Trust

The streets of Konoha, once bustling with activity, were now deserted.

Yet the shadows beneath the eaves on either side were packed with crouching Anbu and Root ninja.

They had sealed off the entire district.

Uchiha Shisui, an Anbu himself,

was crouched in the shadows on a rooftop too, cold sweat already soaking through the back of his shirt.

He watched the long, slowly moving line of Uchiha clansmen below,

and Uchiha Shisui's heart sank to the depths.

"Lord Fugaku... are you really going to take things this far?"

His face was tense, and his eyes held the hope that his clansmen might still come to their senses.

However, Uchiha Fugaku and the others at the head of the line showed no sign of turning back.

They had set out from the Uchiha district and were heading openly and in full force toward the village gates.

They made no attempt to hide their intentions.

At the head of the procession, Uchiha Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku strode forward with steady steps.

And the people following him weren't ordinary Uchiha clansmen—they were the elite of the Konoha Military Police Force.

Dozens of pairs of scarlet Sharingan glowed in the dim afternoon light,

a sight enough to make any enemy tremble with fear.

Their stated reason for the journey was to visit the border of the Land of Water and pay their respects to their clansmen,

but in the eyes of Konoha High Command, this was the unmistakable prelude to the Uchiha Clan's impending rebellion.

"Hiruzen, what are you still waiting for?!"

Danzo stood atop a tall building, glaring down at the Uchiha Clan.

His voice carried a murderous intent that brooked no argument.

"Give the order. Now.

Let me use force to crush the seeds of the Uchiha rebellion before they can take root!"

But Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing beside him, continued to wait patiently.

On the street below, Uchiha Tekka walked at the front of the procession.

As he felt the faint, watchful gazes directed at the Uchiha Clan from all around,

a twisted thrill rose within him.

He even lifted his chin, savoring the vanity of being watched with fear.

This was how these civilians should see the Uchiha Clan.

So powerful that they inspired fear.

He thought, Let these civilians tremble. Let them remember who the strongest clan in the village is.

Just as Uchiha Tekka was basking in the Uchiha Clan's glory,

a golden figure stood silently at the far end of the street, blocking their way.

"Uh!"

When Uchiha Tekka saw him, he instinctively took a step back.

For the man standing before him was the "Yellow Flash," renowned throughout the Shinobi World for the "Flying Thunder God Technique."

The Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Minato Namikaze!

Only after glancing back at his clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, did Uchiha Tekka swallow and summon the courage to keep walking.

But the closer Uchiha Tekka got to Minato Namikaze, the more nervous he became.

He wasn't the only one. Everyone in the Uchiha Clan, except Uchiha Fugaku,

was reacting the same way.

If Uchiha Fugaku hadn't kept striding forward so resolutely, the entire procession would likely have fallen apart long ago.

Still, everyone was instinctively slowing down.

By the end, Uchiha Fugaku, who had originally been near the middle of the procession,

had gradually become the one at its very front.

When he was about three steps away from Uchiha Fugaku,

the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, finally spoke.

"Fugaku, where are you taking your clansmen?"

Uchiha Fugaku stopped. His voice was low as he replied, "To the border of the Land of Water, to pay our respects to the shinobi of our clan."

"The turmoil has only just ended. It's normal for shinobi to make sacrifices.

As the head of the Uchiha Clan, you should be prepared for that."

Minato's voice was gentle, but every person present heard him clearly.

"Prepared?"

Fugaku gave a cold laugh. "Our Uchiha Clan can only die on a battlefield beneath the sun.

We must never die like rats in some filthy gutter!"

As he said this, he deliberately glanced up at Danzo and the others hiding on the rooftops.

Danzo paid him no heed, his eyes full of contempt for Uchiha Fugaku.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Uchiha Shisui, hiding in the shadows too, felt that for a brief moment,

Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku had glanced at him.

On the rooftop, Danzo turned to his old friend beside him. "Hiruzen, do you see it now? This is the Uchiha Clan's loyalty!

Give the order. We can wipe them all out right now!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep draw from his pipe.

Through the swirling smoke, his expression was difficult to read.

He opposed Danzo's plan to stop them by force, but he was even more afraid that the Uchiha Clan might truly rebel.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down at the mass of Sharingan,

knowing that if a battle really broke out, Konoha would suffer grievous losses.

Minato Namikaze didn't put on the airs of the Fourth Hokage.

He simply walked up to Fugaku and said sincerely,

"I promise you, this will never happen again."

"Hmph!"

Uchiha Fugaku snorted. "Why should I believe you, when the village has never trusted us Uchiha in the first place?"

In Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, he was only planning to take his clansmen to the Land of Water to pay their respects to members of the Uchiha Clan.

But the village's leaders clearly didn't trust them.

So why should he trust the village?

Minato fell silent for a moment. Then he stepped aside, clearing the road leading out of the village.

"I trust you, so I'm letting you leave."

At that moment, not only Uchiha Fugaku,

but even the Uchiha elites behind him were stunned.

The Fourth Hokage's words stirred something in all of them.

Uchiha Fugaku asked in disbelief, "You really intend to let us leave?"

Minato Namikaze nodded. "But you must accept supervision by Anbu Ninja along the way.

You can't communicate with shinobi from other villages, and you must not intend to betray the village."

Then he looked Fugaku in the eye. "If you do... I'll personally bring you all back."

"Outrageous!"

Danzo, who had been watching the scene below, was now trembling with rage.

He whipped around to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Hiruzen! Give the order! Order the Anbu to act right now!"

When Danzo had been preparing to stop the Uchiha Clan by force,

the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had volunteered to go and negotiate with them first.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had objected, but Minato Namikaze had insisted.

So he had reluctantly allowed him to proceed.

But judging by what Minato Namikaze had just done,

this wasn't stopping them at all!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, gripping his pipe, began to tremble.

In that instant, the Third Hokage's wavering heart finally settled on a decision.

This time, he chose to side with Danzo.

"Minato is still too young..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. "At a time like this, the village must use an iron fist."

He slowly raised his hand, preparing to bring it down.

At that critical moment—

"Lord Hokage!"

An urgent shout came from the other end of the street.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane came running over, stumbling as they supported a shinobi covered in dust and dressed in ragged clothes.

That man was none other than Uchiha Yatsuhashi, the shinobi who was supposed to have died in the Land of Water.