Am I a Criminal?

"Arrest Uchiha Kagato? No! Arrest the entire Uchiha Kagato family."

Danzō opposed with a grim expression.

"Since Uchiha Kagato took action against Root, he is suspected of treason. His entire family must be arrested to prevent the worst outcome."

The Third Hokage firmly refused.

"No! I believe arresting the entire Uchiha Kagato family is the worst outcome. This will only incite the dissatisfaction of the Uchiha Clan."

Danzō snorted coldly.

"The Uchiha Clan is an evil clan. Their dissatisfaction is already clear for all to see. What harm is there in adding a little more? The most important thing now is to prevent the Uchiha Kagato family's rebellion."

"Precisely because their dissatisfaction is already clear, we cannot add more. Moreover, it was Kagato who acted against Root; it has nothing to do with his family."

"Nothing to do with it? Hiruzen, you're being foolish! How can a child's actions have nothing to do with their parents? Perhaps his parents instigated him to attack Root. I believe we need to arrest the entire Uchiha Kagato family!"

"Absolutely not! In any case, I will not arrest Kagato's parents here."

"Hmph, then I will arrest his parents in the name of Root."

"Danzō! You—"

"Hiruzen! If there are things you cannot do, then let me do them for you. Don't worry, if your side determines Uchiha Kagato is innocent, I will release his parents as well."

The conversation ended in this manner.

Noon.

Kagato's training ground was surrounded by several Jonin.

"Uchiha Kagato, by order of the Third Hokage, you are now under arrest."

Kagato looked at these Jonin in disbelief. While he had expected that killing Root members last night wouldn't end without consequences, he never imagined that the Third Hokage would issue an arrest warrant for him on the very next day.

Since when did the Third Hokage collude with Danzō?

Kagato asked calmly.

"May I ask the reason?"

The Jonin replied expressionlessly.

"You deliberately killed a Root member and are suspected of treason."

Kagato was stunned.

"Deliberately killed? Treason? Heh heh..."

At this moment, Kagato's heart turned cold. It seemed Danzō had framed him. The problem was, the Third Hokage appeared to believe him.

This was not the first time Kagato had been disappointed with Konoha, but this time, it was particularly severe.

Being wrongly accused felt terrible, especially when the false accusation was solidified.

"I understand. I'll go with you."

Kagato did not resist and followed them obediently. Several Jonin were a force he couldn't possibly contend with at his current strength.

Meanwhile, at Kagato's home, Root members were everywhere, barging in without hesitation.

Several female members roughly grabbed Yuko Uchiha and took her away without a word.

Over at the Konoha Military Police Force, Danzō personally went and, after a few cold words with Fugaku, a group of Root members took away Uchiha Takashi.

Thus, Kagato's entire family was arrested. This incident caused an uproar in the Uchiha Clan, and their anger erupted instantly. How could the village arrest Uchiha members without even consulting them?

Moreover, arresting people was the job of the Konoha Military Police Force; why let Root handle it? Did they have any respect for the Uchiha?

Fugaku personally sought out the Third Hokage to plead for Kagato's family, but the Third Hokage rejected his plea, stating that he would release them once the truth was revealed.

Of course, Kagato knew none of this.

After being taken away by the Jonin, his eyes were covered with a black cloth, seemingly to prevent him from remembering the route and escaping, or perhaps out of fear of his Sharingan.

His wrists were also bound by shackles with a sealing jutsu. This prevented Kagato from forming hand seals or using any ninjutsu. Furthermore, the sealing jutsu suppressed Kagato's chakra. As long as the shackles remained, Kagato would never be able to use chakra.

Soon, Kagato was brought into a dimly lit room. Even here, the black cloth over his eyes was not removed. It seemed they were still wary of his Sharingan.

Roughly pushed into the room by the Jonin, Kagato, unable to see anything, fumbled around until he found a place to sit and cautiously lowered himself down.

The former genius, now a prisoner based on a few words from Danzō, had to admit it was quite ironic.

For the next few days, Kagato saw nothing and no one spoke to him. Food was delivered only once a day, keeping Kagato in a constant state of lethargy, unable to attempt any escape.

His hands were still bound by the shackles, making it a struggle for Kagato to even eat each meal.

Third Hokage, am I a criminal?

Kagato said nothing, merely asking the question silently in his heart.

His current treatment was no different from that of a heinous criminal.

Why would the Third Hokage do this? He shouldn't have. Didn't he understand the truth of the matter?

Kagato suddenly thought of someone. Perhaps the Third Hokage knew the truth, but he was too risk-averse. Maybe he thought it would be good for Kagato to suffer a little, to appease Danzō and prevent him from acting against Kagato.

Scoffs

The way Kagato is being treated is pretty much the same as how Naruto is being treated. It's all about protecting the target by making them suffer immensely, so that others can rest easy and not lay a hand on them.

Kagato doesn't want to say anything about it. He just keeps lingering on the brink of death day after day. No one comes to see him, and no one talks to him. He only gets one meal a day. All these conditions are forcing Kagato to stay on the edge of death.

Hokage's Office.

Shisui knelt on one knee, facing the Third Hokage, and pleaded.

"Lord Hokage, I can vouch for Kagato. Root members attacked Kagato first; he didn't kill Root members on his own."

The Third Hokage frowned, his face full of distress.

"Shisui, I know all of that, but you didn't witness it yourself. Right now, only people saw Kagato attack two Root members. There's no evidence proving Root attacked Kagato first."

Shisui spoke urgently.

"But, Lord Danzō, I swear on my name as Shisui the Body Flicker, Kagato is absolutely innocent."

The Third Hokage shook his head.

"That doesn't count as evidence. You may withdraw for now, Shisui."

Shisui stared blankly at the Third Hokage, pleading again and again, but in the end, the Third Hokage still didn't agree to release Kagato.

Shisui retreated with a face full of disappointment.

Not long after, the door to the Hokage's Office opened again, and Itachi, dressed in Anbu attire, entered.

The Third Hokage looked at Itachi with a headache.

"Itachi, I know what you're going to say, but I really can't do anything here."

Itachi knelt on one knee, his eyes firm as he spoke.

"Lord Third Hokage, Kagato is innocent. I am very sure of this."