Chapter 79: Replacing Fugaku

Hm?

The Third Hokage's eyes snapped open, he looked sharply and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Speak quickly!"

"Fugaku clan chief has already agreed with me: if I can resolve this issue within ten days, the Coup can be abandoned."

Ten days!

The Third Hokage's expression changed; his brows knit as he began to consider how to solve the problem.

What are the issues involved in this incident? The Uchiha clan's income is insufficient, the villagers are overly hostile, and with rising prices the villagers' resentment has grown, already being blamed on the Police Department, plus mutual distrust between the internal ranks and the higher‑ups.

These problems are old yet renewed; calling them historical legacies would not be an exaggeration.

Temporarily easing the Third Hokage's burden is simple; he can reallocate funds from other departments to compensate the Uchiha and then force those people to shut up.

Thus, there may be results within ten days, but this cannot long‑term ease the contradictions; within half a month a fierce backlash could erupt.

At that thought, the Third Hokage's face grew even darker; he looked at Shisui and said, "Resolving the problem within ten days seems difficult. Could we negotiate with Fugaku to give the Village more time?"

"Fugaku clan chief's stance is very firm; these ten days are what I begged the clan for."

Shisui's expression was mournful; he shook his head slowly, seeming also a bit desperate.

Indeed, the Uchiha have never made a decision this quickly at any clan meeting; Fugaku's decisiveness means he has already made up his mind.

The situation is now clear; he has only two options: either satisfy the Uchiha's demands within ten days, or use the ten days to prepare to quell the unrest and then strike preemptively against the Uchiha's higher‑ups.

"Ten days is all we can try to meet their demands, but if even then we cannot avoid it, the Village may be destroyed by civil war!"

Thinking of the Village and the northern situation makes the Third Hokage's headache worsen.

If the Uchiha erupt into civil war now, the Land of Lightning will surely launch a massive invasion; the Land of Water need not be mentioned, and the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind—two greedy demons—will certainly seize the chance, even if they have to lean on a cane to take a bite.

"If…"

Listening to the Third Hokage's almost despondent words, Shisui lowered his head, his expression conflicted, and spoke softly.

The Third Hokage seemed to have grasped a last lifeline and asked, "If what?"

"If I could replace Fugaku clan chief as the new chief, and the Village compensates the clan members again, perhaps the Coup could be prevented."

Replace Fugaku?

The Third Hokage's eyes widened; he stared at Shisui with a shocked face, his mind racing wildly.

It's not that he doesn't want to support Shisui; the difficulty is simply too great, and this is Uchiha internal affairs—if he intervenes, more than one Uchiha would stand up.

But if we don't do this, the Leaf Village is doomed! "Are you confident?"

Without much hesitation, the Third Hokage asked softly.

"If I have the Third Hokage's help, for the sake of the Leaf Village, I am willing to try my best."

Shisui pondered for a moment, then looked up at the Third Hokage and nodded heavily in response.

Shisui could get Fugaku to postpone the Coup; perhaps there is genuine hope of replacing him.

The Third Hokage's expression softened; he took a deep breath, patted Shisui's shoulder, and said gravely, "I will fully support you, but I cannot expose this, otherwise the Village will face even greater turmoil."

"I understand, thank you, Third Hokage!"

The Third Hokage helped Shisui to his feet, his expression sincere, "This is what the Village owes you."

He knows clearly that once this is discovered, Shisui is certain to die.

"No, everything is for the Leaf Village, and also for the Uchiha." Shisui's expression was solemn, as if he had already accepted his inevitable death.

The Third Hokage let out a long sigh and promised, "Please, Shisui, as long as we can buy a little more time, the Village will treat the Uchiha clan kindly in the future."

After receiving the promise, the two discussed details further; the Third Hokage even personally funded the retrieval of five million taels from the Sarutobi Clan lands to give to Shisui.

"The future of the Leaf Village now rests on you."

Shisui took the burden from the Third Hokage's hands, nodded heavily, and left.

After Shisui departed, the Third Hokage hesitated briefly but still did not call the three aides; he was aware that if the ANBU learned he was correct, the situation would only become more complex.

"Remove all the watchtowers set up near Uchiha clan lands, have Kakashi lead a team a bit farther away to add manpower for surveillance, and report any large‑scale gatherings promptly!"

"Yes!"

"Go tell Shinzusuke to tighten security within the clan lands for now, and also notify You Ji to gradually recall the ANBU on leave; the moves shouldn't be too overt."

