Chapter 9: The Uchiha Betrayal

Hokage Tower

The village looked so peaceful at night, yet Hiruzen could not shake his feeling of unease. It was like when one was far from home when they suddenly felt like they forgot something, and the feeling would keep nagging at them. Hiruzen did not like it, whenever he felt this way, bad things usually proceeded it. The last time he had this feeling was just before the Kyūbi attack.

The old Hokage sighed and shook his head. He shouldn't assume things, it could just as easily be nothing, and the stress was getting to him. The past two weeks had been eventful, and he hadn't had much of a chance to rest. "Something on your mind, sensei?" Hiruzen craned his neck around to see his former student Tsunade looking at him with a concerned expression.

"It's nothing, Tsunade." Hiruzen said. "I was just thinking that I'm getting old for this job."

The blonde-haired woman scoffed. "I could have told you that." She said. "In fact, I have, many times. Why haven't you retired yet?"

Hiruzen had a small smile on his lips, their relationship may be strained, but he was glad that his former student still cared enough to be worried about him. "If you remember correctly, I did retire. But unfortunately, I was forced back into my role as Hokage of this village."

Tsunade nodded. "You could have stayed in retirement, let some other fool have that hat."

The old Hokage shook his head. "And risk Danzo taking my position? You know how he is. If he had been allowed to take the hat, we would likely be at war with every nation on the continent right now. Not to mention what he would do to the people of this village. No, I'm afraid I was the only option at the time."

Tsunade nodding her understanding. "I'll let you have that point. But surely by now, you have someone in mind to replace you? Why not let them take up the mantle."

Hiruzen took a smoke from his pipe. "I do have a candidate or two in mind." He said, breathing out a plume of smoke. "But I'm afraid they are not quite ready yet. I will be Hokage for a few more years yet." Then a mischievous smile crossed his face. "Actually, there is one who could take my position now. If your."

Tsunade held her hand up. "I'll stop you there. I may be crazy enough to come back to this village. But I have not lost enough of my mind to do that. You'll have to look elsewhere."

"Worth a shot." Hiruzen said with a chuckle.

Tsunade rolled her eyes but could not keep a smile off her lips. "Well, at least you have someone in mind." She put her hand on her hip. "I expect you to retire in the next decade, or else I'll personally drag you out of this office and force you into retirement. Understood?"

Hiruzen chuckled at the woman's threat. "I plan to. In fact, once this mess with the Uchiha has been resolved, I plan to approach the two candidates and make my offer. If one of them accepts, I'll train them for the position for the next five or so years and hand the hat over to them."

"Good," Tsunade said, nodding. "This village could use someone younger to lead them."

"I couldn't agree more." Hiruzen said, sitting down at his desk. "Now then, I believe that is enough talk about myself. What about you? How have you been, Tsunade?"

"I've been fine." Tsunade said.

Hiruzen nodded. "That is good to hear. I hope that moving back into the village has been going smoothly."

Tsunade looked hesitant for a moment. "It as has been going well." She said carefully. "Shizune has been thrilled about the whole thing." A small smile formed on her lips. "I think she's just happy that she gets to sleep in a comfortable bed and not out in the wilderness or having to pay for it."

"Traveling around the continent may have its appeal, but I imagine being able to settle down is a nice change of pace for her." Hiruzen said, keeping his eyes on Tsunade. "Nor does it hurt that this village was her home when she was a child.

Tsunade nodded. "She doesn't bring it up often. But I knew she had a desire to return to Konoha. Her desire only grew when we started making infrequent visits here, about two years ago. A few times, I was tempted to let her stay here." Tsunade paused for a moment as she considered her next words. "She has better memories of this place than I do."

Hiruzen nodded, understanding where his student was coming from. "Which brings me to my next question. How have you been handling this? Moving back into the village."

There was a pregnant pause before Tsunade spoke. "I won't lie to you, Sensei. It has not been easy for me." She said, looking at him, her eyes portraying her vulnerability. For a moment, he didn't see the world's greatest Medic-Nin, the woman who revolutionized the world of medicine. Instead, he saw the little girl that had been his student, someone that had looked up to him and often came to him for advice. The girl he thought of as his granddaughter following the passing of Hashirama. He has not seen Tsunade like this since the day she left the village. "Every day, I'm reminded of them. Every time I walk down the streets or go into a store, I see them alive and well. Sometimes I feel like I can almost touch them and know that they're there. That they are still alive." Her eyes had started to water. "I went to visit their graves today." Hiruzen's eyes widen at that bit of news. "I read their names over and over again. A part of me refused to believe that those tombstones were real. I wanted to believe that they were still alive. I wanted to believe that Nawaki had grown up to be a fine young man. That Dan and I were able to be together. Until now, I was living a nightmare, and I only needed to wake up, and they would still be there. But I know the truth. This is no nightmare." His former student took a seat in front of his desk.

For the longest time, there was silence between the two. Looking at his wayward student. Hiruzen began to wonder. What if he had made a different decision the day she left? It had been shortly after Dan had died, Tsunade came to him. Telling him, she was leaving and taking her deceased lover's niece with her. Hiruzen had made a half-heart attempt to convince her to stay in the village. But he had been convinced that Tsunade needed to get some distance from the village so she could clear her head. Once she did, he knew his student would return. He realized now that had been a mistake, he should have tried harder to get her to stay. Looking back at that day now, Hiruzen could not help but wonder if perhaps Tsunade wanted to stay.

Tsunade spoke again. "For the longest time, I blamed everyone for their deaths. I blamed them for getting themselves killed, this village, their killers, I even blamed you, Sensei."

"You blamed me?"

Tsunade nodded. "You were the one who gave them their missions. It was easy to think that you sent them to their deaths." She sent her gaze down at the floor."

Hiruzen gave her a somber nod. He could understand where his former student was coming from. As Hokage, he had knowingly sent plenty of shinobi to deaths, too many in his opinion. It wasn't easy for him to do, but he knew they were necessary. Though he never thought that Nawaki or Dan would die when he sent them out.

"But most of all," Tsunade said, looking back up at him. "I blamed myself for not being able to save them." Her hand gripped around her necklace. "For giving them this."

Another moment of silence fell over the two. "Tsunade, I never knew that their deaths ate so much at you. How long have you bared this guilt without telling a soul? Forgive me, my student; I should have been there for you." He stood up from behind his desk and walked over to Tsunade. He knelt down, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Tsunade, we all have lost people. People that we care about, people that we loved. It hurts, I know. It is easy to wallow in one's grief or even to run from it. But we both know it will eventually catch up to us." Tsunade looked him in the eye, hanging on to every word. "The best thing we can do to honor them is to move on and cherish the memories we have of them."

