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Hopefully, the Sarutobi clan won't hold any grudges against the Third Hokage.
After five days of travel, Kazuki finally led the team back to Konoha. Upon arrival, the task of organizing the transport unit was handed over to Shikaku, while Kazuki headed straight to the Hokage's office.
"Quite the gathering?"
Kazuki hadn't expected to find the Hokage's office packed with people when he opened the door. The heads of all the major clans were present—except for those from certain ostracized families.
"We were just discussing the reconstruction of the commercial district. Since you're back, you should take over. I'm not very good at handling these kinds of matters," Tsunade said, eager to pass the responsibility to him.
Unfortunately for her, her plan didn't work.
Kazuki refused outright, "I don't understand these things either. Handing them to me would be pointless. Besides, I'll be leaving the village soon to track someone down. Even if you gave this to me, I wouldn't be able to handle it properly."
"Track someone?" And outside the village, no less?
"We'll talk about it later."
Now wasn't the time for that discussion. Kazuki found a seat and, instead of moving everyone to the conference room, pulled out the report Shikaku had prepared.
"The report on the Five Great Shinobi Villages' joint assault on Amegakure and the Akatsuki is complete. The Akatsuki's strength far exceeded our expectations."
Kazuki didn't dismiss the clan heads. Instead, they all perked up, ears straining to ensure they didn't miss a single word.
"Since everyone's here, let's have it read aloud."
Rather than taking the report herself, Tsunade had Shizune read it out so everyone in the office could hear.
Shikaku's report was thorough, detailing every major event during the allied forces' attack on Amegakure.
By the time it was finished, the clan heads were stunned.
None of them had expected an underground organization to possess such overwhelming power—enough to fight the combined forces of the Five Great Villages to a standstill.
Even more terrifying was the fact that despite all five Kage participating in the assault, the Akatsuki's leaders had all escaped.
The allied forces had suffered devastating losses, with nearly all their elite troops wiped out.
Before the battle, who could have predicted such an outcome?
"This organization is far more dangerous than we thought. That idiot Jiraiya—what was he thinking, getting involved with something like this?"
Tsunade gritted her teeth and slammed her fist on the desk.
Had Jiraiya just helped Konoha—no, the entire shinobi world—raise its own enemies?
If he hadn't been so soft-hearted back then, none of this would have happened.
At least Konoha hadn't suffered major losses this time. The only ones who truly lost out were the Sarutobi clan.
But that was the Third Hokage's fault. No one else could be blamed.
The other villages, however, had been hit hard.
"Since everyone's here, I'll announce two things."
Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Kazuki stood up, drawing everyone's attention.
"First, I'm here to clear the Uchiha's name. After years of bearing false accusations, they've finally been vindicated."
"Was Uchiha Madara captured?"
At these words, Fugaku—whose heart was always tied to his clan—jolted upright in his seat, standing abruptly.
Had the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Night finally been caught?
The other clan heads wore expressions of shock.
None of them had expected Kazuki to accomplish something so monumental without fanfare.
"No, he wasn't captured."
Kazuki shook his head regretfully.
"Some of you may already know about the village's earlier dealings with the Bingo Book. Now, I can confirm with certainty that the identity of the mysterious man who orchestrated the Nine-Tails Night—the one who called himself 'Uchiha Madara'—has been exposed."
"It was Obito?"
Fugaku had been keeping a close eye on this matter.
He had noticed the village's unusual actions before, and the Nekobaa clan had even approached him for information—along with a hefty fee.
The rumors spread through the Bingo Book couldn't be trusted; they had been deliberately planted by the village.
Now, the truth was out.
"Yes. Uchiha Obito! He was the one responsible for the tragedy of the Nine-Tails Night. He was the one who caused the deaths of his own teacher, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, and his teacher's wife, Kushina Uzumaki."
"Uchiha Obito? That clumsy, foolish kid?"
"How could he do such a thing? The Fourth was his teacher!"
"Wasn't he supposed to have died in the war?"
The Third Hokage had once taken a special interest in a certain Uchiha child—something all the clans knew.
Without that attention, how would an Uchiha like Obito have become known throughout the village?
"The least Uchiha-like Uchiha"—that ridiculous nickname had only come about because of the prolonged scrutiny.
Those who had paid even slight attention to Minato knew that his team had suffered losses, with both of his students dying in battle.
Who could have imagined that someone declared dead in the war would later resurface, posing as Uchiha Madara, and attack Konoha?
Not only that, but he had also caused the deaths of his own teacher and teacher's wife, unleashing the Nine-Tails and reducing Konoha to ruins.
"Silence!"
Tsunade pounded the desk, cutting off the murmurs, and motioned for Kazuki to continue.
Once the office quieted down, Kazuki resumed:
"Obito's motive for attacking the village was simple: the woman he loved, Rin Nohara, died—by Kakashi's hand. But Rin's death was the result of a conspiracy. Someone had manipulated the Third Mizukage, kidnapped her, and sealed the Three-Tails inside her. Their plan was to have her return to the village and trigger a tailed beast rampage, dealing a devastating blow to Konoha. Rin, unwilling to harm her village or its people, chose to end her own life—using Kakashi's hand to do it, ensuring the Three-Tails would die with her. Obito didn't die in the war. He was saved—and by whom should be obvious now: the Akatsuki."
"But why take revenge on Konoha? Shouldn't his target have been Kirigakure?"
Hiashi Hyūga voiced his confusion.
Logically, if Obito wanted revenge, he should have gone after Kiri. Why attack Konoha?
Why kill his own teacher and teacher's wife?
"Because he blamed his teacher, Minato Namikaze, for failing to protect the woman he loved."
Kazuki rubbed his temples.
"Besides, there's no point trying to rationalize the actions of a man who went mad over a woman."