The group left the Root base.
The evening sunlight fell over them, dispelling some of the chill, but everyone's heart remained heavy.
As they walked, Fugaku recalled Hiruzen Sarutobi's final, defeated expression, as though all his vitality had been drained away in an instant.
In the end, he couldn't hold back and voiced his doubts.
"Genya... did Danzo... really plot to assassinate the Third Hokage?"
Genya was looking down, lost in thought. Without even raising his head, he casually gestured toward Hyuga Hiashi beside him.
"Weren't the files right there? Uncle Hiashi saw everything clearly with his Byakugan. Why ask me instead of him? I don't have the Byakugan. How am I supposed to see through the files and read what was written inside?"
Fugaku and the other Uchiha Clan Members: "..."
Walking beside them, Hyuga Hiashi heard Genya pass the question to him. He didn't keep them guessing, answering with certainty.
"The files contained detailed records: times, locations, plans, assessments... he certainly plotted it more than once. Although most of those plans were never carried out, the intent alone was unforgivable."
As an observer and ally, he provided objective confirmation.
With his suspicions confirmed, Fugaku sighed with mixed feelings and unconsciously murmured to himself.
"The Third Hokage... sigh. His most trusted old friend, a companion who fought beside him for decades, actually... I'm starting to feel a little sorry for him..."
The moment he said that, the atmosphere around them froze.
Genya, who was walking at the front, stopped abruptly and turned around. He stared at Fugaku in utter astonishment, as though he had just heard something outlandish beyond belief.
He looked his clan leader up and down, his eyebrows raised high and his voice filled with disbelief.
"What the hell? You feel sorry for him???"
He glanced around