Fugaku Uchiha's Unease

"What did you do to Danzō?"

Utatane Koharu stepped forward, demanding.

Genkawa Uchiha ignored her.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't angered by this. Instead, he crouched down to examine Danzō, his expression immediately turning serious.

"It's natural energy."

As expected of the Ninja Research Professor, he was knowledgeable. With a little thought about Genkawa Uchiha's unique nature, he quickly discerned what was wrong with Shimura Danzō.

At this, he finally understood Genkawa Uchiha's methods.

"Sigh..."

Knowing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi merely sighed. He then said to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, "You two lead the Anbu to find the Fourth Hokage. I'll handle things here."

"Hiruzen!"

Mitokado Homura was about to say something, but Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him, "Do as I say. This is an order."

This left Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu with no room to argue.

The situation was dire. The Fourth Hokage's whereabouts were unknown, and the village had suffered such a blow. Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Third Hokage, naturally had the authority to handle these matters.

Utatane Koharu shot Genkawa Uchiha a look, filled with warning.

"What are you looking at, old woman!" (Smiling)

"You..."

Utatane Koharu was furious and wanted to say more, but ultimately held back.

With a cold snort, she and Mitokado Homura quickly led their people away.

Soon, only Hiruzen Sarutobi, a few Anbu ninjas, and the still-fallen Shimura Danzō remained.

"Take Danzō and the Root members for treatment."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave another order, then looked at Genkawa Uchiha, seemingly worried he would interfere.

But Genkawa Uchiha didn't stop them, which surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Does the Third not think I'd kill that old dog Danzō here?"

Genkawa Uchiha retorted.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed again. "Child, I know you harbor resentment towards the village, but some things are not as simple as you think."

Genkawa Uchiha smiled. "So, Danzō's actions were with your approval, Third?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

"They were not at my behest."

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained earnestly, "He manages Root. His duty is to maintain the village's stability."

Genkawa Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "You mean, he harmed my clansmen and targeted me, and all of this was necessary?"

"Calm down, child. With your intelligence, you should be able to see that the Uchiha clan's power inherently makes the village uneasy. Your clan is too special."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, his wrinkles deepening.

"Furthermore, the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village, I don't need to tell you. You can feel it yourself. While Danzō's methods were extreme, they stemmed from a desire to protect the village."

"Protect?"

Genkawa Uchiha's laughter was filled with mockery. "By using my clansmen's blood to protect it?"

"I know you feel wronged, and I know you're angry."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was weary. "But now is not the time for reckoning. Konoha cannot afford internal strife, and neither can the Uchiha."

He looked at Genkawa Uchiha, his eyes pleading. "Give Konoha a chance. I promise you, Danzō will pay a price, and the village will re-examine its relationship with the Uchiha."

Genkawa Uchiha raised his hand to interrupt.

"Enough. You shouldn't be saying this to me."

He shook his head and smiled, not wanting to argue.

After all, he wasn't the head of the Uchiha clan. These matters were not his to handle, nor did he wish to.

His current attitude was merely due to his personal grievances with Shimura Danzō.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was left speechless by his gesture.

Silence fell upon the scene, but thankfully, it didn't last long. Several figures soon descended, led by Fugaku Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha's expression was grim.

Such a major incident had occurred tonight, throwing the entire village into chaos, yet the Uchiha ninjas were ordered not to intervene.

This blatant targeting was something he, as the clan head, could not accept.

Now, brought here by the Anbu, he saw Genkawa Uchiha and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Crucially, the atmosphere between the two was clearly tense, appearing to be a silent confrontation.

Fugaku Uchiha looked toward Genkawa Uchiha, casting a glance his way.

The latter merely shrugged, shifted his gaze, and ignored him.

Fugaku Uchiha had long since grown accustomed to Genkawa Uchiha's temperament, so he was not particularly surprised.

Seeing that he would get no answer from Genkawa Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha had no choice but to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Third."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, forcing a smile.

