Tōshirō raised his hands, and with a slight sign of yielding, said: "I see. It seems I misunderstood."
Voluntarily apologizing and being forced to apologize are two completely different concepts.
After all, I apologized. What more do you want from me?
But even though he was apologizing, his clear and leisurely voice showed no sign of remorse.
Naturally, this would not be enough for people to forgive him.
Koharu Utatane took this opportunity to make her presence known, adding insult to injury and directly stating the issue: "I know you're back because of the Uchiha's situation, and you're very dissatisfied with the village and want to stand up for your clan, but why can't you say these things in private? Everything can be discussed."
I'm afraid I'd just kill you in private... Tōshirō ignored this accusation, taking it as hot air.
Since she came into power, this was the first time Koharu Utatane had been so blatantly ignored. This ignited her anger, but she still maintained her composure and said self-righteously: "We old people don't care, but your behavior will cause unnecessary trouble, which is not good for either the village or the Uchiha."
After she finished, she added a seemingly magnanimous sentence: "Don't say things that are not conducive to unity next time. The village appreciates your past contributions, but that's not an excuse for you to act recklessly."
"Since you brought up the Uchiha, I'd like to ask a question." Tōshirō smiled, clasped his hands, and put them on the table, getting straight to the point: "Why was the Uchiha clan moved to the outskirts, to that remote corner of the village? When I returned to the village, I almost couldn't find my way and thought I had come to the wrong place."
The Konoha elders, remembering Tōshirō's public return from the sky, cursed inwardly. He didn't seem like he didn't know. It was clearly a meticulously planned act.
Probably worried that Koharu would say the wrong thing like Danzō, Hiruzen took over and replied: "Since you already know about the Nine-Tails' attack, you should also know about the state of the Nine-Tails' eyes at that time."
Tōshirō countered: "Are you saying that the village doesn't trust the Uchiha, Lord Hokage?"
Danzō originally proposed this idea, and now Hiruzen had to respond: "I didn't say that."
"Even if the Uchiha clan had evil intentions, they wouldn't be stupid enough to use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails. The three tomoe on the Nine-Tails' big eyes were obvious. Anyone could see it."
Tōshirō stated with certainty: "It's obvious that someone was using the Sharingan to deliberately provoke a conflict between the Uchiha and the village. Couldn't the village see that?"
"That's true," Hiruzen sighed, looking helpless: "But at that time, everyone was extremely sensitive and irrational. They subconsciously wanted to vent their emotions.
"If the Uchiha clan had stayed in the center of the village, it would have inevitably caused unnecessary conflicts and given enemy villages an opportunity.
"For the sake of the village's stability, I had no choice but to take this suboptimal action. I let the Uchiha suffer a little for now, and when the time is right, I will naturally move the Uchiha clan back to the center of the village."
Hiruzen's words were beautiful. He didn't say he wouldn't let the Uchiha come back, just that the time wasn't right yet.
"I find it very strange. It's not like the Uchiha clan dug up someone's grave, so why do I feel like the village had a prejudice against us back in my day?
"I thought it would get better over time, but after decades, it's not only not getting better but is getting worse. What's going on?"
Tōshirō's voice was a little agitated: "Aren't we comrades? Why is there so little trust? Haven't the Uchiha clan shed enough blood on the battlefield?"
Tōshirō's words resonated deeply with the three clansmen behind him.
"That is my incompetence."
As the Hokage, Hiruzen kept his stance very low, which was a good way to win people's favor. Coupled with the earlier misunderstanding, everyone present almost unconditionally believed what Hiruzen said.
"Lord Hokage, you don't need to explain. We believe you."
"That's right, that's right."
At this time, a person who tried to be objective jumped out and said: "Everyone is working for this village, and we are all silently making sacrifices. Why is it that the Uchiha clan complains so much? When you feel like you aren't trusted, first, think about your own problems. Have you made mistakes? Have you worked hard? Stop blaming prejudice."
Hearing this, Fugaku could still clench his fists and hold back his anger, but Yashiro and Inabi couldn't. Their Sharingan activated, and their eyebrows furrowed in anger:
"You idiot! Who are you saying doesn't work hard?!"
In front of so many people, the ninja who was insulting them had a lot of confidence: "What's wrong? Can't I say something if you're not working hard?"
