Chapter 155: The King of Blame — Danzo
The moment those words were spoken, the entire crowd's expressions shifted.
Hokage-sama had just declared that the matter had nothing to do with Uchiha Obito, yet someone still dared to bring it up? Was this man not afraid of death—or simply too brave for his own good?
Whose subordinate was this fool, to speak so recklessly in front of the Hokage?
Several jonin exchanged glances before recognizing the speaker—a middle-aged jonin from a civilian background. Instantly, the tension eased. So that was it. A civilian-born shinobi, not bound by the politics of the great clans. It was fine.
After all, civilian jonin had little to lose. They could afford to speak freely. But the clan-born jonin had to measure every word—they knew that a single careless remark could invite retribution from the Hokage's office and bring misfortune upon their entire bloodline.
Uchiha Fugaku, standing at the front, did not appear offended. His expression remained calm as his deep voice resonated through the silence.
"This brings us to the secret of our clan's eyes—the Mangekyō Sharingan," he said evenly. "It's no longer a secret, really. Many of you have already heard something about it."
At once, all eyes turned toward him. The Mangekyō Sharingan—those words alone were enough to capture the attention of every shinobi present.
It was that very power that made the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta, stand above all others.
Fugaku continued, "When a Sharingan evolves from the three tomoe into the Mangekyō, two unique dōjutsu are born within its eyes—abilities shaped by the will and spirit of the user."
He paused, then said, "Uchiha Obito's dōjutsu is known as Kamui. It's a high-level space–time ninjutsu that allows its wielder to shift objects between the physical world and another dimension. After awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito could link his eye to this alternate space, allowing him to phase in and out of reality itself. No barrier within Konoha could contain him."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"So that's how it was," the middle-aged jonin who had spoken earlier said in awe, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for clearing our doubts!"
Fugaku gave a faint nod.
The shinobi gathered there began whispering among themselves.
The Uchiha truly were the mightiest of the noble clans—this was no exaggeration. Their bloodline was unparalleled, the foundation of their thousand-year legacy.
No wonder their clan had never fallen.
Just look at their current Hokage, Uchiha Yuta—after awakening the Mangekyō, his power was unmatched. He had subdued not only Konoha's enemies but had even conquered Kumogakure itself, something few would have believed possible.
The shinobi couldn't help but think:
If Hokage-sama had been in power earlier—if he had acted on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack—couldn't he have stopped it with ease?
After all, Uchiha Obito controlled the Nine-Tails with a single eye. But Hokage-sama possessed two.
Why, then, hadn't he intervened that night?
The question hung heavy in the air until one jonin finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Forgive me, Hokage-sama," he began, his voice trembling slightly. "But on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack… you were already powerful. Why didn't you come forth to stop it? Surely, with your strength, it would have been easy."
A quiet murmur of agreement rippled through the ranks. The shinobi had witnessed Yuta's divine power—how he had subdued the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails as effortlessly as breathing. Even the mighty Gyūki now lay still, as docile as a tamed beast.
Surely, the Nine-Tails could have been handled the same way.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed slightly, but his tone remained composed.
"That is a very good question," he said, his voice solemn. "On the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, I had already ordered the Uchiha elite to prepare for battle. We were ready to leave our compound to suppress the beast."
He paused, then his tone hardened.
"However, Shimura Danzo and his Root operatives blocked our path. He forbade us from leaving the Uchiha compound."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"At that time," Fugaku continued, "Danzo served as the Hokage's advisor. And I… was merely the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force. Disobeying him would have been considered rebellion. If I had defied those orders, Danzo would have branded our entire clan as traitors."
His fists clenched.
"I could not risk the lives of every Uchiha for the sake of pride. So I stayed my hand. And that," he said darkly, "is the truth of that night."
A heavy silence fell.
Many jonin from the great clans nodded grimly. They knew all too well of Danzo's tyranny—how he recruited their clan's brightest talents into Root, how he wielded power unchecked under the indulgence of the Third Hokage.
In the end, the disaster of the Nine-Tails had not been the Uchiha's doing—it had been born of suspicion and fear.
Fugaku clapped his hands once, breaking the tension.
"Enough. The explanations end here. Let's finish what needs to be done," he ordered. "Gather the corpses, pile them into that pit, and burn them. We can't risk an outbreak of plague."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the jonin chorused.
Whatever doubts had remained in their hearts about the Uchiha had now faded. Their resentment toward the clan—and toward the Hokage—was slowly replaced by respect.
After all, the past was long gone. The Nine-Tails incident belonged to history. What mattered now was the future—the dawn of a new era under the rule of the Fifth Hokage.
Under Uchiha Yuta's leadership, Konoha would rise again.
As they moved to obey orders, Hyūga Hiashi stepped forward, his calm voice ringing out, "Remember to control your chakra output. Don't overuse Shadow Clones—we don't need any injuries from chakra exhaustion."
Some of the jonin laughed. "Advisor Hiashi, we're not rookies anymore! We know how to pace ourselves."
Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "A reminder never hurts," he said curtly. "If anyone collapses from chakra depletion, I'll have to trouble Lady Tsunade to fix you up."
The laughter died down quickly. No one wanted to test that.
And so, under the blazing sunlight and the cool authority of their Hokage, the shinobi of Konoha resumed their work—clearing the battlefield of Kumogakure's fallen.
They did so not with resentment or fatigue, but with quiet conviction.
Because for the first time in a long while… they truly believed Konoha's future was secure.
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