What else could he do now? He had seen the Uchiha's strength-three Susanoo! He had even noticed that, although records said those three should have suffered deteriorating eyesight, the little clues suggested they had not been affected at all.
Who would dare gamble on whether they could summon their Susanoo again?
"Some of our clansmen once advised me that, rather than looking at each other with mutual loathing, we should go our separate ways and live in peace. I, too, once thought that moving our entire clan out of Konoha might be a good choice." After a brief pause, Fugaku continued, his face heavy with sorrow.
But the moment he said that, the members of the Konoha High Command present, each harboring their own thoughts, all underwent a drastic change in expression.
That would never do!
"Chief Fugaku, as you said, everyone sitting here has played a part in making Konoha what it is today. Our forebears gathered together in pursuit of a better life and formed this great family.
"We are all family. There may have been many misunderstandings between us in the past, but we can take this opportunity to throw open the skylight and speak plainly. In the past, petty villains sowed discord between us, leaving both sides with impressions of the other that did not reflect reality.
"So we should have a proper discussion. Tell us what you need, and the village will certainly resolve the problems."
At that point, Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Mitokado Homura, who was about to speak again. His bearing seemed to return to the days when he had first taken office as Hokage, and he swept his gaze over everyone with an air that brooked no refusal.
"Since the Uchiha Clan joined hands with the First Hokage to establish Konoha, there will always be a place for you here. There will never come a time when Konoha cannot accommodate you.
"I make this promise in my name as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. From this day forward, Konoha will never make those who have shed blood for it shed tears as well."
After that, negotiations proceeded very smoothly. Whether it was expanding the Konoha Military Police Force to recruit ninja from other clans, the location of the clan compound, or an official public statement regarding the Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to everything Fugaku proposed.
Fugaku openly explained the difficulties the Uchiha Clan faced as the Military Police Force. This was true: however impartially they enforced the law, some people would inevitably be dissatisfied. Their position seemed lofty and powerful, but in reality, it easily alienated people's hearts. Still, when all was said and done, they did wield considerable power. It was a clever little arrangement devised by a certain inherently evil old Senju bastard. Whether or not the Uchiha Clan was loyal to Konoha, it was a sound move.
To address this, Fugaku proposed expanding recruitment. Aside from broadening their influence, it would help win over other ninja and give them someone to share the incoming fire. After all, if a Hyuga arrested you for breaking the law, you could hardly insist that the evil Uchiha were behind it.
Finally, after some of the less important people had left, only Hiruzen Sarutobi, his two aides, the Hokage's adviser Shikaku Nara, and the four members of the Uchiha delegation remained in the room.
"Lord Hokage, our final matter concerns the prisoners in the Konoha Military Police Force's interrogation rooms."
Fugaku handed over a list of the captured Root members and watched Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression looked rather grim, as he spoke in an even tone.
"Last night, Elder Danzo even attacked my son, intending to steal his Sharingan and murder him to silence him. We have a recording as evidence."
Partway through, seeing Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu about to speak, Fugaku gave them a cool glance and beckoned. Sasuke had stepped forward at some point.
Sasuke glanced at the two old geezers. Apparently, despite coming to their senses yesterday, they were back at it today-a dog could never stop eating shit. They still failed to grasp the situation and seemed to have lost their clarity again. His mouth twisted, and he took a large screen out of the Refined Space Equipment, then brought out the Recording Orb and played the edited footage.
Almost all the edits were to the dialogue; the battle between the two sides had been preserved virtually in full.
When the playback ended, Sasuke smiled faintly at the three faces flickering between light and shadow.
"Well? Old man... ahem, Lord Hokage, now you understand why there have been so many misunderstandings between the village and the Uchiha, right?"
Seeing that the Third Hokage seemed so furious with Danzo that his face was turning red, Sasuke shrugged.
There was no helping it. Apart from the early days, Danzo really had spent a very long time dragging Hiruzen Sarutobi down.
