Everything had already settled into dust. The ninjas still standing at the entrance of Chuanhe Residence tried every method available to them, yet none could so much as shake the strange house before them.
At that moment, a familiar figure appeared among them. It was Jiraiya!
"Everyone from Konoha! This matter is over. Don't cause any more needless harm. Jonin, stay behind. Everyone else, withdraw first."
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!"
No one present realized they had just been trapped in an independent three-dimensional space. Though their Third Hokage was absent, this was still Lord Jiraiya's order, and so they obeyed.
"My apologies, everyone, but you still need to hear the Uchiha's account. The jonin of Konoha need to know about this matter."
"Not at all, Lord Jiraiya. We were merely following orders." That was the general sentiment among the jonin present.
Jiraiya's sudden appearance had startled them, but he was Jiraiya—the legendary Sannin.
Then two more figures appeared. Chuanhe and Fugaku stepped forward; the others were not suited to appear on such an occasion. Hui, meanwhile, silently observed everything with Four-Dimensional Perception.
Fugaku took a deep breath and began speaking loudly. "Everyone of Konoha, I, Uchiha Fugaku, swear upon the honor of the Uchiha clan that every word I say next is true. We had no other choice."
"Konoha's higher-ups never trusted us Uchiha. Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the slaughter of the Uchiha clan."
"Most of you here are outstanding members of your respective clans. Tell me, if you faced the same situation, would you have had any other choice?"
"We are also members of Konoha. So even under those circumstances, we chose to minimize casualties and leave Konoha quietly."
"Konoha needs reform. Our leaders need to be replaced, so that they can lead us toward a new future."
"That's right. Hiruzen