Tsunade looked down at her feet and nodded. "I know. For the longest time, I tried running away from my pain, staying as far away from the village as I could." She looked up, gazing out the window. "I had hoped that maybe I would be able to outrun my pain. But as you said, it eventually caught up with me. Standing over their graves, I realized I needed to stop running and face my pain. I know it won't be easy. There will be days that the pain will become too much, and I'll be tempted to run away again." A sad smile had grown across the woman's face. "But I owe it to them to face my grief and move on. The first step will be staying here in the village."

Hiruzen smiled at his student. He was happy that Tsunade had resolved to face her grief and to one day move past it. This time he would be here to help her every step of the way, and so would some else. He stood and went back behind his desk. "That is good news to my ears, Tsunade. I'm glad that you will be facing your pain instead of running away from it." He sat back in his chair.

"It will get easier, won't it, Sensei?" Tsunade asked, a noticeable quiver in her voice.

Hiruzen closed his eyes. He saw all the people he had lost over his long life. He opened them again. "In time, yes." He said. "The pain will always be there, but it will get easier." He saw Tsunade nod, accepting his answer. "Tsunade, know this I may have failed you in the past. But I won't this time. I'm here for you."

He saw his former student crack a smile. "Thank you, Sarutobi-Sensei." She said softly.

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Now then, I believe enough talking about gloomy subject matter. I want to hear something else." Hiruzen said, giving Tsunade a grandfatherly smile. "How has working at the hospital been? I hope you're settling into your role as this village's chief medic nicely. I hope your Hemophobia hasn't been giving you too much trouble."

Tsunade gave him an appreciative nod. "I'm slowly coming to grips with it. Though you'll be disappointed to know that it still be a while before I can do any serious surgery."

Hiruzen shook his head, relighting his pipe. "Not at all, Tsunade. I knew it would take some time to get over it, if ever. I am just glad you are making progress. The other doctors haven't been giving you trouble, have they?"

Tsunade shook her head. "A few have, but most of them seem to understand my condition. They've been helpful and are eager to hear whatever advice I can give to them. Of course, I mostly have Shizune to think for." Her smile had grown when she mentioned her apprentice. "That girl has grown to be a fine medic. She can do the job of any doctor here in the village. In fact, just the other day, she took over a patient's surgery when the doctor couldn't make it. A heart bypass if I remember correctly."

"I'm sure you're proud of her." Hiruzen commented.

"I am." Tsunade's eyes widen as a thought passed through her mind. "That reminds me. She was going to help me with some paperwork tonight." She got up from her chair. "I'm sorry, but you know what happens when you leave paperwork alone too long."

"No need to explain." Hiruzen chuckled on the outside. On the inside, he was crying. Paperwork was the bane of his existence, every time he took his eye of them for even a second more would pop out seemingly out of thin air.

"Well then, I'll leave you be." She began walking to the door. "I'm sure you have some paperwork to do as well."

Hiruzen's eyes wandered to the neat stack of papers on his desk. "No agreement there." He sighed out.

"Oh, sensei." Tsunade said, stopping at the door. She looked over her shoulder, smiling at the old man. "Thanks for listening to me. It helped more than you realize."

The old Hokage nodded. "As I said, I'm here for you."

"I know that." Then a dark aura surrounds the blonde-haired woman. "So, you know. If you mention this to anyone. I'll send you flying to the moon. Got that." She said with a sickly-sweet smile.

A bead of nervous sweat went down Hiruzen's neck. "Understood." He said, sometimes he forgot how scary this woman could be.

She nodded and turned her head back to the door. She reached out for the nob and stopped. She whirled around and stomped her foot, glaring out at the window. "Same thing goes for you, you old pervert." She went out the door.

Hiruzen chuckled light-heartedly. "She's the same old Tsunade. Isn't that right, Jiraiya?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." A man with long wait hair said, entering through the window. The man had a broad smile on his face. "It's nice to know that she's moving back into the village. This is her home, and she belongs here."

"Her grandfather would be proud." Hiruzen said, eyeing the door.

"Not to mention it gives me, more chances to charm her." Jiraiya said, rubbing his chain and giving a pervy laugh. "Those melons of hers have only gotten more beautiful. You think she'll be stopping by the bathhouse anytime soon? It might make for great material for my next book."

Hiruzen rolled his eyes at his student's perverted antics. "Remember what happened the last time she caught you spying on her?" He asked with a wicked smile.

Sarutobi was treated to the sight of his student shivering and turning as white as his hair. "On second thought, I think I'll avoid doing that. As tempting as that may be, I got better things to do. One of them is living." Then a serious expression came on his face. "I never knew she was dealing with so much. If I had known, I would have been there for."

Hiruzen nodded. As much of a pervert, his student was, he knew Jiraiya genuinely loved Tsunade. "Try not to beat yourself up over it. We've both made our mistakes, and as much we might like to, there is nothing we can do to change them. All we can do now is be there for her."

He saw his student nod. "I know, sensei." He said, taking a good long look at the door. Then he turned his attention back to the old Hokage. "But that is not what I came here for. I got some news for you, Sensei. Something you might find disturbing."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. It was not often that his student was this serious. "Tell me." He said. While Jiraiya explains his troubling news, Hiruzen would occasionally look out the window. He could shake the feeling that something was going to happen tonight.

Konoha Park

Fugaku remained calmed even as the traitors circled around him. A storm of emotions was whirling inside of him. Anger, confusion, grief, and other feelings battle it out for dominance. But most of all, he felt disappointed. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked, keeping his raw emotions out of his voice. He knew he had to be calm about this, and letting his emotions get the better of him would put him in more danger. His eyes scanned over the area, looking for a way out of this mess.

"What does it look like?" Yashiro mocked. "I am saving our clan."

"By betraying it?" Fugaku shouted at the man. He saw several of the traitors draw their weapons. In response, Fugaku grabbed the hilt of his katana. It may have been a long time since he used it, but these betrayers would quickly find out that they could still die by its blade.

"No," Yashiro answered venomously. "I'm not the one that is betraying the clan. You are." He pointed at Fugaku. "You who would consort with our enemies. Ignoring the fact that they are waiting to plunge the dagger in our backs and take our power. These people that you call our allies would brainwash our children to be mindless slaves. If anyone here is the traitor, it is you." The growled. "I will not allow you and your foolishness to destroy our great clan."

Fugaku gritted his teeth. Why couldn't Yashiro see that working with Konoha was what was best for the clan? Could no one see that moving against Konoha would only seal their fate? The village may be known for its softhearted nature, but Fugaku knew it was cable of getting its hands dirty if it had to. "Yashiro, what you are doing will lead to the doom of our clan, not prevent it. If we move against the village, we will lose. The survivors, if there are any, will be labeled as traitors and our children made pariahs." Fugaku, argued hoping to change the man's mind. However, deep down, he knew his actions were for a lost cause. Yashiro was a stubborn fool. Once he set his mind to something, no amount of reason would change his mind.

