Chapter 5: The Death of Uchiha Patriarch

[Note: Read up to Chapter - 42 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]

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"Patriarch, Uchiha Kanzou took the money—but he has no intention of releasing the young patriarch," reported the Jōnin who had been kicked out by Kanzou earlier.

"Damn it! Kanzou... do you really think I can't deal with you?"

Furious, Douma slammed his fist down on the table, shattering it.

But the outburst came at a cost—he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the deep wound left by Kanzou's Ryūjin Jakka tore open once more.

"Patriarch, please! You can't exert yourself. Any further strain will make your injuries worse," a nearby medical ninja warned urgently.

Douma gave the medic a hard stare. "Is there any chance my injuries can be healed?"

The medic hesitated, a conflicted expression crossing his face.

Eventually, he lowered his eyes and answered honestly.

"I'm sorry, Patriarch… there's no longer any hope of recovery. Before, you could have lived another six months to a year. But now... it'll be difficult to survive even one month."

Frankly, even saying Douma had a month left felt optimistic—his condition was worsening rapidly.

But that wasn't surprising. Cases like Uchiha Douma's were all too common.

The life of a shinobi was never meant to be long.

During the Warring States Era, the average ninja's life expectancy was barely over thirty.

Old injuries from youth often resurfaced with age, and many shinobi either died in battle or were taken out by illness and lingering wounds.

Very few ever lived long enough to die a natural, peaceful death.

"If Lady Tsunade were here," the medic muttered, "she might be able to prolong the patriarch's life..."

"You may go." Douma waved a hand dismissively.

Relieved, the medic bowed and quickly exited the room.

"Patriarch, Kanzou is getting too arrogant. Someone needs to teach him a lesson," grumbled Uchiha Hikari, still bitter about being kicked out.

Douma shot him a sharp look, asking, "Teach him a lesson? Will you be able to?"

Hikari instantly lowered his head in uncertainty.

"Tch..."

With a heavy sigh, Douma leaned back, visibly disappointed.

His son, Fugaku, had failed to live up to expectations. If Fugaku had the strength to suppress Kanzou, Kanzou wouldn't have gained so many loyal supporters within the Clan, and none of this would be happening.

As much as Douma wished Kanzou dead, he had to admit: the boy was cunning and capable.

Half the clan stood behind him now, and that was no accident.

It was precisely because Kanzou had gained so much support that Douma had to hold back.

He couldn't act openly—not unless he wanted civil strife within the Clan.

"Go and summon Shinkurou, Ren, and Haruto. Have them return at once. It won't be long now… the Uchiha clan is about to face a major change."

All three were Elite Jōnin—trusted loyalists to both him and Fugaku.

"Yes, Patriarch."

Hikari bowed and quickly left to carry out the order.

Hikari immediately set out to find a way to contact the three Elite Jōnin currently away on missions.

Once he was gone, Douma summoned the three elders of the clan for a private internal meeting.

However, unbeknownst to him, every move Douma made was already under Kanzou's watchful eye.

"Calling in the elders? So he wants to move against me?"

Kanzou scoffed, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

Even if all those old relics came at him together, he wasn't the least bit worried.

He had no respect for them.

Maybe they'd been powerful in their youth, but now they were nothing more than bitter old men squabbling over influence and tradition.

Far from being helpful, their presence only hindered the Uchiha clan's growth.

"Without the right incentives, those geezers won't lift a finger for Douma," Kanzou muttered to himself.

As one of the Uchiha's high-ranking members, he understood all too well how those elders operated.

Even if Douma was the clan head, he couldn't expect their help unless he paid for it.

Besides, Douma's control over the clan had already withered.

As patriarch, he had done little to lead or protect the Uchiha, and under his passive leadership, the clan had steadily declined.

Many among the clan had long grown discontented with him.

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Hokage Office

Within the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took a slow drag from his tobacco pipe.

Moments earlier, the ANBU had delivered a detailed report on the recent unrest within the Uchiha clan.

"Keep monitoring the Uchiha situation," Hiruzen said calmly to the ANBU operative hidden in the shadows.

"But don't expose yourselves."

Hiruzen had no intention of interfering.

Internal conflict within the Uchiha was something most of Konoha's senior leadership preferred—it kept the clan fractured and easier to manage.

Besides, even if he wanted to intervene, he couldn't.

Clan affairs were traditionally settled internally.

Unless a clan's actions posed a direct threat to the village, the Hokage had no right to step in.

Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Uchiha Douma is dying... so who will inherit the role of patriarch?"

To be honest, if he had to choose, Hiruzen would prefer to see Uchiha Fugaku become the next patriarch. The reason was simple: potential.

Uchiha Kanzou possessed far greater potential than Fugaku.

It was highly likely that Kanzou would eventually reach Kage-level strength—and perhaps even awaken the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.

Such a development would undoubtedly benefit the Uchiha clan.

But for the Hokage Faction, for Konoha, it would be a serious threat.

According to Hiruzen's intelligence reports, Kanzou had a dominant and headstrong personality.

If he became the clan's leader, tensions between the Hokage Faction and the Uchiha would almost certainly escalate.

Hiruzen wouldn't deny it—he did harbour a deep-rooted mistrust of the Uchiha.

Even so, he understood that Konoha couldn't afford to lose the Uchiha Clan, especially not right now.

It had been many years since the end of the Second Great Ninja War. During this time, the conflict between the great nations has never subsided; it has only shifted, from open and large-scale warfare to secret, small-scale warfare as the nations tried to rebuild themselves.

And now, after a long period of rebuilding, the military factions within the other great shinobi villages were starting to rise once more.

Although the next shinobi War wasn't expected to break out any time soon, what if it did—suddenly and without warning?

If that happened, the Uchiha clan would be Konoha's strongest fighting force—its most reliable enforcers.

…

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Kanzou had expected Douma to stir up trouble by now, but to his surprise, everything remained quiet.

No movement. No retaliation. Douma remained completely calm.

Then, earlier today, Kanzou received unexpected news: Uchiha Douma was dead.

While Kanzou had predicted Douma wouldn't last more than a week due to his injuries, he hadn't expected him to die in just five days.

Even Douma himself hadn't anticipated it.

His original plan was to bide his time, wait for Kanzou to lower his Military Police Force, and then arrange for someone to rescue his son from the prison.

But his body gave out before the plan could even begin.

Even before summoning the elders.

Indeed, Douma hadn't actually tried to persuade them to take action.

With Fugaku still in Kanzou's hands, Douma didn't dare to make any bold moves—for now, he chose to avoid provoking Kanzou.

His original plan had been simple: wait for Kanzou to lower his Military Police Force, arrange Fugaku's rescue, then openly turn against Kanzou and do everything in his power to secure his son's position as the next patriarch before his own death.

But fate had other plans.

Before his scheme could even begin, his body gave out—and just like that, he was gone.

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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!

[Note: Read up to Chapter - 42 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]