In fact, Azula can smell the conspiracy brewing from miles away.
The moment she returns to camp, she hears people speaking under their breath and low voice as she passes.
Now, that kind of thing wasn't exactly rare in Konoha. Villagers there will gossip right in front of you, barely lowering their voices, as if the fact you're a ninja somehow means you can't hear every single word.
But that kind of treatment is usually reserved for specific occasions.
A family member turns traitor, you abandon a mission or you commit some kind of crime.
What is it not reserved for? The head of a clan heir, certainly not the Uchiha head, and especially not someone like her.
She's never pretended to be a saint. Everyone knows she keeps a mental list of grudges, just waiting for the right moment.
So for people to openly point fingers at her like this? It only means one thing: they've been told to.
Hiruzen. Oh, Hiruzen.
She didn't think he'd be this obvious. She's certain his hand is in this. At the very least, he's letting it happen.
And she can already guess exactly what's unfolding.
It'll be nothing more than after that episode at the Senju compound.
He probably went home, turned it over in his head, probably hashed it out in bed with his bandage boyfriend, and then came to the conclusion that she simply wasn't 'ready yet' to shoulder the responsibility of leading Konoha.
Still, she kept her eyes on everyone in this room. Every person here is a Jōnin.
Sure, they only make up about 30 to 40 percent of the village's Jōnin. They're not the only voices, but they do carry high weight.
What pleased her was that most of them just looked relieved that the war with Kumo was finally over.
And she's sharp enough to know they weren't faking it.
A few were clearly trying to play it cool, but the way they wouldn't meet her eyes while forcing that casual air was something no amount of acting could hide from her.
•••
•••
•••
The meeting that followed Azula's interruption wrapped up quickly.
Not just because they needed to 'officially' verify what she had said, but also because a decision like this required the Hokage's direct involvement.
As she left, she gave Tsunade a wink and sent a telepathic message: "See you later."
It felt strange, honestly, seeing someone known for their pettiness throw a wink like that. But no one thought much of it, since Azula was just as known for being playful.
Still, a few sharp-eyed observers noticed the blush creeping across Tsunade's face, and couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
"Oh, Azula, you're back?"
Asami, who hadn't attended the meeting and was staying in their tent, lit up at the sight of Azula, completely unharmed, her clothes still perfectly in place.
Azula nodded. "Yeah, not long ago. And guess what I found out when I got back? Someone was actually proposing to 'punish' me for leaving without orders or permission."
Asami couldn't help but chuckle.
If Fugaku hadn't been out on a reconnaissance mission, he probably would've had something sarcastic to say.
But her laughter faded as she realized what this really meant. Someone was targeting Azula.
She found herself wondering who would do such a thing.
She didn't have to ask. Knowing her mother well, Azula had already answered.
"I think it was most likely done with Hiruzen's permission, and Danzō's doing."
"I knew it," Tajima exclaimed. "I knew it had to be their doing. But I guess none of them saw this coming. You wrapped things up so fast it'll make their own plans backfire."
"I imagine they'll have even more headaches now," he said, already picturing Hiruzen's face when he found out Kumo had retreated just one day after Azula arrived at the front lines.
He could almost see how her reputation would skyrocket to an untouchable level within the village.
Asami, still in the dark about the details, shot him a look that clearly said, Explain.
So he turned to Azula too.
After all, during the meeting, she'd only said she 'convinced' the Raikage and Kumo to pull back. Now he wanted to know exactly how, even if he had ideas.
It took Azula a few minutes to give them the rough version of what had actually happened.
And to their credit, Tajima and Asami were strangely not as shocked as you'd expect someone to be after hearing a feat like that.
Instead, the only thing in their eyes was a flicker of worry. Whether she'd been hurt.
But they both knew that even if she had, she'd never admit it. She always needed to maintain that sense of control.
All they could do was exchange a knowing look and sigh.
And that, finally, made Azula chuckle.
