Dust-Sealed Fear

Konoha, the Uchiha Compound.

When the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the heads of various clans stepped into the courtyard, a solemn look appeared in everyone's eyes, and even many members of the smaller clans showed fear.

At a glance, from inside the house to both sides of the courtyard, there were Uchiha Clan ninjas dressed in black. Under each face, everyone could clearly see that they were all the elites of the clan.

It's normal for this group of people to appear after the death of the family head, but the determination in their eyes, and even the nakedly oppressive look in their eyes, is something else.

With the clan head just gone, shouldn't the Uchiha Clan at least experience some turmoil, if not unrest? For example, a power struggle for the clan headship, or a chaotic atmosphere. How come they find that these elite Uchiha are still acting like wolves?

Something's not right.

Accompanying him were members of the Konoha F4 leadership; after all, with the Uchiha Clan Head in trouble, they naturally had to come. However, the moment Danzo sensed something was amiss, he narrowed his one eye, revealing a sinister glint.

He secretly gestured to Sarutobi, but the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained calm and without hesitation, slowly stepping into the house with a sorrowful expression.

"The Third Hokage"

The moment they entered the room, everyone's expression changed. The Konoha F4 leaders, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and other major clans all showed solemn expressions.

Inside the mourning hall, at the positions of Elders Uchiha Yoru and Elder Uchiha Setsuna, and observing the changing expressions of all the Uchiha inside and outside the room, they all understood one thing: the Uchiha had chosen their own clan leader.

Everyone's expression changed slightly, but a hint of regret appeared deep in Shimura Danzō's eyes. He should have created some chaos earlier, at least causing some infighting within the Uchiha.

After entering, the group paid their respects to the deceased former Uchiha clan head, then turned to nod to the family members and the new Uchiha clan head.

"I feel deeply ashamed about what happened to Fugaku."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, as expected of someone who has held power in Konoha for so many years, wore a sorrowful expression that revealed no flaw whatsoever.

"The assassination of our former clan leader demands an explanation from the Third Hokage Uchiha Clan!"

Suddenly, Uchiha Yoru nodded to the Third Hokage as a sign of respect, but his next words were like a thunderbolt.

In Konoha, besides himself, who else dared to Sarutobi like this? Instantly, Shimura Danzō revealed his sinister one eye and roared angrily.

"Insolence! Uchiha Yoru, you are too arrogant!"

In an instant, the dozens of Uchiha in the room all showed solemn expressions. Under the fearful gazes of the various clans, the room was filled with blood-red Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Glug!

Some people were so shocked by this scene that they secretly swallowed their saliva. They already knew that the Uchiha Clan was arrogant, but this was just too damn arrogant.

The pressure from Three Tomoe Sharingan was unprecedented. Faced with such pressure, Shimura Danzō revealed a sinister look, as if to say, "Just wait and see, the Uchiha Clan has finally shown its fangs."

"I have already sent people to investigate the murder of Fugaku, but the information has not yet been received."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, showed no change in expression; his face remained sorrowful, as if he hadn't seen anything around him. Instead, he spoke heavily to Uchiha Yoru.

It was as if he was grieving the sudden loss of such a powerful fighting force in the village.

It must be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi truly deserves his reputation as the most senior Hokage, capable of overpowering countless geniuses and presiding over Konoha for decades. His composure in the face of imminent collapse speaks volumes.

However, Uchiha Yoru seemed to have been prepared all along, calmly looking at the short old Hiruzen Sarutobi, before him. As they looked at each other, it seemed as if both of them wanted to see through what the other was thinking.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi sorrowful, but he was secretly sweating bullets. Could Danzo have left some leverage over him? Damn it, don't mess things up at this time. If you anger the Uchiha Clan, Konoha will be in turmoil.

"Third Hokage, the route taken by Clan Chief Fugaku back was leaked, and there was also betrayal involved. It would be very difficult for an outsider to do that."

As Uchiha Yoru spoke calmly, the Great Clans were also curious to know what had happened this time.

"Danzo Shimura, head of the Root Shimura Danzō, everyone knows your opinion of the Uchiha. You don't need to look at me with that threatening gaze."

Suddenly, Uchiha Yoru changed the subject and looked directly at Shimura Danzō, who had one sinister eye showing, and confronted him. However, his next words caught everyone off guard.

