Many people had expected the Uchiha might make a scene; few imagined it would blow up like this — and that it would succeed.
When the memorial ended, a lot of people were left pondering the same question: what matters more — the mission or your comrade? If you had to choose one, which would you pick? And if you were the comrade waiting to be rescued, how would you feel?
Many clans reflected that if they were in the Konoha White Fang's position, would anyone else make such a huge fuss to clear his name? Most admitted they wouldn't—they wouldn't fight that hard for another clan the way the Uchiha did.
The Sword clans didn't need convincing: their caution and self-preservation were obvious. Not being shameful about keeping your head down is one thing, but comparisons sting. Who wouldn't want an ally who stands up for them at a critical moment?
Uchiha Kairen's plan this time was an unequivocal success. Apart from possibly ruffling Third Hokage Sarutobi's feathers a little, there were no losses and no downside.
Credit for the success went in large part to the moment after Hatake Sakumo's death — Uchiha Kairen immediately went to Uchiha Nobunaga and asked him to coordinate in advance with the Third Hokage. The Uchiha weren't demanding retribution; they only wanted the hero given a proper burial and an ally's honor restored.
"We didn't mean to blindside you — we gave you advance notice about when we would arrive and how we would frame things. Most of it stayed within the boundaries you set." Kairen's message was blunt but sincere.
It was the higher-ups who came out and caused trouble, who insisted on useless rhetoric and then picked fights. In the end everything got messy — and it's their own allies who made it worse by spreading mud, showing no grace. If anyone deserved blame, they did.
Oddly enough, the Uchiha elders found themselves thanking Danzō after the memorial. At the family meeting that followed, the head elder admitted he'd nearly choked with laughter at the absurdity; it turned out the whole fiasco actually helped the Uchiha's cause in an unexpected way.
Because of Danzō's interference, the "hot-pot combo" of Hokage + Danzō exploded publicly. That hemorrhaging of credibility benefited Uchiha Kairen's plan.
Beyond putting on a public show at the memorial, the Uchiha had already settled things with the daimyo: the White Fang clan's slot among the Twelve Guardians and their related interests would be retained. Everything else would proceed as before — except Sakumo Hatake was gone. His clan was left without its pillar; in the new meal the Uchiha had prepared, they could only drift with the tides unless another "White Fang" arose.
The Uchiha's approach reassured the clans behind the Twelve Guardians and made them more willing to defend the collective interest. Cooperation deepened; trust in the Uchiha hardened.
Villagers' impressions of the Uchiha changed dramatically too. A clan that poured itself out to defend a fallen ally — even one from another family — looked righteous and loyal. At the same time, some perceptive villagers began to suspect they'd been manipulated: who suddenly knew so much about a sensitive mission, and why was rumor spreading so fast?
Mission failure is not unheard-of among shinobi. Many have failed before; why was White Fang's failure treated differently? Because the losses were "large"? But who planned the mission in the first place — the team leader merely executed orders. That line of thinking didn't stand up to close scrutiny.
A secret operation shouldn't become common knowledge overnight. The fact that everyone in the village learned so quickly was evidence that someone intentionally spread the story. Ordinary villagers repeated what they were told; who could blame them?
The Uchiha argued something more terrible was possible: perhaps someone deliberately engineered events so that the scapegoats would be chosen and the hero's reputation smeared. Maybe the man who'd attempted suicide was driven by someone else. Maybe a hand guided him. If so, the people who loved and protected the village had been betrayed by a hidden hand — and the villagers had been incited against their own hero.
"Don't blame us," the Uchiha declared. "Blame the hidden hand behind it. We didn't know. We only know whom we hate: those who make Konoha miserable."
One name began circulating among the villagers — Danzō. "Watch that man," people said. "He'll even sacrifice his own. He treats shinobi like tools. Keep away from him; he's dangerous."
The Third Hokage's mood was rotten. He had lost two close allies, and worst of all there were no culprits in custody. He'd intended to tamp things down by quietly reining in White Fang — but he hadn't expected the reaction to be so fierce that the man took his own life.
The Uchiha's fury over White Fang was understandable — their temperament had always been fairly direct and headstrong. But the Uchiha elders were tactful; they came to consult the Hokage ahead of time and followed the broad outline he supplied. They hadn't gone off the rails. The mess had been made because Danzō inserted himself at the worst moment and started a fight that spun out of control.
A memorial that should have calmed the village and given the Hokage credit for "caring for his subordinates" turned into a public relations disaster. That failing emboldened people to question whether the high-ups cared about their retainers or merely used them as instruments.
Clearly something had to be done — and severely. It wasn't just about punishing someone; it was about restoring trust. If the leadership was seen as callous or manipulative, the village's cohesion would erode.
The investigation concluded that recent events — including the assassination attempt on Elder Homura, the circulation of inflammatory rumors, and the campaign that led to Hatake Sakumo's death — had been instigated by enemy spies.
Order was immediately issued:
The Uchiha clan would mobilize their summoning hounds and take the lead on a thorough sweep: identify suspicious persons, and if any spies were found, employ zero-tolerance measures — eliminate them without mercy.All ANBU leaves were cancelled; every ANBU operative was to return to duty at once and conduct wide-area sweeps within the Land of Fire. When a spy's lair was located, a siege and purge were ordered immediately — no mistakes permitted.All ROOT operatives would be unified under Elder Danzō's direction to prioritize retaliatory actions against the enemy lands. Specific operations would be reported directly to the Hokage by Danzō.Given the severity of the crisis, Elder Danzō was temporarily relieved from the position of advisory counselor pending further investigation. ROOT remained under his operational command for now, but ANBU was placed more directly under Hokage supervision so that command responsibilities were clearer and morale could be stabilized.
In these dire hours, the edict closed with an appeal: may all Konoha's people unite, work hand in hand, and get through this dark time together.
Everything for Konoha — everything for our shared home.