Uchiha Clan Compound, study.
Fugaku smashed the teacup in his hand.
That made three.
Hearing the commotion outside, a guard had just poked half his head through the door when Fugaku's shout of "Get out!" sent him jerking back.
Only four people remained in the study. The three Uchiha elders even sat in the same posture—backs straight, hands on their knees, faces grim.
"People in the village are saying..." The elder seated on the left hesitated, but still said it. "They're saying you abandoned Mikoto during the border mission."
Fugaku clenched his back teeth.
He knew. The whole of Konoha was talking about it. In teahouses, on the streets and in the alleys, outside ninja tool shops—even vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes were discussing it.
Abandoning a teammate, leaving behind his fiancée, fleeing alone in a desperate situation.
It was a ninja's disgrace.
And the most disgusting part was—it was true.
Fugaku had indeed run.
But by his logic, he had needed to run. Mikoto was not strong enough in battle; if she had stayed, they would only have died together. His life was more important than that of a woman whose engagement had been called off.
He did not think he was wrong.
He only thought that brat Nawaki had blown the matter out of proportion.
"It's not the rumors that are the problem." The elder in the middle was Yan Zhen, one of the Uchiha Clan's most steadfast radicals. His voice was heavy as he spoke. "It's that the Senju Clan has spread it too quickly."
Fugaku's attention was pulled back.
"Go on."
"The Third Hokage compensated the Senju Clan with three commercial streets in the eastern district. Those streets are Konoha's most central business area, connected to the central market and the ninja tool exchange. How long