Uchiha Fugaku's Predicament

Hokage Office, Hokage Building.

The windows were shut tight, and the room was filled with swirling smoke.

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The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a mountain of documents, his iconic hat placed to the side. The pipe in his hand glowed on and off, illuminating a face that looked much older than it had six months prior.

In a shadowed corner of the room, Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, his eyes half-closed, his single eye glinting with a chilling light.

"Namikaze Minato, Nishikawa Tetsu."

Hiruzen exhaled a smoke ring, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority. "Regarding the report on the Land of Rain mission, Jiraiya already sent it back via carrier hawk. You did well. Not only did you cut off their supplies, but you also returned alive."

"It is the duty of a Konoha ninja," Namikaze Minato replied, neither subservient nor arrogant.

"Hmph, duty?"

The man in the shadows snorted, his cane striking the ground heavily. "Since you know your duty, why were you so vague in your report about Uchiha Fugaku's eyes? That entity of black chakra, and that black flame... you saw it with your own eyes, didn't you?"

The air instantly froze.

Nishikawa Tetsu narrowed his eyes. That old bastard Danzō.

However, he was not intimidated by Danzō's aura. He had already prepared his response on the way back.

"That was the ultimate transformation of chakra under extreme emotional pressure," Nishikawa Tetsu said with a serious expression. "The situation was critical at the time. Several of us were on the brink of death. Captain Fugaku, in his extreme anger and grief, overdrafted his life force, which is how that power erupted. As for the specific principles, they fall within the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai. As an outsider, I cannot delve too deeply."

"Overdrafted his life force?" Danzō narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying it was an accident?"

"Whether it was an accident or not is unimportant, Danzō."

Hiruzen interrupted Danzō's interrogation. He picked up a scroll from his desk, his expression becoming unusually solemn.

"What's important is... the whole world knows now."

The Third Hokage tossed the scroll to the two men. Nishikawa Tetsu opened it, his brow immediately furrowing. It was a notice from Hanzo of the Salamander to the daimyo of the Five Great Nations. In the letter, Hanzō lavished praise, calling Konoha home to three Sannin who could survive him, and also to a Uchiha youth with eyes capable of destroying the world. Hanzō described in detail how the black skeletal giant easily crushed elite Jonin, and how the black flames were inextinguishable. Finally, Hanzō added a piercing remark: "Congratulations to Konoha. Although you no longer have Uchiha Madara, a new Asura has been born."

"This is a 'praise to kill'," Nishikawa Tetsu closed the scroll, instantly seeing through Hanzō's malicious intent. "He deliberately exaggerated the threat of Senior Fugaku, partly to excuse his own defeat, and partly... to use a borrowed knife to kill."

"Precisely," Hiruzen sighed. "Now, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have both sent 'concerned' inquiries to Konoha. Even espionage activities have increased. They fear the emergence of a second Uchiha Madara. And within the village..." The Third Hokage paused, a flicker of worry in his eyes. "The rumors can no longer be suppressed."

Walking out of the Hokage Building, the long-awaited sunlight didn't bring much warmth. On the streets, villagers seemed to be living their lives normally, but the moment "Police Force" or "Uchiha" was mentioned, their expressions would turn unnatural.

"Did you hear? That captain from the Police Force, Fugaku, they say he's a monster..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! They say his eyes can kill people just by looking at them, burning even the corpses!"

"It's too terrifying... The Uchiha clan was already creepy enough, and now they have this harbinger of doom. Can this village still be lived in?"

Namikaze Minato listened to the whispers on the roadside, his expression looking somewhat unpleasant. "This is too exaggerated. Senior Fugaku was clearly trying to save us..."

"People only believe the fears they want to believe." Nishikawa Tetsu looked towards the direction of the Uchiha compound in the distance. The gates there were tightly shut, appearing exceptionally desolate and grim.

"Hanzō's move was too vicious. It not only created external threats but also ignited internal strife within Konoha. Senior Fugaku must be at the center of the storm right now." Moreover, the village hasn't stopped these rumors. I even suspect that dog Danzō is fanning the flames behind the scenes. If I weren't so lacking in foundation and strength right now, I'd really be prepared to cut that old geezer down with a single blade.

"Let's go. Let's go see Senior Fugaku."

Uchiha Compound, private training grounds near the Naka Shrine. This was a forbidden area for the Uchiha clan, usually only accessible to core members. However, because of Fugaku, the guards did not stop Nishikawa Tetsu and Minato.

Before even entering the training grounds, he could hear the sound of heavy panting coming from inside.

"Again!"

"Young clan head, your body..."

"I said, again!"

Nishikawa Tetsu and Minato walked into the field and witnessed a shocking scene.

Uchiha Fugaku was bare-chested, drenched in sweat.

The bandages on his eyes had been removed, and his pupils had returned to their black color.

Facing him were three Jonin from the Uchiha clan, all of whom were panting heavily and looking at their young clan head with expressions of terror.

"Senior Fugaku," Minato called out.

Uchiha Fugaku's movements paused.

He turned his head and saw the two of them. The tension on his face, as taut as iron, finally eased slightly. He waved his hand, signaling the sparring partners to retreat.

"You're back."

Fugaku walked to the edge of the field, picked up a towel, and wiped off his sweat. His voice was calm, but it carried a deep weariness.

"How's your body recovering?" Nishikawa Tetsu asked, his gaze sweeping over Fugaku's eyes. "Is your vision affected?"

"It's a bit blurry, but it's not a big problem."

Fugaku sat down and took a long swig from his water bottle. "As long as I don't activate those eyes, there's no major issue in daily life, but..."

He gave a wry smile and pointed outside the clan compound.

"Compared to the side effects of my eyes, the pressure from outside is giving me a bigger headache."

"We saw Hanzō's letter," Nishikawa Tetsu said, sitting down beside him. "The village higher-ups are very wary of you now."

"It's not just the higher-ups."

A cold glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes. "The clan is in chaos too. Those radical old guys, when they saw I activated my Mangekyo, they got excited as if they'd found treasure. They keep babbling about the 'great revival of the Uchiha' and 'restoring the glory of our ancestor Madara,' wanting me to lead the clan to seize more power."

"As for the conservatives and the ordinary clan members..." Fugaku paused, his tone turning bitter. "They're afraid of me. I can feel it. Even clan members with the same surname look at me like I'm a monster that could lose control at any moment."

"Suspicion from the higher-ups, threats from outside, fear from within the clan, and internal discord."

Nishikawa Tetsu summarized. "Senior, you're on an island right now."

Namikaze Minato said with some worry, "What should we do? If this continues, Senior Fugaku will be driven mad."

"Mad? I won't go mad."

Fugaku snorted coldly and threw the towel in his hand to the ground. "I just feel disgusted. We're fighting to the death on the front lines, only to come back and face this kind of suspicion."

"This is exactly the outcome Danzo and Hanzō want."

Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes gradually sharpened.

"They want to isolate you and push you to extremes. Once you truly do something out of line out of anger, they'll have a reason to move against the Uchiha."

Fugaku felt a surge of annoyance. The conversation after reuniting with his long-unseen teammates was too heavy.

He waved his hand. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Come on, let's go to the barbecue restaurant. I need to fulfill my promise."