The Hokage's office.
"Lord Hokage, I hope you'll allow Shisui to return to the clan with me first, so he can calm down the clan members who've been stirred up by the rumors!"
Uchiha Fugaku made his request respectfully.
At the request, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression behind the desk stiffened almost imperceptibly. It would have been impossible to notice without looking closely.
"Sorry, Fugaku. I just sent Shisui on a mission outside the village yesterday, so I can't have him come back for the time being."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe before explaining.
As Hokage, he'd explained himself to Uchiha Fugaku with such deference. That was a clear sign of respect.
Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku nodded.
"Then I won't trouble you any further, Lord Hokage. Once Shisui returns, I hope you'll have him come straight back to the clan."
With that, he turned and left the Hokage's office.
As soon as he was out of the office, Uchiha Fugaku's calm expression turned "cold."
As the clan head, he wasn't a fool.
If Shisui had really been sent on a mission, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have brought him back at once, given that the clan head himself had come in person. He would have had him return to the clan together with Fugaku to calm the others.
Nothing was more important to Konoha than calming the Uchiha, who were on the verge of internal turmoil.
But the other man had acted as though he knew none of that, making no effort at all to promise anything.
That alone said a great deal.
Shisui might very well have...
With that "bridge" between the village and the clan gone, he could only place his last hope in his eldest son.
Inside the Hokage's office.
"Someone!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, watching Uchiha Fugaku walk away. He called over a silver-haired Anbu and ordered, "Go to Root and tell Danzo to come see me!"
He was now certain that his old friend had indeed made a move against Shisui.
So he needed not only to summon him, but also to find a way to intervene in what happened to those Mangekyo.
He couldn't trust Danzo to control something so dangerous.
Meanwhile!
When Uchiha Fugaku returned to the clan, several elders were waiting at the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Compound. Behind them, a large crowd of Uchiha had gathered. The atmosphere was silent and oppressive, like the moment before a volcano erupted.
"Clan Head Fugaku, what did Lord Hokage say? Didn't Shisui come back with you?"
One of the elders spoke up before Uchiha Tenzan could.
"No. Lord Hokage sent Shisui on an Anbu mission!"
Uchiha Fugaku forced himself to explain.
Though he had a bad feeling about it, he naturally couldn't reveal the truth.
It was all to protect the clan!
That thought made Uchiha Fugaku do his best to cover for the village leadership, hiding the possibility that something had happened to Shisui.
"Fugaku, the village leadership must give the Uchiha a clear answer today. Otherwise, we absolutely won't let this go!"
A voice laced with anger made Uchiha Fugaku feel that something was wrong.
Uchiha Setsuna!
The Uchiha's Second Elder had come with his faction, fully prepared to fight.
That's right—not just Setsuna. The entire Hawk Faction was ready for battle.
Naturally, this was because Uchiha Setsuna had received some information.
Shisui hadn't left the village!
Along with the rumor now spreading like wildfire that "Shisui was harmed by the village leadership," this proved that something had definitely happened to him.
Otherwise, nobody would spread a rumor that could be easily disproved, right?
With that confirmed, it was no wonder Uchiha Setsuna was acting this way.
He was clearly preparing to "use force to demand an explanation."
"Elder Setsuna, don't be rash. Shisui might finish his mission and come back soon!"
Uchiha Fugaku said, trying to calm him down, his head aching.
If he mishandled this, a rebellion could break out right then and there.
After all, the clan's situation had grown worse over the years. They'd gone from Konoha's strongest shinobi clan to struggling just to survive, and the entire clan was confined within Konoha like prisoners. It was only natural that they were furious.
The Uchiha were simply restrained in how they showed their emotions. They'd kept all their grievances, anger, and discontent bottled up inside. That didn't mean they felt nothing. Those emotions had only kept piling up.
That was why the Hawk Faction had grown. Too much resentment had built up.
Now that something had happened to Shisui, the negative emotions the Hawk Faction had been accumulating were ignited.
If someone took the lead, they really could storm the Hokage Building and demand an "explanation."
And someone was watching the whole scene unfold.
Inside the Hokage's office.
"Danzo, look at the mess you've made!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked away from the crystal ball and reprimanded Danzo, who had just been summoned.
"Exactly, Danzo! How could you make a move against Shisui?" Utatane Koharu, who had just arrived, spoke up in disapproval.
Though she'd also helped suppress the Uchiha, she'd never intended to use such an extreme approach. This was practically forcing them into rebellion.
"Danzo, just tell us what you plan to do. You must have considered this possibility before making a move against Shisui, right?"
Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and stared at Danzo.
He knew his old teammate well. Though Danzo seemed ruthless and impulsive, he was actually quite cunning. He must have anticipated this situation.
"No. The Uchiha won't rebel, because Shisui is their greatest source of confidence. Now that they've lost him, Uchiha Fugaku will stop them. He doesn't have the nerve to put his entire clan on the line like a wager!"
Danzo stated his judgment in a chilly voice.
That's right. He had Uchiha Fugaku right where he wanted him.
Though the man was known throughout the Shinobi World as the "Wicked Eye," he was actually indecisive. There was no way he could make such a decision on the spot.
Once this opportunity had passed and the Uchiha had calmed down, Danzo could offer them some compensation and benefits. Fugaku would swallow his anger, just as he had after each of the previous provocations.
And once Danzo had fully taken control of the Mangekyo, the Uchiha would no longer be a problem.
That was why Danzo hadn't taken the Uchiha seriously.
How could a lion led by a sheep possibly scare anyone?
And that was exactly what happened.
At the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Compound, the situation had been on the verge of boiling over. But after repeated attempts to persuade and calm the clan members, it had begun to settle down.
Even with the Hawk Faction there, they couldn't exactly turn on their own clan head, could they?
Uchiha Fugaku still had some standing within the clan. Even the more aggressive Hawk Faction wouldn't actually fall out with him, their clan head.
"At last..."
Looking at the clan members gathered in the street, Uchiha Fugaku finally felt some of the tension ease from his taut nerves.
As long as they made it through today, they could take their time preparing if they truly decided to rebel later, instead of rushing into action in a moment of anger like they might today.
But he hadn't considered that, with spies everywhere in the Uchiha clan, dragging things out wouldn't increase their chances of success. It would only lower them.
It would have been better to take advantage of the anger boiling over today and use their numbers to pressure the village leadership. Whether they secured some benefits or damaged the leadership's authority, it would be far better than doing nothing.
Even if war broke out, they could still inflict enormous damage on the village. They might even awaken several Mangekyo. That would be better than letting the White-Eyed Wolf collude with that bastard Obito and slaughter the entire clan single-handedly.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Fugaku knew none of this... or perhaps he'd already learned it in advance through his Mangekyo's eye technique, yet still chosen a path that sacrificed all his clansmen so his two children could live.
"Fugaku, you'll regret this!!"
Seeing that Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, not only refused to take the lead but was doing everything he could to hold them back, Uchiha Setsuna shouted furiously.
"Elder Setsuna, I'm the clan head!"
Uchiha Fugaku instinctively shot back, using his position to keep the other man in check.
He could stop the clan members only by relying on his status as clan head.
"..."
Uchiha Setsuna was furious, but there was nothing he could do. Unless he openly declared that he was leaving the Uchiha right then and there, he couldn't go against the clan head.
Just as all the Uchiha were feeling discontented but could only hold it in—
"Blood for blood!!"
A sudden voice broke the silence at the edge of the crowd.
Before you continue