Orochimaru's Attention

This kind of matter could not be discussed openly.

The four of them sat there. Though no one said it outright, they all understood each other. All four upheld the ideals of the Second Hokage—their teacher—and harbored an instinctive dislike for the Uchiha Clan.

But no matter how much they disliked them, they still had to observe the rules on the surface.

They could not directly move against the Uchiha without the Uchiha having committed an obvious wrongdoing, especially not after being caught with evidence against them.

If this matter was not handled properly, it would not just concern the Uchiha. It would also involve the other ninja clans in the village.

Especially the Hyuga Clan.

If you dared to dig out the Uchiha's Sharingan today, would you dare lay hands on my Hyuga Clan tomorrow?

That would leave them feeling far too insecure.

"Although Fugaku Uchiha is willing not to pursue your responsibility, we still need to give the Uchiha Clan an explanation. Under these circumstances, we cannot reasonably punish the Uchiha Clan," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both frowned.

They had always been wary of the Uchiha Clan by nature, especially after what had happened last night. It left them feeling as though thorns were pressing against their backs.

However, now that Shimura Danzō had been caught by the Uchiha, if they wanted to punish the Uchiha, they had to show their stance.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze toward Shimura Danzō, his voice calm. "Danzo, rest and recuperate for the time being. All Root personnel will be transferred into the Anbu."

"Hiruzen!"

Shimura Danzō immediately panicked. Wasn't this cutting out his roots?

How could he accept that?

After a brief moment of thought, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu nodded in tacit agreement.

"I agree."

"I agree as well."

Shimura Danzō's expression changed as he looked at them. "You..."

Companions were companions, and old friendship was old friendship, but both of them felt that punishing Danzo at this time was the right choice.

There was no other reason. He had let someone catch him with evidence.

Utatane Koharu said, "This way, punishing the Uchiha Clan will be justified."

Mitokado Homura nodded. "Indeed. What Danzo did cannot possibly be concealed. Once the Hyuga Clan learns of it, they will certainly become wary. The other ninja clans will also be watching in secret. We must make our position clear."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Then it is settled. Danzo, you went too far this time."

Shimura Danzō realized that he looked something like a clown. He had come here injured, only to receive this result.

He stood up and walked toward the door without saying a word.

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."

For some reason, hearing those words actually made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel relieved.

That was more like it.

That familiar feeling had returned.

"Ahem. I'm the Hokage, Danzo."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling for the people supporting Shimura Danzō to help him out.

Shimura Danzō left, deeply frustrated, but with no particularly good options.

As for what he was thinking, perhaps only he himself knew.

Shimura Danzō had come quickly and left even faster, as though he had never entered at all. The remaining three were not particularly surprised, because Shimura Danzō had always been this sort of person.

Utatane Koharu said, "Let's leave Danzo's matter at that for now. Hiruzen, how exactly should we deal with the Uchiha?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.

To be honest, he had no particularly good solution either.

The scenes from last night remained vivid before his eyes. Genkawa Uchiha's existence kept making him hesitate, because he was too unusual.

A naturally born Sage Body.

Even if he could not use ninjutsu for now, how powerful would he become once he truly matured?

Would he become another Senju Hashirama?

No, he would probably become another Madara Uchiha.

What a pity. Why did he have to be an Uchiha?

At the same time, he knew clearly that pretending last night's events had never happened was absolutely impossible.

After all, so many people had died last night, and the village had suffered such destruction. If they did not provide an explanation, many people would be dissatisfied.

Mitokado Homura said expressionlessly, "A heavy punishment will not do, but no punishment will not do either. Danzo's matter happens to be enough to silence the Uchiha. Correspondingly, if we punish them over the Nine-Tails matter, they will have nothing to say."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him. "What if they deny it?"

Mitokado Homura replied, "It is a fact that the Nine-Tails was controlled by the Sharingan. Many people in the village saw it. They cannot deny it."

