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"How… what, are you trying to silence the Uchiha by killing them?"
Fugaku's gaze was as cold and hard as ice.
The crimson Sharingan stared straight at the Root ninja before him.
There was a deadly resolve in his aura that made the Root ninja shiver, his hair stand on end.
This was the same man who, during the Third Great Ninja War, had earned the fearsome reputation of the "Fierce Eye."
Even if all of them from Root attacked together, victory would be almost impossible—especially with the eighth-generation Jonin at their side.
Seeing only Fugaku and Ken return, the Root Jonin frowned, a bad feeling gnawing at him, and forced himself to ask.
"Captain Fugaku, there's still another member of Root—do you know where he is?"
Fugaku shot him a sideways glance and said coldly, "He attacked members of my clan. I killed him."
"What!?" The Root Jonin's voice cracked in shock.
In Konoha, no clan would dare murder a Root member. Doing so was essentially a declaration of war.
This was a huge problem.
"Then, Captain Fugaku, please hand over the other Root member to us," the Root Jonin said after a moment of hesitation.
A tense silence hung in the air.
They thought Danzo would back them up!
"That's not happening. I'll report this to the Hokage, and he can decide."
"But what about Danzo…"
"I said I'll report it to the Hokage!" Fugaku cut him off, his Sharingan glowing an even more ominous red.
If they tried anything, Fugaku wouldn't hesitate to bury them alive.
…
The Hokage's office.
A large, formal meeting room.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the center, flanked by Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and other senior Konoha advisors like Homura Mitokado.
Fugaku stood below, with a restrained Root ninja, Shin, tied up beside him.
Shin's illusions hadn't been lifted. His eyes were vacant, foam trickled from his mouth, making him look like a fool.
Several ANBU waited nearby, led by the prodigy Kakashi Hatake.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Hiruzen turned to the expressionless Danzo.
"Danzo, how do you explain Root's unprovoked attack on the Uchiha clan?"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed, troubled.
If Root dared attack the Uchiha today, what would stop them from targeting other clans—or even ordinary villagers—tomorrow?
If handled poorly, this could shake the trust and authority Hiruzen held over the village. He had to tread carefully.
Compared to Hiruzen's tension, Danzo appeared calm, almost dismissive.
"Captain Fugaku, Root is the backbone of this village, devoted to its protection. They would never harm its citizens."
"The Uchiha are and always will be part of this village. Don't tarnish Root over recent… misunderstandings."
"This could damage the deep bond between us."
Danzo's meaning was clear:
Uchiha, don't frame Root.
Koharu Utatane's words cut sharper.
"Fugaku, everything you claim is just your word. You have no proof."
"Currently, two Uchiha were merely frightened, while Root lost a Jonin and had a Chunin injured. Yet now you demand accountability from Root? That's despicable."
She didn't even call him "Captain Fugaku," showing utter contempt.
Mitokado agreed.
"Captain Fugaku, everything requires evidence. Show us proof."
Hiruzen looked at Fugaku too, leaning toward the belief that this might be an Uchiha fabrication, sparing the village's foundations from unnecessary turmoil.
The lack of support from Konoha's leadership chilled Fugaku. He let out a bitter laugh.
"If none of you trust me, then let the ANBU and Uchiha form a joint investigation team, with representatives from the Inuzuka, Nara, and Akimichi clans supervising. In two days, we'll have a report proving whether I'm lying about Root's attack."
Root leaving traces of their attack was inevitable. Fugaku had already sent Uchiha specialists to preserve the scene.
And having the "Ino-Shika-Cho" clans supervise added credibility. These were prominent families, and for their own interests, they were unlikely to side with Root blindly. After all, Root's hidden operations had even intimidated them.
Danzo scoffed.
"Captain Fugaku, your clan was first to the scene. You've probably already altered it to favor yourselves. I don't accept this plan."
Koharu added, "Fugaku, don't try to play tricks. If you can't produce evidence and unnecessarily harm Root members, Konoha will hold you accountable."
Perhaps sensing the venomous atmosphere, Fugaku laughed in anger.
"Then we'll use a special technique. Have Inoichi of the Yamanaka clan enter this Root member's mind and extract the truth. We'll see whether it was the Uchiha framing Root or Root attacking us."
Inoichi, Ino's father, was a master of mind techniques. He had previously extracted information from a corpse of a member of Pain's forces.
He could get the truth from Shin.
Danzo rose, visibly unsettled.
"Root has served Konoha since its inception, making countless contributions. Every Root ninja is willing to risk their life for the village. I will not allow them to be humiliated in this way!"
Danzo knew that if the Yamanaka extracted Root's secrets, all his hidden actions—including Orochimaru's forbidden experiments—would be exposed. Even as a senior advisor, Hiruzen couldn't protect him then.
All eyes turned to Hiruzen.
He was the village's shadow. Only he could decide.
Hiruzen inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.
"The Yamanaka's mind-reading is meant for enemies, not the village's heroes. But Captain Fugaku's suspicion isn't baseless."
"Here's my suggestion: let the interrogation team handle this Root ninja. How does that sound?"
"I agree!" Danzo responded immediately.
To prevent leaks, he had set seals on every Root member's tongue, preventing them from revealing his secrets, even under Konoha's expert interrogation.
"We agree as well," the other advisors nodded.
Hiruzen looked at Fugaku.
"Captain Fugaku, what do you think of my proposal?"
"....."