Outside the residence of the Uchiha clan leader, a steady, emotionless knock echoed from the front door. In the main hall, Uchiha Fugaku heard the sound and immediately put a hand on Mikoto's shoulder, stopping her before she could rise. "I will go," he whispered, his voice low and heavy.
Fugaku walked slowly to the door, his steps deliberate. He opened it to find a white-haired Anbu operative standing there, his face hidden behind a porcelain mask. "Lord Fugaku," the boy said, his voice flat. "This is an order from the Fourth Hokage." He held out a scroll.
"The Hokage also asked me to convey a message. He hopes you can remain patient and calm the emotions of your clan. He and the Third Hokage will uncover the truth." With that, the Anbu operative vanished, leaving cleanly and without a trace.
Uchiha Fugaku unrolled the scroll. As his eyes scanned the contents, his hands tightened, the veins on his knuckles bulging. A cold, furious fire ignited in his chest. The order was clear: the Uchiha clan was to be confined to their compound, under constant surveillance. "Are they trying to drive our clan into a dead end?" he seethed.
Secret surveillance was one thing, but this was open imprisonment. He wanted to scream, to lash out, but he knew Minato's hands were tied. This reeked of the elders' pressure.
"Minato, I know you believe in me," Fugaku murmured to the empty night, "but I can no longer hold them back. After this decree, how can I possibly stabilize the emotions of my people?" He sighed, a sound heavy with despair. "Perhaps… rebellion is the only path left to us."
Just as that treasonous thought took root, a childish and unfamiliar voice sounded from directly beside him. "Hello there, Uchiha Fugaku."
Fugaku spun around, his hand instinctively going to his side. A child stood there, smiling placidly. He looked to be around Sasuke's age, perhaps a year or two older at most. Fugaku was deeply unsettled. For a child to appear beside him, completely undetected, was impossible. What shocked him even more, however, were the child's eyes. They were a brilliant crimson, each containing three perfectly formed tomoe. A fully matured Sharingan. This boy was an Uchiha! To have achieved such a level at his age was unheard of.
"Who are you?" Fugaku demanded, his voice tense. "How did you get here? You have the eyes of my clan, yet I have never seen you before!"
"Hehe," the child chuckled softly. "My name is Shiro, and my father is Uchiha Madara."
"What?! Madara… Madara's son? He had a son?!" Fugaku's composure shattered completely. Itachi's story from the night before… it was true. First Madara sought out Itachi, and now his son had come for him.
"Father!" Itachi and Sasuke ran out from the house, drawn by the commotion. When they saw Shiro, they too were taken aback. Sasuke, in particular, was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the ground. The boy before him was his age, yet he possessed a fully developed three-tomoe Sharingan. Sasuke hadn't even awakened a single tomoe. The comparison was infuriating.
Itachi, in contrast, appeared calm, but his mind was racing. This child was far from ordinary. He asked quickly, "Father, who is he? He is of our clan, yet I have never seen him."
Fugaku's voice was still laced with shock. "This is the first time I have seen him as well. He is Madara's son… his name is Shiro."
"It's true, then," Itachi thought. He had already suspected it. The boy's incredible talent, combined with the fact that he was dressed in the same style as the man who called himself "Madara," pointed to only one conclusion.
"I will not waste any more time," Shiro said, his voice carrying an unnatural maturity. "Head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku. I have come to you with an offer, in the name of my father, Uchiha Madara." He paused, letting the weight of the name settle in the tense night air. "Leave Konoha. Join us. The power of the Uchiha clan should not be squandered serving outsiders."
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