"Fugaku, the reason I asked you to come under these circumstances is that there is an important matter I need to inform you of."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha's expression turned solemn. "Please, speak."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath. "You saw the appearance of the Nine-Tails. For the village, this is a catastrophe. After tonight, there is no telling how great the losses will be."

Fugaku Uchiha fell silent.

He did not know how to broach the subject, and the resentment he had felt upon arriving was largely washed away by those words.

But what he heard next caused his expression to shift slightly.

"The appearance of the Nine-Tails was no accident; it was man-made. The jinchūriki was giving birth tonight, and someone took advantage of her weakened state after the delivery to suddenly strike, control her, break the seal, and thereby seize control of the Nine-Tails..."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused.

Genkawa Uchiha looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, then at Fugaku Uchiha, and suddenly found it somewhat laughable.

Because at this moment, Fugaku Uchiha was clearly already feeling uneasy.

Sure enough, he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi continue: "The one who controlled the Nine-Tails was an Uchiha. Minato saw this with his own eyes, as he clashed with the individual, though he did not know the person's true identity."

"Fugaku, as the clan head of the Uchiha, I believe you should understand what this represents."

In the span of a few sentences, Fugaku Uchiha's complexion had changed drastically.

From the slight anger upon his arrival, to the subtle shift in expression after a few words, to his current look of shock.

It must be said, as expected of a Hokage who has held the power of Konoha for decades, Hiruzen Sarutobi's skill at seizing the initiative was truly masterful.

Seeing this, Genkawa Uchiha could already guess how Fugaku Uchiha would respond next.

"Lord Third, tonight, all the shinobi of the Uchiha clan were within the compound. Furthermore, to control the Nine-Tails, ordinary Sharingan genjutsu would simply not suffice."

Fugaku Uchiha hurried to explain.

This matter was far too grave; if handled poorly, the Uchiha clan would face the hostility of the entire village.

Though he was confident, he was not arrogant enough to believe that the Uchiha clan alone could stand against the entire village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then said, "I naturally trust you."

He changed the subject, adding, "However, Advisor Danzō previously had a conflict with this child, Genkawa, regarding the Nine-Tails incident..."

Fugaku Uchiha quickly replied, "Lord Third, that is of no consequence."

Genkawa Uchiha wore a strange expression and couldn't help but cough twice, interrupting their conversation.

He tossed the gauze-wrapped eyeball directly to Fugaku Uchiha, saying, "Clan Head, you had best look at this before you decide what to say."

Genkawa Uchiha was not angry; rather, he found it quite interesting.

Seeing Fugaku Uchiha's desperation at such close range gave him a new perspective on the man.

This was the leader of the Uchiha clan?

He was truly a lost cause.

Fugaku Uchiha caught the gauze-wrapped sphere, and a dark premonition immediately took hold in his heart.

It was just that he had seen this sort of thing before.

When recovering the eyes of clansmen on the battlefield, if conditions were crude, they were always handled this way.

Sure enough, there was fresh blood on the gauze; he was all too familiar with it.

As expected, he opened it to find a Sharingan.

Fugaku Uchiha's expression shifted.

At this moment, Genkawa Uchiha spoke up: "I gouged this out of Shimura Danzō's eye socket."

Fugaku Uchiha snapped his gaze toward Hiruzen Sarutobi; the nervousness and unease from before vanished, replaced by surging rage.

"Lord Third, I require an explanation for this Sharingan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed once more, and this time, the breath he exhaled was particularly long.

"Clan Head Fugaku, I will explain the matter of this Sharingan after tonight. But... I also require an explanation regarding the control of the Nine-Tails."

He looked at Fugaku Uchiha, meeting his gaze, his own expression gradually hardening.

At this, Fugaku Uchiha hesitated.

"Clan Head, you had best think carefully before you speak."

Genkawa Uchiha spoke suddenly, wearing a smile.