The night in Konoha had never felt so heavy.
The clamor and malice of the day seemed to have settled into an invisible mire that engulfed the entire village, suffocating everyone within it.
The lights in Shinji Uchiha's residence had long since gone out.
He had not gone to sleep. Instead, he sat motionless on a cushion in the training room, like a stone statue swallowed by the shadows, his chakra drawn inward to the utmost.
Only his Three-Tomoe Sharingan shone with a faint red glow in the darkness, clearly reflecting the sparse starlight outside the window-and the countless analyses and scenarios racing through his mind.
The slander had sunk deep. Access to the leadership was blocked. Public opinion was completely out of control.
Danzo and Utatane Koharu had joined forces, determined to nail Sakumo-sensei to the pillory once and for all.
Conventional countermeasures-clarification, presenting evidence, appealing to the leadership for justice-had proven ineffective.
Danzo would never stop at destroying his reputation.
The next step would most likely be physical "elimination"-either "suicide out of guilt" or an "accidental death."
Kakashi would become an orphan, stripped of protection.
Their own group would suffer a devastating blow, and morale would plummet.
The "feign death and escape" plan!
Advantages: completely escape the current deadlock, preserve their core fighting strength, remove the visible target, and deprive their opponents of a focal point for further attacks; build strength in secret and preserve the seed of a future counterattack; protect Kakashi from further persecution as much as possible.
Disadvantages: extremely high risk during execution, requiring absolute secrecy; Sakumo-sensei would have to endure the disgrace attached to his "death" and temporarily leave Konoha and his son behind; execution would require precise coordination, with almost no margin for error.
*Conclusion: this was the best available solution, and the