"So little faith in your clansmen." Yashiro said, scowling. "It is a wonder that you are the clan head. We are the strongest of the clans, one of our shinobi is worth a hundred from the village."

Arrogant fool. "Yashiro, I'm pleading to you, think this over. Consider the consequences of your actions here."

"I am done with thinking things over." Yashiro said, snapping his fingers for the second time. "The time for action is now." Several more figures emerged from the forest.

Unlike the others, though they each were holding something in their arms. It took Fugaku a second to realize they were the lifeless bodies of ANBU. He looked over at Yashiro with an expression of horror. How far had this man fallen? It took him another second to figure out what Yashiro was playing at. "You're going to make it look like that the Village killed me."

Yashiro had a mad smile on his face. "Indeed, I do. With your lifeless body surround by these ANBU, it will be easy to convince the rest of the clan to resume our plans to overthrow this village. After all, how can they want peace with a village that killed their clan head?"

"You're insane." Fugaku said. How could he have trusted this man two weeks ago? Why didn't he notice this madness in his eyes?

The man chuckles to himself. "You say that now, only because you are blinded to the truth. What I do, is for the good of the clan. I'm only sorry that you can't see that." Then a look of consideration flashed across his face. "But I am not without mercy." He said, extending his hand out. "I'm willing to let you leave this place alive. All you have to do is come with me back to the compound and tell everyone that the village tried to kill you and that we'll launch our coup this night in retaliation."

Fugaku did not have to thank about an answer to the man's offer. He drew his katana and assumed a stance. "Yashiro Uchiha, as a Jōnin of Konohagakure, I place you under arrest for treason against the village. You will come with me to the Hokage. At which point, you will explain the full extent of your crimes and list out all Co-Conspirators. The rest of you are to return home and wait for the ANBU to come and collect you. If you cooperate fully, I assure you that you will only receive life sentences instead of being executed. If your resist, your lives are forfeited."

Silence fell over the forest clearing as the wind blew around them. The traitor Uchiha looked stunned at his proclamation. Then Yashiro began to laugh. It started out as a low chuckle and erupted out into a full-blown maddening laugh. After a moment, the others joined him, their noise sounding like a chorus of insanity to Fugaku's ears. After what seemed like several minutes of this, Yashiro and the others got control of themselves. "Fugaku-San, you should have been a comedian. I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long time." He said, a low chuckle still coming from his mouth.

"It wasn't meant as a joke." Fugaku growled out. "I meant every word of it. I will never betray this village."

"That's makes it so funny," His smile was replaced by a scowl. "And disappointing. But suppose it was the predictable response. Not to mention it would not have lasted long even if you did join me. Not after you learn what I did with your family."

"What?"

Uchiha Compound

Mikoto was cleaning the dishes when she saw her youngest son enter the kitchen. She put the plate down into the soapy water and turned off the facet. "What you are doing up so late, honey?" She asked him, looking down at him.

Her boy looked down at his feet, looking nervous. "I couldn't sleep." He said quietly, just loud enough so she could hear him. "I came down to see what you were doing."

Mikoto smiled at her boy. She could understand what a restless night felt like, and Itachi had down the same when he was Sasuke's age. "Well, I was just cleaning the dishes." She bent down her knees, making eye contact with her child. "But if you like, I can make you something. I find a good snack helps with a restless night." She offered.

Sasuke nervously looked down at his feet, twiddling his thumbs. Then he looked back at her, giving a nervous nod. "Could you make me sliced tomatoes, please?" He asked.

Mikoto closed her eyes and smiled at her son. She reached out her hand and ruffled his hair. "Sure thing, my little duck head."

Sasuke's cheeks flushed red. "Mooom!?" He groaned, pushing her arm away. "Don't call me that. It's embarrassing."

Mikoto laughed at her youngest child's expense. "Alright. Alright, don't get your tail feathers into a twist." Sasuke groaned again. She rolled her eyes. "I'll stop. I promise." She said, standing up. "Wait in the dining room, and I'll get your snack ready."

Sasuke left the kitchen. Humming to herself, the Uchiha matriarch moved towards the pantry, pulled out some tomatoes, and placed them on the counter. She then pulled out a knife and began to slice them. A few minutes later, she walked out holding two plates of thinly sliced tomatoes and placed them on the table in the dining room. Then, she returned to the kitchen to collect a couple of glasses of water. When she returned, Sasuke was already enjoying his food.

She sat down at the table, placing her glass next to her plate. She picked one of the tomato slices and took a bit from it. "So, how has my little man been doing?" She asked after finishing the slice.

"Fine." Sasuke responded, getting another slice.

Mikoto hummed and nodded. "The academy been treating you well?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yea, I've learned lots of things. Like the history of our village and how our." He paused for a moment, for a brief second, a frown appeared on Sasuke's face. "Like how our clan was one of its founders." There was no mistaking the strained way he said, "our clan."

It was, as Mikoto guessed, more than a restless night that was keeping her youngest son up. "I see." She said carefully. "I hope you're having fun at the very least."

Sasuke gave her a so and so nod of his head. "Sort of. It can be kind of boring at times." He said, scratching his cheek. "We don't do a lot of the Shinobi stuff there. It's just a bunch of lectures and stuff."

Mikoto gave her son a sympathetic nod. She remembered how boring the first two years of the Academy were and how excited she was when they finally taught about what was in her mind "real shinobi things". "Don't worry, Sasuke, the Academy will be more interesting in time. Just bear in mind they went too easy the students into the life of shinobi for the first year or two. After that, they start to show the more interesting aspects of the job."

"Like Ninjutsu?" Sasuke asked, his eyes almost sparkling.

Mikoto held back a laugh. Of course, her child was more interested in the flashier aspects of being a shinobi. Could she blame him? Not really. The thought of shooting fireballs and moving mountains had appealed to her greatly when she was his age, still did. Though she did hope that as he grew older, Sasuke would develop an interest in the less flashy, but no less interesting, fields of being a shinobi. "Yes, Ninjutsu." She answered her child's query.

"Awesome," Sasuke said with his grin growing.

"But you'll have to wait a while before that." She said, shaking her head at her youngest boy's excitement.

Sasuke visibly deflated, getting a small chuckle from his mother. "Aww." He pouted and slumped back into his chair. "Well, at least I have Naruto and Hinata around. They make the place more interesting."

Mikoto smiled at the mention of his friends. "I imagine they do." It came as a shock to her when she learned who his friends were. But once they thought it over, it did not surprise her. In her life, she had learned that there was a certain gravity that pulled people to meet others and go to other places. Some might even call it fate.

