Chapter 295: My Fate Is Mine to Decide!

"Why did things turn out like this?!"

"With a powerful enemy at the gates, they were still fighting among themselves! Since when did the old man and the others become so shortsighted?!"

Jiraiya simply couldn't understand how things had developed to this point.

Something that could have been solved through unity and cooperation had instead turned into internal conflict, leading to such massive losses.

"Shortsighted?" Ren snorted.

"You're wrong. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were thinking very far ahead."

He continued coldly:

"Because the Uchiha Clan didn't appear during the Nine-Tails Incident, we became the target of everyone's suspicion."

"Hiruzen used the excuse that the Konoha Military Police Force had failed its duty. When the village redistributed land afterward, the Uchiha compound was moved to the very edge of the village—almost outside Konoha altogether."

"Our reputation plummeted overnight."

"From that point on, we were suppressed everywhere and excluded from everything."

Jiraiya frowned in confusion.

"How could that happen?"

"Weren't you under orders from the Hokage and surrounded by Root, which prevented you from reinforcing the village?"

"Who knows?" Ren shrugged.

"That explanation is nothing more than the Uchiha clan's own statement. After surviving a disaster, how many villagers do you think would bother listening to your explanation?"

"And whose Hokage order was it supposed to be?"

"The Fourth Hokage, who had just died?"

"Or the Third Hokage, who had already stepped down?"

"The Uchiha have never been good at explaining themselves. Nor do we care to."

"So we simply let Hiruzen and the others play us like puppets."

Ren's words were partly true and partly false.

He deliberately omitted one crucial fact—the Sharingan reflected in the Nine-Tails' eyes that night.

His goal was simply to emphasize how cunning Hiruzen's faction had been.

After all, Ren had never intended to recruit Jiraiya.

There was no reason to be completely honest—misdirection worked just fine.

After a brief pause, he continued.

"In the years that followed, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village grew worse and worse."

"We tried to ease the tension."

"We even gave up many benefits that rightfully belonged to the Uchiha."

"But reality proved something."

"Endless tolerance only encourages others to push further."

Tsunade frowned and interrupted him.

"Don't act like all the blame lies with the village."

"I know what the Uchiha are like."

"With that arrogant attitude of yours, how many people could tolerate it?"

"It's only natural for the villagers to fear you."

"And besides, the Military Police Force handles the most thankless job in the village."

"If the Uchiha truly wanted to change things, you could have simply given up control of the Military Police."

The tension between the Uchiha and the villagers had existed for a long time.

In Tsunade's opinion, if the Uchiha had relinquished control of the police force earlier, things might not have escalated this far.

"Given it up?" Ren sneered.

"You make it sound so easy."

"Let me ask you something."

"Who gave the Uchiha Clan control of the Military Police in the first place?"

Tsunade froze.

She opened her mouth—but couldn't answer.

Everyone knew the Konoha Military Police Force had been established by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

And Tobirama was her great-uncle.

What could she possibly say?

Ren didn't wait for her response.

"The Military Police was nothing more than a shackle placed on the Uchiha Clan."

"Do you think we could simply discard it?"

He laughed coldly.

"When it comes to schemes, who could outplay that white-haired Senju devil?"

"Unfortunately, by the time we realized the problem…"

"It was already too late."

Tsunade felt anger at Ren's disrespect toward Tobirama—but she couldn't refute him.

Her political instincts had always suspected that the police force was a trap set by Tobirama.

Yet the Uchiha had accepted it willingly.

Now that someone from the clan had realized the truth, criticizing Tobirama was hardly surprising.

Ren ignored Tsunade and continued.

"When resentment and dissatisfaction accumulate long enough…"

"They eventually transform into anger."

"Most members of the Uchiha Clan decided to reclaim their rights through force."

"They began planning an armed coup d'état."

"But the clan's strongest members were divided."

"One of them had been completely manipulated."

"And the other two still held illusions about the village, hoping to resolve things peacefully."

As Ren waved his hand, the scene before Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru changed again.

Images began unfolding before them.

Inside the secret chamber beneath the Naka Shrine, the Uchiha clan members argued passionately.

At the head of the room sat Fugaku Uchiha , attempting to calm the clan and smooth over their anger.

After several such meetings, even Fugaku could no longer suppress the clan's emotions.

The decision was finally made—

The Uchiha would launch a coup.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Shisui knelt before the Konoha elders—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.

He reported the situation of the Uchiha clan in full detail.

Even revealing the clan's deepest secrets.

Finally, Shisui explained his Mangekyō Sharingan ability and proposed using Kotoamatsukami to alter Fugaku's will and prevent the coup.

But Shisui failed to notice something.

Although Hiruzen verbally supported him—

The gaze he cast toward Shisui was filled with wariness.

One evening, Shimura Danzō summoned Shisui alone.

After exchanging a few casual words, he suddenly launched an ambush.

Shisui was far stronger than Danzō.

But he didn't know about the forbidden technique Izanagi.

Caught off guard, he lost one Mangekyō Sharingan and was forced to flee from a squad of Root ninja.

Using Susanoo, Shisui managed to break through their encirclement.

But when he later met Uchiha Itachi, despair had already taken hold.

Perhaps he didn't want to become the spark that ignited war between clan and village.

Perhaps he had simply lost all hope.

After entrusting everything to Itachi—

Shisui took his own life.

Itachi inherited Shisui's eye.

And also inherited his mission.

He became a double agent between the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

But unlike Shisui, who valued both sides equally—

Itachi's internal balance slowly shifted under Hiruzen's persuasion.

