Spiraling Out of Control

Land of Fire.

Konoha.

On the vast plaza, the villagers and ninjas wore varying expressions.

At this moment, Fugaku, the apparent mastermind behind this operation, looked utterly triumphant, his face brimming with excitement.

After all these years, the Uchiha Clan had finally won a confrontation against the higher-ups!

And they had done so under his leadership!

Even Uchiha Madara had never accomplished such a thing.

Therefore, I, Uchiha Fugaku, am equal to Uchiha Madara! I might even surpass Uchiha Madara. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Fugaku stood proudly. He believed this was a day that would go down in the clan's history!

His name would be praised by future generations and remembered by everyone!

Fugaku's emotions had clearly stirred up the clansmen around him as well. One after another, they raised their heads. Without even looking, one could tell their bloodlines had been awakened. Once today's matter was over, they would definitely go out and show off.

Not far away, however, Hyuga Hitoshi remained quite calm.

He was the true mastermind behind this operation. It Can Be Said that the current situation had already appeared in his mind Countless Times.

He had said from the start that merely arresting ANBU ninjas would not have any substantial effect on the Third Hokage.

The Old Village Chief had Countless Times reasons to clear himself. He could even use the opportunity to turn the tables and find a Legitimate Reason to monitor the Uchiha Clan.

But now, with every move linked to the next, the Old Village Chief, who had already lost the initiative and was wholly unprepared, could only take the blows passively!

It was not that the Old Village Chief's Combo Fist was lacking. One side had simply prepared thoroughly, while the other had not Take Seriously at all.

If one had to use a single sentence to describe the Old Village Chief's current mood, it would be, "I was careless. I didn't dodge!" Almost the Same.

Arresting people, public execution, framing them—everything flowed in one seamless motion.

That was the true essence of the Combo Fist.

Hyuga Hitoshi certainly could not achieve omniscience and omnipotence.

In truth, as for the final checkmate, he had not initially intended to use Kakashi for anything. At most, when the Sharingan was mentioned, he would have found a few Uchiha Clan actors and directly smeared the higher-ups.

After all, the Uchiha Clan was not without people in the ANBU. They were Ready-made material.

Hyuga Hitoshi simply Didn't Expect that the Old Village Chief would actually send Kakashi to monitor the Uchiha Clan. The cooperation was simply too perfect.

So, on the way to the plaza, he and Fugaku went over the script again. Hitoshi Clan Head even made an authoritative statement, openly telling Fugaku that when the Nine-Tails had been controlled that day, he had sensed Chakra identical to that of Kakashi's eye.

Hitoshi Clan Head was not bragging.

Think about it carefully. During the Five Kage Summit, Danzo had attempted to use Shisui's Sharingan to activate Kotoamatsukami, controlling others into supporting him in his bid to become commander of the Allied Forces. Yet the moment he acted, his plan had been seen through by a bargain-bin Byakugan, and someone had even stated on the spot that they sensed Uchiha Shisui's aura.

Applied to the present, Hitoshi Clan Head using the Byakugan to see that the Nine-Tails carried an aura identical to Kakashi's Sharingan was perfectly reasonable. No matter what, it was more authoritative than Ao's Byakugan, which would be reclaimed sooner or later.

Ao of Kirigakure was not from the Hyuga Clan. Even if he used the Byakugan, he could still be mistaken. But as the Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan, how could Hitoshi possibly see wrongly?

Besides, he had not lied in the first place. The Nine-Tails had indeed been controlled by Obito, and Kakashi's Sharingan had belonged to Obito as well. It was perfectly normal for them to have the same aura!

Regarding this, Hyuga Hitoshi declared that he was an honest man who never fooled anyone.

So when the surrounding villagers looked at him, aside from the words "devastatingly handsome" written across his face, all they saw was utter sincerity!

But clearly.

The villagers' attention was not primarily focused on Hitoshi Clan Head and Clan Head Fugaku.

As the truth surfaced, the villagers all turned to stare at their Third Hokage.

Even with Third's thick skin, he was now Sweating Profusely. He was operating his already-shriveled brain at high speed, thinking of ways to deal with the situation before him. Yet the more he thought, the more he sweated. He even tried following the Train of Thought currently laid out in the open, only to realize that, damn it, it all seemed completely reasonable!

Motive, manpower, time of the crime, result.

