AN: It's ya boi, the forgotten man. I got another break after J-term (A small term my college has between fall and spring semester) so I'm putting out another chapter since I have time. A lot of new readers and friends have joined us in this story, and many reviews have been made that I haven't managed to reply to, but I hope you all know that I'm glad to have you all.

Onto the chapter!

Note: I don't own Naruto or its respective contents.

Akakiryu and his father spent a couple more days camping by the lake before they eventually returned back to Konoha. Both Kuro and Akakiryu got some much-needed rest and relaxation, but now they needed to get back to their official duties. Akakiryu especially as a newly promoted Tokubetsu Jonin that needed to prove himself.

The young redheaded ninja thus began his new mission to learn from the medic-nin of Konoha's general hospital. Gaining both skills in medical ninjutsu and standard medical knowledge required. His days began to blur by, training daily in medical ninjutsu and spending his off-hours improving his other skills. He was so busy in fact, that even Shisui and Itachi joked about how he didn't have any time to spend with them. Which was, by all accounts, rather rich coming from the two prodigious Uchiha boys.

Sure enough, several months came and went and soon Akakiryu turned 7, and more importantly, Sasuke had turned 6.

As such, the wake-up call came a couple of days before Sasuke prepared to join the academy.

Akakiryu was walking back from his day at the hospital. He ended up putting in quite a few hours of overtime due to an influx of patients and he was on-call for the hospital due to his skills having surpassed many doctors at this point.

But when he arrived home, he was met by Kuro leaning against the front of the house, clearly waiting for him.

"Father? What might you need?" Akakiryu asked curiously, as he hadn't seen the man in weeks now. In fact, the last time they truly spoke was on their little vacation, several months ago.

"Come inside, I need to tell you something. Privately." Kuro had a serious look on his face, and the air around him was unnatural.

They went inside the house and sat down.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

Kuro let out a brief sigh and then looked Akakiryu dead in the eyes. "The clan is having a meeting tonight. You're expected to be there."

"A meeting? What for?" Akakiryu asked calmly, but he felt a dread rise in himself internally.

"That's not important right now. You'll learn everything tonight. Tonight, go to the Naka shrine. In the main hall, beneath the seventh tatami mat from the far right, the meeting will be held." Kuro said nothing more and disappeared in a body flicker.

Thus, Akakiryu knew, the day was close. The beginning of end times. He needed to move forward with his plan.

Night came, and Akakiryu left for his clan's shrine. He met up with more of his clansmen as he walked, each of them looking solemn. Some acknowledged him whilst most seemed to be in their own world.

There was a gathering of Uchiha outside of the shrine, an orderly line of men and women leading inside. The line proceeded and eventually, Akakiryu found himself in the secret meeting place beneath the temple. He sat on one of the many prepared cushions in the middle of the crowd, nodding in acknowledgment to Fugaku who had opened his eyes to glance at him as he entered.

Shisui, Kuro, and Itachi eventually arrived before the time was due. Kuro, to Akakiryu's worry, moved to sit beside Fugaku. Shisui sat beside Akakiryu whilst Itachi was motioned to sit at the front by Fugaku, which happened to be next to his mother. Kuro didn't even look at his son.

Soon it was time to start.

"Hello, my fellow clansmen. This meeting is one that has been expected, rather, demanded for quite a long time. Today we have gathered to discuss the leaf's treatment of our clan." Fugaku ended with a grimace. Agitated murmurs broke out as he finished. Some in concern, some in anger, others in expectation.

"Since the day that the Kyubi attacked, we have been corralled to this corner of the leaf. Surrounded by the other clans as if we were animals in a show. Our businesses have suffered from this isolation, partly from our poor location, and partly from the citizens distancing themselves from us. Our funding is less than half of what it was years ago, being cut almost every year for various nonsensical reasons. Our concerns brushed off by the other clans, each more concerned with their own interests. We are but a few years away from withering to be a forgotten clan."

