Questioning the Hokage

The moment Uchiha You entered the clan grounds, the news had already spread.

"You is back!"

"Wasn't he carrying out a mission in the Land of Water?"

"I heard all three accompanying ANBU died!"

"What? The ANBU all died, but You came back alive?"

"I heard he said at the village gate that those ANBU had the wrong signals!"

"Could it have been Root?"

The clan members discussed it heatedly.

Uchiha Chuan was the first to rush out.

The instant he saw Uchiha You, delight appeared on his face, only for his expression to change drastically when he noticed the bloodstains on You's body.

"You!"

"You're hurt?"

Uchiha You waved a hand.

"Just a minor injury."

In truth, he was not injured at all.

But he had to see the act through.

Uchiha Chuan's face darkened.

"So it really was a trap?"

Uchiha You nodded.

"Three Root operatives."

"They tried to kill me on the way."

Rage instantly erupted in Uchiha Chuan's eyes.

"Bastards!"

"I knew it!"

"That old bastard Danzo really was up to no good!"

The surrounding Uchiha clan members' expressions changed one after another upon hearing that.

Root had attempted to assassinate an Uchiha Jonin.

This was no ordinary conflict anymore.

This was Konoha's upper ranks pressing a blade to the Uchiha Clan's chest!

Yet Uchiha You raised a hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"Don't make a scene yet."

"The Hokage will summon me soon."

Uchiha Chuan gritted his teeth.

"And you're still going?"

"They already sent people to kill you!"

Uchiha You replied calmly.

"Of course I'm going."

"If I don't, how can I slap them in the face in person?"

Everyone froze.

Uchiha You continued.

"Remember this."

"From this moment on, this is not about me, Uchiha You, being assassinated."

"It is about Konoha's ANBU sent on a mission being completely wiped out, with the mission intelligence suspected of being leaked."

"And I am the only one who returned alive to report the intelligence."

Uchiha Chuan's eyes lit up.

He understood.

You was going to turn the tables.

If the Uchiha Clan made a fuss directly, it would become a confrontation between the Uchiha Clan and the village.

But if the matter was defined as "mission intelligence leak," "abnormal ANBU identities," and "problems with the Hokage's mission arrangements," then the pressure would return to the upper ranks.

They had no choice but to investigate.

Yet they could not investigate openly.

And they absolutely could not admit that those three had been Root operatives.

Because once they admitted it, Danzo would never be able to clear himself.

Uchiha Chuan took a deep breath, excitement filling his eyes.

That felt good.

It felt incredibly good.

In the past, the Uchiha Clan had always been suppressed by the upper ranks using rules.

This time, Uchiha You was using those very rules to smash them back into the upper ranks' faces.

Uchiha You looked at everyone.

"Notify the Police Force and organize all the witness statements from the village gate today."

"Record everyone who heard it and everyone who was present."

"Also, send someone to ask at the Hokage Building."

"I, Uchiha You, returned from a mission. Three ANBU died in battle. How does the village intend to investigate this?"

Uchiha Chuan immediately nodded.

"Understood!"

Uchiha You added.

"There's no need to be too aggressive."

"Just ask according to the rules."

"The more we follow the rules, the worse they'll feel."

The surrounding Uchiha clan members' eyes all lit up.

The more they followed the rules, the worse the upper ranks would feel.

That sentence struck straight at everyone's heart.

In the past, the upper ranks had used rules to suppress the Uchiha Clan.

Now, Uchiha You was going to use those rules to strike back at them.

At that moment, a figure approached from afar.

Shisui Uchiha.

When he saw Uchiha You, he visibly let out a sigh of relief.

"You're back."

Uchiha You looked at him.

"What, were you surprised?"

Shisui smiled bitterly.

"I was just worried about you."

Uchiha You said,

"Were you worried about me, or were you worried about the relationship between the village and the Uchiha Clan?"

Shisui was momentarily speechless.

Uchiha You did not continue needling him.

It was not yet time to completely shatter Shisui's illusions.

Until the blade fell upon him, he would never truly wake up.

Uchiha You walked up to Shisui and lowered his voice.

"Shisui."

"From today onward, don't meet Danzo alone."

Shisui's expression changed slightly.

"You're bringing up Danzo again?"

Uchiha You looked into his eyes.

"He wants your eyes."

Shisui's pupils contracted.

"You, you can't say something like that casually."

Uchiha You sneered.

"Then treat it as nonsense."

"But remember what I said."

"If Danzo looks for you, you must notify me."

Shisui fell silent.

His first instinct was to argue.

But the fact that Uchiha You had returned alive itself proved many things.

If this mission truly had been a death trap arranged by Danzo...

Then Danzo's malice toward the Uchiha Clan might have run deeper than he imagined.

While Shisui hesitated, an Uchiha clan member hurried over.

"You!"

"Someone from the ANBU is here."