"Aburame Clan Head, please wait a moment."

Uchiha Yoru's words were somewhat puzzling, while Shibi Aburame was the least noticeable person in the crowd, simply nodded slightly upon hearing them, saying nothing. As for her expression, it was impossible to tell from her sunglasses and high collar that covered half her face.

"Bring this person up."

Uchiha Yoru suddenly gave a soft order, and three Konoha Ninjas were immediately brought forward in a disheveled state, a scene that shocked everyone.

"They are the Leading Jonin, the son of the Uchiha Clan Head, and two Genin teammates. By the way, this Jōnin's surname Sarutobi."

Before Uchiha Yoru Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a calm tone, but Shimura Danzō was enraged. He had always despised this race, and now they were so arrogant, he naturally couldn't tolerate it.

"Uchiha Yoru! You captured your own village ninja without permission, and even abused torture Ninjutsu against them! Who gave you the audacity?! Who gave your Uchiha Clan the audacity?!"

Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu had been high above others for so many years that they had long been accustomed to this feeling of being above everyone else. Suddenly, their authority was challenged, and after Danzo made his move, the others frowned.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, while Shimura Danzō seized the opportunity to invoke the rules to pressure his opponent, which was both reasonable and justifiable. For a moment, the heads of various clans frowned and showed their dissatisfaction.

All the Uchiha elites inside the room frowned, their concern stemming from the fact that the three men appeared listless and on the verge of fainting, clearly indicating they had undergone mental torture.

"Who gave me the audacity? Who gave the Uchiha Clan the audacity?"

Faced with this question, Uchiha Yoru slowly stood up, glanced at everyone, and finally fixed his gaze on the short Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, revealing his arrogant eyes.

"By order of the Second Hokage himself, and under the witness of the First Hokage, the Uchiha Clan has established Konoha Military Police Force, responsible for managing all public order within Konoha, with powers including arrest, investigation, mission execution, interrogation, and weaponry!"

Uchiha Yoru stared at the Third Hokage with an undisguised and imposing gaze, even though it was Shimura Danzō had reprimanded him.

Faced with this blatant disregard, Shimura Danzō terrifyingly ugly. Which of the major clan leaders in Konoha dared to be so presumptuous?

It seems that their long-standing respect for the Konoha High Command has led them to believe that their status is above that of the major clans, and they readily enjoy everything that comes with power.

Although the Konoha Military Police Force is one of the Konoha Six Departments, in terms of power, only the Root and Anbu can rival it.

"As for who gave me the courage?"

As he said this, Uchiha Yoru slowly curled up a mocking smile, his eyes sweeping over the elite members of his clan, and a firm and solemn expression gradually appeared on his face as he shouted.

"Konoha was founded by the Senju and Uchiha clans working together to quell the chaos of the world. It was the Uchiha surname that gave me the courage!"

The voice landed with a powerful, resounding echo, and as the echo lingered in their ears, everyone's expression changed.

How many years has it been since anyone mentioned this matter? So long that even the Uchiha Clan themselves have almost forgotten it, forgotten their status as the masters of this village, so long that they were initially somewhat afraid of the Hokage's power.

Meanwhile, the various clans of Konoha felt a chill run down their spines. Exchanging bewildered glances, they realized they were in deep trouble. This time, the Uchiha Clan had produced a wolf cub, someone they couldn't possibly handle.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed with a cold light, but his hoarse cough instantly ruined the atmosphere.

In an instant, the atmosphere that Uchiha Yoru had been building up vanished. With just a cough, everyone's attention was drawn to the Third Hokage.

It must be said that when masters clash, every move can be fatal.

Uchiha Yoru was secretly tense; he dared not relax for even a moment when fighting this old fox.

"Should I dispatch my Anbu to assist in the investigation of these three individuals?"

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still had that expression of being immersed in grief, and directly acknowledged that the Konoha Military Police Force had the right to do these things.

"All departments in Konoha are willing to fully assist the Konoha Military Police Force in investigating this incident."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's skills were already highly refined, but this time the two sides were not competing on a level playing field, and the information gap had already determined everything.

Uchiha Yoru stared intently at the Third Hokage with a solemn expression, slowly taking out a scroll from his robes.

