Public Investigation

Fugaku said slowly, "Then speak."

Shin-getsu nodded.

He walked into the shrine, step by step.

Every step was agonizingly slow.

His wounds throbbed with a tearing pain.

Yet, he kept his back straight.

Finally, he stood in the center of the crowd.

The firelight illuminated his pale face, as well as the blood that had yet to dry on his body.

Uchiha Tekka was the first to ask, "Shin-getsu, those two people who broke into your home last night, what were they after?"

Shin-getsu replied in a low voice, "To take me away."

"They said that since I have no kin, even if I went missing, it wouldn't cause much of a stir."

A chorus of suppressed, angry voices erupted within the shrine.

Tekka's gaze grew even colder.

"What else did they say?"

Shin-getsu raised his head.

"They said my Sharingan hasn't awakened and my chakra levels are average."

"My recycling value is low."

"But they need to collect more samples in the near future."

BOOM!

These words were like an Explosive Tag, instantly detonating in everyone's hearts.

"Samples!"

"So it really is samples!"

"Bastards!"

"What do they take us Uchiha for?"

"Animals!"

Several young Uchiha members activated their Sharingan on the spot.

Even the expressions of the clan elders turned completely grim.

Low recycling value.

Collecting samples.

This was no longer mere suspicion.

This was treating Uchiha clansmen as objects to be evaluated, recycled, and experimented upon.

Uchiha Tekka was trembling with rage.

"Did they say who sent them?"

Shin-getsu remained silent for a moment.

Everyone stared at him.

Fugaku's gaze also became grave.

Shin-getsu did not name Danzo directly.

He knew that without evidence, accusing Danzo outright would only give the Third Hokage a reason to claim the Uchiha were slandering the higher-ups.

What he needed to do was let his clansmen reach the conclusion themselves.

So, he said in a low voice, "They didn't mention any names."

"They didn't wear any Anbu insignias either."

"But their movements were very professional."

"They knew where I lived."

"They knew my personal file."

"They knew I had no kin."

"They knew my Sharingan hadn't awakened."

"They even knew my chakra levels."

Shin-getsu looked at everyone present.

"I would like to ask you, my seniors."

"Could ordinary rogue ninjas possibly possess this kind of intelligence?"

The shrine was deathly silent.

The answer was self-evident.

It was impossible.

Such intelligence could only be accessed by someone within Konoha.

It was not even something an ordinary ninja could uncover.

It had to be someone who controlled the village's intelligence network.

Uchiha Tekka gritted his teeth and said, "Root."

This time, he spoke the name directly.

"It must be Root!"

"No one else would do such a thing except Shimura Danzo!"

Others immediately chimed in.

"That's right!"

"Danzo has always been hostile toward us Uchiha!"

"After the Nine-Tails Incident, he was the one who insisted on moving us to the edge of the village!"

"And now he's sending people to kidnap our children!"

"Clan Leader, we can't endure this any longer!"

"We must demand an explanation from the Hokage!"

The atmosphere boiled over once again.

Fugaku let out a sharp, low shout.

"Quiet!"

Under the weight of the clan leader's authority, the crowd reluctantly fell silent.

Fugaku looked at Shin-getsu.

"Continue."

Shin-getsu nodded.

"After I heard them say they were going to take me away, I resisted."

"I knew I was no match for them."

"So, I had to make use of lamp oil, steel wire, Explosive Tags, and the roof beams."

"The first one underestimated me, and I killed him."

"The second one was very strong; I nearly died."

At this point, Shin-getsu paused.

He pulled back his collar.

Beneath the bandages on his chest, the scorched marks from the explosion were faintly visible.

"To kill him, I detonated an Explosive Tag at point-blank range."

Many clansmen's eyes widened in shock.

An Explosive Tag at point-blank range?

Was this kid crazy?

A nine-year-old child actually dared to use such a tactic?

The way Uchiha Tekka looked at Shin-getsu had completely changed.

If he had only viewed Shin-getsu as a victim a moment ago, he now saw him as a true clansman.

An Uchiha who dared to risk his life against the enemy.

Shin-getsu continued, "In the end, I used the collapsing roof beam to pin him down and finished him off with a blade."

"After that, the patrol team arrived."

"And I lost consciousness."

He spoke very calmly.

Yet, the calmer he was, the more chilling it felt.

A nine-year-old child spoke of life and death as if it were a sparring match at the training grounds.

