Naruto: Hatake's No Misfortune

---

At this time, Muzan had no concerns about the Uchiha. His focus was fully on the hospital.

The place was overrun with injured shinobi, and the beds were all occupied. Makeshift wooden platforms had been set up outside in the shaded areas, and many of the wounded lay on simple mats. If someone didn't make it, they would be wrapped in those same mats and buried nearby.

Muzan had been stationed on the front lines, treating wave after wave of casualties. He'd lost count of the lives he'd saved, the exhaustion weighing heavily on him. They had just survived a major battle, one that required him and the Third Hokage to unleash their strongest jutsu to suppress the Nine-Tails. The immense strain had left both of them weakened.

Now, after performing surgery after surgery, Muzan was exhausted, yet sheer willpower kept him from collapsing on the operating table.

"Nurse! Keep those with minor injuries off the beds!" Muzan commanded as he finished treating another patient. "They don't need chakra treatment—just disinfect, bandage, and send them home."

After several grueling days, they finally managed to tend to the wounded. As Muzan took a moment to rest, he noticed Uchiha Shisui standing downstairs, looking fatigued. Shisui must have been waiting there for days.

Even in his urgency, Shisui hadn't complained, understanding that the lives of the village's shinobi took priority.

"Come with me, Shisui," Muzan said.

The hospital was too chaotic for a conversation. Muzan led Shisui to a quieter spot and, noticing the troubled look on Shisui's face, got straight to the point.

"This is about the Uchiha, isn't it?"

"Muzan-san," Shisui replied, "I've gained new strength, but I still don't see a way to secure peace for both the village and the Uchiha."

As he spoke, his Sharingan shifted. The tomoe swirled into a new shape—the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was evident that the recent turmoil had awakened this power within him.

Despite the strength he now wielded, Shisui lacked direction. He looked to Muzan for guidance, knowing he was one of the few who could provide it.

"The Uchiha are on the brink of breaking away from the village," Muzan said, "but the real problem goes deeper. There's division within the Uchiha clan itself."

Muzan had long observed the internal rifts in the Uchiha clan, and he feared more members would join the hawkish faction—a faction that resented the village's leadership and felt oppressed.

"Even with your new power, preventing the clan's collapse will require drastic action," Muzan continued. "You have two choices: let the division fester, leading to ruin, or make the difficult choice to remove those who threaten the clan's stability from within."

"The Fourth Hokage offers an opportunity," Muzan added. "He's willing to extend some leeway to the Uchiha, but only if you act now. Remove the hawkish faction, display the strength of the clan, and join forces with your clan leader to confront the man claiming to be Uchiha Madara who attacked the village with the Nine-Tails."

"Unite the clan, show your strength, and collaborate with the village."

Muzan's words struck a chord. Reform would mean bloodshed, but it was the only way to preserve the Uchiha. A unified, strong clan might find peace under the Fourth Hokage's leadership and the Third Hokage's sense of balance. But if division continued, destruction was certain.

Shisui's expression softened as Muzan's words took root in his heart, dispelling some of the despair he'd carried.

"Thank you, Muzan-san, for your guidance."

Shisui understood that Muzan's advice was harsh, yet true. It was the only way to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village.

"I know what I have to do now."

With newfound resolve, Shisui turned and left. Muzan watched him go, knowing that Shisui's path would soon be marred with blood. With the Mangekyō Sharingan, only Uchiha Fugaku might stand in his way.

"It all depends on Uchiha Fugaku's next move," Muzan thought.

The tension surrounding the Uchiha was escalating by the day. Since the Nine-Tails' attack, Namikaze Minato had been monitoring the clan. The aftermath of the attack had reawakened old conflicts, and Minato had been receiving intelligence on the clan's activities.

Despite mounting concerns, the Fourth Hokage had refrained from taking decisive action. Recently, he'd received a letter from Uchiha Fugaku stating that there was no sign of Uchiha Madara within the clan. However, the letter contained something else, something that demanded careful consideration.

"The hawkish faction within the Uchiha is becoming bolder," Muzan mused. "They're even prepared to ally with outsiders."

During the Third Great Ninja War, Kumogakure harbored deep resentment toward Konoha. The conflict had barely ended when Kumo's gaze shifted back to Konoha, with new skirmishes erupting along the border. Some among the Uchiha had already struck secret deals with them.

"The Uchiha and the Cloud..."

It was a line that couldn't be crossed. Even the lenient Fourth Hokage would respond with overwhelming force if Konoha's stability was threatened. The implications of that letter were unmistakable—treason.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha were undergoing a transformation.

Muzan didn't know the full details, as much was being kept internal, but he sensed the pace of rebellion accelerating. A reorganization of power within the village seemed inevitable.

Later, after his time at the hospital, Muzan sat at home, reviewing his research notes. Kakashi arrived, hurriedly packing his gear, including a stack of explosive tags.

"In a rush, Kakashi? Haven't even eaten?" Muzan asked.

Kakashi didn't stop packing. "No time. There's trouble at the border with the Land of Lightning. The village is still recovering from the Nine-Tails' attack, and Kumo isn't going to miss this chance."

