Start with the Clan Head's Wife

Sometimes Eiji felt that describing the Uchiha as "having a winning hand and playing it terribly" was perfectly accurate.

Tobirama had practically handed you such an amazing weapon, yet you didn't know how to use it properly.

Not only had you failed to take the Hokage position, you were bullied like dogs every day.

But whenever Eiji thought of those extreme members of the clan, he felt that the Uchiha ending up this way was perfectly reasonable.

Eiji worked quickly and soon drafted several detailed regulations.

However, Eiji was only a low-ranking soldier. These things still required the approval of the department head—Fugaku.

So Eiji handed the revised regulations to Fugaku. As expected, Fugaku rejected them outright.

"Eiji, I know you're doing this for the Uchiha, but don't be too hasty."

Fugaku gestured for Eiji to sit. "Ever since the Security Division was established, not a single word of its regulations has been changed. I also know that there are..."

"Hey, hey, where are you going?"

"Clan Head Fugaku, it's time for me to patrol. I'm sorry for the trouble."

With that, Eiji turned and left Fugaku's home.

Fugaku was hopeless. He would just have to act directly when the time came. There was no other way; Fugaku had to be driven into a corner.

The Security Division's silence and Naruto's forbearance failed to win them what they wanted.

Naruto suffered increasingly vicious mockery every day, while the Security Division was demonized as a bomb threatening Konoha.

The mastermind behind all this, Danzo, was delighted.

He felt that the time was about right.

All he needed was one final push, and the madmen of the Uchiha clan would draw their blades and charge into the Hokage Building.

Then they would be greeted by the shinobi lying in ambush.

At Danzo's instruction, Ryoma, who had narrowly escaped death, found the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

"Clan Head Fugaku, given the rumors that have recently appeared in the village, Lord Danzo would like to ask you to come and give an explanation."

Pain Mask covered Fugaku's broad face.

From top to bottom, the Uchiha hated Danzo so much their teeth itched.

After the Nine-Tails Incident, this bastard had moved them to this godforsaken corner and saddled them with a brainless job that even a stray dog wouldn't want.

Fugaku had every reason to suspect that Danzo dreamed of wiping out the entire clan.

Fugaku forcibly suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Since Lord Danzo knows they're rumors, what need is there for an explanation?"

Ryoma gently shook his head. "Please come with me, Lord Fugaku. Some matters are best clarified face-to-face."

Fugaku hesitated.

Ryoma lowered his voice. "Clan Head Fugaku, please don't make things difficult for me. You wouldn't want to be charged with resisting by force, would you?"

And so, Fugaku backed down.

He followed Ryoma to the Root Organization and met the person he least wanted to see in his entire life.

"Lord Danzo."

Danzo slowly emerged from the shadows, his eyes filled with contempt for everything.

"Regarding the news circulating in the village, do you have anything you'd like to explain?"

Fugaku naturally knew what Danzo was referring to.

"Lord Danzo, the Uchiha absolutely have no ulterior motives. As for Eiji's contact with Naruto, that was also approved by the Hokage..."

"As for claims about murder and the like, they're even more baseless."

Danzo glanced at Fugaku without revealing his thoughts. He's panicking. He's panicking.

He produced several forged denunciation letters and displayed them in front of Fugaku.

"I advise you to confess honestly. If I didn't have evidence, I wouldn't have summoned you here."

Fugaku clenched his fists. Damn you, Danzo.

What evidence could you possibly have? I know far more about what my clansmen do every day than you do.

Let alone murder—even if you had beaten them severely in the past, they wouldn't dare fight back now.

Isn't Danzo just bullying honest people?

"Lord Danzo, I can guarantee that there's absolutely nothing."

"Not a single one?"

"Not a single one!"

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Danzo suddenly squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry. "Since that's the case, Clan Head, you may return."

Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief. I've made it through another hurdle.

He never expected Danzo's next words to nearly drive him into a rampage.

"To eliminate suspicion from the Uchiha clan, every clansman must come here for a routine interrogation. Clan Head Fugaku, you have no objections, do you?"

The red glow in Fugaku's eyes flashed wildly before quickly fading.

"I'll discuss it with the clansmen."

Danzo nodded in satisfaction. This clan head was as cowardly as ever.

"In that case, why not start with the clan head's two sons and wife?"

Fugaku's head buzzed. He raised it and glared furiously at Danzo.

"What does this have to do with them? They're just two children and a woman with no combat ability."

Danzo lightly tapped the tabletop. "Without children and women, they can still pick up a blade and kill."

"You!"

Fugaku nearly ground his teeth to pieces. "Lord Danzo, my family aren't murderers."

"Who knows?" Danzo pointed at Fugaku. "Have them come to the Root Organization before tomorrow morning."

With that, Danzo waved his hand.

"Leave. I still have matters to attend to."

Fugaku's head buzzed incessantly as one terrifying thought after another flashed through his mind.

What interrogation? Danzo was trying to force them to their deaths!

All this time, the Uchiha had endured Konoha's unreasonable demands again and again.

All for the sake of peace.

But...

In Danzo's eyes, all that forbearance seemed to be weakness.

Of course, it truly was weakness.

Fugaku knew that if Senior Setsuna were still alive, he would absolutely pick up a blade and hack Danzo to pieces, just as he had assassinated Tobirama back then.

He returned slowly to the clan grounds and saw his anxious clansmen.

When the clansmen saw Fugaku return, they all rushed over.

"Clan Head, what happened? They didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"

"That masked man is one of Danzo's subordinates, right? Did Danzo make another excessive demand?"

Everyone spoke over one another, giving Fugaku a splitting headache.

He hesitated for a moment. "It's nothing. I have something to take care of, so I'll be going first."

With that, Fugaku left the crowd and headed toward home.

Not far away, Eiji leaned against a tree with Xiao Er in his arms.

From their conversation, Eiji could more or less figure out what had happened.

It was Danzo's fault again.

Whether it was or not, if no one knew who had done it, just pin it on Danzo.

Since things had come to this, he would go teach Naruto ninjutsu first.

That afternoon, Naruto met up with Eiji.

"Teacher Eiji." Naruto hugged Eiji's thigh. "I don't want to practice today. Let me treat you to a bowl of ramen."

Eiji patted Naruto's head. "All right."

Naruto walked ahead, constantly leading Eiji toward secluded paths.

Eiji thought about it for a while and found it strange.

So he secretly used Shadow Clone Jutsu, sending a clone to Naruto's home to investigate.

After receiving the message sent back by the clone, Eiji had more or less guessed what was going on.

The inherently evil Shimura Danzō. Looks like I'll have to personally...

At that moment, several fierce-looking villagers appeared from nowhere. They pointed at Naruto and Eiji and whispered among themselves.

"Two murderers! Get out of Konoha!"

"Konoha doesn't welcome you! Go die!"

"Murderers must pay with their lives! The Demon Fox must die!"