Fugaku sat across from Hiruzen in the Hokage's office, face tight with concern. He played the worried clan head perfectly.
"Relax, Fugaku," Hiruzen said, keeping his voice steady. "Yohei took some injuries, but he made it back to the southern camp safely. He's going to be fine."
Fugaku let out a long breath, then bowed his head. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama. I lost my composure. Yohei is the future of our clan. Hearing he might be in danger… it shook me."
Hiruzen studied him for a moment before continuing. "He was lured out by a fake mission and ambushed. The attackers appeared to be Root operatives. He managed to kill several of them and returned on his own."
Fugaku's expression darkened, but he kept his voice controlled. "Root? Danzo has never hidden his dislike for the Uchiha, but this… attacking one of our own on the front lines? That crosses every line."
Hiruzen chose his words carefully. "We're still confirming the details. It's possible someone is trying to frame Root to sow division. We have to be sure before we act."
Fugaku was quiet for a few seconds. Then he bowed again. "I understand. I'll wait for your investigation. I also need to speak with Yohei myself. I hope you can understand."
"Of course," Hiruzen said. "Yohei is one of ours. We'll get to the bottom of this and give both him and the Uchiha the answers you deserve."
After Fugaku left, Hiruzen sat alone, pipe forgotten in his hand. A bad feeling settled in his chest. This wasn't going to end cleanly.
That same night, word reached him that a serious fight had broken out inside the Uchiha compound. Over a dozen clan members had clashed before Fugaku and another elder finally stopped it. The timing was no coincidence. The story was already leaking.
By morning, the other major clans had heard enough to piece together what happened. Most stayed quiet. They felt bad for the Uchiha in theory, but this was still an Uchiha problem. No one wanted to get dragged into a fight between the village and one of its oldest clans.
Then Danzo's official report arrived.
It claimed a single Root operative with a personal grudge against the Uchiha had stolen orders and acted on his own. Danzo had caught the man quickly, but the operative killed himself before he could be handed over. Convenient. No one left to question.
Hiruzen called Fugaku back in and laid out Danzo's version, complete with the dead man's supposed confession. He framed it as a failure of oversight rather than a direct order from Danzo.
Fugaku listened without interrupting. When Hiruzen finished, he simply said he would discuss it with the clan and left.
That night, a new rumor spread through the major clans. Danzo had admitted to poor management. A rogue operative had used his authority. The man was already dead. Danzo was willing to accept whatever punishment the village saw fit.
It was a clean story. Too clean. Most clan heads saw it for what it was — damage control. Still, they didn't push back. Not yet.
Fugaku didn't stay quiet.
Over the next week he visited every major bloodline and secret technique clan in the village. He started with the Hyuga. Hiashi was cold at first, clearly uninterested in getting involved. Fugaku didn't waste time on sympathy. He told him the truth — the attackers had gone straight for Yohei's eyes. They wanted the Mangekyo.
Hiashi's attitude changed fast.
Fugaku made the same point to every clan he visited. If Root was willing to steal the Mangekyo, nothing stopped them from coming after the Byakugan, the Kurama clan's genjutsu, or any other bloodline and secret technique. This wasn't just about the Uchiha. Once that line was crossed, every clan became a target.
Most of them listened.
By the end of the week, Fugaku had spoken with every major player. None of them openly joined the Uchiha yet, but none of them were dismissing the threat anymore either.
Hiruzen noticed the sudden increase in clan activity. He tried reaching out to the other heads, but they gave him nothing. They stayed polite. They stayed vague. And they stayed quiet about what Fugaku had actually told them.
For now, the village leadership could only watch as the web slowly tightened around them.