•••
•••
•••
The brief moment Azula spent discussing matters with her family was all it took for rumors to ignite and sweep through the camp.
Fugaku had, in fact, returned to camp a while ago.
His reconnaissance mission had been little more than a formality. Kumo had remained silent for days, and no one would dare send him deep into potential enemy traps.
The reason he hadn't returned immediately was that he knew his father was in a meeting, leaving only his mother at the tent. That is, until he heard that Azula had come back.
He had wanted to return, but before he could, he had called a clansman for training, and it would have looked bad to dismiss him on a whim.
And yet, no sooner had he finished than new rumors about his sister reached his ears.
"…Azula."
At first, he paid it no mind. But then his brain processed the name differently.
The ninjas speaking hadn't noticed him standing behind them, but then again, the very fact that they dared to gossip so openly said something about their awareness.
Numerous ninjas passed by, here and there, and they noticed him. But he made sure with a sharp look to warn them not to alert the two gossiping about his presence behind them.
So Fugaku stood there, silent, and listened.
"—I'm telling you, it's real," one of them was saying, barely able to contain his voice. "My cousin's in the intelligent unit. He said Azula walked straight into the Raikage's camp, and the next thing anyone knew, the man was on his knees."
"No way," the other breathed. "The Raikage?"
"I swear it. They say she beat him so hard he was actually begging to surrender. Not just asking, he was really begging. Like, 'please, let me surrender, I don't want any more of this.' Can you imagine?"
The second ninja let out a low whistle. "And here I thought she was just some Uchiha princess throwing her weight around."
"Throw that weight around," the first shot back with a grin. "You know what else? I heard she didn't even break a sweat. Walked in, handled the Raikage and his guards like it was nothing, then walked out. The whole war ended in a single afternoon because she showed up."
"So all those plans, all those reinforcements we were scrambling for…"
"Obsolete, because of her."
They both went quiet for a moment, as if processing the sheer scale of what they were saying.
Then the first one laughed, shaking his head. "You know what this means, right? Anyone who was trying to make a move against Konoha in the future is going to lose."
"Good," the second muttered. "She's on our side."
"Ah, so this is what those old-timers meant when they'd go on and on about the First Hokage? So this is that legendary sense of security, the kind that's supposed to bring decades of peace?"
It was their first time taking part in a Shinobi War, and even though only a few weeks had passed, if they had any say in it, they'd never go through something like that again.
Talking like this was their way of coping. Their way of holding onto hope. Something Fugaku understood completely.
Not that he approved of the gossiping, but you didn't need to be a genius to figure out they were on his sister's side.
As far as he was concerned, that earned them a pass for most sins.
Still, he cleared his throat, doing his best not just to hide how pleased he was, but to give them a warning.
Sure enough, the moment they heard someone cough behind them, a familiar dread kicked in.
It was just like back in the Academy, when they'd been bad-mouthing a teacher only to realize the teacher was standing right there.
They spun around.
Good news? It wasn't Azula.
Bad news? It was Azula's brother, a textbook Uchiha.
The kind who never cracked a smile unless he was in a fight, always wearing that dead-serious expression like he was ready to set the whole world ablaze.
"What are you doing, gossiping instead of patrolling? Should I report you for dereliction of duty?" he said, and just like that, the two scattered like startled chickens.
Everyone watching couldn't help but laugh.
Over the years, they'd learned how to read an Uchiha thanks to a book published by Azula.
They could tell Fugaku was actually in a good mood, but like every Uchiha, his sense of duty was too strong to let something like that slide.
It was a condition the Senju Matriarch had once labeled Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
(END OF THE CHAPTER)
Is he the greatest siscon of today or is he still lacking? But finally, no longer a short chapter today but guess I still need to quicken the pace.
Anyway, the next ten chapters are really short because it was during the period I was writing no matter how smaller but I've locked in, should be able to write two chapters a day now, don't forget to vote.