The Show Begins

When Uchiha En and Uchiha Yashiro arrived at the meeting room, several clan leaders were already seated inside.

The leaders of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans had arrived. Shikaku Nara leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, Choza Akimichi was stuffing snacks into his mouth, and Inoichi Yamanaka sat with his hands clasped on the table, calmly watching the door.

Hyuga Hiashi sat across from them with his arms folded, his pure-white eyes sweeping around the room.

When he saw Uchiha En enter, Hyuga Hiashi gave him a slight nod.

Uchiha En nodded back.

Neither man spoke, but Shikaku Nara noticed the exchange.

He narrowed his eyes, puzzled.

What reason did those two have to acknowledge each other?

And the look they had exchanged went beyond ordinary courtesy.

Shikaku Nara tapped his fingers lightly on the table as his thoughts raced.

When had the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan established ties?

Uchiha En had only become clan head a few days ago, after the night of the massacre, hadn't he?

But a great deal had happened in those few days.

He had forced Danzo to back down at the Clan Leaders' Meeting, released three pieces of news the next day that left the Konoha High Command scrambling, and now he was exchanging meaningful glances with Hyuga Hiashi...

The more Shikaku Nara thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He was already considering the future of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans.

They had always sided with Hiruzen Sarutobi in the past.

But in recent years, Hiruzen Sarutobi had grown muddled with age and increasingly indecisive.

As things stood, the Konoha High Command had completely lost its credibility.

If they kept following them, they might go down with the ship.

Shikaku Nara weighed his options without letting anything show on his face.

Before long, the leaders of the other small and midsize ninja clans arrived one after another.

Shibi Aburame walked in wearing sunglasses and quietly took a seat in a corner.

Tsume Inuzuka strode through the door with her Ninja Dog, swept her gaze over everyone present, and sat down with a cold snort.

Several leaders of smaller ninja clans followed her in, all looking somewhat nervous.

Once seated, they exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

A peculiar tension hung over the meeting room. About fifteen minutes later, the door opened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in.

He wore his Hokage Robe and Hokage Hat. Fatigue showed on his face, but his steps were still steady.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura followed behind him.

The three stepped onto the raised platform, and Hiruzen Sarutobi took his place in the center.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stood on either side of him like a pair of guards.

Hiruzen Sarutobi swept his gaze over the clan leaders below and cleared his throat.

"Since everyone is here, let's begin."

He paused, then continued.

"I've called you all here to discuss the reassignment of the Uchiha Clan Compound."

"At the last meeting, I agreed to Clan Head Uchiha En's request for a clan compound."

"Today, we'll discuss where the Uchiha Clan Compound should be located."

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished, Utatane Koharu spoke up beside him.

"After discussing it, we've decided to return the Uchiha Clan's former compound to them."

"They can move back to where they lived before."

On his other side, Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. They won't even need to build new houses. They can move straight in."

When the three finished speaking, silence met them from below.

The leaders of the small and midsize clans watched the three on the platform put on their performance with disdain.

They said everyone was here to discuss it, but the three old fossils had already decided everything. What did they need the rest of us for? To serve as witnesses? Or an audience to applaud them?

Choza Akimichi even yawned and picked at his ear.

Uchiha En remained seated and raised no objection. After all, this worked in their favor.

Getting the compound back was a good thing. He had no reason to object.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over the clan leaders below. Seeing no reaction, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Since everyone agrees, the matter is settled."

He looked at Uchiha En.

"Uchiha Clan Head."

"You can move back to your former compound now."

"We've already had the Anbu clear it out for you."

Uchiha En stood and gave a slight nod.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

His tone was flat, giving nothing away. Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand and was about to adjourn the meeting.

Just then—

Boom!

A sudden commotion erupted outside the Hokage Building.

It was loud, as though people were arguing.

And there was more than one voice.

It sounded... like a whole crowd.

The clan leaders looked at one another in confusion.

Who dared make such a racket outside the Hokage Building?

This was Konoha's political center. Normally, no one even raised their voice here.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned too.

He glanced at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, but both shook their heads to show they knew nothing about it.

"Since something unexpected has happened outside, come with me and let's see what's going on."

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi headed for the door.

Curious themselves, the clan leaders followed him outside the Hokage Building.

A large crowd had gathered in the square outside.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi and the clan leaders came through the doors, they saw a crowd of plainly dressed, middle-aged ninja.

There were retired jonin, familiar faces holding nominal posts in logistics, and even a few people wearing Anbu masks who stood far off, clearly afraid to come too close.

They stood in small groups around the square. Even the youngest were in their thirties.

Anger was written across every face.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned the crowd, his heart sank.

He recognized several faces.

They were veterans who had fought through life-and-death battles at Minato Namikaze's side.

"Lord Hiruzen."

A retired jonin stepped forward, his voice hoarse.

His name was Kato Makoto. He had once been one of the Fourth Hokage's personal guards, but an injury had forced him to retire several years ago.

Now his eyes were so red they looked ready to bleed.

"We... want to ask you something."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's grip tightened slightly around his pipe.

"Go ahead."

His voice remained steady.

Kato Makoto took a deep breath. His voice trembled.

"Is Naruto Uzumaki... the child of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina?"

Silence fell over the entire square.

The clan leaders who had followed them out froze.

Hyuga Hiashi narrowed his eyes, a flicker of understanding passing through his white gaze.

Shikaku Nara lowered his head, a wry smile touching his lips. Here it comes. Finally.

The leaders of the small and midsize clans exchanged stunned looks. Someone sucked in a sharp breath.

Naruto Uzumaki?

That little Nine-Tailed Fox demon?

He was the Fourth Hokage's son?!

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing.

After several seconds of silence, he slowly answered.

"Yes."

One word.

Like a stone dropped into a still lake.

The crowd erupted.

"He really is the Fourth Hokage's son?!"

"Then why... why did you let him live like that?!"

"The Fourth Hokage gave his life for the village, and his son was treated like a monster by everyone in it!"

Kato Makoto lunged forward, but a companion beside him held him back.