiped the sweat from his forehead, anxiety returning.
"Surely… Uchiha Sen wasn't the only one?"
"The Third Hokage has been plotting against us for over a decade," Fugaku replied.
"You really think Sen was the only one he planted?"
"…There are more traitors?" Setsuna and Yashiro clenched their fists, their knuckles cracking. Their eyes bulged in fury.
To think that even with Sen dead, there were still others lurking within the clan…
The mighty Uchiha rotten from the inside.
Fugaku paused, then spoke heavily:
"As of now, besides Uchiha Sen… the other confirmed traitor is Uchiha Shisui!"