"The Third Hokage wants you to report on the mission immediately."

"They came quickly."

He turned to Uchiha Chuan.

"Get the witness statements ready."

"Also, have a few clan members come with me."

Uchiha Chuan immediately said,

"I'll go!"

Shisui spoke up as well.

"I'm going too."

Uchiha You glanced at him.

"Are you sure?"

Shisui nodded seriously.

"This time, I want to hear for myself what Lord Hokage has to say."

The corner of Uchiha You's mouth lifted slightly.

Good.

Shisui was beginning to waver.

That was the first step.

When Uchiha You entered the office with Uchiha Chuan, Shisui, and several Police Force members, the atmosphere in the room noticeably sank.

The Third Hokage sat behind his desk.

Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura were all present.

The moment Danzo saw Uchiha You, killing intent nearly flashed through his single eye.

Naturally, Uchiha You caught it.

He sneered inwardly.

Getting anxious?

Don't rush.

This is only the beginning.

The Third Hokage spoke first.

"You, the village is relieved that you returned alive."

Uchiha You replied calmly.

"Lord Hokage, I am relieved as well."

The Third Hokage paused slightly.

Uchiha You continued.

"I'm relieved that I was lucky enough to survive."

"Otherwise, I would have died on this mission without even knowing who had harmed me."

The office instantly fell silent.

Utatane Koharu frowned.

"Uchiha You, what do you mean by that?"

Uchiha You looked at her.

"The meaning is very simple."

"I was ordered by the Hokage to travel to the Land of Water on an investigative mission."

"Not long after leaving Konoha, I was hit by a precisely timed ambush."

"All three accompanying ANBU were killed in action."

"The enemy knew our route, numbers, and timing extremely well."

"May I ask the advisers, does this count as an intelligence leak?"

Mitokado Homura's expression darkened slightly.

The Third Hokage frowned deeply.

Danzo said coldly:

"Rogue ninja from the Land of Water have always been cunning."

"Being ambushed is nothing unusual."

Uchiha You turned to look at him.

"Lord Danzo is right."

"Rogue ninja are cunning. Nothing unusual about that."

"But what is strange is that the code signals used by the three accompanying ANBU before they died were ones I had never seen in the official ANBU system."

"May I ask, Lord Danzo, isn't that strange?"

Danzo's gaze turned cold.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I merely wish to ask."

"Were those three ANBU truly under the Hokage's direct command?"

"Or were they members of some organization that could not bear the light of day?"

Boom!

The atmosphere in the office instantly dropped to freezing point.

Shisui's expression shifted slightly.

Anger surged in Uchiha Chuan's eyes.

The Third Hokage said in a deep voice:

"You, do not make reckless accusations without evidence."

Uchiha You nodded.

"Lord Hokage is right."

"That is why I came back to request an investigation from the village."

"Please investigate the identities of those three ANBU immediately."

"Investigate the source of the mission intelligence leak."

"Investigate why I, an Uchiha Jonin, was sent to the Land of Water on a high-risk mission immediately after clashing with the Shimura Clan."

"And more importantly, investigate why those three ANBU said to me on the road..."

He paused, his gaze settling on Danzo.

"Uchiha You, you should not have offended the Shimura Clan."

Danzo's expression finally changed.

Though it lasted only an instant.

But in that instant, not only Shisui saw it—the Third Hokage saw it as well.

The atmosphere in the office completely froze.

Uchiha You's words were tantamount to directly pointing the spearhead at Danzo.

Every question was entirely reasonable.

He was the mission's survivor.

He had the right to demand an investigation.

The three accompanying personnel were dead.

The village had to give an explanation.

If they did not investigate, it meant they had a guilty conscience.

If they investigated, they might trace it back to Root.

Danzo said coldly:

"Uchiha You, are you slandering me?"

Uchiha You looked at him and gave a cold smile.

"Lord Danzo, why are you so anxious?"

"From beginning to end, did I ever say that you sent people to kill me?"

Danzo's breathing stalled.

In the office, Uchiha Chuan nearly burst out laughing.

That felt good!

So damn good!

Danzo's words just now had practically been a confession.

Uchiha You continued:

"I merely said that they mentioned the Shimura Clan."

"Lord Danzo is so eager to deny it. Could it be that you know something?"

Danzo's hand clenched tightly around his cane.

This brat!

He actually led me right into it!

The Third Hokage said heavily:

"Enough."

"The village will investigate this matter."

Uchiha You looked at the Third Hokage.

"When will there be a result?"

The Third Hokage frowned.

"An investigation takes time."

Uchiha You nodded.

"Fine."

"Three days."

Utatane Koharu snapped:

"Uchiha You, are you ordering the Hokage?"

Uchiha You looked at her, his expression calm.

"No."

"I am seeking justice for the three Konoha ANBU who died in battle."