Sasuke nodded his head. "Mainly, Naruto is the one that makes the Academy more fun. He sometimes pulls pranks that get the whole class laughing, and we spar almost every day. He's lots of fun to be around."

She had seen the two spar before. She had been passing through the village streets when she saw Sasuke running with Naruto and a girl with lavender hair, Hinata, she would learn later. They were moving in the direction of one of the several training grounds set up throughout the village. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she followed the three kids. When she saw Sasuke and Naruto spar together, it had been like looking back into the past. These three children were so like their parents, yet at the same time so very different.

"They sound like nice kids." She said. "You'll have to invite them over to the compound sometime, so I can meet them." An idea formed in her head. "Actually, why not invite them over tomorrow?" She suggested, finishing her plate.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow?" He asked, sounding a little nervous.

"Yes, tomorrow." Mikoto said, clapping her hands together. "It is a weekend, isn't it?"

Sasuke nodded slowly. "I guess." He responded.

Mikoto smiled and stood up, taking her. "Wonderful." She moved to where Sasuke was sitting and took his empty plate. "It'll be so nice to meet your friends. I think your father would be happy to meet them too." Then she stopped herself just outside of the kitchen as she realized what she said.

There was an awkward silence as she turned around to face her youngest son. The boy was looking down at the floor, where she couldn't read his expression. "Speaking of father. Where is he?" He asked with a monotone voice.

Mikoto felt her smile drop. "He went for some business." She said just above a whisper.

"So, he couldn't be bothered to come home." Sasuke said, the bitterness slipping in his flat voice.

Mikoto sighed, she knew this would happen eventually. To everyone else, it looked like the boy admired his father and that he worked hard to get his approval. But as his mother, she could see the growing resentment underneath. The boy desired his father's approval, and being deprived of it had caused him to be resentful. The boy hid his feelings well, no, more like he subconsciously suppressed them. She knew that those feeling would eventually get to him but had not expected it to happen for some time. It seemed that the news of the coup and his father's role in it was what drove him over the edge. "Oh Fugaku, I'm glad you've become your old self again. But I fear the damage has been done, and it will be a long time before your boy forgives you."

She put the plates down and walked over to her son. She bent down and wrapped her arms around him. "Sasuke, my child. Your father really does love you. Truly he does." Mikoto sighed. "He just hasn't been himself for a long time. It breaks my heart that you didn't get to know the man he was. I know it hurts. But please give him a chance. If not for him or for me, at least do it for yourself."

Sasuke looked up at his mother. His expression was blank, but she could see the pain hidden behind it. "Why?" He asked. "Why did he support the coup? Why did he want to take over the village? Didn't he know they would fail, that they all could be killed? That others could be killed, like the Hokage, my friends, Itachi, you, or even me? Did he care so little for me that he was willing to let me die just to gain power?" His voice was quivering, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. "Why did he do it? Why didn't he stop it?"

Mikoto remained silent as her youngest asked more questions she could not answer. The coup had been an act of desperation on their end. She wrapped her arms around Sasuke, stopping his questions and letting him bury his head in her chest. "Sasuke, my sweet little boy." She said, almost choking on her words. "I. I don't know how to explain this to you. Sometimes we adults make terrible mistakes without considering the consequences. It's not because we don't care, far from it. Most of the time, it's because we get so swept up in events that we forget to take a step back and analyze the situation. What we did or tried to do was wrong." She looked her son in the eye, she couldn't tell if her words were getting through. "But we did it out of desperation. You have to understand that relations between the clan and the village have always been tense. Ever since the founding of Konoha, really ever since Madara's rebellion, there has been a lingering sense of distrust."

"But it can't be all bad." Sasuke said. "There has to be some good, otherwise why would we have remained in Konoha for so long? Why would so many Uchiha fight for this village if they felt they couldn't trust it. You told me before that grandpa died defending this village from the Kyūbi. If he did not believe in the village, he would have stayed here in the compound with the rest of the clan.

Mikoto smiled down at her youngest son. He was right, while the distrust was there, at the same time though there was a sense of respect between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha. A contradiction, she admitted, but it was nonetheless true. The Uchiha, despite its grievances, had always remained loyal to the village. Many clansmen had fought for and given their lives for the village, including Sasuke's grandfather. In return, Konoha had always praised them as the greatest and strongest of their clans. "You're right." She said after a moment of thinking. "There is some good between our clan and Konoha. For a while, I think both sides forgot that." She held her hand on his chin, giving him a fond smile. "Sasuke, always remember this. Age does not always bring wisdom. Even the greatest among us can make terrible mistakes. Promise me this, that when you find yourself in a desperate place and you start to look solely at the bad, that you take a step back. Remember the good and look to the people in your life for help. Promise me that when you make a mistake, you do not just shove it aside but try to make it right. Promise me this."

Sasuke looks at her for a moment. In his eyes, she could see that he was thinking it over. Finally, he nodded, a faint smile present. "I promise." He said.

Mikoto smiled at her child. "Good." She said, standing up. "You're already doing better than we have. Now, then how about I get you another plate of sliced tomatoes before I run you back to bed?" Before Sasuke had the chance to respond, a knock came at the door. Uchiha turned their heads. Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Now, who could that be?" She asked more to herself, moving to the door. Maybe Fugaku had returned. "Who is it?" She asked, stopping in front of the door. No response. She reached for the door. "Fugaku, is that yo-?" Her question died in her throat as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

She looked down and saw a blade sticking out of the door, going into her abdomen. Drops of her blood sliding off it. She screamed.

"Mom!"

Fury coursed through Fugaku as he swung out his weapon blocking an attack from two assailants that had leapt into the air. He sent both flying back and spun around, blocking an attack from behind him. In that same motion, he pushed the attacker back and sliced at his chest, going down to his stomach. The man fell over his life, quickly bleeding away.

Fugaku's Sharingan was spinning wildly as he scanned his opponents for their next move. They were slowly moving back and around him. Judging by their body language, Fugaku could tell they had underestimated him. Good, he could use that to his advantage.

He turned around, sending a glare at Yashiro, that if it were possible, surely would have reduced him to ash. "Yashiro, I swear by all the gods. If something happens to my family, I will personally drag you to the deepest pits of hell and torture you there for all eternity."

Yashiro gave him a toothy smile. "My such crass language coming from you, Fugaku. Yet another sign you are unfit to lead this clan."

Another attack came at Fugaku, to which he was quick to parry. Using his free hand, he pulled out a kunai and blocked a second attack. Both of his attackers pushed in on him to overpower him. Fugaku, however, had other plans. He sifted his weight and leapt into the air, allowing both figures to collide with one and other. Falling back to the ground, Fugaku swung out his katana and behead both the dazed traitors. He lands just as their bodies fell over. Three down and about two dozen to go.

