"How could this be... how could it come to this?"
The Great Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, and the Third Elder, Uchiha Yashiro, were shaken to their core.
For the Second Elder, Uchiha Mamoru, to say something like that meant that what he had just seen was enough to confirm that Uchiha Shisui was indeed a traitor.
Even so, a sliver of hope still lingered in their hearts as they turned to Uchiha Fugaku.
"Clan Head, please allow us to see it as well."
Fugaku said nothing. He simply activated his dōjutsu multiple times to share the memory he had seen with the two of them.
Then, both of their faces twisted into expressions of grief, fury, and despair. In a murmur, they spoke:
"It's true... it's really true..."
Uchiha Shisui was a prodigy, the very hope of the Uchiha clan.
And now, that prodigy — who should have represented the future of the clan — had been proven to be a spy planted by the Third Hokage within the Uchiha.
The blow was simply too devastating, causing both men to lose control of their emotions.
"After all these years, our clan finally produced a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder... only to find out he's a traitor."
In that moment, the Second Elder, Uchiha Mamoru, seemed to age visibly as he spoke with grief.
Even the only Mangekyō Sharingan wielder the clan had produced in decades had turned his back on them to side with the Hokage. Such a clan had no hope left. He no longer held any expectations for their future.
"The Uchiha Clan is finished!"
The Great Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, first showed uncontrollable anger, then a look of deep despair.
As a genius among the younger generation, Shisui's very existence had symbolized the clan's hope.
Now that he had been exposed as a traitor, that hope had been crushed — a devastating blow to the Uchiha clan.
"The coup plans have been exposed, and now Shisui is a traitor too... how could things end up like this?"
The Third Elder, Uchiha Yashiro, looked utterly dejected.
The Uchiha Clan's planned uprising had collapsed before it even began.
With the strength of the Hokage and the Konoha leadership already surpassing the Uchiha's, and with Shisui — a traitor from within — working against them, the odds of success were now virtually zero.
For someone like him, who had long hoped to change the clan's fate through a coup, this was an unbearable blow.
"Shisui's betrayal is truly disappointing, but we mustn't give in to despair just yet."
Fugaku's gaze swept across the three elders as he spoke.
"The Uchiha Clan… does not have only Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Not only Shisui?"
All three elders abruptly looked up, surprise and excitement in their eyes.
There was another Mangekyō Sharingan in the clan?
"That's right. There is another pair."
Fugaku nodded firmly.
"Clan Head, who else besides Shisui has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?" the Great Elder Setsuna asked urgently.
"It's me."
Fugaku's eyes revealed a complex pattern of concentric circles and tomoe — the unmistakable sign of the Mangekyō Sharingan. A mysterious and powerful aura radiated from his gaze.
"The Clan Head… has also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The three elders' faces lit up with emotion.
Shisui's betrayal had left them devastated — almost to the point of hopelessness.
But now, with another Mangekyō Sharingan user revealed, they were pulled back from the brink of despair.
Though Shisui's betrayal still hurt, their mood had shifted — no longer consumed by hopelessness.
"I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan over ten years ago. My original plan was to wait until a second Mangekyō appeared in the clan, so that we could reveal them together — to intimidate the Konoha leadership and restore the Uchiha's former glory."
"Unfortunately, the second Mangekyō did appear… but it turned out to belong to a traitor."
Fugaku sighed.
"All these years, the Clan Head has borne this burden alone. We misjudged you," said both the Great Elder Setsuna and the Third Elder Shi, their faces full of guilt.
Over the years, they had been confused and angry at how Fugaku continuously retreated in the face of pressure from the Konoha leadership.
Now they finally understood the "reason" — Fugaku had been enduring humiliation to bide his time and wait for the emergence of a second Mangekyō.
Two Mangekyō Sharingan — revealed simultaneously — would be enough to shake Konoha's leadership and establish the Uchiha's position with unshakable strength.
It was only infuriating that the second pair had ended up belonging to a traitor.
"If you understand, that's good enough."
Fugaku nodded.
The "enduring humiliation for the greater good" excuse was an effective way to explain why he had appeared so passive all these years. It completely changed the impression Great Elder Setsuna and Third Elder Yashiro had of him.
"Clan Head, we've wronged you all these years. Please forgive us. From now on, the three of us elders will devote ourselves entirely to supporting you."
The three elders exchanged looks, then turned to Fugaku with expressions of genuine respect and awe — something they had never shown before.
Until now, even the Second Elder Mamoru had often been dismissive when dealing with Fugaku.
As for Setsuna and Yashiro, they had frequently opposed him openly.
But now, knowing that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and had silently borne the clan's burdens for years, the three elders were completely convinced.
"No need to worry. I admit, my 'conduct' over the years has indeed been disappointing."
Seeing the deference on their faces, Fugaku was quite satisfied.
The entire reason he had revealed both Shisui's betrayal and his own Mangekyō was to bring the three elders the most powerful figures after himself firmly under his command. With them on his side, he could completely take control of the Uchiha Clan.
Judging by their reactions, it was working.
"Clan Head, Shisui betrayed the Uchiha. He must atone with his life. We must eliminate this traitor at all costs," said Setsuna through gritted teeth.
"That is exactly what I intend to do," Fugaku replied. "At the last village council meeting, I tried to arrange for Shisui to join the hunt against the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai ninja — intending to eliminate him in the process. Unfortunately, the Third Hokage blocked the plan."
"But it wasn't a complete failure. As long as more and more Konoha shinobi die at the hands of the Wood Release ninja, the Third Hokage will eventually be forced to send Shisui."
"Clan Head, are you planning to continue posing as the Wood Release ninja and attacking Konoha shinobi?" Mamoru asked.
"I intend to target those shinobi hostile to the Uchiha and make it look like the work of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. That way, we eliminate our enemies while also pressuring the Hokage to send Shisui into battle."
"A plan that both removes our enemies and forces Shisui to face off against a Kage-level opponent… it's a brilliant move."
Both Setsuna and Shisui expressed their approval.