Do you think you're so smart?

"Is that so?"

Uchiha Hui had no idea what Uchiha Fugaku was trying to hint at. He did not argue, merely answering with a question to make his stance clear.

Uchiha Fugaku.

The head of the Uchiha Clan apparently possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan as well. He ranked among the strongest in Konoha at present, but out of concern for the village's suspicions, he had almost never revealed his true strength.

"I just met with the Third."

Uchiha Fugaku seemed unbothered by Uchiha Hui's attitude. He ate a snack and spoke again.

This time, a somber look entered his eyes.

Within the clan, he was its leader. He could never reveal his true feelings to his clansmen, lest he inflame the emotions of people already at odds with the village. But with Uchiha Hui, he was only an older brother, and he could not help saying what was on his mind.

"Was it about the Nine-Tails being controlled by the Sharingan?"

Uchiha Hui spoke casually.

Uchiha Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply. He seemingly had not expected Uchiha Hui to know about this.

Although many people had been involved in the previous night's events, many eyewitnesses had died that blood-red night. The few survivors who knew the truth had kept their mouths shut. Within the clan, only he, Uchiha Setsuna, and a handful of other Jonin knew about it.

"You knew about that?!"

Uchiha Fugaku could not help asking.

"With eyes that big, it would've been hard not to notice!"

Uchiha Hui spread his hands as though discussing something utterly trivial.

The fact that the Nine-Tails had been controlled was absolutely a Konoha secret for now. One of the village's most powerful weapons had been dominated by a pair of eyes. They could never let outsiders learn of such a thing.

Yet it was the truth!

"The village leadership suspects the Uchiha tried to take control of a tailed beast's power. Several aides and elders have been extremely hostile toward us."

Uchiha Fugaku let out a long breath, looking dispirited.

Since becoming clan head, he had worked hard to manage the relationship between his clan and Konoha. After the Fourth Hokage took office, he had even felt that all his efforts had finally brought a glimmer of hope. But those good days had not lasted. That ever-smiling Hokage had fallen in battle the night before.

To the Uchiha Clan.

Minato Namikaze had been like a night-blooming flower, showing them something beautiful only to wither moments later, leaving behind a future too painful to put into words!

"Isn't that perfectly normal?"

Uchiha Hui answered nonchalantly. He continued eating the snack in his hand, his eyes narrowing as though savoring the food. Soon, he spoke again. "'The evil Uchiha Clan.' That's how the saying goes, right?"

"As far back as the Second's time, the Uchiha Clan was pushed away from the village's center of power. The Third and his people inherited that entire outlook. They might not have carried it through completely, but their attitude toward the Uchiha has never changed..."

"Hui!"

Uchiha Fugaku had not expected his younger brother to say something like that, and he could not help cutting him off.

This was the Uchiha compound, and the Anbu would not come here. Even so, those words still sounded somewhat "treasonous." They ran completely counter to the will of fire and would inevitably make people question whether the Uchiha harbored disloyal intentions.

Even if those words were actually true!

Uchiha Hui smacked his lips and did not insist on continuing. He had merely spoken out of frustration. Having become a member of the Uchiha at such a critical moment, he could hardly avoid feeling resentful, and he had seized the chance to vent.

He even felt he had been quite restrained.

All he had done was say a few words about the Second's students shutting the Uchiha out of power.

After all, the Uchiha had founded Konoha alongside the Senju Clan. Back when the First Hokage was chosen, Uchiha Madara had narrowly lost to Hashirama Senju, and the latter had promised that the Second would be selected from the Uchiha.

And what had happened?

They had turned it straight into a hereditary succession.

They dared to do it, but not own up to it?

Uchiha Hui was not about to indulge that rotten habit!

"You can say those things here, but once you're outside, never let them leave your mouth. The Uchiha are part of Konoha, and the Hokage cares deeply about our presence."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Hui and cautioned him.

Sure enough, Hui's personality had not changed. His resentment toward the village remained strong. The one improvement was that he no longer seemed as fond of loudly proclaiming his views as he had been before.

"So, what arrangements has the Third made for the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Hui knew Uchiha Fugaku was rather spineless, but his cautious nature still irritated him. If this supposed "restorer of the Uchiha's fortunes" could stand firm just once, perhaps a different face would appear on Kage Rock, rather than the clan meeting the miserable fate of annihilation!

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the seemingly calmer Uchiha Hui, surprised by how differently he thought compared with before. Still, he answered, "The investigation into the Uchiha is ongoing, but I know we're innocent. So the Third has given us permission to leave the compound freely and take part in Konoha's rescue efforts."

"That's it?!"

Uchiha Hui froze for a moment. Looking at Uchiha Fugaku, who had already finished speaking, he seemed unable to believe that was all he had to say.

"Hui, rescue work may be exhausting, but it's a valuable opportunity for the Uchiha. This is the beginning of rebuilding good relations with the village's other members. If we can..."

Thinking Uchiha Hui was unhappy with the work, Uchiha Fugaku began to explain.

"Enough!"

Uchiha Hui could not help shouting.

He stared coldly at Uchiha Fugaku, hesitating to speak. In the end, faced with his brother's puzzled gaze, he could not hold back. "You think this is an opportunity for the Uchiha?"

"Isn't it?"

Uchiha Fugaku countered.

His attitude toward the village was always criticized by his clansmen, but he would never believe that helping rescue the village could harm the Uchiha.

The Uchiha's pride meant that the people of the village knew far too little about them.

And this was precisely a chance for both sides to get to know each other.

"Heh!"

Uchiha Hui let out a few cold laughs. He set down his snack and shook his head at his older brother. "Would you believe me if I told you that by this time tomorrow, rumors about the Uchiha will be flying all over the village?"

"What do you mean?"

Uchiha Fugaku looked confused.

Could people really object to them taking part in rescue efforts?

"The leadership already suspects the Uchiha. They'll never sit back and watch us build good relationships with other clans or villagers. They'll only crack down on us harder. They won't let people know the Nine-Tails went berserk because it was controlled by the Sharingan, but they'll absolutely release information that hurts the Uchiha!"

Uchiha Hui kept wondering whether there truly was no one in a clan this large who could see through all of this.

Or were ninja simply that simple-minded?

"How could they?!"

Uchiha Fugaku frowned.

This would do Konoha nothing but harm. Driving a wedge between the Uchiha and the village would not only put a greater strain on the village's fighting strength, but also push the Uchiha in an even more radical direction.

Precisely because he had recognized this, he had approached the Third himself, hoping to demonstrate their commitment through these actions while binding the clan more closely to the village.

It was the first remedy he had thought of upon learning of the Fourth Hokage's death.

"Not a single Uchiha ninja left the compound last night!"

Uchiha Hui almost could not bear to shatter Uchiha Fugaku's illusions. But this was no time for fantasies, so he delivered those words without hesitation.

He offered no further explanation.

Yet the instant Uchiha Fugaku heard them, his expression turned ugly.

The previous night, he had immediately led ninja out to provide support, only to be stopped halfway by the Anbu. The person leading them had even been one of the Hokage's aides.

The order for the Uchiha to remain in their compound and make no rash moves had come from the leadership.

But now...

Uchiha Fugaku was no fool. Quite the opposite: he was better at thinking things through than the vast majority of Uchiha ninja. Uchiha Hui did not need to explain any further. He had already imagined those so-called "rumors."

He had indeed considered that possibility.

But surely the Third would not go so far as to do something like that?