Fugaku said nothing.
The old man didn't wait for him to speak. He turned around, leaned on crutches, and walked toward the door step by step.
When he reached the threshold, he stopped.
"Fugaku," he didn't look back, "It wasn't like this when your father was alive."
He opened the door and went out.
The door closed behind him with a soft sound.
No one spoke in the meeting hall.
Fugaku sat there, looking at the direction in which the old man disappeared.
He suddenly remembered many years ago, when he was a child.
At that time, his father was still alive, not weighed down by his old injuries, and could still stand in front of his tribe and smile.
He remembered that his father held his hand before he died and said Fugaku, this family is entrusted to you.
He didn't know how big the family was at that time.
Now I know.
"... Who else?" Fugaku said.
No one answered.
"Who else disagrees?"
Still no one answered.
Midang stood in place, Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly extinguished.
He looked at Fugaku, and there were many things in his eyes, including anger, disappointment, and a trace of unfamiliarity with the person in front of him that even he didn't want to admit.
"Fugaku," his voice was low.
"You were able to convince me today not because you were right. It was because you are the clan leader, and I promised your father not to undermine you at the clan meeting."
He paused.
"If I had known earlier, I should have defected with Shaoyu and the others."
This is how it ended.
Danzo was returned to Root Base late at night on the third day of detention.
According to the guarding Root member, the elder who came back was covered in wounds, his right eye was wrapped in a bandage, and his left leg was lame when he walked. He looked like he had just crawled back from the battlefield.
He didn't talk to anyone, went straight into the deepest office, closed the door, and didn't come out all night.
Uchiha It's quiet over there too.
Fugaku suppressed all voices, suppressed all dissatisfaction, suppressed those young people who wanted to cause trouble.
The security team patrolled as usual, the tribesmen went on missions as usual, and everything was as if nothing had happened.
But everyone knows that the most terrifying thing is that nothing happened.
No one at the clan meeting openly opposed Fugaku anymore. But when Fugaku walked through the lanes of the clan, those who would have greeted him now just hurried past with their heads lowered.
The old people who would have invited him into the house for tea now just looked at him from a distance, their eyes as complex as through fog.
Midang Those words are like a seed, buried in everyone's heart.
Dove Faction, which originally had the upper hand, lost ground due to the impact of some rumors.
Those who once believed that "integrating into Konoha is the way out" began to waver.
For those Hawk Faction survivors who had lost their loved ones, their anger was rekindled like dry firewood.
Uchiha Setsuna began to appear frequently at clan meetings.
This great elder, who is over seventy years old, seems to have become twenty years younger after the Danzo incident.
He no longer just sat in silence in the corner, but began to speak, began to summon those who were dissatisfied with Fugaku, and began to use his muddy but still sharp eyes to re-examine the young patriarch who was supported by him personally.
No one has spoken out against Fugaku.
But Uchiha is no longer the Uchiha it was a few months ago.
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen is sitting on a chair, the tobacco in the pipe is burning slowly.
The person standing opposite him is Danzo.
A full month has passed since that incident. Danzo's injuries are mostly healed, at least that's what it seems on the surface.
His right eye is still bandaged, and there is no abnormality in his left leg when he walks.
Wearing his iconic black robe, he stood in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, his back straight like an iron stake nailed to the ground.
The silence lasted for a long time.
"What do you want Sharingan for?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
Danzo said nothing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of cigarette and slowly exhaled it.
The smoke slowly dispersed between the two of them, blurring his expression.
"Let me ask you something."
Danzo still didn't speak. His one eye was looking out the window, not knowing what he was looking at.
Sarutobi Hiruzen waited for a while. He put down the pipe and tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"Don't interfere in the affairs of the village for the time being."
Danzo's gaze returned from the window and fell on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
"Root I will take over."
Danzo's pupils shrank suddenly.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi."
His voice was hoarse, with a hint of disbelief.
"You can't do this to me."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up suddenly and slapped the table with his hand, causing the whole table to shake.
"I can't do this to you?! Then tell me, what should I do to you!"
His voice was loud enough to be heard outside the door.
"Can you do things more safely?! Can you not get caught? If you were not caught by them, you can do whatever you want now, but if you are caught, Uchiha, no matter what, you are still part of the village!"
"How do you want me to explain to the other ninjas? What will Hyuga think? What will Ino–Shika–Cho think? They will only think that Konoha High Command started the chaos himself!"
Danzo stood there without speaking.
"Do you know what's going on outside now?" Yuan
Fei Hiruzen Sarutobi walked around the table and walked up to Danzo, almost poking his face with his finger.
"The Uchiha who said Kumogakure over there lived better than Konoha! The Uchiha who said Konoha had to kneel down to survive! Who spread these words? It was you! It was you who gave them something to spread!"
Danzo's Adam's apple rolled, but he still didn't speak.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him for a long time. That decades-old face felt terrifyingly strange to him at the moment.
"Get lost."
His voice was lowered, but it was colder than when he slapped the table just now.
"Get out of here before I'm willing to let you go away alive."
Danzo stood where he was, not moving.
"I told you to get out!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen can hardly control his emotions. This is the first time in so many years that he is so angry.
Danzo turned around, opened the door, and walked out.
He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was determined. If he continued to stay here now, it would be like sending him over to let him vent his anger. He should wait until Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger subsided before coming back.
The door closed heavily behind me.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood there, his chest heaving violently. After a long time, he slowly walked back to his seat and sat down.
The pipe on the table was still emitting fine smoke.
He picked up the pipe and took a long drag, which made him cough.
Uchiha Clan is very powerful. If it weren't for Uchiha Fugaku being easier to control, all Uchiha Clan would probably rebel now.
Fortunately, okay, this is a time of peace. If this happened during a war, Uchiha would definitely betray him immediately, and Konoha would suffer heavy losses.
"Alas..."