"Yes!"

"Also, assign Uchiha members like Yan to serve as team leaders, sending them to the Rain Country to gather intelligence."

"Yes!"

The Third Hokage paced back and forth in his office, issuing order after order, and the entire Leaf Village ANBU operated silently under his commands.

Meanwhile, Shisui returned home bearing the Third Hokage's promise.

"The Third Hokage has agreed; he will help me from the shadows as much as possible."

It was already deep night; normally Sima Yi would not have agreed to Shisui meeting the Third Hokage at this hour, but the entire Uchiha higher‑ups were aware of the matter, so there was no need to avoid suspicion.

"Great, I've also privately persuaded some members of the Police Department; now with the Third Hokage's help, Shisui's chances of becoming clan chief have increased!"

Hui had not yet left; he stayed in the study with Sima Yi until now, and upon hearing this he nodded excitedly.

"With Grandpa's arrangement, I believe becoming chief is not an issue, but can we make the clan abandon the Coup within ten days?"

Shisui was even more worried that the problem could not be solved; even if he became chief, he still could not suppress the clan members' rebellious hearts.

Regarding this, Sima Yi had long had an idea; he smiled calmly and confessed, "Even if it were ten months, I couldn't completely eradicate the root of the problem."

"Huh?"

Those words made both of them pause; Hui's face visibly showed panic.

Shisui quickly recovered, speculating, "If it can't be solved completely, can we at least temporarily alleviate it?"

"Hm, not bad. The Village and Uchiha's issues are deeply rooted; eradicating them is not a one‑day task, but temporarily suppressing the contradictions to satisfy all sides for a few months of peace isn't difficult."

"As for the clan's Coup, you needn't worry any more; just watch."

Sima Yi said as he took several letters from the desk, explaining, "These were secretly sent by a few clan elders just now; these two are from the Senior Elder and the Second Elder; you may read them first."

Shisui was puzzled, casually opened and flipped through it, then wore a surprised expression.

The senior elder and Shisui had a close hidden relationship; the letter was rather direct, urging him to act immediately to replace Fugaku, and the Uchiha must not launch a Coup now.

The second elder was slightly more tactful, merely stating his consistent stance, outlining the stakes, and saying he would strongly support him in resolving the clan and Village's conflicts.

Then he opened other clan elders' letters; whether from the senior elder's line or the second elder's line, everyone's intent was surprisingly uniform, all hoping he could solve the problem, so the Uchiha would still be the Uchiha of Konoha.

The attitude in the letters differed greatly from the sharp confrontations at the clan meeting, leaving Shisui somewhat bewildered.

"How strange, during the day they... ~ Seems I misjudged them; those clan elders are actually devoted to Konoha, to the Uchiha!" Shisui wore a pleased smile, looking as if he had a sudden realization.

Hui twitched the corner of his mouth, couldn't help rolling his eyes; he knew some of the letter's content, but in his view some of those people were not considering the big picture, merely not forced to the point of a Coup, and after calming down they became cowardly.

After all, no matter how prices rose, it wouldn't affect them, especially the Police Department folk; once they're dressed, which iron‑headed merchant would dare refuse to do business with them?

As for the rumors in the Village, they've heard them for years; only recently the villagers' clashes increased, causing them a bit of trouble.

"Hahaha, I guess so; they're the ones who know the clan's strength best, and having accurate insight is a good thing."

Sima Yi laughed and replied, then said, "I've already dealt with most clan members and Konoha, but there's one person I'm still uncertain about; I need to test him a bit."

Shisui nodded and immediately said, "Grandfather was talking about the clan head Fugaku, right?"

Mentioning Fugaku, Hui unusually fell silent; he had always despised Fugaku's constant forbearance, but when Fugaku spoke bluntly of a Coup, it terrified him, and his usual resentment and aggression instantly subsided.

"His reaction is abnormal, there may be variables; let's test him tomorrow."

"I understand, Grandfather."

The next day, at Fugaku's residence, backyard.

Itachi walked from the living room to the backyard, seeing Fugaku feeding fish, and Uchiha Tie Huo half‑kneeling in the yard with his head down.

Tie Huo seemed to be saying something; upon noticing Itachi, he stopped, his expression somewhat grim.

"Father, Shisui‑brother has arrived."

Itachi watched Fugaku's back, a flash of complex emotions crossing his eyes.

"Let him in."