The Nine-Tails' rampage had left Konoha vulnerable. With much of the older generation dead or injured, younger shinobi like Kakashi were stepping up. As a former student of the Fourth Hokage and an ANBU captain, Kakashi's responsibilities had only grown.

"Those Cloud shinobi don't let up, do they?" Muzan commented, watching Kakashi prepare.

---

Muzan had little interest in Kumogakure. The last war had left the village crippled, with most of its elite shinobi dead or severely injured. Now, Kumogakure faced a serious problem: a lack of resources and support.

With Kakashi's strength, he wouldn't face much danger on the road. In fact, staying in the village might have pulled him into the brewing tensions within the Uchiha clan.

After Shisui left the hospital, he went directly to speak with Uchiha Fugaku. He even considered using Kotoamatsukami to force Fugaku to go along with his plan, but he knew how desperate and risky that would be.

In the end, their views aligned more closely than either had expected.

In the original timeline, the Uchiha were destroyed in part due to the Fourth Hokage's death. Danzo intervened, ensuring the entire clan was wiped out, with only one survivor left.

"I didn't expect you to have this power as well. Be cautious with it—it could cost you your sight," Fugaku said, his gaze steady on Shisui, whose Mangekyō Sharingan glimmered with newfound power.

At his young age, Shisui's accomplishments were impressive. Among the entire Uchiha clan, only one other could rival him: Fugaku himself. Together, they were strong enough to crush dissent within the clan.

"I've already contacted the Fourth Hokage. He's open to working with us," Shisui explained. "With your support, we can cleanse our clan and save it."

But preparation was essential. They'd coordinated with Namikaze Minato to avoid a full-scale massacre of the Hawk faction, preventing him from turning against them entirely. Fugaku knew they needed to carefully shape public opinion, using this opportunity to remove the stigma around the Uchiha.

Muzan sensed the heightened tension in the village as public opinion fluctuated.

After checking on the ANBU in the hospital, he noticed they hurriedly left. Something big was coming.

"Hmm?"

A masked figure appeared beside Muzan and handed him a scroll.

"Muzan-sama, your mission is to assist in collecting Sharingan from the Uchiha clan."

"Danzo..." Muzan muttered. The old man was relentless in his obsession with the Uchiha's power. With Sharingan eyes already implanted onto his arm, he would never pass up an opportunity to seize more.

"It seems tonight is the night we move against the Uchiha."

"No, Muzan-sama. We're only here to surround them; someone else will handle the internal matters," the figure clarified.

Muzan read the orders and then incinerated the scroll with a Fire Release technique, carefully considering the risks.

A delicate balance had been struck between the Uchiha and village leadership. Deploying ANBU was clearly approved by Minato Namikaze. Tonight's purge was strictly internal, led by Shisui and others within the Uchiha.

"Shisui must have accepted that tonight will end in bloodshed," Muzan thought, as he donned his mask once more, his demeanor shifting to one of cold determination.

The sun set, casting an eerie silence over the village streets, while pairs of shinobi moved across the rooftops, keeping a distance from the Uchiha compound. They were under orders to wait until the Uchiha acted, ensuring no one escaped.

Muzan and his team infiltrated the compound, listening to the heated discussions within.

"The village suppresses us at every turn! It's time we show them the Uchiha's strength!"

"Our proud clan has never bowed since the Warring States period. The Fourth Hokage expects us to surrender? Never!"

"Let them see the might of the Uchiha! Tomorrow, we'll send a squad to assassinate Namikaze Minato!"

Muzan shook his head. No wonder they were doomed, he thought, using an Earth Release technique to hide underground until a scream interrupted the meeting.

"What are you doing, traitors? You've turned against us!"

"Kill them! They've allied with the village!"

The night was chaotic as violence erupted.

"Move out," Muzan ordered, leading his group into the compound to complete their mission. This internal purge was swift and dishonorable, and bodies were dealt with quickly to erase evidence.

Fighting brought inevitable casualties, and as the screams echoed, the Uchiha clan found itself swallowed by a vortex of terror.

Muzan gathered a collection of Sharingan, though he had no intention of giving them to Danzo.

Under the leadership of Shisui and Fugaku, who both wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan, resistance was minimal. Any Uchiha who attempted to escape met ANBU forces waiting just outside.

The mission was simple: no one was allowed to leave, whether they were loyal or rebellious. ANBU followed orders without compromise.

Amid the carnage, Muzan observed the sheer ruthlessness with which Shisui executed his duty.

With Shisui's Mangekyō, his potential was boundless.

Suddenly, an injured Uchiha clansman burst out, spotting Muzan as he collected the eyes. The man lunged with a kunai, rage flaring in his eyes.

"Traitorous ANBU! How dare you do this to us!"

Muzan assessed the man as a Hawk faction member. Without hesitation, he extended his right hand, piercing the man's heart. As the Uchiha fell, shock clear in his gaze, Muzan calmly moved past his body, noticing a young child nearby clutching a kunai.

The courtyard was littered with fallen Uchiha, the survivors struggling to comprehend the brutality.

Among them stood the culprit.

"Uchiha Itachi! You will pay!"

---