If Danzo had actually exterminated the entire Uchiha Clan and seized several pairs of Mangekyo, then, given the Third Hokage's compromising nature, he might have held his nose and accepted it without punishing Danzo too severely. But he would absolutely never have approved of it.
The same point still stood: if the Third Hokage had possessed the resolve to do something like that, he would not have defaulted to letting Hizashi die in someone else's place. If he had possessed that kind of character, he would not have died fighting for Konoha, either. It simply did not add up.
But Danzo's success was only hypothetical, and even that assumed the logic that the winner became king while the loser became a bandit. Now Danzo was an utter failure, his fate unknown. Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi truly wanted it or not, Danzo had already eaten so many red beans that he was more steeped in lovesickness than Wang Wei. It was time for him to eat some green garlic-a reckoning.
A reckoning!
"Actually, as I told you last night, we never wanted to fight in the first place. Unfortunately, Elder Danzo seemed unable to tolerate us and intended to make a move during our clan meeting. Left with no other choice, we could only..."
Fugaku had been about to bring up Sasuke's talk of purging the ruler's entourage and quelling turmoil under heaven's mandate, but it felt inappropriate. He merely spread his hands and said no more. The meaning was already there; everyone understood.
"Ahem, how did that saying go again? We could never repay Lord Hokage's kindness. You've exhausted your heart and mind for the village, but unfortunately, there are bad people around you! For their own selfish desires, who knows how many wicked things they've done over the years..." Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi remain silent, Sasuke poked his head out again, his eyes bright and lively.
The moment he heard that bit about never repaying his kindness, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened. This glib little brat. The first time he had heard those words was back when Naruto and Sasuke had grown close. On one occasion, tempted by their food again, he had pretended to run into them so he could scrounge a meal, and Sasuke had said it then.
The flattery had grown more outrageous by the minute: Lord Third had defeated the Nine-Tails with shuriken, Lord Third had beaten the other villages' Kage with a kunai, and finally, he had even been hailed as the strongest Hokage in history. The praise had left him thoroughly embarrassed. After eating, he had been too ashamed to leave empty-handed and had given them the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique as payment.
Remembering that incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help smiling. He shook his head and returned to the present.
"Chief Fugaku."
"Yes."
"I'll leave this matter to the Military Police Force to investigate. You've suffered plenty over the years. Dawn has come, and it is time to clear the names of our wronged heroes. I leave it to you to thoroughly investigate every act Danzo's Root has committed to harm the village over the years. On this matter, I grant you the broadest possible authority. Go all out. Don't worry about what you might uncover. Investigate it to the bitter end.
"If you need the Interrogation Department, ANBU, or any other department, call on them freely.
"Alas, as people grow old, they gradually forget the convictions they started with. It is time for Konoha to bring in some young blood."
"This... understood!" After a moment of surprise, Fugaku quickly nodded emphatically. The authority he had just been given was enormous.
In every sense. If he let his thoughts wander a little in that direction, he could even interpret it as the Third Hokage tacitly allowing him to use this incident to completely replace the blood at the heart of Konoha's power structure, or even...
Begin selecting the next Hokage ahead of time?!
Hiruzen Sarutobi surveyed everyone's reactions, his gaze deep.
Having effectively delivered the final verdict on Danzo, he seemed to age a little in an instant.
Alas... Danzo, all those years...
An image of Danzo in his youth surfaced in his mind. Beside him stood the rest of their Guard Platoon, and finally there was Tobirama Senju, smiling as he rested his hands on Hiruzen's and Danzo's shoulders.
Teacher...
When you see Danzo, please remember to hold Lord First back...
But imagining the scene if Danzo truly met Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly lost his composure.
"King of Fighters: Konoha Year 58"
"Tobirama Senju: Konoha Year 58, my first Freestyle Fighting match in the Netherworld"
Then he remembered that Tobirama Senju might react the same way when he went down there, and Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly stopped finding it funny.
That bastard Danzo had better hold out against a few more blows!
Before you continue