He heard Yashiro snort. "Impressive." He said. "At least your skills as a shinobi haven't atrophied too much. A shame they couldn't be put to more use."

Fugaku pointed his Katana at Yashiro. "How about you come over here and find out just how sharp my skills are?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." Yashiro calmly replied.

At this point, Fugaku was well pasted being disappointed. "Coward, at least have the decency to face me yourself." He spat at the treacherous man.

Yashiro laughed at him. "Fugaku, have you forgotten that we are shinobi? In our world, there is no such thing as fair play and honor. We do what we must to accomplish our goals."
Fugaku heard several kunai fly towards his head. He had enough time to move his head out of the way. As he turned around to face his assailant, his eyes widen when he noticed what was attached to the kunai. Fire consumed his vision.

When the explosion died down, the traitors moved in to make certain that their ex-clan head was dead. All they found were the burnt-out remains of a log. Fugaku reappeared behind Yashiro and swung out his blade, aiming to behead the man. Instead, he was met with the familiar sound of metal clashing as the Yashiro disappear in a puff of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Fugaku saw that the man had been switched out for one of his followers. Fugaku leaped back and landed several feet away. Resuming a fighting stance, Fugaku looked over the field, trying to find where Yashiro. He found him on the other side of the clearing.

Good news was that Fugaku was no longer surrounded by enemies. Bad news, he was still badly outnumbered, and Yashiro was out of his reach. He saw the man grin at him. "Realizing just how badly the odds are stacked against you, Fugaku? Why don't you make things easy on yourself and give up already?"

Fugaku held back a growl. "Never."

Yashiro's grin morphed into a frown. "Fool, look around you." He said, gesturing to his followers. "It doesn't matter how many of my men you takedown. Eventually, one of them is going land the killing blow on you. Not to mention I have more loyal followers waiting back in the compound. There is no way for you to win. You will die here, Fugaku."

Fugaku tightens his grip on his katana. "If that is to be my fate, so be it. But if I die here, I will see to it that I take you with me to the next world."

"Enough with the bravado." Yashiro scoffed out. "You're all alone out here."

Now it was Fugaku's turn to smirk. "Who said I was alone?"

Yashiro raised a mocking eyebrow. "Now I know you're delusional. What makes you thin?" Yashiro's line of mockery was cut short as a Kunia whizzed past his head. "Who dares?" He shouted and turned to face the direction the kunai came from, as did the rest of his followers.

"I dare," Hiashi said evenly, his hand outstretched. He was flanked by his brother Hizashi and two other Hyūga. Around their feet were the unconscious forms of traitor Uchiha. The small group assumed fighting stances. "I received your message Fugaku-San and made haste here. It would appear I made here on time."

"Message? What message?" Yashiro asked, his calm façade from earlier slipping away.

"The same message that I received." Another voice said, this time just beside Fugaku. Fugaku felt his smirk grow when he saw his eldest son fully dress in ANBU gear next to him. Three other ANBU stepped out beside him. "A message that called for our aid."

Fugaku turned his attention back to Yashiro. The man no longer looked calm as his face was betraying a mix between confusion and anger. "How?" He shouted.

"It is as you said, Yashiro-San." Fugaku said mockingly. "We are shinobi, and in our world, trust is a commodity that we can seldom afford. I came here with the hopes that you would be able to see reason. But I was not so foolish to come here with a plan in case you tried to pull something."

"A wise precaution, father." He heard Itachi say. "This man is a snake that has been allowed to slither around the village for too long now. I believe now is the time to rectify that mistake." Fugaku nodded at his eldest son.

Yashiro looked like he was fuming now. "But how did you get a message out? My men saw you come straight here after leaving the compound."

"I suspected as much." Fugaku said. "Your trap was almost flawless. But you made one small mistake that gave me the out I needed. The messenger you sent wasn't one of your followers."

Yashiro gritted his teeth. "I thought it would be less suspicious that way. I should have known better than to leave anything to chance."

Fugaku resumed his stance. "Now then, I will ask you one more time. Surrender now, and you will be shown leniency."

"I would take him up on that offer, Yashiro." Itachi said. "I sent my own message to the Hokage. No doubt he will have the village on high alert, and more ANBU are on their way here."

"My clan has already been informed of the situation." Hiashi joined in. "They stand ready to move against you should the need arise."

A few of Yashiro's followers look like they were reconsidering their allegiance now that the tables had turned on them. Yashiro, though, seemed strangely calm. Fugaku held out the faint hope that the man was considering his offer. "It doesn't matter." Yashiro said with a crazed look in his eyes. A notion that was reinforced as his Sharingan spun to life. "We are Uchiha, and we can take on the whole village if we have to. Kill them." He shouted to his subordinates. "Once we're done with them, we make our move on Konoha. The reign of the Uchiha clan begins now."

To Fugaku's dismay, Yashiro's insanity was contiguous as all his men gave a battle shout and charged at the Konoha loyalist. The clearing quickly became filled with the noise of metal clashing against metal and jutsus being fired off.

Fugaku parried an attack and dodged out of the way of several small fireballs. He turned back and thrust his katana into the chest of a traitor. Pulling it out, he felt Itachi's presence behind him. "Itachi, we need to end this quickly. Yashiro claims he sent some of his men after your mother and Sasuke."

Fugaku didn't need to look at his eldest son to know he was furious. "Somehow, I would not be surprised if he did." Fugaku heard a Katana cutting through flesh followed by a thump. "Thankfully, I anticipated such an action on his part."

It was then that Fugaku noticed that someone was missing. "Shisui." He said more as a statement than a question.

"Correct, father. When we got your message, I anticipated that Yashiro would try something at the compound. So, I asked Shisui to go to the compound and protect our family. I only hope he is not too late."

"I share your hope." Fugaku said.

Shisui prayed he was not late. "Damn you, Yashiro." He cursed the man. "Just when things were starting to sort themselves out. You go and pull a stunt like this." He didn't want to believe that Yashiro would try to take over the clan. He had hoped that the suspicions of Itachi's father about Yashiro's true intentions behind their meeting were unfounded.

That hope had died when he was intercepted by two of his followers. They were dead now, something that pained him greatly. He never thought that his hands would be stained by the blood of his clansmen, and he feared that when the sun rose the next morning, there would be more blood on his hands.

"Sometimes, I wish I was born as a civilian. Life would certainly be easier that way." He thought to himself, entering the main building of the compound. Running down the halls, his apprehension grew, they were too quiet and calm for his liking. He round to corner into the corridor leading to where Itachi and his family lived. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw a body hanging out of a doorframe. He picked up his pace and rushed over to the body. He was relieved when he saw that the body didn't belong to Itachi's mother nor his little brother. Looking over the man, he saw the cause of his death, a kunai firmly lodged into his head. He was holding a bloody sword.