At those words, Utatane Koharu was instantly choked speechless.

The Third Hokage's expression also turned somewhat grim.

ANBU.

Killed in action.

Justice.

Once those words were laid bare, the Hokage Building could not simply brush them aside.

Otherwise, it would chill the hearts of every ANBU member.

Uchiha You continued:

"Does Adviser-sama believe that the deaths of three ANBU can be left unexplained and casually covered up?"

Utatane Koharu's face turned livid.

She realized she had no way to respond at all.

Anything she said would be wrong.

Shisui stood to one side, watching the scene with deep shock in his heart.

So...

Rules could be used like this too.

In the past, the Uchiha Clan had always been suppressed by the higher-ups in the name of the greater good.

But today, Uchiha You had hurled that "greater good" straight back into the Hokage Building's face.

And hit them so hard that they had nothing to say.

After a long silence, the Third Hokage finally said slowly:

"In three days, the village will give you a preliminary answer."

Uchiha You nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

With that, he turned and left.

Just before stepping out, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Danzo.

"Oh, right, Lord Danzo."

"Those three ANBU died horribly."

"If you knew them, remember to burn some paper offerings for them."

Danzo's single eye instantly turned icy.

But Uchiha You had already left with a smile.

The office door closed.

Bang!

Danzo slammed his cane heavily against the floor.

"Hiruzen!"

"This Uchiha cannot be allowed to remain!"

The Third Hokage rubbed his brow, his voice weary.

"At least not yet."

Danzo gritted his teeth.

"He is already provoking the village's authority!"

The Third Hokage looked at him, and his tone turned cold as well:

"Was he provoking the village, or did you send Root to kill him first?"

Danzo fell silent.

Neither Utatane Koharu nor Mitokado Homura spoke.

This time, Danzo had indeed been caught by the tail.

Though there was no concrete evidence.

Everyone knew what had happened.

The Third Hokage stared toward the doorway, his eyes complicated.

Uchiha You.

This young man was far more dangerous than he had imagined.

Not only was he powerful.

He also knew how to use momentum.

And he knew even better how to turn the rules Konoha's higher-ups were best at wielding into weapons against them.

If he continued to influence the Uchiha Clan unchecked...

A bad premonition suddenly rose in the Third Hokage's heart.

The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha was likely truly becoming impossible to suppress.

After leaving the Hokage Building.

Uchiha Chuan finally could not hold back his laughter.

"You, did you see Danzo's face just now?"

"I have never seen him look that awful!"

Several members of the Uchiha Police Force beside them were also brimming with excitement.

Whenever they had encountered the Hokage's advisers before, which one of them had not swallowed their temper?

But today, right in front of the Third Hokage, Uchiha You had rebuked Danzo until he could not say a word.

It felt even better than simply winning a fight.

Because this was a direct slap in the face of Konoha's higher-ups.

Shisui, however, walked silently at the side.

Uchiha You glanced at him.

"What?"

"Do you think I went too far?"

Shisui shook his head.

This time, he did not say those words again.

After a long while, he finally said quietly:

"Those three... were they really from Root?"

Uchiha You said calmly,

"You already know the answer in your heart."

Shisui fell silent.

Yes.

He already had the answer.

Danzo's reaction just now, the Third Hokage's silence, the advisors' evasiveness.

All of it proved that Uchiha You had not lied.

For the first time, Shisui felt a suspicion toward Konoha's higher-ups that he could not suppress.

If Danzo could really send Root to assassinate Uchiha You over a single conflict,

then in the future, would he strike at other Uchiha?

Would he strike at him?

The moment that thought surfaced, Shisui instinctively wanted to deny it.

But Uchiha You's words from last night surfaced in his mind again.

"He wants your eyes."

Shisui subconsciously raised a hand and touched his eye socket.

Seeing the gesture, Uchiha You's eyes flashed with satisfaction.

The seed had been planted.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Danzo to water it with his own hands.

Just then, the system's voice rang out in Uchiha You's mind.

[The host successfully suppressed Konoha's higher-ups face-to-face, shaking Shisui Uchiha's trust in Konoha's higher-ups.]

[Obtained 3000 Behind-the-Scenes Points.]

[Current Behind-the-Scenes Points: 30000.]

[Side Quest One: Save Shisui Uchiha. Progress increased.]

The corners of Uchiha You's mouth lifted slightly.

Good.

He was another step closer to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

He raised his head and looked toward the distant Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Next,

it was time to unite the Uchiha Clan.

Otherwise, when Uchiha Massacre Night truly descended, Akatsuki alone would not be enough.

What he wanted was not merely to turn the tables.

It was zero casualties.

At the very least, close to zero casualties.

Uchiha You's gaze was unfathomable.

"Danzo. Third Hokage."

"You want to see the Uchiha Clan bow their heads."

"What a pity."

"From today onward, it is your turn to bow your heads."