*Knock, knock, knock*
The soft sound echoed across the silent office. Uchiha Fugaku, who had been reviewing several mission reports, lifted his head at the noise.
"Come in." he said, his tone steady.
The office door creaked open, and a figure stepped in. It was a captain from the Konoha Military Police Force—someone familiar, both in appearance and chakra signature. Fugaku didn't even bother looking up fully.
"What's the matter?" Fugaku asked curtly.
The captain's expression was grim. "Captain Fugaku, the village leadership has expressed strong dissatisfaction with how the Police Force has been handling civilian disputes."
Fugaku's brow furrowed slightly.
The village leadership?
He narrowed his eyes. The so-called 'dissatisfaction' from the village's top brass had been simmering for years. Everyone in the clan knew that such accusations were nothing more than thinly veiled excuses to suppress the Uchiha.
Fugaku leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp. 'They're growing impatient… even after I supported the Fourth Hokage in the last operation?'
He reached for the report offered to him and began skimming through the pages.
But then—
*Pffft!*
A sudden burst of pain ripped through his chest.
A kunai had pierced directly through Fugaku's heart, blood spilling out in a dark stream, staining his robes. The pain was sharp, immediate—and utterly shocking.
His body froze in disbelief.
"You… you're not…" He gasped, voice hoarse.
He looked up, eyes widening as the face before him distorted. Half of it melted into writhing black matter, crawling like oil over a mask of white.
A chilling grin stretched across the creature's face.
"Who am I?" it sneered. "If you want to get technical, I'm your third great-uncle or something like that. A fellow Uchiha—descendant of Indra. And now, I'll take your eyes."
Fugaku's mind screamed in resistance, but his limbs refused to move. The kunai lodged in his chest had collapsed his lungs. Blood gushed from his lips as his vision blurred.
The black substance continued to consume him like ink spreading across parchment. His Sharingan spun weakly, trying to activate Susanoo, Amaterasu, anything—but it was too late.
*Pffft!*
Another sharp blade sliced across his throat. The trachea was severed, blood sprayed like a fountain, and Fugaku collapsed in a heap, choking on his own blood.
*Gugu... gugu...*
His lips trembled, as if trying to speak final words. But only bubbles of blood escaped. The black matter crawled up his face and into his eyes.
Two bloody Sharingan were gouged out. As the life drained from Fugaku's body, the strange being removed the eyes with delicate care and deposited them into glass containers.
At that moment, the body of the impersonator shifted again—White Zetsu reappeared, detaching from Fugaku's corpse like a shadow pulling away from its host. The black slime receded from the corpse, merging with the pale, mud-like body of White Zetsu.
In its hand now were two vials: one containing Obito's eye, and the other—Fugaku's prized Mangekyō Sharingan.
"As a remnant of Madara, Obito can't die yet," murmured Black Zetsu. "His eye's spatial ability is too dangerous to fall into Konoha's hands. So, Fugaku... you had to die."
With cold precision, he plunged a kunai deep into Fugaku's skull, twisting it until it destroyed the brain completely. Then, like ghosts, Black and White Zetsu began sinking into the floor.
White Zetsu cackled. "You didn't even let me ask him what it feels like to take a dump. So rude."
Black Zetsu responded flatly, "The Fourth Hokage and the Mangekyō wielder just left. We don't have time to play around. Someone in this village knows of our existence. That's how Obito got caught. Move."
*Shua!*
Ten minutes later, a scream erupted from the police force headquarters.
"Hokage-sama!"
Minato and Shisui, who had been heading away from the office, immediately turned around and flashed back toward the commotion using Body Flicker Technique.
When they arrived, a horrific sight awaited them—Fugaku's lifeless body lay sprawled on the blood-soaked floor. His Sharingan eyes were gone. Obito's prison cell, which had been sealed with multiple barriers, was now completely empty.
*Pah!*
Shisui rushed to the desk, flipping open a concealed compartment beneath it.
