Fugaku appeared, a father and son's decision

"Let him come."

Sasuke raised a hand to stop the clansmen who were about to rush out, his gaze still fixed on the steps of the Hokage Building.

The ninja from the Konoha Military Police Force was sweating with urgency. "Young Master Sasuke, Itachi said he'll only see you alone. He said things would get worse if he didn't see you soon."

"Worse?" Sasuke's lips twisted. "Could anything tonight be worse than him entering the clan grounds with a blade?"

The Uchiha captain immediately drew his sword. "I'll cut him down!"

"Stop."

Sasuke looked at him. "Can you beat the Mangekyo?"

The captain clenched his teeth. "Even if I can't, I'll still fight."

"You die, he escapes, and Danzo laughs." Sasuke pointed at the crowd outside the Hokage Building. "With all these eyes watching, you want to hand back the advantage the Uchiha just gained?"

The captain's chest heaved. In the end, he pushed his sword back into its sheath.

The Third Hokage looked at Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, Itachi is still your brother."

Sasuke turned to him. "Lord Hokage, are you bringing up family now because you want me to forgive him in tears, or because you want the Uchiha to put away their blades?"

Mitokado Homura immediately snapped, "How dare you speak to the Hokage like that?"

Sasuke countered, "Then how should I speak? Should I kneel and thank you for not gouging out my eyes too?"

The anger simmering in the crowd flared again.

"Don't stop him! Let Itachi come!"

"Let the whole village hear what this traitor still has to say!"

"If he dares touch Young Master Sasuke, we'll tear him apart even if it costs us our lives!"

Footsteps sounded from the side street beside the Hokage Building.

Fugaku had arrived.

Blood still stained him, and a blade had slashed open the fabric at his shoulder. A group of elite Uchiha followed him. Their eyes were bloodshot, and several carried broken Root masks.

When Fugaku saw the wound on Sasuke's arm, his expression changed at once. "Who hurt you?"

Sasuke did not play up his suffering. "Root operatives sent by Danzo. The ANBU have already taken several of them into custody."

Fugaku looked at the Third Hokage. "Sarutobi, Root tried to assassinate my son in the street?"

The Third Hokage did not answer immediately.

Sasuke answered for him. "Lord Hokage has already relieved Danzo of his duties, suspended Root's operations, and agreed to a joint investigation."

After hearing this, Fugaku's gaze settled on Sasuke.

This child stood at the very front, his clothes stained with blood, yet the entire clan stood behind him, and he had forced the Hokage onto the defensive. On his way here, Fugaku had heard so many people shouting Sasuke's name.

He had thought he would have to clean up the mess.

Instead, his eight-year-old son already had the situation in hand.

Fugaku's voice tightened. "Sasuke, you did very well."

Sasuke looked at him. "Father, this isn't the time for praise."

Fugaku nodded. "Where's Itachi?"

At the street entrance, the crowd parted.

Itachi walked in.

His ANBU uniform was torn in several places, and blood stained his face, though it was unclear whether it was his or someone else's. As the former Uchiha prodigy passed through the crowd, there was no applause, only curses and the clatter of sword hilts against scabbards.

"Traitor!"

"You dare come back?"

"On your knees!"

Itachi did not look at them. He looked only at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I need to talk to you."

Sasuke stood where he was. "About what?"

Itachi's gaze swept over Fugaku before turning to the Third Hokage. "Things have already spiraled out of control. If this continues, the Uchiha and Konoha will go to war."

Sasuke gave a short laugh. "You weren't afraid of war when you were killing people. Now that the evidence is out in the open, you're scared?"

Itachi gritted his teeth. "Everything I did was to prevent greater sacrifices."

Fugaku stepped forward, his voice carrying anger he could no longer contain. "Did those greater sacrifices include your father, your mother, and your clansmen?"

Itachi looked at Fugaku, and his composure finally wavered. "Father, the Uchiha coup had already reached the point of no return."

Fugaku raised a hand to cut him off. "I'm asking you: when Danzo ordered you to kill your clansmen, did you agree?"

Itachi did not answer.

Fugaku asked again, "Did you kill Kenta's family?"

Itachi's fingers twitched.

The surrounding Uchiha advanced together.

Sasuke raised a hand, and they stopped again.

Fugaku suddenly looked much older. "You can't even offer a single denial."

Itachi looked at Sasuke and spoke faster. "Sasuke, anger has clouded your judgment. You don't know how many enemies Konoha has beyond its borders. If the Uchiha stage a coup, the village will be weakened. Other ninja villages will attack, and more children will die."

Sasuke took two steps closer and looked up at him. "So you killed the children first?"

Itachi's lips moved.

