Public Opinion Boils Over

Before dawn, Konoha was already in an uproar.

Ninja Cats slipped through the morning mist, squeezing silently through windows, door cracks, and skylights into every home. With practiced speed, they left folded sheets of paper on tables, beside pillows, and on stovetops, then vanished back into the dark.

Not a single person was disturbed.

When Konoha's villagers woke at first light, they found a sheet of paper waiting for them—one that could turn the entire village upside down.

A ramen shop owner yawned as he walked to a table to prepare for opening.

Then he saw the paper.

It held only three lines, but they froze him in place.

He rubbed his eyes and read it again.

His hands began to shake.

"This... this..."

He opened his mouth, his voice rising to a squeak.

"Honey! Come look at this!"

Similar scenes played out in every corner of Konoha.

In one ordinary household, a man had just picked up his rice bowl when his wife slapped the paper onto the table.

"Look at this."

"What is it—pfft!"

Rice sprayed from the man's mouth.

"Konoha High Command wants to wipe out every Kekkei Genkai clan?!"

"The Uchiha Clan was wiped out by Konoha High Command conspiring with Itachi?!"

"The Fourth Hokage... was killed because of Danzo?!"

The more he read, the paler he grew. By the end, he felt sick.

"Is... is this true?!"

His wife lowered her voice. "Who knows? But it gives such specific details... And Root really didn't show up on the night of the Nine-Tails Demon Fox."

The man fell silent.

He remembered that night: the Nine-Tails running wild, the Fourth Hokage giving his life to seal away the Nine-Tails, and dying on the battlefield.

And not one Root ninja had appeared.

"Damn it..."

The man clenched his fists.

"If this is true, then that old bastard Danzo..."

The news spread like a virus.

No one knew where the papers had come from, but everyone had seen one.

And everyone was talking.

The morning market was more than ten times as lively as usual.

"Did you see it? That paper!"

"Of course! There was one on my table too!"

"Do you think it's true?"

"I'd bet it is. Think about it: the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, nobody heard a thing until the screams started later. What does that tell you? Someone put up a barrier around the place!"

"And the Shimura Clan and Sarutobi Clan got hit too. The whole thing stinks."

"I'm telling you, something's going on behind the scenes!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you have a death wish?"

The talk buzzed like a pot of boiling water.

At the Hyuga Clan Compound.

Hyuga Hiashi was eating breakfast.

He set down his chopsticks and took the paper a clansman handed him. His eyes swept over its contents.

Then his hand stopped in midair.

"Konoha High Command wants to wipe out every Kekkei Genkai clan."

His gaze sharpened.

Hyuga Hiashi laid the paper on the table and sat silent for several seconds.

Then he spoke, his voice low.

"Gather every Jonin in the Meeting Hall."

The messenger paused. "Clan Head, this early...?"

"Go. Now."

Hyuga Hiashi's tone left no room for argument.

The clansman flinched, nodded quickly, and withdrew.

Hyuga Hiashi picked up the paper again. His gaze lingered on the first line for a long time.

"Every Kekkei Genkai clan..."

He murmured to himself, tapping a finger lightly on the table.

The Hyuga Clan was one of Konoha's largest Kekkei Genkai clans.

If the report was true...

Then the Hyuga Clan would be next.

In the Hyuga Meeting Hall.

More than a dozen Jonin sat together, the air heavy with tension.

Hyuga Hiashi stood at the head of the room and showed them the paper.

"You've all read it?"

They nodded, their expressions varied.

One spoke up. "Clan Head, can we trust this?"

Hyuga Hiashi did not answer directly. "What do you think?"

The Jonin hesitated. "Konoha High Command did act strangely the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. First the massacre, then attacks on the Shimura Clan and Sarutobi Clan... Everything was chaos. And there was something suspicious about the Fourth Hokage's death."

Another Jonin chimed in. "Exactly. Not one Root ninja appeared on the night of the Nine-Tails. What was that old fox Danzo doing? It does seem suspicious now."

"But someone could be spreading rumors to muddy the waters."

"Rumor or not, the Hyuga Clan has to be careful now that this is out."

Hyuga Hiashi raised a hand for silence.

"From now on, increase patrols around the compound."

"No clan member is to go out alone without a special assignment."

"Keep a close watch on Anbu's movements."

He paused, his gaze passing over everyone present.

"And... send someone to make discreet contact with the Uchiha Clan."

Several Jonin's expressions shifted.

"Clan Head, do you mean...?"

Hyuga Hiashi did not explain.

He merely said, "It never hurts to be wary. But... the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

At the Nara Clan Compound.

Shikaku Nara had been sitting in his study for a long time.

The paper lay on the desk before him.

He had read it more than ten times.

Each reading drew his brows a little tighter.

Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka pushed open the door. Neither looked pleased.

"Shikaku, have you seen it?"

Inoichi Yamanaka slapped his copy onto the desk.

Shikaku Nara nodded.

"I have."

"Who do you think did this?"

Shikaku Nara did not answer at once.

He lifted his teacup, took a sip, and set it down.

"The Uchiha Clan."

Inoichi Yamanaka frowned. "The Uchiha Clan? Uchiha En? That twelve-year-old kid?"

"Him."

Shikaku Nara sounded certain.

"Last night, every Uchiha Jonin was active inside their compound until late. This morning, a copy appeared on every household's table. You think that's a coincidence?"

Inoichi Yamanaka was silent for a few seconds. "But... it was done so cleanly. They didn't leave a trace."

"That's what makes it frightening."

Shikaku Nara leaned back in his chair, his gaze turning thoughtful.

"That boy is even more formidable than I thought."

"First, he forced Danzo to back down at the Clan Leaders' Meeting, undermining Konoha High Command's authority."

"Then, that very night, he released these three claims and struck Konoha High Command right where it hurt."

"Every move was calculated."

Choza Akimichi scratched his head. "So what do we do now? Should we warn Lord Hokage?"

Shikaku Nara shook his head.

"No."

"We have no proof."

"And besides..."

A bitter smile touched his lips.

"Even if we had proof, what could we do? Everything written here is true."

Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi exchanged a glance. Neither spoke.

It was true.

Every claim on that paper was true.

Konoha High Command had been behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Root really had not appeared when the Fourth Hokage died.

And everyone knew Konoha High Command had been suppressing the Uchiha Clan.

No one had ever dared write it down so plainly, that was all.

"So we just do nothing?"

Choza Akimichi could not help asking.