Chapter 16


    Neji received the news that the Uchiha n had finally decided to initiate their rebellion from thepiled surveince data.


    "At 19:20, Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Tetsu armed themselves and went together to the Konoha Public Training Ground."


    A very ordinary piece of information, right?


    What could two Uchiha ninjas going to a public training ground prove?


    Yes, it seemed ordinary, but ifpared with previous data and cross-analyzed, it was pretty telling:<ol><li>Two previously known drunkards were preparing to retrain, indicating they felt some pressure.</li><li>The Konoha Public Training Ground was significantly worse than the Uchiha''s internal training grounds, meaning their internal facilities were overcrowded.</li></ol>


    They were sharpening their des for a single strike.


    There were many other corroborating pieces of data, such as the Konoha Police Force suddenly changing shifts early or the sudden increase of Uchiha patients in Konoha Hospital. For Neji, who had already anticipated the Uchiha n''s imminent rebellion, these sudden changes allowed him to deduce the exact start time.


    The Uchiha n members were far from foolish. They knew not to reveal their ns openly, but the emotionally rich Uchiha couldn''t wholly control their sincere emotions, bringing them to this point.


    These small, seemingly insignificant daily life clues were not considered abnormal by them. They hadn''t realized Konoha''s surveince had reached such a frenzied level.Hinata continued mechanically transporting recorded data from various team members. Noticing Neji suddenly stop working, she checked the clock:


    "Isn''t it time for a shift change yet?"


    "It''s already over."


    "What?"


    "Oh… well, I have something to do today, so I''m leaving early." With that, Neji left straight away.


    "Captain, if you''re caught leaving early, you''ll have your pay docked!" Hinata shouted, but Neji''s only response was to raise his hand as he walked away.


    "Don''t take money lightly…" Hinata sighed. She looked around to ensure no one else was there, then used a Shadow Clone Jutsu. Her clone transformed into Neji, sat at his desk, and began pretending to work.


    Neji didn''t n to inform Danzo of his findings. With Itachi as a double agent within the Uchiha n, their ns were already an open book to Konoha''s highmand. There was no need to show off.


    At the entrance of the Hyuga branchpound:


    "Have any Uchiha n members been here recently?" Neji asked the Chunin guarding the entrance, which had been established after the frequent murders of branch members, to enhance thepound''s imposing presence.


    "Yes, they asked when our n meeting was scheduled."


    As expected, such a tant bait couldn''t go unnoticed by the Uchiha n.


    The n meeting was scheduled for four dayster, meaning the Uchiha n''s rebellion would be in four days. ording to the original storyline, Itachi wouldunch the massacre the night before the uprising in three days.


    With all the information, the loop wasplete.


    Back home, Neji cooked for the two kids.


    "Such a feast," Neji said, looking at the table full of delicious food, "Is today a holiday or something?"


    He noticed Neji seemed unusually excited, unlike his usual calm demeanor. Did something good happen?


    Neji observed quietly.


    Well, his brother was of age, handsome, strong, about to be promoted to Jonin, had a bright future despite being an orphan, and had an excellent brother like himself. Which girl wouldn''t be moved?


    Wham!


    Neji knocked on Neji''s head with chopsticks.


    "What was that for?" He protested.


    "Your eyes look strange," Neji said, hitting his brother without needing a valid reason.


    After serving thest dish, Neji exined: "This is enough for three days."


    That made sense. Neji realized: "So, you''re going on a mission again?"


    Hanabi wasn''t interested in the feast but was sad that Neji would be gone for a long time. She looked at Neji with longing eyes.


    "I''ll take you next time." Neji said casually.


    Neji chuckled, interpreting it as one of his brother''s "next time" promises to appease children.


    "You need to get stronger to follow him, understand?" Neji advised Hanabi. He had been teaching her Gentle Fist at home recently and was astonished by her talent.


    The younger Hyuga girl was indeed a bit more talented than himself.


    "Understood!" Hanabi shouted.


    …


    In the Hokage''s office, the Third Hokage looked at the information Itachi had delivered, his expressionplicated.


    He recalled the argument with Danzo and the others that day.


    How long had it been since then?


    In hindsight, his persistence seemed like a joke. Ambition and hatred had ultimately consumed the entire Uchiha n. The restraint he had hoped for never materialized. The n had betrayed his trust and taken that final step.


    Lighting his pipe, the Third Hokage stood by the window, looking in the distance towards the Uchiha n''s territory. Their lights shone brightly in the darkness, like sparks on dry grass, ready to spread across Konoha.


    …


    At Root''s headquarters, Danzo looked at Uchiha Itachi with a cruel smile.


    "Is what you say true?"


    "The information is urate. The Uchiha willunch their rebellion in four days, during the Hyuga n''s meeting." Itachi said calmly.


    "An excellent choice of timing." Danzomented. The Hyuga n''s Byakugan was a significant threat to any surprise attack.


    He nced at Itachi: "It''s a pity. Fugaku ultimatelycks the brains."


    To have his son leak the n meant that no matter how well-timed, it was a futile effort leading the n to their deaths. What kind of intelligence did this Uchiha n leader possess?


    Itachi said nothing; he just lowered his head slightly. The light from the wallmps cast half his face into a cold, indifferent expression.


    Danzo squinted. The sight of Itachi reminded him of Neji, who was supposed to oversee Uchiha surveince for him. Yet, with the Uchiha nning a rebellion, there had been no word from Neji. His response was disappointingly slow and not as effective as this Uchiha renegade.


    Useless.


    "So, this time, the deal is simple," Danzo turned, his cane tapping the floor. "If you eliminate the Uchiha and remove the threat to Konoha, I will spare your brother, Sasuke."


    "Agreed." Itachi said, sinking his entire head into the darkness.