Sasuke continued, "You said people would die in a war, so you decided to kill all your own people first. You said you were protecting Konoha, so you helped Danzo gouge out Konoha ninjas' eyes. You said you were protecting me, so you planned to make me watch our parents die thousands of times."

The color drained from Itachi's face.

Sasuke turned to address everyone. "Did you all hear that? His logic is simple. He thinks he's smart, so everyone else deserves to die."

"Sasuke!" For the first time, Itachi lost control of his voice.

Sasuke looked back. "What, can't bear to hear it?"

Itachi pointed at the Uchiha clansmen. "Leading them here to pressure the Hokage will only divide the village."

Sasuke raised a hand and pointed at the Root operatives on the ground. "Danzo is the one dividing the village."

Then he pointed at the sword in Itachi's hand. "You're the one killing our clansmen."

Finally, he pointed at the Hokage Building. "And the village leadership is playing dumb."

"All I did was bring out what you'd hidden."

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Well said!"

Fugaku watched Sasuke, the conflicting emotions in his eyes gradually settling. Suddenly, he turned to face all the Uchiha.

"Tonight, I, Uchiha Fugaku, failed to judge a person's character and raised a traitor, nearly causing our entire clan to be slaughtered."

Every Uchiha clansman looked at him.

The Third Hokage's brows shifted. "Fugaku, this is no time for an internal declaration."

Fugaku ignored him.

He removed the clan head's token and held it in his palm. "As clan head, I hesitated too long and yielded too much. That was what made Danzo and Itachi believe they could trample the Uchiha."

Itachi's expression changed. "Father, what are you doing?"

Fugaku turned to Sasuke. "From tonight onward, I will do only one thing."

He held the token out to Sasuke.

Sasuke did not take it immediately. "Father, think this through."

Fugaku looked at the child. "I've thought long enough. So long that I nearly thought our entire clan into their graves."

He pressed the token into Sasuke's palm.

"Sasuke, after tonight, the Uchiha don't need someone who compromises."

Itachi stepped forward. "Father! Sasuke is only eight!"

Fugaku turned to look at him. "So what if he's eight? He saved the entire clan. What did you do?"

Those words forced Itachi back half a step.

The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "Fugaku, a change in the Uchiha Clan Head must be considered carefully."

Sasuke glanced down at the token in his palm, then suddenly looked up. "Lord Hokage, do you want to interfere in the Uchiha Clan's family affairs again?"

The Third Hokage gripped his pipe. "I'm offering a reminder."

"A reminder?" Sasuke raised the token. "Where was your reminder when Danzo ordered Itachi to slaughter our clan?"

Mitokado Homura hurriedly spoke up. "The position of Uchiha Clan Head is no laughing matter!"

Sasuke looked at him. "Is slaughtering a clan a laughing matter?"

The corner of Mitokado Homura's mouth twitched, but he could not find a reply.

Fugaku dropped straight to one knee.

That single act silenced the entire square.

"I, Uchiha Fugaku, pledge to obey the new clan head's commands."

The elite Uchiha behind him exchanged glances, then knelt row by row.

"We pledge to obey the new clan head's commands!"

Sasuke stood before the Hokage Building, holding the clan head's token. His face showed neither a child's smugness nor a youth's panic.

He looked at Itachi.

"Now you don't even have the right to counsel me."

Itachi stood at the far end of the crowd, the torches behind him stretching his shadow long. He looked at his kneeling father and the clansmen who had pledged allegiance, managing only one sentence. "You'll regret this."

Sasuke walked up to him, stopping two steps away.

"Enough people have regrets tonight already."

Kakashi gripped his sword, his gaze moving between the two brothers.

The Third Hokage suddenly spoke. "Itachi is suspected of serious crimes. ANBU, take him into custody."

Itachi looked at the Third Hokage, mockery finally entering his eyes. "Lord Hokage, now you want to arrest me?"

The Third Hokage did not look at him. "You killed fellow village ninja and cooperated with Danzo's operations. You must submit to interrogation."

Itachi gave a bitter smile. "So now I've become a disposable pawn."

Sasuke cut in, "You always were."

Itachi's breathing grew uneven.

Just as the ANBU were about to advance, a smoke bomb suddenly landed at the far end of the street. White smoke rose, and several Uchiha immediately formed hand seals.

"Don't let him escape!"

Sasuke raised a hand to stop them. "Don't pursue him too far."

Itachi's voice came from the smoke.

"Sasuke, I'll make you understand that I wasn't wrong."

Sasuke watched the smoke churn, his fingers tightening around the clan head's token.

"Then you'd better live long enough."

When the white smoke cleared, Itachi was gone.

But on the ground lay a bloodstained crow feather, pinning down a folded note.

Kakashi picked it up. After a single glance, his voice changed.

"Sasuke, he wants you to meet him alone at the village entrance."