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Because Root handled a lot of things that couldn't be brought into the light—things Hiruzen had ordered Danzō to take care of—he refused to let Yamanaka Inoichi get involved. On this matter, he and Danzō stood firmly on the same side.
Fugaku slowly lifted his head, staring at Hiruzen in disbelief. His lips trembled.
He wanted to speak.
But didn't even know where to begin.
He had expected Danzō, Homura, and Koharu to be in agreement.
What he hadn't expected…
was for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage himself, to blur right and wrong and go along with them.
Unbelievable.
Fugaku said nothing. He simply turned and walked toward the door.
To the higher-ups of Konoha, that was an outright show of disrespect. But Fugaku didn't feel even a hint of guilt.
People like them…
What right did they have to demand his respect?
They didn't deserve it.
In that moment, something inside the usually mild-mannered Fugaku changed completely.
He had always been the moderate voice within the Uchiha. When the village pressed in step by step, he chose to endure, to compromise.
When the radicals in the clan demanded action, he answered with ambiguity, trying to ease the tension between the Uchiha and the village.
But it seemed…
nothing he did was ever acknowledged.
Everything had been in vain.
A village like this wasn't worth respecting. Wasn't worth relying on.
Only strength could force others to respect the Uchiha.
"Uchiha Fugaku! How dare you show such disrespect to the Hokage!" Koharu snapped, her temper flaring.
Fugaku clasped his hands behind his back and spoke calmly, a faint edge of mockery in his voice.
"The Hokage's proposal is excellent. I agree."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
There was no point in staying.
He walked straight for the exit.
Suddenly, Kakashi stepped in front of him, voice cold. "Captain Fugaku, show some respect to the Hokage."
Fugaku looked at him—and then smiled.
Those crimson eyes locked onto Kakashi's, making him shiver.
"Kakashi… think about who gave you that Sharingan."
Then, without another word, Fugaku pushed the door open and walked out.
Outside, the sunlight was blindingly bright.
Inside, the room felt dim and lifeless.
Kakashi stood there, as if struck by a heavy blow. Memories long buried surged up like a raging tide.
Fugaku's words brought him back to that moment—Obito, crushed to death by falling rocks from an Iwa-nin's earth jutsu… saving him.
"That Uchiha Fugaku has gone too far! Hiruzen, you must remove him from his post as head of the Police Force!" Koharu fumed.
The other three, however, fell into an unusual silence.
They all knew—
if the Yamanaka clan really conducted an interrogation, the truth would come out: Root had attacked the Uchiha without cause.
If that got out, the consequences would be severe.
That was why the higher-ups had shut the proposal down.
Otherwise, killing a Root jōnin would have meant Fugaku being punished according to village law.
This… was their compromise.
Koharu and Homura left, leaving only Hiruzen and Danzō in the room.
"Now that it's just us," Hiruzen said, "tell me—why did you try to capture those two Uchiha children?"
Danzō was bound to him by more than politics.
They didn't always agree—like on the matter of the jinchūriki—but their bond ran deep.
After Biwako passed away a year ago, Danzō had become the only person Hiruzen truly trusted.
Danzō didn't bother dressing it up.
"The Uchiha are a threat. Studying them more closely will yield valuable intelligence."
"Everything I do… is for the village."
He admitted it outright.
From the perspective of the village, his reasoning was airtight. Hiruzen could find no words to rebuke him, only let out a quiet sigh.
The meeting room filled with curling smoke.
…
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Fugaku felt suffocated.
Angry.
Root had clearly tried to abduct members of the Uchiha. The facts were right there—and yet the conclusion was "insufficient evidence"?
Hiruzen's tolerance toward Danzō had gone too far.
At this rate, the village leadership would destroy Konoha from within.
When Fugaku returned home, he found Ken and Itachi both there.
He let out a deep sigh, almost unable to meet their eyes.
He hadn't managed to get justice for them.
Forcing a stiff smile, he asked, "You two alright?"
Ken frowned and went straight to the point. "Clan Head… what was the result?"
He already had a guess. But he still wanted to hear it confirmed.
Fugaku gave a bitter smile. "Insufficient evidence. Handed over to the interrogation unit."
"As expected." Ken pressed his lips together, expression blank.
If it went to interrogation, the outcome would still be decided by the higher-ups.
"Why!?" Surprisingly, Itachi reacted the most strongly.
His fists clenched tight, his eyes burning with unwillingness.
He had felt it clearly—
those Root shinobi had truly intended to kill them.
If Fugaku hadn't shown up in time, they would've been taken back to Root.
And after that… whether they lived or died would be entirely in Root's hands.
The thought made anger surge up from deep within him.
Wasn't the Will of Fire supposed to protect children?
Then why had Root targeted him and Ken?
What kind of "Will of Fire" was that?
Fugaku placed a hand on Itachi's head. His voice carried both guilt and resolve.
"If Konoha won't give the Uchiha justice… then I will."
"I'll make Root pay. Soon."
…
The sun dipped toward the horizon.
Kakashi got off work early that day.
With time to spare, he stopped by Ino's family flower shop and bought two bouquets.
Not long after, he arrived at Konoha's cemetery.
He stood before the graves of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, placing the flowers down.
Fugaku's words that afternoon had hit him like a slap, waking him up.
Back then, when Obito gave Kakashi his eye, many in the Uchiha had opposed it.
The Sharingan was the foundation of their clan.
Letting an outsider possess it could threaten that foundation.
Even Konoha's leadership couldn't easily interfere in that matter.
But Fugaku had insisted—
it was Obito's final wish.
He overruled the opposition and allowed Kakashi to keep the Sharingan.
Because of that, Kakashi had been spared the pain of losing his eye a second time.
Staring at Obito's gravestone, Kakashi said nothing for a long time.
Finally, he spoke softly.
"Obito… I think I messed up today…"
Not long after Kakashi left—
the air rippled.
A mysterious man wearing a tiger-striped mask appeared before Rin's grave.
He tossed aside the flowers Kakashi had left, his voice filled with cold mockery.
"Kakashi… you're just as hypocritical as ever. Heh."
After a long silence, his tone turned firm.
"This world is too cruel. There's nothing wrong with an illusionary one."
"Rin… I'll create a world where you exist."
"....."