The room was practically a wasps' nest, buzzing in anger and zeal. Fugaku's words were met with heartfelt agreement, almost every person in the room having experienced something similar.

"I have endured with endless patience. I have had much loyalty to the leaf, spending my entire life in service to it, but I have met with dead ends and setbacks continuously in my quest for fair treatment for the Uchiha. I refuse to try any longer. So, I propose this. From today on, we plan. We shall plan to remove the sick and corrupt roots of the leaf, cleansing the village in one go, and have the Uchiha become the new foundation that will support this once-great village. We, the Uchiha, will rebel. Do you agree?"

"We agree!" The room agreed in a chorus of voices, very few stayed silent. Except, of course, Shisui, Itachi, and Akakiryu.

"Good." Fugaku nodded grimly. "Stand up Itachi." Itachi stood up as he was told. He stood silently, still in his ANBU gear from his mission earlier in the day.

"My son, Itachi, has joined the ANBU. He is in a great position to gather information on those we will need to deal with, and his prodigious strength will no doubt serve us well." He nodded to Itachi, who expressionlessly sat back down.

"Kuro." Kuro stood up from beside Fugaku. "Kuro has been a Jonin of the leaf for a long time, and his years of experience will be crucial to our success. He will assist me in heading this plan. Now let us discuss."

The various Uchiha men and women gathered began to discuss anything necessary to the plan. What clans needed special care, various leaders and people that needed to be dealt with first, and how to handle the Hokage and the elders. No one really seemed to talk about how they would handle the aftermath. Everyone was too concerned with getting rid of their perceived oppressors.

Shisui had shared a few concerned glances with Akakiryu and they both decided to stay silent, no doubt understanding that the room was too heated to hear any dissenting opinions. Itachi and his mother stayed silent at the front, whilst Fugaku and Kuro headed the discussions.

For the first time, Akakiryu realized the weight that Kuro carried for his clan. A weight that has been crushing him over the years, combined with the weight of his wife's death. Kuro was, and is, undoubtedly a man who has fallen victim to the Uchiha's curse of love and hate.

The meeting eventually ended; some progress was made but it was clear that more meetings would need to be held in the future.

Shisui spoke briefly to Akakiryu after the meeting on their way home. In a hushed voice, he said, "Ryu, don't worry about all of this. The clan is just riled up currently. I'm sure things will end up okay. Itachi and I can handle it."

Akakiryu looked at his cousin, "Shisui, I'm not sure if we were in the same meeting or not, but it's clear that our clan wouldn't shy away from even war if it came down to it. And I fear that war would be the inevitable result of such a revolt. It's either war with our own village or war with other villages after they learn about us successfully throwing a revolt."

Shisui scratched his head, "You know, sometimes I forget that you're not just a kid. But look, Ryu, there's really nothing you can do about it right now. Itachi and I, on the other hand, can. You just need to trust us, alright? We've known about this happening for a while now, and we have some plans. Relax and have faith in us."

The crimson-haired boy gave a small nod, but he knew what would happen.

The death of the Uchiha was near.

The meeting had ended an hour ago and everyone had long since returned to their homes to either go to sleep or to stew in their riled-up emotions. Akakiryu sat on the edge of their porch to their backyard, pondering about what was to come.

"Son."

Akakiryu turned to meet the approaching image of his father. Kuro sat down next to his son and gazed at the night sky. The stars were especially clear thanks to it being a new moon tonight.

"You were quiet at the meeting and now you sit here. What troubles you?"

The boy turned to his father. "This decision. The idea of revolt. It makes no sense to me."

Kuro sighed, "Ryu, you are still too young to understand it seems. Despite your strength, and regardless of your intellect, you still do not see that we, the Uchiha, are backed in a corner. We have been pushed to our limits for years now, and it would be insulting to endure any longer. This is the only way left for us. The only path for the Uchiha."

Akakiryu turned back to the sky, "So be it. I will play my role for the Uchiha. I serve the clan."

