Fugaku arrived in front of his house and just stared at the front door for a moment. He did not know how to tell what had happened to his family. It was rare for him to be in this situation. Mainly because he hardly felt the need to explain himself to them. But in this case, he must tell them. It was necessary. Many things were about to change. It was vital that they all knew their role in the events to come.

He had the unconditional support of his wife. That wouldn’t change. Mikoto would be saddened by the death of the clan members and horrified by the way it happened, but she would support him. Mikoto knew her duty. Contrary to that stubborn Hazuki, she had enjoyed being a kunoichi when she was young, but she knew her role was at home, taking care of their children. Mikoto supported her husband in all circumstances. She had never expressed a single contrary opinion.

Mikoto was the only one he could rely on, but unfortunately, her support didn’t carry much weight outside their family. She had little influence in clan politics. She was a retired kunoichi, a housewife. Sasuke was still a child, too naive to fully grasp what was going on. As for Itachi...

Fugaku clenched his jaw. Itachi…

His son was an endless source of frustration right now. He was as gifted, as powerful, as dignified, and calm as one could hope from an elite Uchiha. But he lacked rage and hatred. He lacked passion. Fugaku briefly thought back to Jun Uchiha, the hatred painted on his face, the pressure of his furious chakra filling the room… The clan leader grimaced. If his son had even an ounce of that strength of character, he would be perfect.

But Itachi didn't have that fire in him. He lacked anger and a thirst for justice… He lacked devotion to the clan and its cause… And frankly, that was alarming. Since Shisui's death, Itachi was arguably the most powerful ninja in the clan. Without him, their coup had little chance of succeeding. It was a simple truth. So if he didn't have the necessary motivation... If he was too hesitant... If he shirked his duty, afraid of betraying the village... Worse still, if he followed Shisui's path, who had preferred suicide…

Fugaku shook his head. No, he shouldn't think about that. Itachi was reluctant, but he was his son, his flesh and blood, the pride of the Uchiha clan. The boy would obey him. It could not be otherwise.

Itachi had a few flaws. Not intuitive enough, not sociable enough, not passionate enough. More than once Fugaku got carried away with anger and scolded that he was lacking. But that was too harsh. Itachi might not have been a social person, but he had the two main qualities that Fugaku expected from his son.

He was an excellent fighter, and he obeyed without ever protesting.

Fugaku pushed open the door and entered. Taking off his shoes, he noticed that Sasuke's sandals were in place, but Itachi's were missing. He hadn't come home yet. A late mission? Or was he hanging out in the streets to avoid having dinner with his parents as he was doing more and more often? Fugaku clenched his jaw. It didn't matter. He would give Itachi his instructions when he got back. In the meantime, it allowed him to inform Mikoto first.

His wife had left a plate for him and another for Itachi. Sasuke must have already eaten... And probably be in bed, Fugaku thought realizing how late it was. He sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. Mikoto gave him a sympathetic look.

“Welcome home! Did you have a hard day?”

“Three dead and one critically injured,” her husband said. “Have you heard of it?”

“Only rumors,” Mikoto whispered cautiously. “Is it true? That the police killed…”

"Yeah," Fugaku growled. “Hazuki's parents met with her in a restaurant, and their meeting turned sour. The officer who wanted to arrest her was too abrupt. He killed her in front of her parents. In less than three seconds, they were all gutting each other. Seichi is dead, Ichiro too, and Nao won't last the night.”

Mikoto put her hands to her mouth, looking horrified. Fugaku looked away, uneasy at this display of emotion, and sat down at the table. Mikoto hastened to warm up his dish. When she spoke again, her voice was unsteady.

“It's awful.”

"The reputation of the clan will never recover. We had already had complaints of police brutality, but here, with deaths… In these kinds of circumstances… A disaster. What is being said within the clan? I've been stuck with the Hokage since early afternoon, trying to negotiate so they don't dismantle the police.”

Mikoto didn't show any surprise upon hearing that, which in itself was already a bad sign. If the clan had anticipated the dissolution of their forces, then they realized the gravity of the event. And they were probably ashamed of it. Which was good, in a way, because it was proof they had a sense of honor, unity, and loyalty. But it wasn't shame what Fugaku needed, it was a solution. The Uchiha could not lose their power within the village. He refused to let that happen.

“The circumstances of the death of Seichi and his daughter are not very clear,” His wife informed, lowering her eyes. “But the whole clan knows that the police are to blame, and they are ready to bear this burden with dignity. Several people... Several people said the police had gone too far.”

The implication was clear. Clan members were trying to get out of the coup. Fugaku frowned upon seeing his fears confirmed. It was getting worse and worse.

“There were violent arguments,” Mikoto went on hesitantly. “Some have gone as far as fighting. The ANBU has locked down the district and has instituted a curfew while you're gone. Without that, there would have been other deaths.”

Fugaku gritted his teeth. Not only was the clan dishonored, but it was falling into anarchy. The coup was supposed to be the work of the elite Uchihas, which the rest of the clan would loyally follow. It wasn't supposed to cause panic or cause clan members to turn against each other. Uchiha killing Uchiha was heresy… But it was too late for that, isn’t it?

