In the Name of the Uchiha

" Hiruzen, don't listen to his nonsense! This is clearly the Uchiha deliberately muddying the waters!" Danzo cut Hayato off.

"We Uchiha have no need to do that," Fugaku said sharply, interrupting Danzo.

"Whether anyone's muddying the waters will be clear enough if we investigate." Hayato's gaze flicked toward Danzo's right hand, already wrapped in bandages.

Danzo's heart sank under that look. He couldn't help wondering whether the chakra in his arm had leaked and someone had noticed.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished reading the scroll, he slowly picked up his pipe and lit it.

Through the curling smoke, his gaze gradually settled on Hayato, who had stood in front of all the clan members from the very beginning.

Maybe it was just his imagination... No, it definitely wasn't. The Uchiha Clan seemed to regard Hayato as their leader.

But was that because of his ideas, or because of the Mangekyo?

While Danzo was still wondering whether his arm had been exposed, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already set some concerns aside and begun to look deeper.

After a brief silence, however, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided he could look into it later. For now, the priority was resolving the incident and dealing with the villagers gathered outside.

If this went on, it wouldn't just be an Uchiha Clan matter. Unease among the people would affect how the other shinobi clans viewed the village. And if spies from other great nations got hold of this information...

At that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up. "Everyone, I understand what's happened."

Everyone turned toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, waiting to hear what the Third Hokage would decide.

"I'll investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation. For now, I—"

"Lord Third, the villagers have been misled. Please go out in person and give our Uchiha Clan the chance to explain things to them," Hayato said before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish.

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused and looked at Hayato, unsure what he was trying to do.

Still, it was what he had planned to do as well: calm the villagers, shift the focus, reduce the scale of the incident, and let time wash it all away.

"Very well. Come along with this old man."

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand to stop the Council of Elders from speaking. His look made his meaning clear: don't make things more complicated.

More and more people had gathered in front of the Hokage Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen led the way, followed by several Anbu and Hayato's group. They filed out of the Hokage Building and stopped at the front of the crowd.

Some people in the crowd held crude signs. Others carried children, whispering among themselves.

"We can't let dangerous people stay in Konoha!"

"Drive them all out!"

The shouts rang out from time to time, stirring up the crowd each time.

But when Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared, the villagers' voices gradually died down.

Hayato glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen's back. So this was the weight carried by the Third Hokage.

As soon as he stepped forward, no matter how turbulent things became, everyone in Konoha fell quiet without thinking and listened to him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and slowly spoke. "So many people have gathered here. Have you all had dinner yet?"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly.

The villagers at the front were taken aback.

"I haven't eaten yet." Sarutobi Hiruzen walked toward the crowd as if nothing were amiss. With a warm expression, he picked up a child standing beside an adult and played with him for a while before continuing, "I was looking through documents in my office just now. The smell drifting in through the window made my stomach growl."

"Gahaha!"

The little tyke in Sarutobi Hiruzen's arms giggled, and the villagers around them couldn't help laughing too.

The tense atmosphere in the crowd suddenly eased.

Just like that, Sarutobi Hiruzen defused the commotion without anyone even noticing.

As he watched the child laugh in his arms, a smile crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's face. He handed the child back to his father, then gradually grew serious.

"You've all come here because of the Uchiha, right?"

The mood tensed again, but no one spoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand and beckoned to Hayato behind him. "Hayato, come over here."

"This is a member of the Uchiha Clan. He came to me because he wanted to speak with all of you. Why don't we hear him out?"

The crowd stirred, and people exchanged glances. They hadn't expected someone from the Uchiha to actually come forward.

Hayato took a deep breath and looked across the villagers, who were beginning to grow restless again. "People of Konoha, I know you're afraid of us and hate us right now. You think the Uchiha are planning a rebellion. If I'd heard those rumors, I'd be afraid too."

The crowd fell still. Everyone watched Hayato, now standing beside the Third Hokage.

"But have you forgotten? Konoha was founded by Lord Senju Hashirama and Lord Uchiha Madara of my clan, together with their own hands. We Uchiha aren't outsiders. We're one of Konoha's founding clans."

Hayato's gaze swept slowly across the crowd. "The Uchiha were born and raised in Konoha. How many members of our clan have fought and bled for the village, just like you?"

"Just because of a few rumors and someone's attempts to stir things up, you're branding a shinobi clan that loves Konoha just as much as you do as traitors?"

"Stop making excuses! You Uchiha look down on everyone and don't care about Konoha at all!"

Hayato's gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on the spot where the voice had come from. But the person who had spoken was already gone.

Hayato didn't care about the rat hiding in the shadows. In an even voice, he said, "From the very beginning, we've been in the Hokage Office to ask Lord Third to let us prove our clan's innocence."

"Would people who truly looked down on everyone behave that way?"

His eyes had already turned scarlet. He pointed at them. "The Sharingan isn't a curse. It's the power we Uchiha use to protect the village!"

"On the Night of the Nine-Tails, while the village was fighting back, our Uchiha Clan was ordered to protect the rear. Those of you who experienced that disaster should remember it best."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then began to murmur. The Night of the Nine-Tails had only been two years ago.

After all, the civilians had suffered the fewest losses that night. The Uchiha Military Police Force had been in the center of the village and evacuated the villagers as quickly as they could.

"That's true."

"I remember, too. Uchiha members rescued me, and one of them was injured doing it."

A few voices spoke up, gradually growing louder. Hayato raised his right hand and clenched it sharply, drawing everyone's attention.

"In every war Konoha has fought, the Uchiha Clan has lost no fewer people than any other clan! You fear us and keep your distance because you've been manipulated by people with ulterior motives. But I need you to remember one thing—"

"The Uchiha have never thought of betraying Konoha!"

Hayato paused, then raised his voice again. "Here and now, in the name of the Uchiha, one of the clans that founded Konoha: the Uchiha will cooperate with every investigation conducted by Lord Third. We won't run or hide anything."

"But—anyone who keeps slandering the Uchiha without cause and inciting hatred, whether they're hiding in the shadows or hold a position of power, will have the Uchiha to answer to!"

When his words fell, the crowd went utterly silent.