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"Outrageous! Unforgivable!"
Upon learning of Itachi's actions, Danzō flew into a rage, unleashing his fury before Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu.
"Utterly disappointing. Not only did he fail to protect Konoha, but he chose to abandon the village when it needed him most! Is this what the Uchiha clan stands for?" Danzō sneered, his gaze fixed on Fugaku Uchiha.
"Lord Danzō, have you abandoned all pretense of civility now?" Fugaku clenched his fists. "I know you hold a grudge against the Uchiha, but what does this incident have to do with our clan? I, Fugaku, have lost a son. What have you lost?"
"I lost a house—what of it?" Danzō retorted, his anger flaring at the memory of his residence.
That fire had nearly exposed his secrets, and he had lost four Sharingan eyes in the process.
"I'll compensate you for your house. In return, find my son. How about that?" Fugaku shot back.
Danzō pointed at Fugaku, seething. "We're here to discuss the Uchiha clan, not my house!"
"Exactly. But that doesn't mean you can shift all the blame onto my family. Let's not forget—the Uchiha were attacked, and Sasuke was kidnapped. That's Konoha's loss too." Fugaku glared at Danzō. "What? After my son was taken, you still want to pin some crime on me? If anything, I should be asking what role Root played in all this. Frankly, I'm starting to doubt whether Root even needs to exist."
After losing both Sasuke and Itachi in quick succession, Fugaku refused to tolerate baseless accusations.
"Are you questioning me?" Danzō's expression darkened.
"Haven't you been questioning the Uchiha clan all along?"
The heated exchange between Fugaku and Danzō left Hiruzen, caught in the middle, at a loss.
The incident in the "Forest of Death" had triggered a chain reaction of events.
Hiruzen understood Danzō's frustration—his home had been burned to the ground. Though reconstruction was underway, it would take time to rebuild it to his satisfaction.
Yet, objectively speaking, these were trivial matters compared to Fugaku's plight.
Sasuke had been kidnapped, and Itachi had left the village to search for him. In the span of a few days, Fugaku had lost both his sons. Even if temporarily, the blow to a father was devastating.
The prejudice of Konoha's higher-ups against the Uchiha made it difficult for anyone to speak in their defense, leaving the clan isolated and powerless.
Seeing Danzō about to erupt again, Hiruzen quickly intervened. "Fugaku, you've been under immense strain these past few days. Go rest for now. I'll also ask the Hyūga clan to keep an eye out for Sasuke's whereabouts. As for Itachi… he must have his reasons. I hope he comes to his senses soon."
Fugaku glanced at the others in the room. Apart from Tsunade, who had remained silent, the attitudes of the rest toward the Uchiha clan were unchanged.
Sometimes, he wanted to stop enduring in silence. But Shisui's death had weakened the Uchiha, and Itachi's departure had made things worse.
Rebelling now would be suicide. Yet, if they did nothing, the village's leaders would only tighten their grip, and the clan's resentment toward Konoha's higher-ups would grow.
Fugaku's headache worsened. Only after leaving the meeting room did he finally exhale, as if freed from a suffocating pressure.
Tsunade had stayed quiet throughout, merely listening.
She couldn't shake the feeling that Danzō was deliberately targeting Fugaku.
Perhaps it was psychological. After all, disdain for the Uchiha wasn't limited to one person—it permeated nearly the entire Konoha leadership. Even Hiruzen, as Hokage, remained ambiguous in his stance toward the clan. It was clear the Uchiha were in a precarious position.
Did the Uchiha truly inspire such universal disdain?
What about me? Should I keep standing by them?
For a moment, even Tsunade wavered. But then, images of Kagami Uchiha, Shisui, and Itachi flashed through her mind.
No matter what, these individuals had given their lives for Konoha. The Uchiha clan shouldn't be treated as enemies.
With that thought, Tsunade steadied herself and continued observing the room.
"See… this is the Uchiha clan!" Danzō slammed his fist on the table. "The Nine-Tails incident is still fresh in our memories. Why did the beast suddenly go berserk? The Uchiha are undoubtedly connected. And now this—Sasuke's disappearance is a loss for the village, and our shinobi won't stop searching for him. But Itachi's defiance shows he holds no respect for us. If the Uchiha keep leaving, one by one, sooner or later, they'll all defect to other villages." His words were less an opinion and more pressure on Hiruzen.
"Indeed. The Nine-Tails incident remains unresolved. And now, once again, the Uchiha are involved—even harming Naruto. His parents fought to their last breath protecting the village. If their son were to die like this… I don't even know what to say." Koharu sighed, her voice heavy with sorrow.
Tsunade glanced at her. Though Koharu's grief seemed genuine, every word she spoke felt like another strike against the Uchiha.
It confirmed Tsunade's suspicion—Konoha's leadership was united in their stance against the clan.
"Perhaps we shouldn't oversimplify things," Tsunade interjected. "This entire incident may have started with the Chunin Exams, but we all know the real trigger was the first disappearance in the village. I've been wondering—why, despite our extensive search, we still haven't found Shizune. Then it hit me: someone must be hiding her. And whoever did this knows Konoha inside out and holds considerable influence. Otherwise, they couldn't have evaded our detection."
"But we've searched every major clan's territory," Hiruzen said gravely.
"Then there's something we're missing."
"Has Shizune regained her memories?" Danzō asked.
"Not yet. But she seems to be recovering. It shouldn't take much longer." Tsunade kept her eyes on Danzō.
Danzō lowered his head slightly, obscuring his expression. "Familiar with Konoha, holds influence… you're not implying it's the Uchiha, are you?"
"I never said that." Tsunade tightened her fists but forced a smile.
"Someone might try to pin the blame on Itachi. Be careful of that person."
Tsunade replayed Midorimai's warning in her mind.
So this is why Midorimai wouldn't reveal who it was. If it's really Danzō, this won't end easily.
But no matter how well you've hidden yourself… I've found you, Danzō.