Following

An old man slowly emerged in the distance, leaning on a cane.

Hane narrowed his eyes slightly and knowingly asked, "And who are you, old man?"

"Hmph! This is utter disrespect! Is this how Fugaku taught you?" Danzo looked at Hane with venomous eyes.

"How my father taught me is none of your business, old man!" Hane answered disdainfully. With his current strength, he might not have been able to stand against Konoha alone.

But he did not fear old men like Danzo and Sarutobi either. As long as he was not besieged by Kage Level opponents, it was still anyone's guess who would come out alive.

"Lord Danzo!" At that moment, the Anbu ninja standing atop the notice board hurriedly jumped down and dropped to one knee before Danzo.

Danzo nodded, and the Anbu ninja respectfully followed behind him.

"Brat! The higher-ups' decision is not for you to question!" Danzo slowly stepped forward and stared coldly at Hane.

"To hell with the higher-ups' decision. The village belongs to everyone. Since the higher-ups cannot keep their promise, don't bring up relocation. Don't talk about the war being tense when you just want something for nothing. Why aren't the Sarutobi Clan or your Shimura Clan the ones making sacrifices?"

Hane fired back without a second thought.

Danzo's expression turned cold. "Brat, you are questioning the higher-ups' decision. Someone, seize this ignorant fool and take him back. Since Fugaku cannot teach his son properly, the village will teach him instead."

In an instant, dozens of Root ninjas leaped out and surrounded Hane.

Yet just as the tension reached its peak, suddenly...

"Let's see who dares take away the Uchiha Clan's young clan head!"

A furious voice rang out. Several youths wearing matching Uchiha Clan outfits and carrying swords at their waists hurried over under Uchiha Retsuyō's lead.

They surrounded Hane and drew their swords without hesitation, aiming them at the Root ninjas.

"Young Clan Head, are you alright? It's all my fault for arriving too late and letting you suffer this humiliation!" Uchiha Retsuyō said to Hane with a guilt-ridden expression.

Hane wanted to pat Uchiha Retsuyō on the shoulder, but when he raised his hand halfway, he realized he was too short to reach him.

Awkwardly, he tried to withdraw his hand.

Before he could, Uchiha Retsuyō immediately dropped to one knee. "Today, we will defend the Young Clan Head's dignity!"

Uchiha Retsuyō turned to the people he had brought with him, his expression resolute.

"Yes, Captain Retsuyō!" the youths answered excitedly. Over the past few days, they had heard plenty from their captain about Young Clan Head Hane and had already begun to admire him.

Besides, the young clan head had dared confront Konoha's higher-ups at the age of six, deepening that impression even further.

Hane was suddenly somewhat moved. With subordinates like these, what more could he possibly want?

He gently patted Retsuyō on the shoulder and looked coldly at Danzo.

Danzo narrowed his eyes. He could not understand why Uchiha Hane, despite being so young, possessed such prestige within the clan. But clearly, this was not the time to think about such matters.

"Hmph! Are you gathering a mob to rebel?"

"Hehe, old man, whether we are rebelling or not is not for you to decide. We merely want an explanation from the Hokage. Why has our Uchiha Clan's relocation compensation been canceled? Not only that, but you are preparing to force the Uchiha Clan to relocate.

That alone is enough to make us question the Hokage's credibility. My father has an official document issued by the Hokage himself, black words on white paper. Are the higher-ups trying to go back on their debt?"

As soon as Hane finished speaking, the surrounding clansmen immediately began clamoring.

"That's right! That's right! We only want justice. Why break the agreement?"

"Justice! Lord Hokage, please give us an explanation!"

Yet Hane did not notice that Itachi, who had been following behind him, had vanished at some point.

As the situation increasingly headed in a bad direction, Danzo's expression grew uglier and uglier.

"Even if you want justice, it is not something a sharp-tongued brat like you can handle. Call Fugaku here. I would like to see what kind of justice he wants."

"You will see. But for now, Lord Danzo, are you still going to block our way?"

Danzo stared darkly at the smiling Uchiha Hane. "What do you intend to do?"

