Instead of his usual clothes, he wore, for the first time, an outfit unique to the Uchiha of the Warring States era, with the Uchiha clan crest embroidered on its back.
Uchiha Yan first swept his sharp gaze across the surroundings.
The previously expressionless face revealed just the right amount of sorrow and anger.
Yet he did not speak immediately. Only when the atmosphere had gradually become heavy, even suffocating,
did Uchiha Yan slowly begin. "My fellow Konoha citizens, when I learned of this, I felt no anger. Only endless grief, and an indescribable... humiliation."
He put deliberate emphasis on the word "humiliation."
The moment they heard that word, the crowd below jolted.
"Just days ago, we mourned those who died resisting Orochimaru's invasion, and we mourned the sacrifice of the Lord Third. We believed it was merely an attack Orochimaru had plotted for a long time."
"But what was the truth? Squad Leader Nara Shikaku uncovered irrefutable evidence. It was the result of Shimura Danzō colluding with foreign enemies and betraying Konoha!"
"Our kindness was exploited. Our tolerance became weakness in the eyes of others!"
"Once upon a time, Konoha was the greatest ninja village in the shinobi world! But over these years, what have we been forced to endure?!"
Uchiha Yan's voice abruptly rose as he deliberately used sound-based genjutsu to guide the crowd's emotions.
"Several years ago, Kumogakure attempted to seize the Hyuga clan's Byakugan under the guise of negotiations. One of them was killed, Kumogakure came to demand an explanation, and in the end Hizashi Hyuga died. We endured it."
"More than a decade ago, our ally, the Land of Whirlpools, was destroyed. For the sake of so-called 'greater peace,' we turned a blind eye. We endured that too!"
"But what happened then?" Uchiha Yan's voice