Perfectly Reasonable

Konoha Village, Hokage Building.

The conference room was already filled with representatives from every ninja clan.

Konoha had a power structure based on shared rule. Beneath the Hokage were four elder advisors, along with twenty honorary elders.

Clans such as the Hyuga Clan, Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka Clan, and Aburame Clan each had at least two honorary elders. As for the smaller clans, several clans generally shared one honorary elder as their representative.

Honorary elders possessed the right to nominate Hokage candidates, nominate jonin, and vote on major village affairs.

However, after the Nine-Tails Disaster, the Uchiha Clan's honorary elder seats had been revoked. (Fugaku's position as Police Force captain was an office, not a status.)

This was also why the Uchiha hardliners had grown dissatisfied in recent years.

The Third Hokage sat at the head of the table, with Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu seated on either side. The seat that should have belonged to Shimura Danzo was empty.

Though already advanced in years, the Third Hokage looked somewhat weary. Yet his expression remained calm, giving no sign that his reputation had taken a devastating blow the night before.

Everyone in the conference room was quietly discussing how the Uchiha Clan, which had always taken a conciliatory approach, now had a hardline leader in Uchiha Zhengye.

He was only eighteen, but the changes that had occurred overnight had made everyone wary of underestimating him.

Two chairs had been left vacant at the oval conference table, with "Uchiha" written on them.

Zhengye and Fugaku entered the venue right on time.

The entire conference room instantly fell silent at their arrival.

"Since the Uchiha are here, today's meeting will now officially begin."

Seeing that Zhengye and Fugaku had arrived, the Third Hokage immediately announced the start of the meeting.

"I trust all the elders have heard that yesterday, Shimura Danzo, an elder advisor, had an extremely vicious conflict with the Uchiha Clan."

"Danzo has now been detained for treatment. Once his injuries stabilize, he will be transferred to the Interrogation Department for a public trial."

"As Hokage, I bear responsibility for failing to properly supervise matters, resulting in the immense harm suffered by the Uchiha Clan. For that, I offer my deepest apologies."

The Third Hokage removed his Hokage hat and bowed to Zhengye and Fugaku.

Neither Zhengye nor Fugaku reacted. This was merely a gesture for appearances' sake and held little real meaning.

Ignoring their response, the Third Hokage continued after straightening up.

"Of course, as an inseparable part of Konoha Village, the Uchiha Clan should never have been treated this way. The village is prepared to offer compensation to the Uchiha Clan."

"Fugaku, if the Uchiha have any demands, you may state them."

Fugaku remained as steady as a rock and said unhurriedly, "Lord Hokage, I have recently found that clan affairs have delayed my training. I have already transferred these decision-making powers to the other elders. Today, Uchiha Zhengye, as the clan's Fourth Elder, will fully represent the Uchiha Clan."

He had had a long talk with Itachi the night before. He had also learned that Zhengye possessed a space-time ninja tool capable of traveling to the future.

Someone who had been to the future was surely wiser than someone like him, who could not see it.

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present revealed looks of knowing understanding.

Sure enough, the Uchiha power structure had changed.

Fugaku had not stepped down, but he was likely only serving as a transitional figure.

The Third Hokage looked at Zhengye with an inquiring gaze.

Zhengye showed no trace of stage fright. He swept his gaze over Konoha's upper ranks, then tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention.

"Before that, I would like to ask something."

"Why were we Uchiha driven to the very outskirts of the village after the Nine-Tails Disaster?"

Zhengye's question, despite knowing the answer, made everyone exchange looks. They had not expected him to begin there.

Everyone knew it was because the Nine-Tails Disaster had been caused by the Sharingan controlling the Nine-Tails.

After all, everyone had seen the enormous Sharingan pattern in the Nine-Tails' eyes.

But it had only ever been a suspicion, without concrete proof, and the Third Hokage was still considering his wording.

Unexpectedly, Utatane Koharu directly launched an attack instead, slamming her hand onto the table.

"The Nine-Tails Disaster inflicted immeasurable pain upon Konoha. We will not allow any potential danger to remain at the center of the village."

She was only short of pointing at the Uchiha and declaring that they had caused the Nine-Tails Disaster.

Because the Uchiha were simply too suspicious, the other ninja clans that had suffered heavy casualties at the time had silently agreed to that decree as well.

Fugaku opened his eyes, anger churning within them. It was because Konoha's upper ranks distrusted them that the honorary elder seats they had once held had been stripped away at that time.

Zhengye pressed a hand onto Fugaku's shoulder. Rather than argue with Utatane Koharu, he chose to muddy the waters instead.

"I know every ninja clan suspects our Uchiha Clan. But after years of investigation, we have discovered who truly orchestrated the Nine-Tails Disaster."

"What!?"

"How is that possible!?"

The moment Zhengye spoke, the entire conference room erupted. Every clan had lost many of their own during the Nine-Tails Disaster.

Naturally, they hated the mastermind to the bone.

Although the Third Hokage had always been wary of the Uchiha Clan, compared to the one behind the Nine-Tails Disaster, the latter was Konoha's true mortal enemy.

He leaned forward, his gaze sharp. "Zhengye, who are you talking about?"

Fugaku's pupils contracted. As clan head, he knew full well that the Uchiha had not uncovered the slightest clue. What did Zhengye mean by saying this?

Still, he cooperated outwardly, looking at everyone with complete certainty.

Zhengye raised a finger and asked, "First, during the Nine-Tails Disaster, did the upper ranks order us Uchiha to escort the villagers?"

"Yes." The Third Hokage answered firmly. There was nothing to deny; that had indeed been the order at the time.

"After the Fourth Hokage died, according to normal procedure, should a Fifth Hokage have been selected?"

Everyone present exchanged glances, and a guess formed in their eyes.

After Minato Namikaze died, if a Fifth Hokage had been selected at the time, there had been one and only one person who could have taken the position.

That person was Orochimaru.

But Orochimaru was not under the Third Hokage's control, so the Third Hokage had not immediately selected a Fifth Hokage.

Orochimaru's later defection was another matter entirely.

Akimichi Chogan, Choza's clan uncle and the current clan head, impatiently interrupted Zhengye. "Zhengye, are you talking about Orochimaru?"

Zhengye shook his head. "No, not Orochimaru."

"I'm talking about Shimura Danzo!"

"Impossible!" Utatane Koharu was the first to object upon hearing that.

"Danzo dedicated his entire life to Konoha. How could he possibly collude with Orochimaru to launch the Nine-Tails Disaster?"

The upper ranks of Konoha shared both glory and ruin. Danzo could not possibly have done such a thing.

Zhengye swept his hand through the air, forcefully suppressing her objection. "What's impossible about it!?"

"According to our Uchiha Clan's investigation, Danzo's arm was transplanted by Orochimaru using Hashirama Cells."

"And the Sharingan on that arm were implanted in order to control the Nine-Tails jinchuriki."

"The two of them are cut from the same cloth."

"During the Nine-Tails Disaster, if the Third Hokage had died in battle, the Fourth Hokage, whose foundation was not yet secure, would have been no match for those two."

"If the Fourth Hokage had died, then Orochimaru would have been the only possible Fifth Hokage."

"After recovering the Sharingan yesterday, we immediately conducted a chakra examination and discovered that the Sharingan belonged to Uchiha Shisui's uncle, Uchiha Kagami!"

"For someone who would even gouge out his comrades' eyes, launching the Nine-Tails Disaster for the position of Hokage is perfectly reasonable."