Everyone Had Izanagi and Feared Nothing

Seeing Danzo say that, the Root operative told him the truth, though he kept some details to himself.

He didn't lower his voice as he spoke. It was a normal volume, but more than loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"What?!"

Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen both looked shocked.

Clearly, neither of them had expected this possibility.

The Uchiha members nearby were also stunned. They seemed to realize something unpleasant, and their expressions darkened.

After all, they knew perfectly well that the Uchiha's terrible reputation was inseparable from the clan member with the Sharingan who had appeared during the Nine-Tails Incident.

"Can you be sure?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked outright.

He remembered that man all too well. If it hadn't been for him, Hiruzen wouldn't have to work so hard now. He'd had a fine successor, and just like that, he was gone!

Now, at his age, Hiruzen still had to come out and deal with all this nonsense.

"It's highly likely. Besides his appearance, the attacker also used the Rasengan, the self-created ninjutsu of the Fourth Hokage."

The Root operative glanced at Danzo. Seeing that Danzo gave no sign, he spoke directly.

After all, Kakashi had already shown that the Sharingan could copy ninjutsu. So he suspected that the one who attacked the Root Base was likely the 'Uchiha Madara' who had attacked Konoha and controlled the Nine-Tails back then, copying the Rasengan when he fought the Fourth Hokage.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow.

Konoha had only just stabilized, and Hiruzen was preparing to deal with the Uchiha problem. Why had 'Uchiha Madara' appeared now? Did he have some other motive?

Suspiciously, he looked toward the Uchiha group, including Uchiha Fugaku and the others who had just arrived.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't especially wary of the Uchiha. What frightened him most was the possibility that, with 'Uchiha Madara' back, the Uchiha Clan might follow him into rebellion. That was what worried Hiruzen most.

If not for this 'Uchiha Madara,' Sarutobi Hiruzen could toy with the Uchiha Clan like dogs, as easily as he had dealt with the Senju Clan.

At that look from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Fugaku knew trouble was coming again. It was exactly the same look Hiruzen had given him in the Hokage Building conference room after the Nine-Tails Incident.

"Hmph. Someone could be disguised as him. Today, someone just happened to draw attention elsewhere in the village, and now the Anbu has trouble at just this moment. This must have been deliberately arranged!"

Danzo had cooled off enough to think clearly, and immediately singled out the prime suspect.

It was mostly his instinctive bias against the Uchiha, but his suspicions weren't entirely baseless.

Danzo's words cleared Sarutobi Hiruzen's head, too. He realized this possibility couldn't be ruled out.

But Hiruzen knew this wasn't something he should ask outright. As Hokage, he needed to ease the tension a little. At the very least, now wasn't the time to burn bridges.

Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen's whole body tensed.

He felt a powerful mental force lock onto him, putting him on high alert.

He quickly realized where it was coming from.

"Uchiha Gin!!"

Danzo cried out.

His voice was full of shock.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils contracted, too.

"Don't make insinuations. Are you saying I attacked the Anbu base?"

"Lord Hokage's Assistant?"

Without hesitation, Uchiha Gin activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

When people suspected you of having a dangerous weapon, you were better off actually having one!

Once you really did, even if you were responsible, someone would help explain that you weren't.

The scene fell silent.

"That's... the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

The first to speak was one of the clan members who had come with Uchiha Gin. He stared at Uchiha Gin's eyes in disbelief.

As an Uchiha, he was naturally more familiar with the changes in the Sharingan.

Those words also made Sarutobi Hiruzen's and Shimura Danzō's hearts sink.

"Damn Uchiha!"

They cursed inwardly in unison.

Chapter 13: Everyone Had Izanagi and Feared Nothing

"How dare he!"

Uchiha Fugaku was both shocked and furious.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Gin to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan at a time like this. Did Gin not know that the more he showed himself to be a threat, the more the village would distrust him?!

"Is the rebellion happening today?"

As Fugaku's mind raced, the atmosphere grew hostile.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's and Danzo's subordinates glared at Uchiha Gin. Seeing this, the Uchiha members all activated their Sharingan without hesitation, facing off against the Anbu and Root operatives.

Even the few men Fugaku had brought were no exception.

The two sides seemed poised to clash at any moment.

"Danzo, how can I trust you to serve as Hokage Assistant if you slander people without evidence?

"This couldn't have been the Uchiha Clan's doing. If it really were them, they wouldn't have left behind such evidence."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke up. First, he reprimanded Danzo, then firmly denied any connection between the Uchiha Clan and the incident.

Clearly, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't ready to fall out with the Uchiha today, so he had no qualms about making Danzo take the blame.

Uchiha Fugaku was taken aback.

This was a result he'd never expected. He'd already prepared himself to humble himself and yield, avoid a confrontation for now, then go back and gather his forces before turning against Konoha in one decisive move.