Another person chimed in: "Exactly. Others might fear the Uchiha clan, but I'm a lone wolf with no family to worry about. I'm not afraid of you."
Could Yashiro and Inabi still tolerate this kind of provocation?
They immediately said they were going to fight.
They were going to show this disrespectful guy the power of the military police force.
Tōshirō waved his hand, stopping his two hot-headed subordinates.
"Tōshirō-sama!"
Yashiro and Inabi's eyes widened, and they both shouted, showing their discontent.
The insulting ninja smirked triumphantly.
Tōshirō closed his eyes for a moment, then said: "Good, very good."
Everyone was a little stunned, not understanding what Tōshirō was up to. With his personality, shouldn't he have immediately retaliated when his clansmen were insulted?
Why was he praising them?
Just as everyone was feeling confused, Tōshirō continued, his voice clear and firm: "Since everyone has so much prejudice against us Uchiha, from this day forward, the Uchiha clan will withdraw from the Konoha Military Police Force."
"Wha- what—!"
Hearing this, everyone, including the Konoha elders, was shocked.
Those few loudmouth Jonin never would have imagined that Tōshirō would take such a hardline stance and directly announce that his clan would withdraw from the Konoha Military Police Force.
"Hey, Tōshirō!" Even Jiraiya couldn't help but speak up at this point.
"Tōshirō, calm down," Hiruzen said, frowning deeply. "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Calm down?
Tōshirō, representing the Uchiha clan, said indignantly: "Our Uchiha clan's hearts have already turned cold."
"Tōshirō, don't do something foolish. Are you trying to lead the Uchiha to defect from the village?"
Hiruzen's preemptive statement immediately categorized Tōshirō's action, giving everyone an impression and creating a subconscious bias.
"Defect? I am not. Don't speak nonsense."
Tōshirō immediately denied it: "Konoha was founded by the Senju and Uchiha working together. Anyone else could defect from the village, but the Uchiha never will."
Tōshirō looked like he was still in a fit of rage, and Hiruzen knew that persuasion was useless. He looked at the other spokesman, being careful with his words and speaking from the other person's perspective:
"Fugaku, although Tōshirō is your elder, you are the clan leader now. Are you really going to watch the Uchiha clan's efforts be for naught?"
The Konoha Military Police Force was a tool for the village to monitor the Uchiha's every move. Hiruzen couldn't just let Tōshirō withdraw so easily. This would allow the Uchiha clan to move in an uncontrollable direction.
"Lord Hokage, I am no longer the clan leader," Fugaku said with a bitter smile: "The decision is in Tōshirō's hands. I have no right to interfere."
"What—!"
This statement caused a commotion in the room.
The Uchiha clan had a new leader.
The Konoha elders were the most shocked.
When did the Uchiha clan change leaders?
Why didn't the spies they placed in the Uchiha clan send back any news?
Could it be...
"I've gotten older, and I feel powerless. Plus, in the past, I was always busy with work and neglected my family. From now on, I plan to spend more time with my family, so I've decided to hand over the clan leadership to Tōshirō. With his prestige, I don't think any clansmen will object."
Everyone in the room thought to themselves that Tōshirō was older than him.
After Fugaku's explanation, he added another sentence: "We were originally going to announce this in a few days."
Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the spy hadn't been exposed. He then asked: "Do the rest of the Uchiha clan know about this?"
Fugaku shook his head: "Only the four of us know about it."
"Putting aside all other reasons," Hiruzen tried to persuade them: "We hope you will calm down. Withdrawing from the Konoha Military Police Force is a big matter. You should discuss it with the entire clan."
Fugaku replied: "In a few days, I think Tōshirō will listen to everyone's opinions at the clan meeting."
Hiruzen started to play the sympathy card: "In short, I hope you will calm down and not act on impulse. The Konoha Military Police Force is your hard work for many years."
"Mmm, once Tōshirō calms down, I'll try to persuade him again."
Fugaku still had to put on a show.
After the meeting ended, Jiraiya found Tōshirō alone.
Tōshirō said to Fugaku and the others behind him: "You guys go back first. I have something to say."
After the three left, Tōshirō and Jiraiya found a secluded place to talk.
"Alright, what do you want to talk to me about?" Tōshirō said, crossing his arms and leaning against a large tree.
(End of Chapter)
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