Shisui scanned over the remains of a dining room. It was in ruins with shattered furniture everywhere and blood. Lots of blood. There was another body laying on the remains of the dining room table, a woman's body. Rushing over and flipping the body, again relieve that woman was not Mikoto. Looking down, he saw that the unidentified woman had her stomach cut open.

"Damn, Itachi. Your mother's a badass." Shisui thought to himself, feeling a bit of hope. He heard a scuffle from above him. Shisui shot up and turned around towards the door. Just in time to move out of the way of a blade coming down on him. Pulling out his own weapon, he parried the next attack and backpedaled as his assailant continued their assault. His back hit the wall as another downward swing clashed with his sword. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He shouted at his assailant.

"Making sure that there are no witnesses." The attacker said.

Shisui ducked out of the way of a slash aimed at his neck and darted into the kitchen. His opponent came in swinging his weapon down on Shisui. He blocked the attack with the side of his sword and was pushed back onto the counter. Shisui held back a grunt of pain as his back smashed into the counter. Feeling that his attacker was applying more force to break his defense, Shisui reached out his hand across the counter, looking for anything that could help. His hand felt something and gripped onto it. He then swung his hand out and plunged the kitchen knife into the side of the man's neck.

The man let out a yelp of pained surprise, and Shisui felt him loosen up from his assault. Seeing an opportunity, Shisui propped his leg up onto the man's stomach and pushed out. His opponent stumbled back; his hand shot out to where the knife had been plunged into his neck. He grabbed the handle of the kitchen utensil and pulled it out, a geyser of blood erupted from the wound.

The man would not have long to dwell on his fatal mistake as Shisui charged at him. His blade shot out and impaled the man right below his chest, going down to the hilt. Shisui, however, did not stop and used his momentum to push his opponent back through the kitchen door and into the opposite wall in the dining room. The man using whatever was left of his strength, tried to bring his hand out to Shisui. He twisted the blade, stopping the motion, a moment later, the hand went limp with the rest of the arm. Shisui saw the man's head hang down with gargle.

Once he was certain his opponent was dead, Shisui pulled his weapon out and let the body fall over. "Damn you, Yashiro." He huffed out. That had been three of his clansmen he killed tonight.

"Damn you bitch!" And it was only going to go up.

Shisui ran out of the kitchen into the corridor and went around the corner. He shot up a flight of stairs and ran down several more halls. He stopped just outside of a bedroom. Time slowed down as he took several things in. On the floor was another dead body, fresh if he had to guess, judging by the growing pool of blood. In the far end of the room were the huddled forms of Mikoto and Sasuke. Mikoto was covered in blood and holding out a katana and had a dull bloodthirsty look in her eyes. Sasuke had his head buried in the side of his mother, Shisui could hear his crying from here. Over them, about to swing his weapon down, was their attacker.

"Don't worry, this will only hurt for a moment." The traitor swung his sword down. The Uchiha Matriarch raised her weapon to block the attack.

There was never any meeting of the blades clashing. Instead, a third blade had pierced through the traitor's chest. The man's weapon dropped to the floor with a loud clang, and he turned his head to see Shisui behind him. He had just enough time to form a shocked expression before the Uchiha loyalist removed his blade and behead the man.

Shisui sheathed his weapon as the man's body fell over. He took a breath to calm himself. Seven traitors found and seven traitors dead. Shisui wondered how many supported Yashiro because, to him, it was starting to look like the entire clan had turned against them. He shook his head this was no time to give in to paranoia.

Making sure the area was clear, Shisui walked towards Mikoto and offered his hand. "It's alright. I'm here to." He jumps back when the woman took a swing at him.

"Stay away from my son!" She shouted, holding her weapon out. "Or I'll kill you!"

Shisui held out his hands in placating manner. "Mikoto-San, calm down. It's me, Shisui." He said, taking a step back to give the woman her space.

The Uchiha matriarch looked at him for a long moment. "Shisui?" She said slowly like she was trying to recall where she had heard that name. Then a light of recognition formed in her dull eyes. "Shisui!" She said. "Oh, thank Kami, you're here. I'm sorry for attacking you like that. I thought you were."

Shisui stopped her there. "It's alright. You were trying to defend yourself and Sasuke." He slowly walked towards the huddled woman and knelt down. "Speaking of, how is he?"

Both adults looked at the frightened boy, who kept his head buried in his mother's chest. "Shaken." His mother replied. She shook the boy getting his attention. "Sasuke-Kun, its okay now. It's over, you can look up now." The young boy took his head out from his mother's chest.

Sasuke looked around the room, his eyes looking duller than they should. Then his gaze land on Shisui, and his eyes lit up. "Shisui!" The boy almost shouted before he covered his mouth, and the full force of his fear returned.

Mikoto wrapped her free arm around Sasuke to comfort him. "It's alright, Sasuke, the bad men are gone now." As though to punctuate her point, Mikoto gave the headless corpse a good kick.

"She's right," Shisui said, putting on his best smile to calm the frightened child down. "And I'm here to protect you."

The boy looked hesitant for a moment before he nodded. His mother smiled fondly at him before turning her attention to Shisui. "Shisui, what is going on here? Why did our own clansmen attack us?" She asked.

Shisui took a deep breath, he wasn't going to enjoy explaining this. "Simply put, Yashiro has decided to launch a coup within the clan."

"What?" Mikoto said, horrified.

"I said, Yashiro as." Shisui tried to repeat himself.

"I heard what you said." Mikoto cut him off with a bark. "But why would he?" She stopped herself as realization dawn on her. "The coup." She said more as a statement than a question.

Shisui nodded. "That man is determined to overthrow Konoha. This has nothing to do with the well-being of the clan. It's about power, plain and simple."

"Kami." Mikoto muttered, covering her mouth, trying to contain her building horror.

"Mom?" Sasuke said, getting both of their attentions. "What's going? Why is this happening? I'm, I'm scared." The boy looked between the two adults showing more fear than any child should ever show.

Mikoto soothed the boy as best she could, given the circumstances. "It's alright, Sasuke-Kun. Everything will be alright. Just," Mikoto paused for a moment as she tried to think of something. "Just try to stay calm, and everything will be alright. Can you promise me that Sasuke, can you stay calm?"

The young Uchiha looked like he wanted to say more, then he nodded. "I promise." He said softly.

The Uchiha matriarch smiled at her youngest son. "That's my little man." She then turned her attention back to Shisui. "If what your saying is true, and I really don't have a reason to doubt that. That would mean my husband is walking into a trap."

Shisui nodded. "Lucky for us, he anticipated some form of duplicity on Yashiro's end."