This ruthlessness was so very Uchiha.

No.

It was even more ruthless than many Uchiha.

Shisui looked at Shin-getsu, his mood complex.

Itachi remained silent as well.

He found that he was increasingly unable to see through this younger clansman.

Every word Shin-getsu spoke was true.

Yet, his way of speaking was constantly fueling the clansmen's emotions.

He did not incite them directly.

But it was more effective than incitement.

Because he laid out the facts layer by layer, letting everyone become angry on their own, doubt on their own, and reach their own conclusions.

This was dangerous.

It was also clever.

Fugaku naturally saw this too.

He stared at Shin-getsu and asked in a deep voice, "Shin-getsu, what do you want the clan to do?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes fell upon Shin-getsu.

Shin-getsu felt a stir in his heart.

Fugaku's question was critical.

If he answered too aggressively, Fugaku would suppress him.

If he answered too weakly, the momentum he had just built up would deflate.

Therefore, he had to provide an answer that appeared restrained but was, in reality, sharp.

Shin-getsu raised his head, his voice clear.

"First, strengthen patrols within the clan grounds. Especially for orphans, children, and clansmen who have not yet awakened the Sharingan—they must be registered and protected."

Many nodded.

This was very reasonable.

"Second, the Police Force must demand that the village publicly explain how outside ninjas infiltrated the Uchiha clan grounds last night."

"If they were not people from within the village, then it is a dereliction of duty by Konoha's security."

"If they were people from within the village, then it must be investigated even more thoroughly."

This statement made many clansmen's eyes light up.

That's right!

Regardless of whether it was Root or not, Konoha had to provide an explanation.

If it wasn't an insider, then it was a failure of security.

If it was an insider, then it was an even bigger problem.

They couldn't escape either way.

Shin-getsu continued, "Third, do not directly accuse anyone."

As soon as these words were spoken, the radicals frowned.

Tekka couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Shin-getsu looked at him.

"Because there is no evidence."

"Accusing someone directly without evidence will only allow the other side to bite back, claiming that the Uchiha are slandering the village's high-ranking officials and intending to stir up conflict."

Tekka was taken aback.

Shin-getsu said, "But we can demand an investigation."

"A public investigation."

"Let the Hokage personally give his word."

"Let the entire village know that the Uchiha clan grounds were invaded last night and a nine-year-old child was almost taken as a specimen."

"If someone wants to suppress this, then they must first explain why such a thing cannot be made known to the villagers."

The shrine fell silent once more.

This time, it was not a silence of anger.

It was a silence of shock.

Even the way Fugaku looked at Shin-getsu had changed.

This move was ruthless.

What the Uchiha lacked most right now was the power of discourse.

The high-ranking officials of Konoha had always kept the Uchiha isolated from the villagers, causing the villagers to harbor fear and prejudice toward the Uchiha.

If what happened last night were made public, what would the villagers think?

A nine-year-old child snatched away to be used as a specimen.

Even if they didn't like the Uchiha, they would instinctively feel uneasy.

Because today, it could be the Uchiha.

Tomorrow, could it be another clan?

The Hyuga?

The Inuzuka?

The Aburame?

Ordinary civilian ninja?

Once a matter like this is brought out into the open, the Konoha high command would no longer be able to easily suppress it with the "greater good."

And if the Third Hokage forcibly suppressed the news, the Uchiha would have even more reason to suspect that the high command was feeling guilty.

Uchiha Tekka's eyes lit up.

"Good!"

"Shin-getsu is right!"

"We shall demand a public investigation!"

"Let's see if they dare to investigate!"

One of the clan elders also nodded slowly.

"This child speaks well."

"Direct conflict is inadvisable, but we cannot remain silent as we have in the past."

"A public investigation is a viable path."

Shisui looked at Shin-getsu, his heart shaken.

He had expected Shin-getsu to escalate the conflict.

Yet, he hadn't expected that the solution Shin-getsu provided would be calmer than that of many adults.

No direct violence.

No direct accusations.

But every step pushed the pressure back onto the Konoha high command.

This wasn't reckless revenge.

This was a strategy.

Itachi's heart was equally conflicted.

He suddenly realized that if there were a few more people like Shin-getsu within the Uchiha, perhaps the situation wouldn't necessarily head toward the worst-case scenario.

But at the same time, he felt a faint sense of unease.

Because Shin-getsu was too sharp.

So sharp that if he ever lost control, he would cut many people.