By the time the villagers noticed what had happened, all the suspects had already been arrested and imprisoned. It was now time to explain the circumstances and put the bewildered, anxious public at ease. Under the Publicity Department's direction, newspaper reports about the Village Defector Group led by Uchiha Setsuna were promptly released.
Once the ordinary villagers learned why these people had been arrested, they were naturally outraged. Kagami Uchiha had always been an approachable captain of the Security Force, and they could only applaud the fate of those who had targeted him. The other ninja clans felt no sympathy for the traitors either. Their only surprise was that the traitors were members of the Uchiha Clan.
Few people knew about the Uchiha Clan's internal conflicts. Even those who did could hardly imagine its members daring to assassinate their own clan head. Too much time had passed, and few still remembered the Uchiha Clan's "fine tradition" of blood relatives killing one another during the Warring States Period.
With the Publicity Department guiding public opinion, the fate of these Village Defector Groups was already sealed. No one would speak up for them, not even their fellow Uchiha. Still, some people believed there might be innocent people among them, particularly their relatives and friends. Under the pressure of public opinion, however, they found it difficult to speak out.
Yet Konoha Ninja Village seemed to have anticipated their feelings. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu announced that, on the Hokage's orders, people capable of judging crimes fairly and impartially would be selected from within the village to form a Tribunal. The Village Defector Group would receive a public trial, ensuring that no one was falsely convicted.
Those people could not help breathing a sigh of relief. While the Tribunal handled the cases, the Security