Taizo killed Hazuki, Nao killed Taizo, Seichi killed Ichiro, and Seichi was also killed by an Uchiha. The blood of the clan had already been shed. They were wrong. Whoever sheds the blood of his comrades cannot meet an honorable end, his father had once told him. Fugaku suppressed a shudder of apprehension. It was a saying he never expected to see applied to his clan.

Things were going wrong. Konoha disbanding the police force would sever much of the clan's power, but if on top of that the Uchiha collapsed from within...

“Sasuke?” He blurted abruptly.

“He's sleeping,” Mikoto assured her. “I got him earlier from the Academy: I was afraid the other students would tell him… Anyway, it was better to give him a clear version. I explained to him that a police officer had made a serious mistake and that he had disgraced the clan, but that everything was going to be fine.”

Fugaku felt a pang of irritation towards his wife. No, everything was not going to be fine. It would have been best to tell the boy some of the truth. They were going to be ostracized even more, rejected, and dispossessed of the power that was rightfully theirs. They were going to have to kill or imprison Konoha's elite to take over the administration. Mikoto had to stop pampering Sasuke so much. He was seven. At his age, Itachi had already awakened his Sharingan and was a chunin.

Mikoto came back with a hot dish for her husband. Fugaku forced himself not to think about his youngest son anymore.

“Do you know where Itachi is?”

Mikoto gulped.

"No," she said in a low voice.

"Never there when you need him," Fugaku muttered. “This incident… It changes things. There is no longer any hope of avoiding a bloodbath. If we wait too long, we will have the administration on our backs. The Hokage will dismantle the police within a week. Probably less. He already has a list of jonins who can replace me. He instructed Danzo to think of an alternative with the ANBU, with the support of Shikaku Nara. Hazuki's son is friends with the jonin commander, do you realize the kind of backing that gives him?

"Hazuki also had friends in other clans," Mikoto muttered worriedly. “She was working with most of the chunins deployed in the village…”

Hazuki had friends who would care about her death. Fugaku hadn't even considered it. He had naively believed that, outside the clan, she had ceased to be important. Because, well, that was how it was, to renounce the clan was to renounce one's identity, and an honorable Uchiha who suffered such infamy should have the good sense to keep a low profile. But Hazuki had not been an honorable Uchiha. She had continued to exist, to work, to cling to her life and her comfort.

Fugaku gritted his teeth. This day was only getting worse. Instead of having only the Sandaime, the ANBU, and Shikaku Nara on his back, he risked having a whole bunch of mediocre chunin… Who, despite their mediocrity, were numerous, and often linked to clans. The Uchiha clan seizing power was one thing. But if the other clans united against them... They wouldn't be able to resist. It left a sour taste in Fugaku's mouth, but he had to admit the obvious.

That was why the Uchiha had joined Konoha in the beginning. To avoid facing an alliance that would have the strength to crush them. The Uchihas had always been so feared that many people wouldn’t feel safe until they were all exterminated. There weren't many Senjus left in Konoha, and most didn't even have their last name anymore. But there were several dozen clans, more or less numerous and more or less dangerous. Killing around thirty high-ranking administrators was possible, but facing thousands of furious ninjas? It would be more problematic.

“We're going to have to move forward with our plans. We can't wait any longer.” He blurted out, pushing his plate away. He wasn't hungry anymore. His appetite had suddenly vanished.

Mikoto widened her eyes, frightened.

“You mean…”

“It has to be tomorrow. Hazuki's death has already set things in motion. If we give time to the other side, the Uchiha clan will not be able to cope. There will be no police force, Mikoto. We may not even have a district anymore! We must act first.”

Mikoto swallowed. She was very pale. Fugaku waved his hand imperiously.

“Go tell the Uchiha council, and pass this message on. Meeting at midnight, at the usual place. I will stay here to wait for Itachi. I must talk to him.”

“I’m here.”

They both jumped in surprise as they spun towards the door. Itachi had just entered, as silent as a ghost. Fugaku opened his mouth to snap at him for being late, then something stopped him. An abnormality. Itachi hadn't taken off his sandals. That in itself was a detail. But it was an important one. Itachi was always polite. He would never do something so disrespectful in his house in front of his parents. Then Fugaku noticed that his son was in full ANBU gear… But it was mostly his expression that froze him. Itachi had always been reserved, almost impassive. But tonight, his eyes were so expressionless that he looked dead.

Unable to help himself, Fugaku felt a shiver of anguish run down his spine. No… That was impossible. He was being paranoid. Itachi was his son. His flesh and blood. He was the glory and pride of the Uchiha clan. He lived to serve them. He was loyal. Itachi was probably dressed like that because he had just been sent somewhere and wanted to tell his parents, not because… Because…

In a parallel universe… Fugaku would not have been surprised. Shocked and horrified, yes, but not surprised. He knew who his son was. He knew he would protect Sasuke and, in a bitter way… Since the clan was doomed to destruction, saving Sasuke was better than nothing.

But that was in a parallel universe. A world where the massacre would take place six months later, the following year. A world where Hazuki Uchiha had not died, a world where this unexpected event had not caused the mutual distrust of Konoha and the Uchihas to explode.

In this universe, they were running out of time. Danzo correctly guessed that the threat of dismantling the police would cause Fugaku to panic and advance the coup. In this universe, he gave his orders six months in advance, well aware that if he waited another day, it would be too late.

Slowly, Itachi unsheathed the saber strapped behind his back. And Fugaku died without even having time to scream.