Utatane Koharu nodded in agreement. "That's right, Hiruzen. We must take this opportunity to impose restrictions on the Uchiha Clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent again.

"This matter..."

Out of habit, he wanted to postpone the matter, but before he could finish speaking, Utatane Koharu interrupted him.

"Hiruzen, the matter of the Nine-Tails cannot be hidden. The other ninja villages will learn of it soon enough. Before that happens, we must stabilize the village. The Uchiha are the most unstable factor in this matter. We cannot delay!"

Those were harsh words, but it was normal for her to say them as an advisor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

"Then convene a Jonin Meeting and ask for their opinions."

Mitokado Homura's eyes lit up. "Yes, that will work. I'll go notify them right away."

As he spoke, he stood and headed outside.

"Wait."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped him, then added, "Notify the Anbu. Have them send a squad to bring Jiraiya back."

"Alright, I understand."

Mitokado Homura quickly left.

There were plenty of people in the village who were dissatisfied with the Uchiha Clan.

The ninja clans were one thing. At the very least, they understood how important the Uchiha Clan was to Konoha.

But among ordinary villagers, and even ninjas from civilian backgrounds, there were quite a few who held negative feelings toward the Uchiha Clan.

There was no other reason. The Uchiha Clan had brought it upon themselves.

Right and wrong did not matter here.

What mattered was that most of those negative views had been caused by the Uchiha Clan's own people. No one could deny that.

Because every Uchiha who awakened their eyes was arrogant without exception.

One or two would have been manageable, but when most were like that, it would have been strange for the Uchiha Clan to have a good reputation.

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi had openly raised the matter of the Uchiha Clan's connection to the Nine-Tails' appearance, the conclusion of the Jonin Meeting was already obvious.

Whether the punishment would be severe or light did not matter.

What mattered was that there would be punishment.

That was the key.

Two days had passed since the night of the Nine-Tails, and Konoha had remained busy throughout those two days.

The chaos had ended, but reconstruction continued. Quite a few people were grieving, but more had already turned their eyes toward the future. Life had to go on.

Yet Konoha was steeped in sorrow today.

Because today was the funeral of the Fourth Hokage and his wife.

Namikaze Minato had served as Hokage for less than two years, but among the common people, he had held great prestige. He was a Hokage recognized by everyone.

And now, a single Nine-Tails Incident had taken this young Hokage from Konoha. It was a price Konoha could scarcely bear.

At the Memorial Stone in western Konoha.

Many people had come today. From Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, to the most ordinary villagers, all had gathered here. Every one of them wore black, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Genkawa Uchiha was among them as well, standing within the Uchiha Clan's ranks with a calm expression.

He had not dealt with Namikaze Minato much, so naturally, he had no deep feelings for him. He had come today more out of respect for the dead.

As for why he had not saved Namikaze Minato that night?

He could not have.

Because he was an Uchiha. The village higher-ups would not allow him to take part in something like sealing the Nine-Tails. It was that simple.

Therefore, to him, the deaths of Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki were roughly the passing of two people worthy of respect. That was the mindset with which he had come here.

At the front of the group, Fugaku Uchiha wore a grave expression, his brow tightly furrowed. No one knew what he was thinking.

Genkawa Uchiha only found it amusing.

With Namikaze Minato dead, the Uchiha Clan's situation would likely become even more difficult from now on.

Rumors had already spread over the past two days that the appearance of the Nine-Tails was connected to the Uchiha. One could imagine just how much pressure Fugaku Uchiha, the Clan Head, was under right now.

But none of that had anything to do with Genkawa Uchiha.

One by one, people stepped forward and laid down a chrysanthemum to express their grief.

Genkawa Uchiha followed the crowd forward and placed down a flower as well. However, with his keen senses, he noticed several people in the crowd watching him.

When he turned to look, one of them smiled at him.

The man had a pale face, long black hair, golden pupils, and purple eyeshadow extending toward the sides of his nose.

Orochimaru.

This guy hadn't defected yet?