But this situation... didn't make sense.

Danzo clenched his fists, his heart burning with rage, but his expression remained perfectly calm. He'd seen through Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions.

Clearly, Hiruzen knew this wasn't the time to turn against the Uchiha.

But Danzo couldn't bring himself to back down to the Uchiha, so he said nothing.

"The Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha. We are Uchiha who protect Konoha. Our clan would never do anything to harm Konoha's interests.

"Even Uchiha Madara was the same."

Uchiha Gin spoke with confidence.

He wasn't surprised that Sarutobi Hiruzen had made that choice.

When you really did possess the dangerous weapon people suspected you of having, your opponent would defend you.

If this had happened twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have started a fight today.

But the Sarutobi Hiruzen of today no longer had that kind of nerve. All he wanted was to keep Konoha going and eliminate every source of instability in the village. He couldn't afford another disaster like the Nine-Tails Incident.

Otherwise, war would drag Konoha into the abyss!

"Mm. I believe the Uchiha Clan.

"The Uchiha Clan will investigate this incident alongside the Anbu and determine the attacker's motives as soon as possible."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Once he had finished speaking, he turned and left, his face turning cold the moment his back was to them.

Too much had happened today, and it had left him in turmoil. He wanted to go back and clear his head, then summon Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura to analyze the situation and decide what to do next.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's departure eased the tension a little.

Danzo said nothing. With a dark expression, he left at once, intending to return to the base and carefully investigate what had happened that day.

The Root captain immediately followed him, leaving a few subordinates behind to guard the scene.

"This is Root's base. The Uchiha shouldn't interfere, so let the Anbu handle the scene. Bring the information to the Military Police Force tomorrow so we can discuss it together."

Uchiha Gin ignored Fugaku and addressed the Anbu.

"Fine."

The Anbu captain hesitated, then agreed.

Uchiha Gin recognized Kakashi's voice, but didn't dwell on it. They would have plenty of chances to work together in the future.

Then he left, heading straight back toward the Military Police Force.

The Uchiha members hurried after him.

Fugaku's expression was complicated. Events had unfolded differently from what he'd expected today, but he figured Konoha would surely be making preparations now. What came next would be the real trouble; Konoha might even make its move directly.

"Prepare for a fight to the death!"

Fugaku had had enough of swallowing his pride.

Uchiha Gin's actions today had also given him some courage. Konoha was still afraid of the Mangekyō.

With himself and Uchiha Gin, two Mangekyō wielders, they might have a chance against Konoha after all.

Perhaps there was no need to keep bowing and scraping. The Uchiha weren't the only ones afraid. Konoha feared them, too. Otherwise, the village wouldn't be targeting the Uchiha so relentlessly!

Night fell.

The day's events in Konoha spread throughout the village at once. The residential district wasn't very large, and with the enormous explosions that day, there was no way to cover it up.

The clan members who'd been berated were all at home, cursing furiously. But they didn't dare go pick a fight with the Uchiha.

Konoha could make a move against them, but if they tried anything, the Uchiha wouldn't hold back.

The lights in the Hokage Building stayed on all night. Clearly, the day's events had given Sarutobi Hiruzen a terrible headache.

"Shisui hasn't come?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed.

He was furious that he hadn't been told Uchiha Gin had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Lord Hokage, it seems the Uchiha Clan held a family meeting tonight. Shisui probably attended, so he didn't receive the message and come here."

An Anbu operative knelt on one knee and reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Contact him as soon as possible and tell him to come here."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was grim.

He had already held a meeting with the Hokage Assistants. A move to suppress the Uchiha now could very well end in mutual destruction.

The sudden appearance of a Mangekyō had given the Uchiha a significant boost.

The priority now was to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He had already assigned people to do so.

Danzo and the others had gone to prepare new countermeasures. They needed to keep an even closer watch on the Uchiha.

The underground chamber beneath the Uchiha Shrine.

Every Uchiha with a Sharingan who wasn't away on a mission had gathered here.

Almost all of them gazed fervently at Uchiha Gin, standing at the center, and his unusual eyes. They saw hope.

The others had long been discontent with Konoha's policies of suppressing the Uchiha. In Uchiha Madara's day, they would have fought back long ago. But years of being kept half-captive had dulled their edge. Now, however, a new blade had appeared—one that could lead them to hone their edge anew!

Watching the clan members, Shisui felt deeply conflicted. Was there really no way to stop a conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha?

"In the past, our Uchiha Clan was far too weak. But starting today, we don't have to keep hiding our heads like cowards!"

Uchiha Gin addressed the people below him with complete seriousness.

Fugaku's expression was numb. He knew that once the clan found out someone had a Mangekyō, it would be hard to hold them back.

Those simple words set the clan members below ablaze with excitement.

If their instincts as shinobi hadn't kept them quiet, they might have cheered aloud already.