"The message he had delivered before leaving," Mikoto said, putting the pieces together.

"Itachi should be with right now with some ANBU. I would be there with him as well. But he had me come here just in case Fugaku-Sama wasn't the only target." He had been adamant about wanting to be there when they took Yashiro down. Now was glad his friend had talked him out of it. Otherwise, Shisui stopped that train of thought before it could finish.

"Itachi has always been a smart boy. He gets that from his father." Mikoto said with a smile. 'I just hope they're both okay."

"Come on, this is Itachi and Crazy Eyes Fugaku we're talking about. Whatever plan Yashiro as for them will be short-lived." Shisui stated. "What we should be a concern with is if there are more traitors here at the compound. If so, how many?"

Mikoto opened her mouth to speak when the sound of fast-approaching footsteps was heard. Shisui whirled around, unsheathing his katana. Two figures emerged from the doorway and stopped when they saw the ANBU clad Uchiha. "Hold it right there." Shisui said, readying himself for a fight.

Both figures, both of them men a little older than Shisui, held up their hands. "What's going on here?" One of them asked. Then his eyes scanned over the room. His partner knelt down where one of the dead bodies was and checked it over. "Kami, what happened here? Why are there?" Then the man's eyes settled on where Mikoto and Sasuke were. "Mikoto-Sama!?" The man took a step forward.

Shisui tensed up. "I said hold it right there." He said, stopping the man.

"But sir." The man protested. "Mikoto-Sama has been injured. We need to check if she's okay." His partner stood up and nodded.

"She may even need immediate medical care." He said. "I know it's rare for someone of our clan. But I've been training as a medic-nin. I can check her over."

Shisui wasn't sure if they were feigning innocence or if they were concerned for the safety of the Uchiha matriarch. It was true that someone from their clan training as a medic was rare but not unheard of. If the man was trying to deceive him, he might not have admitted to that fact. After a moment of thinking it over, Shisui nodded at the two. "Alright, you can attend to her wounds. But make one wrong move, and I'll see to it that you will be one needing immediate medical care."

"O-of c-course, sir." The man hesitantly said. He took a few cautious steps forward before walking past Shisui. He knelt down and put his hands over where Mikoto had been wounded. A moment later, the man's hands began to glow green.

"So, he was telling the truth." Shisui thought to himself. He turned his head back to face the other man, while keeping a part of his attention on the Mikoto.

"What happened?" The man asked. "Why are there two dead clansmen here? Did you kill them?"

"Actually, there seven dead clansmen." Shisui corrected the man. "Two in here, three downstairs, and two more outside the compound near the entrance." He saw the man's eyes widen at hearing the number of dead. "Four of them can be credited to me, the other three belong to Mikoto-Sama."

"What?" But why? Shisui-San, what is going on here?" The man kept asking.

Shisui looked at the man for a long time, trying to gauge his motives. "Before I answer your questions, let me ask you something." The man gave him a quizzical look before slowly nodding. "Where do your loyalties lie? Are they with our clan head Fugaku-Sama or Yashiro-San?"

"Wait, what does Yashiro have to do with this?" The man asked.

"Just answer the question." Shisui barked at the man causing him to take a step back.

"With Fugaku-Sama, of course. Where else would they be?" The man said, looking dumbfounded.

"As do mine." The other said, walking past Shisui and standing next to his partner. "Mikoto-Sama is fine. I manage to close the wound around her stomach. She's lost a lot of blood, but thankfully the bleeding appeared to stop shortly before we arrived here. Anymore, and she would be in serious condition right now."

Shisui gave the medic a thankful nod. "Thank you."

The medic nods. "I would still feel better if she was brought to the hospital, though."

Shisui sheath his weapon, he was still warry around these two men. But he knew, if Mikoto and Sasuke were to get through the night, he needed to keep his paranoia in check. "I agree, but first, I need to ask you another question." Both Uchiha men looked at each other, then back Shisui and nodded. "What did you think when Fugaku-Sama called off the coup?"

"The truth?" One of them asked.

"The truth."

"To be honest, we were both relieved. Plotting around like that never sat well with me. I know we don't always have the best relationship with the rest of the village." The man explained. "But it didn't feel right to turn against them like that. I have friends outside of the compound, and the thought they have been killed worries me. A lot of other Uchiha felt the same way. In fact." The man held his hand out to his partner. "My friend here is involved with a woman outside our clan, a civilian."

"Really?" Shisui questioned, looking at the medic. "Is this true?"

The medic nodded. "Yes, for over a year and a half now. We met at the hospital. Even though she's not from our clan or of a high standing, I'm still happy to be with her.

Shisui smiled at the man. "That's good to hear. I hope that recent events haven't done anything to hurt that relationship."

"It has been hard, I will admit." The medic said. "But she still wants to be with me. I don't want to jeopardize that by turning against the village."

"Same here." The other man said. "We need to settle our problems with Konoha by word of mouth, not by the sword."

Shisui nodded at the two." Good, then I guess I can trust you." Shisui turned around and walked towards Mikoto. He helped her up. "I'll explain everything. But be warned that you may not like what you hear."

Konoha park

"I don't see Yashiro." Hiashi said, delivering a Jūken strike to the chest of a traitor Uchiha, exploding his heart.

"He must have left during all of the commotion." Fugaku said, ducking under a sword swing. One slash saw his attacker gutted. The battle against the traitor Uchiha had quickly turned in favor of the loyalist shinobi. Already most of the traitors had either been killed or knocked out, but the few that remained were putting up a decent fight. But it was clear that the loyalist would win, though not with taking some losses.

One ANBU and two Hyūga had been killed, and a second ANBU suffered a broken arm but was still in the fight. "We can't let that man escape. If he does, this little rebellion could snowball into something greater." Fugaku said, cutting down another traitor.

"Agreed." Itachi said. "Hiashi-San, can you determine with Yashiro is?"

"One moment." Hiashi said. "Found him. He's a couple hundred meters away. He's being accompanied by two others. They're moving fast."

"Can you determine where they're ahead?" Fugaku asked.

Hiashi focused for a moment. "Yes, I believe they're moving in the direction of the Uchiha compound."

"Probably to rally his supporters there." Itachi commented.

"We can't let that happen." Fugaku said. "I'm going after him. The rest of you stay here and handle the rest of the traitors."

"Father, please let me come with you." Itachi said. "You may need help apprehending him."

Fugaku shook his head. "No, my son. This is something I need to do myself. I allowed Yashiro to poison my mind with thoughts of treachery and distrust. I should have told the Hokage the moment that man brought his proposal on the coup. I intend to rectify that error in judgment."

Father and son stared at each other for a moment looking for any sign of hesitation. Itachi nodded. "I wish you, good luck father."

