Bang!
Shimura Danzō was furious. He slammed his cane heavily against the floor.
His expression was terrifyingly dark.
Turning around, he stared at his old friend—the Third Hokage.
Suppressing his anger, he demanded,
"Hiruzen, Konoha needs a new outlook. You—"
Before he could finish, the Third pointed straight at his nose and cut in coldly:
"Why did you frame an Uchiha child during this chaos?"
"Frame the Uchiha…"
Hearing this, Danzō's breathing stalled.
He subconsciously ignored the words child, his attention locking onto Uchiha and framing.
Framing the Uchiha was something he practically did every day!
Otherwise, how could the reputation of such a prestigious Konoha clan rot so quickly?
But—which incident was Hiruzen talking about?
Forget it. It didn't matter.
Either way, he had done it.
Prejudice in people's hearts was like a towering mountain.
But—what if that mountain was something people preset for themselves?
"Hiruzen… why bring this up now?"
Danzō's voice lowered, yet he stubbornly defended himself.
"Those Uchiha brats are born evil. Are you going to let them destroy the village?"
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Seeing that his old friend had not changed in the slightest, Hiruzen was tired.
He took out his pipe and tapped it against the desk to stop him.
"That's enough! What the village needs most right now is harmony, not internal strife!"
"But don't forget—today, the Nine-Tails' eyes were clearly—"
Danzō retorted angrily.
Before he could finish—
"I said, enough!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly stood up, staring straight at Danzō.
"You need to understand—I am the Hokage!"
The momentum of someone who had borne the Hokage title for years surged forth in full.
That final sentence—
Was the last straw that crushed the camel's back.
It completely ignited the resentment in Danzō's heart.
With a cold snort, he violently swung his cane.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Bang!
With that, he turned and stormed out.
Only the three remaining in the room were left behind.
After a moment of silence, Utatane Koharu cautiously asked,
"Hiruzen… will framing the Uchiha cause problems?"
"Danzō may have many underhanded schemes, but he still has the village's interests at heart."
"Other than him, who else harbors such deep hostility toward the Uchiha?"
The Third slapped the desk and barked,
"Are you telling me that a two-year-old child ran into the barrier on his own?!"
Thunk.
At that, the two of them fell completely silent.
…
At the entrance to the Uchiha clan compound.
Uchiha Arata's two short legs were pumping furiously.
With the Light as a Swallow entry boosting him, his limb coordination had reached an entirely new level.
He had even broken free from the standard ninja running posture—
Arms stiffly angled backward, legs making rapid short steps.
Instead—
He was swinging his arms and legs with full force.
Crossing swings.
Perfect posture. Agile footwork!
His speed was almost on par with that of an adult male—
If one ignored his height.
Step.
When he saw the iconic Uchiha fan crest, his footsteps instantly slowed.
He reverted to his earlier state—
Silently slipping back into the clan grounds.
After the Nine-Tails incident ended, the ANBU guarding this place had already withdrawn.
The clan members who had come to cause trouble were gone as well.
Some were drinking.
Some were sleeping.
Faint, blush-inducing sounds even drifted through the air.
Only one person stood at the gate.
Uchiha Fugaku.
The clan head's gaze was deep as he silently stared outward.
Gradually, his eyes turned crimson, three tomoe spinning slowly within.
His nostrils filled with the heavy scent of gunpowder and war.
"So… the Uchiha clan has already become feared to this extent…"
Even with the situation so dire, the village could still spare manpower to keep the Uchiha under watch.
He let out a sigh and turned to leave.
But just as he did—
Within the spinning tomoe, he sensed a small figure.
Tiptoeing, sneaking inside.
"Jin? How did this child sneak out?"
When he recognized the figure, Fugaku froze.
This youngest son of his—now technically his second son—
Had always been quiet and withdrawn.
When idle, he preferred being alone.
Because of that, the rest of the clan often considered him antisocial.
Not good at interacting with others.
But tonight—why had he suddenly slipped out?
Carrying his doubts, Fugaku followed.
In a corner, Jin's heart stirred.
As expected… he followed me.
He simply stood there, pressed against the shadow of the wall, patiently waiting for his father.
This mysterious Mangekyō wielder.
As clan head, despite possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, he still allowed his own son to slaughter the clan.
Whether that was right or wrong—
Jin couldn't judge.
Only once you became a father did you truly understand the weight and difficulty of such choices.
As the distance closed, Jin could clearly feel an oppressive pressure washing over him.
"Jin, why did you run out? Can't sleep this late at night?"
Perhaps from years as clan head, Fugaku's tone was still stern.
Lacking the gentleness between father and son.
"No wonder your two sons are more rebellious than the last."
Jin shook his head and replied calmly,
"My room collapsed."
"Hm?!"
Fugaku's eyes jumped as he hurriedly looked into the compound.
Only then did he realize—
At some point, the main beam of Jin's room had collapsed.
And he, as both clan head and father, had not noticed at all.
Neither had the other clan members.
He sighed, a trace of guilt appearing on his face.
"I'm sorry, little Jin. Tomorrow, Father will help you fix it, alright?"
"For now, come sleep in Father's room."
As he spoke, he reached out to pick Jin up.
But would Jin agree?
They hadn't even talked for ten minutes yet!
He squirmed, trying to break free.
But small as he was, and without chakra, he couldn't do anything.
He could only watch as he was carried away, placed in the room, and left behind.
Watching Fugaku's back, Jin had no choice but to unleash his ultimate move.
He shouted,
"Under the shrine table—third leg, on top!"
Thunk.
Fugaku's hand on the door paused.
"Inside Mother's windowsill flowerbed."
Step.
Fugaku turned around, his gaze dark.
"And the lower-right corner inside the cabinet in this room—"
"Stop!"
Fugaku rushed back, carefully glancing toward the neighboring bedroom before hissing,
"You little brat—how do you know all this?!"
His voice was low but rapid—
Even laced with anger.
All the clan-head composure from earlier was completely gone.
See? Didn't this force him to stay and talk?
Jin grinned slyly, patted the edge of the bed, and said in a milky voice,
"Come. Sit."
"You'd better explain yourself—"
Jin waved his hand, cutting his father off.
"Father… you wouldn't want Mother to find out about your private stash, right?"
He patted the bed again.
The meaning was obvious.
"You little—!"
Uchiha Fugaku's three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated.
Grinding his teeth, he finally sat down obediently.
At this moment, in front of Uchiha Arata—
He looked as naïve as a child.
And it was at this moment—
That Jin finally saw Fugaku's entries.