"The memories of these three individuals have been extracted and copied. Our Uchiha Clan has already obtained information that was leaked from them. In addition, when our clan leader was betrayed and assassinated, although they were all suicide soldiers, their bodies can still prove everything."

At Uchiha Yoru's signal, several Uchiha ninjas slowly placed stretchers in front of the crowd. When the white sheets were lifted, mutilated corpses were revealed.

Some had their heads severed, others had their hearts pierced, and some were even cut in half at the waist, all while undergoing preservation treatment.

Everyone frowned upon seeing this scene, Uchiha Yoru coldly said, "These people all have seals on them, which will be triggered the moment they lose their life force. They all have poison hidden in their teeth, and there are restrictions in their minds."

At this point, Uchiha Yoru bowed deeply to the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said, "At the time, we used Lightning Release Ninjutsu to destroy and paralyze the Sealing Jutsu, thus preserving this evidence. However, our Uchiha Clan is not skilled in Sealing Jutsu, so we entrust this to the Hokage-sama."

Since the Uchiha isn't skilled in Sealing Jutsu, then the only option is the Sealing Team.

However, at this moment Shimura Danzō's face was gloomy, fortunately his face was not good to begin with, and Hiruzen Sarutobi also frowned slightly.

"By the way, we've discovered a clue. It seems that the forces that ambushed Chief Fugaku this time are the same group that encountered and attacked Shinnosuke."

A blatant, overt scheme!

He was involved in Shinnosuke's affairs, so he could easily leave the same minute trace on these corpses.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed, and he gave the boy in front of him a deep look, seemingly doubting the truth of his words.

Shimura Danzō's face was terribly gloomy, and he was filled with resentment. He was the one who did the Uchiha thing, but Shinnosuke really wasn't him.

But the way the other party said it made it seem like they wanted to find out something. More importantly, he did have the idea of plotting against Shinnosuke back then, and he did indeed do some tricks around Shinnosuke.

Damn it! This is the pain of losing Hiruzen Sarutobi child! No matter how good their relationship was, cracks will inevitably appear.

"I will immediately order the Sealing Team and the Anbu to investigate this matter together with the Konoha Military Police Force."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted with a powerful and resolute voice, appearing so righteous and awe-inspiring at that moment.

My condolences!

This was Uchiha Yoru's first direct confrontation with Konoha High Command's leadership, and he gained the upper hand after taking the initiative in the first round.

This scene made Elder Setsuna to the side, secretly breathe a sigh of relief. This kid's skills were truly beyond what one should have for his age.

Similarly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's defense is also impenetrable when he is in a passive state.

The various clans of Konoha also witnessed the fall of their clan leader Uchiha Fugaku, and the charisma of their new clan leader, a young and energetic man, just like his age.

Everyone silently mourned the family members and turned to leave. However, just as Sarutobi Hi Uchiha clan leader came from behind them again.

"Third Hokage, the Uchiha Clan has suffered heavy casualties. However, in order to protect the village and uphold the honor of the Konoha Military Police Force, effective immediately, the sixth, seventh, eighth, and Ninth Division of the Konoha Military Police Force will recruit elite ninjas from the village to join us in protecting the village's safety."

"At the same time, recall some of the Uchiha stationed on the front lines in various locations. Konoha absolutely cannot allow a repeat of the incidents involving Shin'nosuke Sarutobi and Fugaku!"

Boom!

Uchiha Yoru's actions this time were a blatant attempt to expand his forces while simultaneously consolidating them.

Moreover, they justified their actions by claiming that the duty of the Public Konoha Military Police Force is to ensure the stability of Konoha. Now that two major incidents have occurred within the territory of Konoha in the Land of Fire, doesn't that mean they have failed in their duties?

Therefore, strengthening our forces is both reasonable and justifiable. Personally, it's already quite generous of our Uchiha Clan to not have lost a clan leader; what more do you want? Besides, your son is dead too, and it seems there are other connections involved.

Shimura Danzō almost lost his temper when he heard this, all because this brat seized the opportunity.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly raised his hand and stopped Danzo's anger.

However, as they turned around, a pair of scarlet Sharingan appeared in everyone's sight, instantly bringing back the fears buried deep in everyone's minds, and a collective gasp rang out.

Seeking support