Ever since Naruto had gone on his rampage, Uchiha Fugaku had not seen Uchiha Itachi even once.
The clan members who had participated in the coup attempt had been imprisoned by the Third Hokage, and Fugaku himself had been stripped of his position as head of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Although he still held the title of Uchiha clan leader, he now possessed no real power.
Beyond that, his heart was heavy with worry for Itachi.
After wrestling with his thoughts for some time, he decided he needed to learn the truth about what had happened.
"I thought you'd be asking about your clan first," Senju Haruto remarked, looking Fugaku up and down with a subtle, almost unreadable expression.
In the original course of events, Fugaku and the entire Uchiha clan had perished on the night of the massacre.
But now, because of Haruto's intervention, the clan's fate had been completely rewritten.
"This…"
Fugaku's expression darkened. He knew all too well the crimes those people had committed.
"They chose to betray the village," Fugaku said helplessly.
Even as the clan leader, he could not erase the deep resentment many Uchihas bore toward Konoha.
If they were allowed to return to the Uchiha compound, who knew what trouble might erupt?
And with such a dangerous faction, the Third Hokage was never going to simply exile them from the village.
In his heart, Fugaku had already guessed the fate that awaited them.
"Even if I wanted to plead for them out of loyalty to my own clan, Lord Third would never agree."
Fugaku even suspected that the Third Hokage wouldn't grant him an audience at all.
From another perspective, though, he felt a certain relief.
At least Sasuke was safe. The Uchiha district still stood.
"True enough," Haruto agreed.
He was no Tobirama Senju, who believed the Uchiha were born evil, but he couldn't deny that members of the clan tended to be obsessive — especially in their blind reverence for power.
Those who had tried to stage a coup would not have their hatred erased with a few pretty words.
"Itachi's been carrying almost all the blame," Haruto said at last, softening his tone as he decided to reveal the so-called truth.
"It was Itachi who used Tsukuyomi to trap the Uchiha clan in an illusion, putting them under his control. He intended to stage a coup so that he could become Hokage."
"When his plan failed, in a fit of rage, Itachi released the Nine-Tails into the village."
"With the Nine-Tails subdued, his coup collapsed, and he fled the village as a rogue ninja."
This was the version Konoha's upper ranks had prepared — the official narrative.
As for where Itachi had gone, Haruto didn't say. That touched on the Akatsuki, and it was classified information.
Given Fugaku's position, it was better he didn't know.
The truth was, Haruto wasn't telling him this out of respect for his role as Itachi's father.
He was telling him because Fugaku was still the clan head.
Haruto wanted him to understand: the reason the Uchiha clan was still alive, the reason their compound still stood in peace, was because of Itachi's sacrifice — the burden he had chosen to bear.
Since Fugaku was his father, Haruto expected him to respect that choice.
And that meant not stirring up any more trouble.
Otherwise, all of Itachi's effort, sacrifice, and resolve would be wasted.
"As much as I hate to say this," Haruto went on, "Itachi wasn't just an exceptional shinobi — he was a good son."
He paused, letting a look of regret cross his face.
"He could have been hailed as a hero of Konoha for what he's done. But instead, he chose to take the blame for you."
"For me?" Fugaku's eyes widened — and then, almost at once, he understood.
If Itachi hadn't existed, the one orchestrating the coup would have been him.
"That's right. Why else do you think you were able to walk back into the compound and keep calling yourself clan leader?" Haruto pressed, continuing to weave his narrative.
In truth, the reason was far simpler: Hiruzen Sarutobi knew the Uchiha needed a leader.
Rather than replace him with someone who might still harbor resentment toward the village, it was better to leave Fugaku in charge — someone who, after recent events, would be more loyal to Konoha and obedient to the Hokage.
But Haruto layered on the embellishments, wanting Fugaku to believe it was all thanks to his son.
If Fugaku denied it, he would be denying Itachi himself.
And from what Haruto knew, Fugaku was not the kind of man who would let Itachi's efforts go to waste — especially with another son left to protect.
"I see…"
Fugaku lowered his head.
In truth, he had already suspected as much. But hearing it from Haruto forced him to face it fully.
"Itachi has done everything he could," Haruto said, shifting the conversation. "The rest is up to you."
This was something Haruto had been meaning to discuss with him anyway, and now was the perfect chance.
"The rest?" Fugaku asked, not immediately following.
"Yes." Haruto nodded. "You don't think stopping the coup is the end of it, do you? The rift between the Uchiha and the village — that's the real problem."
"If that isn't resolved completely, the Uchiha will vanish from history sooner or later."
"And now that Itachi is gone from the village, the rest falls to you, Fugaku."
Fugaku absorbed Haruto's words and understood the implication.
"What do you need me to do?"
Oddly, now that he had accepted the likely fate of the conspirators, he felt lighter.
Without those voices of hatred against Konoha, perhaps he could guide the clan toward the right path — and heal the division between them and the village.
Still, he wanted to hear Haruto's plan.
"Nothing at all."
"…What?" Fugaku blinked, caught off guard. He had expected Haruto to give him a specific mission.
"Konoha and the Hidden Cloud are on the brink of war. As shinobi of the village, the Uchiha will be sent to the battlefield."
"If they all die there, then the survivors will only bear hatred toward the Cloud, not the village."
"So, in truth, you don't need to do anything. Just keep playing the role of clan leader and live quietly in the compound."
"Oh, and one more thing…"
Suddenly, Haruto's eyes narrowed slightly, as if a thought had just occurred to him.
"In the future, any Uchiha who awakens the Sharingan — I want them to join the Foundation. No objections, right?"
Traditionally, the Uchiha had deeply resented both the Anbu and the Foundation. Haruto didn't know if the next generation of Uchiha would feel the same way.
But he was confident Fugaku would handle it.
No — he had to handle it.