"Nothing much. We are simply going to the Hokage Building to hear the Hokage's explanation. Is Lord Danzo going to stop us even from doing that?"

Danzo looked at the sword-wielding youths guarding Hane, then at Hane's hypocritical smile.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to order every one of them killed. But if he did, these hotheaded fools would fight to the death. Then it would become a complete falling-out between the village and the Uchiha Clan, which was clearly not what he wanted to see right now.

"Uchiha Hane, you will regret the decision you made today!" With that, Danzo coldly stepped aside.

Seeing this, Hane flashed a wide grin. "Regret? We'll talk when that day comes! Come on, clansmen! Let's go to the Hokage Building and ask the Hokage why he did this!"

Hane raised an arm, and the hundreds of Uchiha clansmen surrounding him instantly formed neat ranks behind him.

They marched toward the Hokage Building with great momentum.

Halfway there, Hane saw Uchiha Yashiro, one of his father's most trusted men, catch up with a group of Military Police Force clansmen.

Neither side said anything. They simply continued toward the Hokage Building in silence.

The villagers on the streets looked baffled by the sight, clearly unaware of what had happened.

Naka Shrine.

Uchiha Fugaku sat alone on his knees before the ancestral tablets.

Under the dim light, Uchiha Fugaku's shadow flickered in and out of view, just like his uncertain gaze.

Suddenly, the shrine doors opened, and a small figure ran in anxiously.

"Father, this is bad! Brother has taken people to confront Konoha's higher-ups..."

"Itachi! Stop talking! Be quiet!" Fugaku interrupted Itachi before he could finish.

"Father... the clansmen and Brother..." Itachi was incomparably anxious. On one side was the brother he loved, and on the other was the village.

Fugaku remained motionless, his voice growing firmer. "Itachi! I said be quiet!"

Under Fugaku's imposing attitude, Itachi suddenly felt helpless. He could only stand silently behind Fugaku and look toward the ancestral tablets.

As Itachi waited anxiously, Fugaku finally moved. Unhurriedly, he walked out of the ancestral hall and slowly descended the mountain steps.

Itachi hurried after him. "Father, quickly stop Brother! Otherwise, if we are any later, Brother will lead the clansmen into conflict with the village."

Fugaku lowered his head and looked at the anxious Itachi. "Why should I stop him? Did your brother and the clansmen do anything wrong? He is the young clan head. Over the past month, have you not noticed the clansmen's attitude toward him?"

Fugaku's string of questions left Itachi stunned.

Although he did not agree with his brother's ideals, he had sensed how much more respectful the clansmen had become toward his brother whenever he went to and from the Ninja Academy over the past month.

"Was that why Brother had already left, but turned back when he saw the Anbu ninja preparing to oppress the clansmen?"

Itachi's young mind recalled the sigh his brother had let out when he turned around.

"Father! Are we really just going to ignore this? It will intensify the conflict between the clan and the village."

Seeing Itachi's confused expression, Fugaku could not help sighing. "Itachi, do you know where you differ from your brother?"

Itachi's eyes flickered.

Fugaku continued as if speaking to himself. "He understands that the village is important, but he also understands that the clan is his foundation. Between the village and the clan, he would choose the clan without hesitation. Even I, his father, am inferior to him in that regard. That is why the clansmen respect him."

"Father, aren't you going to intervene? With Brother's extremism, he might cause a large-scale conflict with the village!"

At that moment, Itachi became even more confused. He could not understand why his father, who had instilled so many ideals of peace in him when he was young, was allowing his brother to clash with the village like this.

"Itachi, you underestimate your brother. He will not go that far, at least not while he lacks absolute strength."

Fugaku's eyes flickered. Sometimes, he felt that he understood his eldest son. Normally, Hane kept a low profile and never fought for attention. Though he clearly possessed formidable strength at the Ninja Academy, no reputation as a genius had spread.

Yet at other times, Fugaku felt that he could not see through the boy at all. When facing matters concerning the clan, Hane was extreme and aggressive, like a hunting wolf. When still, he hid quietly in the grass, resting and regaining his strength. But once he moved, he would surely leave a fatal wound on his enemy.