Empty.
The Mangekyō Sharingan that he and Fugaku had stored the night before was gone.
"There's no doubt," Shisui said grimly. "This was an inside job. Someone entered unnoticed, killed Captain Fugaku without alerting the guards, and took both his eyes and Obito's."
Minato's expression was grave. His mind was already racing.
'Could it be... Uzumaki Sora?'
The strange man who intercepted Obito the night before. The same man who could wield the Flying Thunder God Technique—a feat nearly impossible without Minato's personal scroll.
He also spoke in riddles, clearly harboring complex feelings toward the Uchiha. Was he there to save Obito... or execute him?
"Hokage-sama," a medical-nin interrupted, kneeling beside Fugaku's corpse. "He died due to massive blood loss. The trachea and artery were sliced. However, based on the angle and position of the body, the initial wound was self-inflicted. The kunai to the brain appears to be from a second party."
"Self-inflicted?" Minato's face darkened. "Impossible."
Only a high-level technique could control Fugaku to such an extent.
Something like the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique… or worse.
"Have the Barrier Squad check for any infiltration patterns. I want a full scan of all recent spatial distortions in the village. Also, send a sensory team to pursue the trail. Shisui, assemble an Anbu unit. You'll lead the pursuit."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
As Shisui vanished, Minato stayed behind for a moment, staring at Fugaku's corpse. The Uchiha clan had lost their leader.
And with this, a storm was coming.
…
Deep underground, in a cavern laced with Hashirama's cells, Obito stood tall—his right arm fully regenerated.
He rotated the Sharingan socketed into his left eye. Across from him, White Zetsu smirked.
"Kakashi's eye really held you back, huh? The one who exposed your position... it was Uzumaki Sora."
*Bang!*
Obito punched the wooden table, shattering it.
"That bastard Kakashi... always in my way! And Sora—what kind of variable is he?!"
"Calm yourself," Black Zetsu interrupted, tossing him a scroll. "This contains all leaked information from Konoha regarding Hashirama's cells and Mangekyō evolution. Study it. This is the key to your next step."
White Zetsu handed over a vial. "Here—Fugaku's eyes. Pure three-tomoe Sharingan. Remember, most of Uchiha's illusions require Sharingan."
(T.L Note: I guess they don't know that Fugaku's eyes are Mangekyō)
Obito took the scroll and vial, a twisted smile forming on his lips. His Sharingan spun violently.
"Power." he muttered. "With this, I will control the tailed beasts… and launch the Project Tsuki no Me."
"And also… I'll kill that Uzumaki Sora."
…
Three days later.
Konoha held the funeral for Uchiha Fugaku.
Draped in black, Uchiha Yun stood silently among the clan members gathered around the gravestone. The air was heavy with resentment and confusion.
He stared at the name carved into the stone.
Fugaku… dead.
Though he had forgotten many plot details from the past, Yun knew one thing for sure—the Uchiha clan was on the verge of another storm.
Without Fugaku, leadership would fall into chaos. Itachi was only five years old—barely old enough to enter the Academy next year. He couldn't possibly lead.
And Shisui… Kotoamatsukami was powerful, but not enough to quell the coming flames.
All around, Uchiha voices murmured:
"The Captain was assassinated right after the Fourth Hokage left…"
"The tracking teams found nothing…"
"Even Shisui lost the trail…"
"The enemy vanished… like the Fourth Hokage used to do during the Third Great War…"
"That kind of technique… that was space-time ninjutsu, wasn't it?"
"If the village has someone like that… then is there even room for us Uchiha anymore?"
"We built this village. We are its true protectors…"
"We have no choice left…"
"Silence!" barked one elder, glaring.
Yun folded his arms and listened, his expression unreadable.
'So this is how it begins.'
In the original timeline, Fugaku didn't even want a rebellion. But even a peaceful leader could be pushed by the desperation of his own clan.
Now, that anchor was gone.
'Things are only going to get worse.'
*****
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