The Great Clans Grow Divided

"Cough, Clan Head Fugaku, as the leader of Root and the Hokage Assistant, Danzo made tremendous contributions during the past three Shinobi World Wars. It is impossible for him to do anything detrimental to the village.

We came this time to investigate last night's attack on the Hokage Building. Not only did the attacker slaughter many guard ninja and steal the Scroll of Seals, but he also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Therefore, I ask Clan Head Fugaku to cooperate with the investigation. Perhaps there are certain ill-intentioned individuals within the Uchiha Clan seeking to drive a wedge between the Uchiha and Konoha. This would also clear the Uchiha Clan of suspicion."

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen gloss over the important points and attempt to steer the topic toward the attack on the Hokage Building, while subtly portraying the Uchiha and Konoha as separate entities and pinning the blame on the Uchiha Clan, it was obvious that he intended to force the Uchiha Clan to withdraw from the Root Base.

He was also secretly offering terms: if the Uchiha spared Root, he would not pursue the matter of the Uchiha's attack on the Hokage Building.

Understanding the hidden meaning behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Uchiha Fugaku felt speechless. He wondered whether he had been too cautious in the past. That title of Shinobi no Kami was probably all hype. Perhaps activating his Mangekyō and launching a surprise attack would be enough to kill him.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the Hokage. Since the Uchiha wanted to produce a Hokage, they truly could not directly refuse in the face of his pressure.

However, Minagawa Uchiha and the others had not yet finished their operation. Given the strength of those two, Shimura Danzō and Root alone would very likely be killed. If they did not calm the matter down completely now, an even greater storm might arise later.

To keep this grand show from ending here and prevent Sarutobi Hiruzen from getting his way, Uchiha Fugaku decided to throw out a bombshell.

Among those present, there was no shortage of clans and ninja possessing Kekkei Genkai or unique secret techniques. Once Shimura Danzō's crimes were exposed, even Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, would surely be unable to continue pressuring the Uchiha Clan while shielding Shimura Danzō.

"Hmph. Hokage-sama, do not forget that the Sharingan is not possessed solely by our Uchiha Clan. Setting aside Hatake Kakashi, the reason for our operation this time was that we discovered Root leader Shimura Danzō had secretly murdered members of our Uchiha Clan, coveted our Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, and even stole the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan secret techniques!

Even more outrageously, the previously missing Uchiha Shisui was secretly murdered by him, all for the purpose of seizing Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Everyone present should know how much Uchiha Shisui trusted him as a Hokage Advisor, yet he used our Uchiha Sharingan secret techniques to ambush him. The evidence is conclusive. His bandaged left eye is Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

He thought he had hidden it well, but he did not realize that, to us Uchiha, the fluctuations of the Mangekyō Sharingan are like a Light in the Dark Night.

And that is not all. His heavily bandaged left arm was made using the First Hokage's cells, with several pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan embedded in it. That is only what is visible. Who knew how many members of our Uchiha Clan he had secretly harmed? Those clan members who went missing after dying on battlefields or missions, and those gruesome cases of eyes being gouged out, were likely all his doing."

"Desecrating the First Hokage, conducting human experiments, coveting others' Kekkei Genkai, and secretly harming comrades in the village—these are only the things our Uchiha Clan uncovered on the surface. Perhaps even greater darkness is hidden within Root.

So, Hokage-sama, and everyone present, does Shimura Danzō's conduct count as endangering Konoha?"

Although Konoha had been founded under the leadership of the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan, the majority of Konoha's population consisted of other clans.

Having survived the brutal Warring States Period and endured until now, what clan did not have some closely guarded methods, whether Kekkei Genkai or unique secret techniques passed down through generations? Such abilities were the foundation upon which each clan stood.

When the village was founded, under the joint witness of the great clans, it had been agreed that each clan's inheritance would be preserved and not coveted. Yet now Shimura Danzō, a member of the Konoha High Command, had been the first to break that rule. Worse still, the Uchiha Clan had exposed it before everyone without holding anything back. Under such circumstances, even the Hokage could no longer keep the great clans silent.

This made it impossible for Sarutobi Hiruzen to maintain his composed expression any longer. His eyes blazed with fury, as though he wished he could glare Uchiha Fugaku to death.

Yet Uchiha Fugaku showed no awareness that he was forcing his own Hokage into a corner. He continued doing as he pleased. His Mangekyō Sharingan did not linger on Sarutobi Hiruzen in the slightest, instead sweeping directly across the secret-technique clans and Kekkei Genkai clans in the crowd. His gaze paused especially long on Hyuga Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan Head, making even Hyuga Hiashi feel uncomfortable all over before he finally withdrew his eyes.

This practically explicit gesture made the great secret-technique clans and Kekkei Genkai clans unable to remain seated. They naturally understood that where there was one act of coveting another clan's secret techniques or Kekkei Genkai, there would be a second. The moment they learned of it, they had to step forward and strike down such behavior decisively, thereby deterring anyone else with similar thoughts.

This was the foundation of their existence in this brutal Ninja World. Whether one was the Hokage or a high-ranking official representing the village, they could not make the clans yield on this matter. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable. The Hyuga Clan, who also possessed an ocular Kekkei Genkai, was especially the first to speak out.

"Hokage-sama, this sort of conduct that harms the village's comrades must be severely punished. Otherwise, everyone will eventually feel unsafe."

It was Hyuga Hiashi who spoke. Given his personality, he naturally would not say anything too harsh. It had to be said that the Caged Bird did not only imprison the Hyuga Branch Family. Even the Hyuga Main Family, who had not been branded with the Caged Bird Seal, had lost their edge after being protected like rare animals for so long, becoming conservative and weak in temperament.

Although Hyuga Hiashi displayed no dissatisfaction, after this incident, coupled with the death of his twin brother Hizashi four years earlier, his disappointment in the high command had reached its limit.

The other clans felt the same. They could naturally see that since the Uchiha Clan dared to announce this matter so openly before Konoha's many clans, they must possess solid evidence.

And as the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not possibly have been completely unaware of what Shimura Danzō had done. Yet he had still allowed Shimura Danzō to act freely. In the eyes of the Konoha High Command, their clans were probably nothing more than useful tools. How could that not chill their hearts?