Fugaku didn't turn his head, clutching the feed and continuing to toss it into the pond.

Itachi nodded and left; a moment later Shisui approached Tie Huo and bowed, saying, "Lord Clan Head."

"Coming to see me at this time—have you already solved the clan's problems?"

"Not yet; the purpose of my visit is to seek the clan head's assistance."

"Oh?"

Fugaku gave Shisui a puzzled look, and Tie Huo turned his head to look as well.

"Go ahead and tell me."

"To resolve the conflict between the clan and the villagers, I hope to join the Police Department and enlist everyone's strength."

At those words, Fugaku's hand twitched slightly, and he fell silent, staring at Shisui.

Tie Huo's eyes widened even more, observing the two back and forth.

After a long while, Fugaku said, "I see. Very well, since it's for the clan, from now on Tie Huo will be your deputy."

"Clan head?"

Tie Huo could hardly believe his ears; making him Shisui's deputy meant Shisui would replace him as the squad leader of the Police Department unit.

If he were only to monitor Shisui, why grant Shisui such a great advantage?

Tie Huo felt a bit confused—had his earlier explanation been unclear?

Shisui was also stunned; he hadn't expected Fugaku to grant him an immediate promotion, and this trust both relieved him and filled him with guilt.

"Thank you, Lord Clan Head. I will not betray your trust and will resolve this issue as soon as possible!"

Having said that, Shisui did not wish to linger and hurried away.

Seeing Shisui leave, Tie Huo could no longer contain his doubt and immediately warned, "Rumors that Shisui might become clan head have already spread to every corner of the clan lands; his entering the Police Department now likely has ulterior motives."

Before he could finish, Fugaku interrupted, calmly saying, "No need to worry; regarding the Police Department, just cooperate with him, and I'll handle the rest."

"Why are you so confident?" Tie Huo, having been in the Police Department for a long time, had noticed shifts in people's hearts and didn't understand why Fugaku remained so calm.

Since the other side had already said so, he could only drop it.

"Yes."

Tie Huo had just left Fugaku's house when he saw Shisui standing outside the door, waiting for him.

"Captain Shisui."

Facing Shisui, Tie Huo felt especially conflicted—admiration, anger, and a hint of guilt.

"I'm about to go to the Police Department now; will you come with me, Tie Huo?"

Shisui had now calmed his emotions and firmed his resolve; he wanted to garner as much power as possible.

"Alright."

The two crossed the street in silence, reached the Police Department, completed the procedures, and Shisui immediately summoned everyone to issue the following orders in his capacity as squad leader.

1. Citing hoarding goods, disrupting the market, and undermining Konoha's internal stability, arrest certain merchants who recently refused to trade with Uchiha clan members.

2. Under the pretext of reform, recall all Police Department personnel; for seven days they need not patrol the streets, retaining only investigation and guard duties.

3. During the reform period, issue temporary patrol orders to Konoha ninja in the name of the Police Department; patrolling ninja must strictly enforce Konoha law and apprehend anyone disrupting Konoha's stability.

Tie Huo stared at the three orders, his head throbbing; aside from the inherent issues with the orders, the fact that Shisui was only a squad leader made it doubtful how he could persuade the other squads to agree.

However, Uchiha Eight Generations: "Second squad has no objections."

Uchiha Yōtetsu: "Third squad has no objections."

Uchiha Inabi: "I have no objections either."

"?"

Tie Huo stared in surprise at the few, and Inabi's agreement made sense to him; after all, Shisui was sent by clan head Fugaku, so why did the other two agree so readily?

Aren't they always supportive of the Great Elder's doctrine? "Tie Huo, you still lead the first squad; set out immediately to capture the merchants, I'm going to the Hokage Building to submit the mission commission."

Shisui said, taking out a list, and added: "The list contains the information of those individuals; you may arrest them according to the list, and remember to read out the charges when making the arrests."

Taking the list, Tie Huo glanced over it and found that it contained only about twenty people, scattered across various streets, which clearly did not match the situation of a large crowd gathered outside the Uchiha clan territory.

Of course, based on his understanding of Shisui, he believed that the people on the list could not be innocent.

Although doubt still lingered in his mind, he saw Shisui's measured and confident demeanor, inexplicably exhaled, and softly replied, "Yes."

All clickbait! It jumps faster than my heart.

I coded a few more today; I'll continue later, but I might have to stash them since school starts next month, saving some chapters for future needs.

(End of chapter)