Fugaku looked at the shinobi who had rushed over and stepped out of the room. "What's the situation outside?"
"All the villagers nearby have been silenced. From the elderly to the children, not one survived. Every last one was killed."
Beneath Fugaku's calm expression, anger rose. In the end, he had underestimated how low these people would stoop.
The Hokage's hypocrisy had gone beyond anything he had imagined. If the Hokage had no limits, Fugaku saw no reason to hold back. This time, he would make the Third Hokage faction pay in blood.
He turned and walked back into the room. Everyone looked at him, and the Third Hokage spoke first. "Fugaku, what happened?"
"All the civilians nearby have been silenced. The enemy came prepared, and the assassination was carefully planned."
Elder Ishihara said, "There were once Nine Konoha Elders. After only a few years, just three of us remained. I never thought Elder Ize would die today as well.
"Of the seven elders who have died, four were assassinated inside Konoha. The Uchiha run the Security Force and are responsible for the village's safety.
"Senior officials have been assassinated again and again. Our defenses might as well be a sieve. Is the Security Force just for show?
"If the Uchiha can't keep Konoha safe, I suggest the Hokage replace them as soon as possible."
"Hahahaha! Who do you think you are?" A powerful aura surged from Fugaku and bore down on Elder Ishihara. "In your early years, you were nothing more than an insignificant nobody clinging to the Senju Clan. Before the Uchiha, you weren't worth a damn.
"If the First and Second Hokage hadn't been merciful enough to give you a chance at power after Konoha was founded, do you think you'd have the right to stand here