An odd light past Kuro's eyes, and for a moment his Mangekyo Sharingan shone, but soon it was normal. His eyes returned to black and he spoke with a small smile, "Good. I'm proud of you, son. I will expect you at the next meeting."

Akakiryu nodded, his eyes locked on the sky as if trying to find the star that shined that brightest. Kuro got up and left to go to bed.

The boy sat there, stewing in thought for a while before his expression hardened at a decision made.

It was the middle of the night, but something had kept Hiruzen Sarutobi up. He sat upright on his futon, a bed that he shared by himself since the Kyubi's attack had killed his wife so long ago. It was rare since that night that he might get any restful sleep, but he always tried to at least rest his eyes.

Instead he sat there, troubled by a discomfort unknown.

A tap on the window soon disturbed him, and a glance at the window disturbed him further. A black owl sat on his windowsill; a message container strapped to its leg.

"You are?" Hiruzen looked closer at the owl but soon came to a decision. He opened the window for the owl, and it raised its leg for him, encouraging him to take the message.

He removed a small scroll of paper from the container, and he unfurled the scroll to read it.

"Tomorrow a common man will come to talk of his woes. I encourage you to clear your schedule to meet him."

There was no signature or anything to indicate who it came from, but Hiruzen was aware of the one person who could summon black owls in his village. The boy's sensei had informed him of it. Akakiryu Uchiha.

'What could the boy want with me? And why the secrecy?'

Hiruzen shook his head and sighed. He was going to have a lot of paperwork that he was going to need to catch up on after tomorrow.

Akakiryu went to the hospital the next day just as he usually would. Talking with doctors and nurses, shadowing some Medic-nin in their duties, and treating patients. Well, treating the patients that would accept treatment from a 7-year-old. However, in the middle of the day, after Akakiryu had returned from his lunch break, a man approached the Hokage's tower.

A man with brown hair, brown eyes, average looks with an average stature, approached the Hokage's secretary who sat behind her desk located beside the stairs leading up to the Hokage's office.

"Hello, em, I would like to see the Lord Hokage, please." The man scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous grin.

The secretary gave a smiled and asked, "Okay, what would your visit be about?"

"Well, I have been having trouble with some shinobi at my store. I know I should be bringing this to the Konoha Military Police, but well, I feel uncomfortable in doing so." The man offered another nervous grin.

The secretary nodded in understanding, "Okay, well, Lord Hokage isn't busy right now so you can just go up to see him after you sign in." The man nodded in agreement, wrote down his information on the sign-in sheet, and then went up the stairs. The secretary took a glance at the sign-in sheet but didn't see the man's details written anywhere. 'Odd, I know I saw him write something. I'll have to stop him for his info when he comes back down.'

The common-looking man appeared outside the Hokage's office and saw that the doors were open, so he went inside and bowed before the Hokage's desk. "Lord Hokage."

"Yes, hello. And who might you be?" Hiruzen smiled at the man.

He rose from his bow and returned a nervous grin to the Hokage as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, I'm no one of any importance, just a common man."

Hiruzen's eyes flashed in understanding. He glanced to the side, "Please, leave us for a moment."

The room seemed to get a little brighter as shadows left it, and the doors seemed to close on their own.

"We're alone now."

The man nodded before a buff of smoke surrounded his figure. As the smoke drifted away, it revealed a young crimson-haired boy standing for the Hokage's desk.

"Ryu, what did you want to speak with me about? And in such secrecy?" Hiruzen was immensely curious to know.

Akakiryu dropped to a knee and lowered his head, displaying the seriousness of the situation. "Lord Hokage, allow me to be blunt." Hiruzen leaned forward, adopting a stern expression.

"The Uchiha intend to rebel."

AN: Ayooo, and that's it. Now, we all know that snitches get stitches, so we'll have to see what happens after Akakiryu has revealed everything to the Hokage. I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, as we're finally getting into the dreaded moment for every Uchiha, as Akakiryu moves on his plans.

I'll try to get another chapter out before my break ends.

Till next time,

~ Seeker