The Uchiha Four Laughing Masters Had Gained Another Member, Making Five

"Clack, clack!"

A rush of hurried footsteps approached.

Uchiha Fugaku, who sat by the Naka River, lost in thought as he gazed at the old cherry tree in the courtyard before him, turned to look.

"Clan Head! Something's happened!"

Fugaku froze, then stood up. "Take your time and tell me."

The clan member who had brought the news instinctively took half a step back—not out of fear, but because Fugaku's imposing presence put him under tremendous pressure.

By the time Fugaku arrived at the Uchiha medical room, the narrow corridor was already packed with Uchiha clan members.

Besides the three clan elders, the Police Force squad leaders and elite Chunin were there as well.

When they saw Fugaku arrive, everyone made way for him. The three elders came to his side.

Even though there was dissent within the clan, they still showed Fugaku the respect due to their Clan Head.

"Clan Head, only one of the squads that left the village on a mission returned. One dead and two injured," said an elder from the conservative faction.

"Fugaku, this mission was definitely no ordinary one. We have to get an explanation from Lord Hokage for the Uchiha!" said another elder beside him, his tone blazing. He represented the faction that wanted the Uchiha to take a more aggressive stance.

Fugaku didn't respond. He raised a hand to quiet them, then walked toward the closed door.

Click.

The door opened, and Hayato looked up.

Fugaku walked in slowly and shut the door behind him.

The scene before him made his face grow even more tense: Seiichi lay unconscious, and another person was covered by a white sheet.

Fugaku looked at Hayato, the only person present whose injuries appeared relatively minor.

"Hayato, what happened?"

Fugaku had only received the notification; he didn't know the details.

"Don't worry. What we say in here won't get out."

Hayato remained silent as he composed himself, preparing to begin his performance.

Once he was ready, Hayato looked up at Fugaku. His lips moved, and his dark eyes were already filled with anger.

"Was this mission scroll, stamped with the Hokage's seal, personally issued by the Hokage?" Hayato asked, taking out the scroll he had already retrieved from Seiichi.

Fugaku furrowed his brows, took it, and examined it carefully.

After a long while, he finally answered, "Based on my experience, yes."

"Clan Head!" Hayato's face twisted into a savage expression. "Is Lord Hokage trying to get our Uchiha Clan killed? If so, he could've just said so outright! Why go to such lengths?"

"The Uchiha can die on our feet, but we absolutely won't let ourselves be manipulated like this!"

"Hayato, watch what you say." Fugaku's face twitched. If the village elders heard words like that—

There was no telling how much more the Uchiha would be oppressed.

"Clan Head! The way you said that just now makes it sound like you knew about this!" Hayato stared at Fugaku in disbelief, as though he couldn't bear to accept the news.

His face was full of disbelief at this apparent betrayal.

"Hayato, I need to know exactly what happened."

Fugaku was genuinely tired now. Hayato's attitude was the same one he so often faced from members of the clan.

Almost all of them acted this way.

There were a few exceptions, but... (Those who looked gloomy were even more dangerous.)

Hayato took several deep breaths, as though trying to quell his fury. Only after a long while did he speak in a hoarse voice. "Yesterday, we received a mission to help eliminate those who had been harassing the border."

"But when we followed the planned route and reached the midway point, someone was already lying in ambush!"

Hayato recounted frantically how the attackers had coordinated their tactics, how he had drawn three of them away by himself, and how Rin had died while Seiichi was injured by the time he returned.

By the end, Hayato's voice had begun to tremble.

"Clan Head, the way they fought was exactly like the Mist Village's methods. But when I cut off one of their heads..."

"Guess what I found?"

Thump!

Hayato took out another scroll and unsealed it. A severed head appeared before Fugaku.

Cold sweat trickled down Fugaku's forehead.

Hayato pulled out the head's tongue. A strange mark was visible on it.

"Clan Head, after I cut off this guy's head, his entire brain was destroyed at the same time. Do you know what that means?"

As Hayato spoke, his eyes turned crimson, and two tomoe spun incessantly within them.

Fugaku's mouth fell open. He had awakened his Sharingan—and already had two tomoe.

But what mattered more right now was the seal on the tongue.

"My father earned battle honors and was awarded a Sealing Jutsu scroll by the clan. I learned a little from it myself. This seal and some of the techniques used in Konoha to prevent information leaks come from the same source."

Hayato looked at Uchiha Fugaku and spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.

Fugaku froze at his words, then took the head and began examining it himself.

As the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, he had read more scrolls and studied more techniques than most.

The more he examined it, the heavier his heart sank. It was true.

"I'll handle this personally," Fugaku said without looking up. Something seemed to be slowly taking shape in the depths of his eyes.

"Clan Head, I don't trust you."

Hayato's voice was cold. His crimson eyes gazed calmly at Fugaku.

Fugaku's expression stiffened as he looked up at Hayato.

The boy's gaze was genuine. He had lost all trust, and his eyes held nothing but cold indifference.

Fugaku opened his mouth. That look hurt him more than any other he had ever received.

"Hayato, you need to calm down. And please trust me—trust the clan."

Not long ago, this boy had taken his side over Shisui's words and rebuked Shisui. But now...

"I won't trust anyone." Hayato's tone was flat. The despair in his voice stabbed into Fugaku's heart once more.

As for whether what he was doing now was going too far, Hayato had only one thought: if he had the chance to use this now, why not take it? Was he supposed to save it for the Night of the Massacre?

Fugaku's shoulders tensed, but he wasn't the least bit angry at Hayato's attitude.

At home, he could be strict with his own son. But within the clan, he treated its members with exceptional leniency.

Especially a child like Hayato, whose parents had died because of Konoha and the Uchiha Clan.

"Hayato, I guarantee in the name of the Uchiha Clan Head that the clan knew nothing about this incident." Fugaku felt a bitter ache inside. It was his own incompetence that had let the clan's children suffer this fate.

"But... I won't shirk responsibility either. I'll go to the Hokage myself and make sure you and the other two clan members get an explanation."

"An explanation?"

Hayato fell silent for a moment, then put on an expression as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world and burst into laughter.

The Uchiha Four Laughing Masters now had another member, making five.

It would've been even better if blood had happened to trickle from his eyes.

"Is Rin's life worth nothing more than an explanation? What about her mother and her little sister? What are they supposed to do?"

Hayato's voice was so loud that even the Uchiha clan members outside the room could hear him. They froze for a moment, then fell into a dead silence.