"Whether it's slander or truth isn't for you or me to decide. The evidence will speak for itself."
Uchiha Douhuan's voice was sharp, his gaze cold as steel. Then he raised it a notch, his words cutting across the courtyard:
"And since you've arrived at just the right time, let me tell you—according to your accomplice, Shimura Reto, you too were involved in Danzo's plot to steal another ninja's bloodline. Security! Arrest Shimura Hiroshi!"
At his command, several Uchiha Security Force members surged forward.
"Uchiha Douhuan!" Utatane Koharu's shrill voice cut through the air, indignant and trembling with fury. A woman who had grown used to authority, she could not stomach the sight of Douhuan ignoring her presence.
"I'm listening," Douhuan replied evenly, standing tall on the steps of the Security Department, looking down on her from above.
"How dare you! Who gave you the authority to arrest people in front of us?"
"An excellent question!" Douhuan's voice rang out like thunder as he unsheathed his long sword. Lightning flared along its edge, splitting into twin arcs that slammed into the ground at Shimura Hiroshi's feet. The crackling blast forced back the Shimura ninjas who had tried to step forward, and Hiroshi himself was thrown violently to the ground.
In that instant, the Uchiha security operatives swarmed him, pinning him with effortless precision.
"You ask me where my authority comes from?" Douhuan descended the steps slowly, each word heavy with conviction. "That night, when Shimura Danzo's crimes came to light, it was the Third Hokage himself who granted the Uchiha full authority to investigate. Is that reason enough?"
He stopped a step away from the advisors, eyes like burning coals.
"Back when the Second Hokage created the Security Department, he entrusted my clan with the duty of protecting the village—of rooting out criminals like Danzo, who would betray comrades for selfish gain. Is that reason enough?"
Douhuan bowed briefly toward Hokage Rock, then turned his blazing eyes back to Koharu.
"And if even that doesn't satisfy you, then remember the First Hokage's vow—his oath that every comrade in this village must be protected. Is that reason enough?"
His voice rose, carrying to the watching crowd.
"Today it isn't I who seek his arrest—it is the eleven thousand shinobi and eighty-five thousand citizens of Konoha who will not allow such a cancer to fester any longer!"
"You—!" Mitokado Homura started, but his words faltered. Douhuan had invoked the name of the Shodaime himself. To argue further would be to spit on the village's very foundation.
By now, a throng of civilian ninjas who had come in response to recruitment notices crowded the square. Murmurs ran through them as they witnessed the scene unfold.
"So the Uchiha do care about justice after all…"
"Looks like the rumors weren't true."
"The Shimura clan deserves this. They've always thrown their weight around in the village. It's about time someone cut them down."
For once, the whispers favored the Uchiha.
Douhuan's eyes flickered toward the two advisors. "You've come here with such a show of force. Are you trying to protect something? Word is you had close ties with Danzo."
"Shut your mouth, Uchiha Douhuan! Do not slander us!" Homura snapped, his face flushed with rage. "I'll report today's actions to the Hokage himself!"
"By all means," Douhuan sneered. Without another glance, he turned and strode into the Security Department.
Fugaku remained behind, his expression cold. "What are you two still doing here? Or shall we escort you back ourselves?"
"Hmph." With nothing left to say and the eyes of the crowd burning into them, the advisors turned sharply and departed, their pride in tatters.
Inside, Shimura Hiroshi was dragged into the interrogation chamber. His face was pale, his eyes wide with horror. The other three Shimura members, once certain of rescue, exchanged despairing looks. Their clan leader and the two advisors had abandoned them.
"Give our honored guest a warm welcome," Douhuan said, his tone dripping with mockery as Hiroshi was thrown down like refuse. "And be careful not to stain your hands with his blood—we wouldn't want to disturb the spirits of our elders at tonight's funeral."
"Yes, sir!" the Uchiha officers chorused.
With that settled, Douhuan left the department and headed to the clan shrine, where preparations for a quiet funeral were underway. It was the least they could do for those who had suffered at Danzo's hands.
"Clan Leader," Uchiha Inahori reported as he approached, "with the exception of the Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans, every other family has sent funeral offerings."
"I see. Go fetch Elder Fugaku," Douhuan instructed.
"Understood." Inahori departed swiftly.
Douhuan made his way to the section where gifts were stacked. He paused until Fugaku arrived, then began opening them.
The Yamanaka clan's offerings appeared ordinary at first—common funeral goods. But beneath the surface layer glimmered gold, and two land deeds.
Fugaku's eyes lit up. "This is the money you extracted?"
Douhuan nodded but frowned as he counted. "Not enough."
One by one, they opened the contributions from the Nara and Akimichi clans. The pattern was the same.
"It's a warning," Douhuan muttered, his lips curling in disdain. "The three clans together gave us exactly one hundred and forty million ryō—four Asumas, as they call it. Enough to pay the price of Danzo's dealings. But no more."
The meaning was clear: the Ino–Shika–Chō stood united. Their message was simple—this ends here. Stand against us if you wish, but we will not bow.
"Hmph. Ino–Shika–Chō…" Fugaku scoffed.
"It doesn't matter," Douhuan replied calmly. "Winning over those three was never the goal. Their value to us is limited. That they paid at all is already more than I expected."
His gaze hardened. "They've stood by the Sarutobi since the Warring States era. Each generation swears their oath to the clan. They were never ours to claim."
And with that, Douhuan set aside the gifts,
his mind already turning to the next move in the Uchiha's game.
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(End of Chapter)