Am I really the Culprit?

Sarutobi's face was filled with horror!

Meanwhile, the people in the plaza wore all sorts of expressions.

Aside from the higher-ups who were Sweating Profusely, Fugaku standing there like a hero, and the leaders of the Various Clans who had Fell into Thought.

If one were to talk about confusion and shock, the most extreme reaction belonged to Kakashi, who had collapsed onto the ground!

There was no other reason.

Those Words Uchiha Fugaku had just spoken sent chills down his spine.

His Sharingan had the same aura as the Sharingan that controlled the Nine-Tails??

If this was true—

Kakashi did not dare continue thinking.

Countless Times before waking from a dream, he had seen Obito's body, half of it crushed away.

It was hard to imagine that Obito's Sharingan could have survived such injuries.

Most Important of all.

If Hitoshi Clan Head was telling the truth.

Then had Obito himself orchestrated the Nine-Tails Attack? Or had someone else obtained Obito's eye?

What exactly was the truth?

Kakashi abruptly turned his head and looked at Hyuga Hitoshi.

His instincts told him that this Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan knew far more than Clan Head Fugaku had said!

He desperately wanted to ask Hitoshi Clan Head face-to-face.

But unfortunately, he no longer had that chance.

After a brief silence.

A deafening clamor erupted. In just one second, Kakashi experienced the same situation his father had once faced.

Condemnation from thousands!

"Could the Nine-Tails Attack really have been Kakashi's doing??"

"Even if he didn't do it himself, Kakashi can't be unrelated to it! Those eyes controlled the Nine-Tails! Maybe he was even the one who leaked the news of the Jinchuriki giving birth!"

What the hell?!

Heard These Words, Hyuga Hitoshi's Corner of Mouth Twitched. Which genius had said that?

After looking around, Hyuga Hitoshi glanced at Kakashi again.

After this, even if Kakashi ultimately cleared his name, his days in Konoha would not be easy. He would probably receive the same treatment as Naruto. To be honest, this was collateral damage.

Hyuga Hitoshi rubbed his chin and made a decision.

He did not want to speak up for Kakashi, because this was the result he had caused with his own hands.

But he could give Kakashi another opportunity.

After all, Kakashi should not have continued serving Konoha or those Konoha higher-ups who had Forced his father to Death. The choice was up to Kakashi himself.

Hitoshi Clan Head believed that Kakashi would, with High Probability, choose a new side.

He had previously seen Kakashi's heart through the Byakugan.

From beginning to end, as a son who had witnessed his father's suicide, it was impossible for him not to harbor even a trace of resentment.

Just like Neji in the Original Work. He understood that his father had died to protect the main family and seemed to accept his fate. But regarding the fact that his father had been Forced to Death by the village, did he truly believe the higher-ups had done nothing wrong? Did he really think his father deserved to die for the village?

The answer was obvious.

As though they understood Hitoshi Clan Head's intentions, the villagers in the plaza went all out.

After venting their anger at Kakashi, they began directing it at the Third Hokage.

"If Fourth hadn't died, Third could never have taken the Hokage Position again! Maybe Third was the one who ordered Kakashi to do it!"

"Not necessarily. When Kakashi's father, Hatake Sakumo, died, I could tell that kid was unwilling to accept it. What if he wanted revenge?"

"Revenge? Not quite. The Jinchuriki was his teacher's wife. Could he really bring himself to do it? Third Hokage is still the prime suspect! Didn't Hitoshi Clan Head say that Orochimaru had developed drugs that could cause Tailed Beasts to go berserk? Orochimaru was Third's disciple! Third was even the one who went after Orochimaru back then."

"That's right! Third even let Orochimaru escape! I don't believe Orochimaru left his teacher without any benefits! It might have been the drug that made the Nine-Tails go berserk, meant to help him scheme his way back into power!"

"It all fits! Third wanted to be Reinstated, so he orchestrated the Nine-Tails Attack and ordered Danzo to prevent the Uchiha from providing support. In the end, he returned to the Hokage Position! He forged his Hokage throne with the blood of our loved ones!"

"..."

When several clever and sharp "villagers" gave the already chaotic momentum just the slightest push, the effect was obvious.

Third and his Old Partners looked grim. Sarutobi even regretted not having Yuhi Shin'en call for people.

Because everyone knew that the situation before them had completely spiraled out of control!

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