NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66: Fugaku and Itachi! The Third Hokage and Itachi!
Chapter 66: Fugaku and Itachi! The Third Hokage and Itachi!
Itachi stared intently at Tetsuka.
"My Mangekyō Sharingan was also awakened with Ishihara's help!"
Tetsuka's voice wasn't loud, but when his words fell, the entire chamber became deathly silent.
Itachi's eyes widened instantly.
So it really was him!
The elder stared at him in shock, "What did you just say?"
Tetsuka, emotionally stirred, repeated, "I said my Mangekyō was also awakened with Ishihara's help!"
"How... how is this possible? How could Ishihara help you awaken your Mangekyō? How did he do it?! And why would he remove your Mangekyō?"
The elder and others hurriedly asked.
Tetsuka took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and then recounted everything from the moment he saw Ishihara and Itachi make contact to the moment his Mangekyō was taken.
Finally, Tetsuka said, "The elders can inspect my memory to verify the truth."
After Fugaku assured them that what Tetsuka said was true, the three elders checked his memory and finally confirmed it.
"It's true; Ishihara can help us awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Instantly, the entire chamber erupted.
Some cursed Ishihara, while others were excited, and some even wanted to seek out Ishihara to awaken their Mangekyō.
After all, this was the Mangekyō. No Uchiha could resist such a temptation, no matter how terrifying the cost!
Even the fact that Fugaku had awakened his Mangekyō, which should have been incredibly shocking news, was now barely mentioned.
The elder looked at Fugaku and asked with unwillingness, "Clan head, does this mean that in order to awaken the Mangekyō, we have no choice but to become Ishihara's puppets?"
Fugaku bitterly nodded.
If there were any other way, how could the proud Uchiha bow their heads?
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku coldly said:
"Our conflict with Konoha's leadership has already become quite serious. If they learn that Ishihara can help us awaken the Mangekyō, it will greatly heighten their fear of the Uchiha, and the conflict will inevitably escalate. They could act against us at any moment."
"So we have no other choice right now!"
Though unwilling, the elder and others knew that Fugaku was telling the truth.
Fugaku looked at the crowd, whose expressions varied, and said in a deep voice:
"You all understand the situation the Uchiha face, but I won't force anyone to make a decision."
"You already know the cost of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. Anyone willing to proceed can come to me later."
The clan meeting was dismissed.
However, the participants left with uneasy hearts, needing time to think carefully before making a decision.
Soon, only Fugaku and Itachi remained in the room.
In a deep voice, Fugaku asked, "Itachi, you attended the meeting just now. What are your thoughts?"
Itachi's expression was somewhat complicated.
He hadn't expected Fugaku to have already awakened the Mangekyō.
And now, with Ishihara's involvement, the situation had become many times more complex.
It was no longer something he could control.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Many in the clan will definitely go to awaken the Mangekyō, but once Konoha learns of this, a conflict with the Uchiha is inevitable."
"And those who have paid a heavy price to awaken the Mangekyō will certainly not let the Konoha leadership off easily."
"A coup... is inevitable!"
After saying this, Itachi felt powerless.
Unless Konoha's leadership acted against the Uchiha immediately, this outcome was unavoidable.
But without sufficient reason, the Konoha leadership couldn't take action against the Uchiha.
This was an unsolvable dilemma.
Fugaku nodded at Itachi's words. Although he hadn't fully calculated it out, he knew how dangerous the future could be. He said solemnly:
"Don't worry, I'll make a deal with Ishihara. No matter the cost, I'll make sure you awaken the Mangekyō!"
Itachi's expression grew even more complicated.
He had already awakened the Mangekyō, but he still hadn't planned to tell anyone. He lowered his head slightly, "Thank you, Father."
Fugaku said, "It might be unsafe for you to continue working in the ANBU for the time being. You should avoid going there for now."
Itachi immediately frowned, "Father, if I stop going, Lord Hokage and Danzo will definitely become suspicious."
"Besides, being there allows me to gather more information."
Fugaku hesitated but ultimately agreed after seeing Itachi's determined gaze.
He patted Itachi on the shoulder, "Itachi, be careful. The next bit of intelligence on Konoha's leadership will be hard on you."
Itachi lowered his head, "It's nothing."
...
After leaving the Uchiha compound, Itachi, as the Hokage's guard, immediately entered the Hokage's office and met privately with the Third Hokage, who was in a meeting with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Although Itachi knew the situation was already out of control, he still wanted to understand the Third Hokage's stance to see if there was any room for negotiation.
"Lord Hokage, regarding the Uchiha clan..."
Itachi knelt on one knee, respectfully reporting all the intelligence, then silently waited.
The Third Hokage and his advisors exchanged a serious look.
"Ishihara can actually help the Uchiha awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan? What a monster!"
Though extremely shocked by this fact, they were more concerned about the Uchiha's movements—awakening more Mangekyō...
And Fugaku Uchiha had already awakened the Mangekyō!
"Lord Hokage, what do you plan to do?" Itachi asked in a low voice.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances with the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage stared at Itachi with deep eyes and sighed inwardly.
At such a critical moment, in such a complex situation, he couldn't easily trust Itachi.
"Rest assured, as long as Konoha's strength remains strong, the Uchiha won't dare to act recklessly."
"For now, return to the Uchiha clan and continue gathering information."
Itachi's face subtly changed at the words.
He knew that the Third Hokage no longer trusted him.
But he said nothing, retreating respectfully. As he stood outside the Hokage Tower, he turned back with a complicated expression.
"It seems that this battle is now unavoidable."
...
The Hyuga Clan.
Upon returning to his clan, Hiashi Hyuga immediately called a clan meeting and explained the situation to the elders of the main family.
However, the meeting quickly devolved into intense arguments.
For the most conservative main family of the Hyuga clan, they would never allow the clan's secret techniques to be passed outside.
They even scoffed at Hiashi's suggestion of modifying the secret techniques.
Enraged, Hiashi could only accept the clan's decision.
"You'll regret this!"
...
The Nara Clan.
The clan meeting called by Shikaku Nara was much calmer.
The Nara clan members were mostly intelligent people, and after hearing Shikaku's words, they already understood that Ishihara was a rising power.
"Judging by Fugaku Uchiha's actions, he may have already contacted Ishihara before us and might have even been forced into submission!"
Shikaku calmly analyzed the situation.
However, some were hesitant about handing over their clan's secret techniques.
"The Uchiha Clan's situation is different from ours. They've almost been pushed to the brink."
"But we're not in such a rush, and we still don't know what Ishihara's terms are. Let's wait a bit longer."
Upon hearing this, Shikaku frowned.
"Ishihara is a smart man. Perhaps only the first clan to strike a deal with him will gain his attention."
"If we're not the first, even if we offer up our clan's secret techniques, the terms may not be favorable."
"I'm just worried that while we're still hesitating, someone else may already be preparing to act."
The elder who had just spoken began to waver again, "Clan leader, it's up to you to decide."
...
Early the next morning.
Ishihara looked at the figure standing before him with some surprise.
It was Kurenai Yuhi, along with her senior, another of Orochimaru's disciples—Anko Mitarashi!