Fugaku gave his eldest son a thankful nod of his head. Then he darted out from the group and ran in the direction where Yashiro was. One of the traitors noticed him and moved to intercept him.

Fugaku ready himself for the attack. However, he heard what sounded like a thousand birds chirping, and a moment later, an ANBU with silver hair had appeared in front of the traitor. His hand was buried inside the man's chest. Passing by the two, Fugaku could see sparks of electricity coming from the chest wound. The ANBU nodded at him, a silent message saying he had him covered.

Fugaku leapt up into the trees.

It took a minute or two for him to catch up. But when he did, Fugaku gave the traitors no mercy. One of Yashiro's escorts was cut down before she even realized they were under attack. The second last just a bit longer, getting in a few clashes against his katana before the man had his chest and neck cut open.

With both guards taken care of, Fugaku turned his attention to a seething Yashiro. "It's over Yashiro. Your men are being taken care of by my son and Hiashi, and without a doubt, the Hokage has mobilized the entire village for an attack." Fugaku got into a fighting stance. "So, I will ask you one last time. Surrender now, and you will be shown leniency."

"And what, allow our great clan become a bunch of obedient dogs to the village?" Yashiro spat out. "We are the greatest clan that Konoha has, and we possess the most powerful kekkei genkai in the world. We should be the ones in charge here not the Hokage and his council. There is still a chance, Fugaku-Sama join me, and the rest of the clan will rally behind us. Together we can take over the village. We will have absolute power. There will be no councils or Hokages to stand in our way. Not even the daimyo will dare to challenge us."

Fugaku shook his head the man's ramblings. Here he was openly showing his desire for power regardless of who stood in his way. "What of my family?"

The man waved Fugaku off. "A minor sacrifice for the good of the clan. With the power you will have, you'll have your pick of any woman in this village. You can sire a new heir to the clan."

Fugaku gritted his teeth and tighten his grip on the hilt of his katana, Was this man even hearing what he was saying, or did he care so little for the well-being of others? How could Fugaku not have seen the snake that the man was? "You're a fool Yashiro. Just like Madara was when he tried to turn against the village."

"Madara." Yashiro said, repeated quietly. "You call him a fool, but looking back at it now, it's clear he had vision. We should have taken his side when we had the chance." Yashiro pulled out a sword and activated his Sharingan. "If I remember correctly, it was your ancestor that rallied the clan against Madara." He got into a stance. "I think it's time that sins of the father were paid in full."

With no more talk left, both men stood where they were waiting for the other to make their move. They circled around each other, both of their Sharingan's spinning into life. Normally when a shinobi went up against an Uchiha, the latter had the advantage. With the Sharingan, the Uchiha could predict the movements of their opponent and even turn their jutsus against them, an advantage that often allowed them to defeat their opponents. But that was all it was an advantage. As powerful as the Sharingan was, it was only a tool. Like any other tool, the Sharingan was only as useful as its wielder's skill allowed it. In the hands of a novice, it was utterly useless and more liable to get them killed than help.

Being able to predict one's opponent was useful, but only if they could act on it. If their opponent was quicker or changed their movements too quickly, a Sharingan user could become overwhelmed and defeated.

But in the hands of a master, the eyes of the Uchiha clan were deadly. An Uchiha with the speed to act on the predictive abilities of the Sharingan and the reflexes needed to realize the changes in those predictions could defeat virtually any opponent they came across.

Fugaku was one such master. He had been in many battles in his long career as a Shinobi before taking his place as the clan head. He had been through the Third Great Shinobi War, where he honed his skill with the Sharingan to perfection, earning him the name of Crazy Eyes Fugaku. He even survived battle against the Kyūbi.

Yashiro, on the other hand, had no such feats. His involvement in the third great shinobi war was limited, and he had been a part of the group that escorted the civilians to safety during the Kyūbi attack. He was skilled enough to be considered a Jōnin, but compared to other Uchiha, he was subpar at best.

When Yashiro charged at Fugaku, the outcome of the fight had already been decided. To others, the man appeared to be running at an impressive speed. To Fugaku, his opponent was moving at a snail's pace. Fugaku blocked the first attack and the next several with ease before going on the offensive himself.

The traitor Uchiha was forced to backpedal as he struggled to keep up with Fugaku's relentless assault. One particularly powerful swing from his sword causes Yashiro to stumble back. Taking advantage of the opening, Fugaku charged at the man and sliced at his chest. As his blade glide across the man's, a bloom of smoke enveloped Fugaku's vision. A moment later, he heard Yashiro swing his sword down from behind him.

Fugaku smirked. In a single second, he turned around and swung his katana in an upwards arch using both of his hands. Steal met flesh, then muscle, and finally bone, as the sword cut through Yashiro's arm. The man screams as he fell to his knees, dropping his weapon.

"Goodbye, Yashiro." Fugaku said, bringing his weapon down on the man.

"Wait!" Yashiro got before the hilt of Fugaku's katana smash into the back of his head, knocking him out.

Fugaku sheathed his weapon, taking a deep breath. He looked down at the unconscious form of his former friend. For a moment, he had been tempted to take the man's head off. At the last second, though, he decided Yashiro would be more useful alive if only find out how far the corruption in the Uchiha clan went. T&I would handle that, after that, Fugaku didn't care what happened to the man.

A few moments later, Itachi and the others arrived. Fugaku noticed that several more ANBU and few Jōnin had joined them. "I see you have things well in hand." Itachi commented, walking up to him, looking down at Yashiro. "Did you?"

Fugaku shook his head. "No, I just knocked him unconscious.

Itachi nodded at him. "Someone attend to this man's wounds." He ordered, pointing at Yashiro. "Then take him to T&I."

"Sir." An ANBU chimed before moving to Yashiro.

"What of the others?" Fugaku asked, taking his eyes off Yashiro.

"The rest of the traitors have either been captured or killed." Itachi stated. "A few, however, tried to escape into the forest."

Hiashi walked up. "My brother and several others are in pursuit. They won't get far."

Fugaku nodded at the two. "Good. Without him, this little rebellion should fall apart."

"Father." Itachi said. "Yashiro still has followers at the compound. They could try to make a fight of it."

Fugaku agreed with his eldest son. "Which is why we're going there now. To apprehend the rest of the traitors.

And that is wrap. In the next chapter we'll reach the conclusion of the Uchiha Betrayal, and a little bit of the after math.

So what did you think. I know the fight was on the short side. But let's be honest Yashiro and his followers were going up against Crazy-Eyes Fugaku, and that was before hi backup arrived. This coup of his was always going to be a short lived affair. Heck Fugaku alone might have been able to handle the situation, but as you can see, Fugaku is a smart man. He wasn't about leave anything to chance.

I hope to see in the next update.