No.

Perhaps that balance had never favored the clan at all.

Instead, it favored only a few individuals within the clan.

And when Danzō separated one of those individuals from the rest—

The scale in Itachi's heart tilted entirely toward the village.

Danzō explained the situation to him:

If the Uchiha rebelled, Konoha would suffer severe losses.

But with the village's overall strength, the Uchiha could never succeed.

The result would only be one of two outcomes:

The Uchiha Clan would be annihilated.Konoha would be weakened and face invasion from other villages.

Then Danzō made a promise.

If Itachi carried out the massacre himself—

Uchiha Sasuke would be allowed to live.

And so, one night—

Itachi joined forces with a mysterious masked man.

Together they raised their blades against the Uchiha Clan.

Shinobi and civilians alike.

The elderly, the women, the children.

None were spared.

Inside his home, Fugaku Uchiha  knelt calmly.

His Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed in his eyes.

Yet he offered no resistance.

He simply waited—

For death.

...

"That," Ren said quietly, "is how the Uchiha Clan perished."

He smiled faintly.

"The order came from Shimura Danzō."

"The one who carried it out was an Uchiha himself."

"And the losses to the village were minimized."

"Truly worthy of the greatest Hokage's masterful scheme."

Jiraiya and Tsunade fell silent.

What could they possibly say?

Offer comfort?

The Uchiha had been wiped out—what good would empty words do?

Defend Hiruzen?

Even they wouldn't believe such excuses.

Tsunade herself had left the village because she couldn't stand Hiruzen's methods.

Seeing their silence, Ren added calmly:

"You don't need to look so grim."

"None of this has happened yet."

"And it won't happen anymore."

"The future has already changed."

Only then did Jiraiya and Tsunade realize—

Everything they had just witnessed was merely a possible future.

And whether it would truly happen was still uncertain.

Ren's genjutsu had simply been too realistic.

At that moment, Orochimaru spoke with a smile.

"Hehe… Ren-kun, I do have a small question."

"Why is it that in the future you showed us…"

"There was no trace of you at all?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade were startled.

Only now did they realize Orochimaru was right.

In all those visions—

Uchiha Ren never appeared.

That made no sense.

Ren was currently the Uchiha Clan Head, the Commander of the Military Police, and arguably the strongest shinobi in Konoha.

How could such an important figure be completely absent from the future?

Ren answered calmly.

"There's nothing mysterious about it."

"In the original timeline…"

"I died during the Third Shinobi World War."

"If I died back then, of course I wouldn't appear in the future."

"But for certain reasons…"

"I was able to glimpse the future."

"And thus I avoided my destined death."

"So my existence is proof that the future can be changed."

His crimson Sharingan flared brightly.

"My fate…"

"Is mine to decide."

"Not heaven's."

A terrifying aura erupted from Ren's body, shaking the entire genjutsu space.

Jiraiya: "..."

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"As expected of Ren-kun… that presence feels like facing the legendary 'Shinobi Asura.'"

Tsunade muttered:

"Typical… evil Uchiha…"

Each of them reacted differently.

Jiraiya and Tsunade became even more wary of Ren.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Ren withdrew his aura and ignored their reactions.

"Let's continue."

With a wave of his hand, the vision changed again.

Inside a dark laboratory, Orochimaru calmly conducted experiments on corpses lying on an operating table.

"Tch—Orochimaru, you bastard!"

Tsunade's anger immediately flared.

But Orochimaru simply watched silently, offering no explanation.

Ren spoke instead.

"Why are you so angry?"

"The one who set Orochimaru-senpai on this path…"

"Was your beloved teacher."

The vision shifted again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and several ANBU stormed into the laboratory.

After a brief confrontation, Orochimaru escaped.

From that day forward—

He became a Konoha S-rank missing-nin.

Time passed quickly.

The next scene showed Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage, arriving in Konoha for the Chūnin Exams.

After the battle between Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara, the Konoha Crush began.

Orochimaru kidnapped Hiruzen and leapt onto the rooftop.

Four of Orochimaru's subordinates erected the Four Violet Flames Formation, trapping Hiruzen inside.

They began their one-on-one battle.

The situation looked eerily similar to Danzō's rebellion earlier that day.

Only the participants and location were different.

Tsunade pressed a hand to her forehead.

She didn't even know what to say anymore.

The ANBU watching from outside the barrier was one thing.

But the other three Konoha elders never appeared.

Even elite jōnin like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy were seen fighting minor enemies while watching the battle from afar.

The heads of the major clans were nowhere to be seen either.

Not a single person seemed willing to save Hiruzen.

Had his reputation truly fallen that far?

"Where am I?" Jiraiya suddenly asked urgently.

"You said I was watching too—where was I?"

He still refused to believe he would abandon Hiruzen.

Ren waved his hand again.

The scene changed.

At the edge of Konoha, Jiraiya stood atop a massive toad carrying two swords.

It was Gamaken of Mount Myōboku.

Together they were fighting a three-headed giant serpent.

Jiraiya: "..."

Jiraiya fell silent.

He knew Gamaken well.

Gamaken was on the same level as Gamabunta, powerful enough to rival Manda of Ryūchi Cave.

Yet here they were—

Being stalled by a mere three-headed snake.

And Jiraiya himself was clearly holding back.

It was obvious.

The Jiraiya in the vision was deliberately wasting time.

He had truly chosen—

To abandon Hiruzen Sarutobi.

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