Late at night, in the bedroom, Uchiha Mikoto, freshly bathed, her skin flushed with a faint rosy glow, exuded a subtle charm.
She lazily nestled against Uchiha Fugaku's chest like a ripe peach, radiating an irresistible sweetness that made one want to devour her whole.
"Fugaku, guess what I saw today?"
"Since you came back this evening, your mood's been quite good. Something must have happened."
Fugaku inhaled the scent of her shampoo as his hand gently stroked Mikoto's smooth, loose black hair, smiling warmly.
"Indeed, something good did happen."
Mikoto smiled softly.
"I saw Itachi out shopping with a girl. She was very beautiful."
"Oh? Did you find out her name?"
Fugaku's interest was piqued.
He vaguely remembered Itachi having a close girl friend, though her name escaped him — after all, she was just a minor character with little presence.
"I've already asked around. The girl's name is Uchiha Izumi. Her father is from another clan, but her mother is from our Uchiha family."
Mikoto replied.
"They seem very close. What do you think their relationship is?"
"You're worrying too early. Itachi is only eleven years old. What kind of relationship could they possibly have?"
Fugaku chuckled.
Though ninjas tend to mature faster mentally than their peers, eleven is still far too young to be thinking about romance.
"Not now, but who knows? Maybe it will develop into something in the future."
Mikoto countered, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.
"You're right, my lady," Fugaku said, "but before that, we should have Itachi and Sasuke a little sister first!"
He turned off the light, and soon the bedroom was filled with sounds that would make anyone blush.
If Itachi hadn't been brainwashed by the Third Hokage into a traitor, perhaps years later, he and Izumi could have grown into a sweet childhood romance.
But sadly, Itachi was already a "white-eyed wolf" — a traitor to the clan who would one day bring a blade down on his own family.
There was no future for them.
The next day, Fugaku arrived at the Guard Division.
"Captain, you called for me?"
Uchiha Kusami, dressed in green ninja attire with the Guard Division's black armband, knocked and entered the office.
Fugaku didn't answer immediately but instead formed hand seals and cast a barrier jutsu.
Once the soundproof barrier was set, he fixed Kusami with a serious look.
"I recently received news that there are traitors within our clan."
"What?" Kusami's face showed a mix of shock and disbelief.
Hearing this, he was stunned — how could traitors exist in a clan known for its pride and loyalty?
"Captain, how reliable is this information?"
"It's personally verified by me. It's absolutely true."
Fugaku stated firmly.
"Who exactly? Who are the traitors within the clan?"
Kusami's voice grew louder with anger.
If not for the soundproof barrier, others would have overheard him.
"Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi."
Fugaku's voice was heavy.
After much careful thought, he had decided to reveal the critical information about Shisui and Itachi's betrayal to Kusami, whom he trusted as his right-hand man.
"What? How could it be… those two?"
Kusami's face was full of disbelief.
Shisui and Itachi were the pride of the Uchiha clan, the prodigies on whom the clan pinned their greatest hopes.
He had thought the clan would reach its peak strength with them.
But to discover these two were traitors was almost unthinkable — even coming from Fugaku himself, the clan leader.
"Captain, could this be a mistake? Shisui aside, Itachi is your eldest son. How could he betray you and the clan?"
"I don't want to believe it either, but it's the truth. Itachi betrayed me as a father and sided with the Third Hokage."
Fugaku sighed deeply.
"If those two are traitors, then the Third Hokage must already know about the clan's coup plans."
The thought made Kusami break out in a cold sweat.
"That's right. The coup plans have been uncovered by the Third Hokage."
Fugaku nodded grimly.
"What do we do now?"
Kusami's voice trembled with anxiety, as if the sky were falling.
Knowing the clan's coup plans were exposed meant the Third Hokage would not sit idle and would likely strike preemptively.
With Shisui and Itachi as traitors, the Uchiha clan's current strength would hardly resist.
"Don't panic yet. Things haven't deteriorated that far."
Fugaku tried to calm him.
"But, but…"
Kusami looked terrified.
The Third Hokage knowing about the coup was devastating news.
"I just recently found out that Shisui and Itachi betrayed the clan, but the discontent in the clan has existed for a long time."
"Since the Third Hokage hasn't acted yet, it means he's not planning to strike just yet."
"Besides, we're not without hope. With my Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, the Uchiha clan still has fighting power."
Fugaku's eyes transformed into the crimson Mangekyō Sharingan.
Seeing this, Kusami exhaled in relief.
He knew about Fugaku's awakened Mangekyō Sharingan — it was just the shock that threw him off earlier.
With a clan leader wielding such power, it wouldn't be easy for the Third Hokage to crush the Uchiha.
"So what now? Should we hold a secret clan meeting, bypassing Shisui and Itachi, to plan our countermeasures?"
"No. We can't hold a clan meeting, nor can we reveal this news to anyone else."
Fugaku shook his head.
"Why not?"
"Because besides Shisui and Itachi, there are other traitors in the clan."
"Other traitors?"
Kusami's face turned dark with fury and clenched fists.
Besides Shisui and Itachi, there were still hidden traitors among their own.
"As for the Third Hokage knowing about the coup, I have a plan to deal with that. You don't need to worry about it."
Fugaku's gaze turned icy.
"I have a mission for you: secretly investigate all those eligible to attend clan meetings and root out the traitors."
"Captain, rest assured! I will find them all!"
Kusami's eyes burned with righteous anger.
He would not spare a single one of those who betrayed from within.