As a village within the village, aside from the ninjas who usually teamed up with the Uchiha, ordinary people rarely came here.
Especially at a time like this, there were even fewer outsiders who would come to visit the Uchiha clan. Wasn't Root already blocking the entrance? Anyone who came would be recorded and added to Danzō's little notebook.
Ordinary ninjas, wanting to draw a clear line between themselves and the clan, hardly dared to pay a visit at such a time.
The Nine-Tails incident was a watershed moment for the Uchiha. In the past they had been relatively isolated; now they were absolutely isolated.
People within the clan territory were all familiar with one another, so the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar face would naturally attract attention.
However, most ordinary Uchiha clan members did not recognize Higashino Makoto, but the ninjas did.
They might be arrogant by nature and somewhat lacking in emotional intelligence, but they at least understood what it meant for Makoto to come here at this moment.
Especially since this man was a hero of Konoha and held a special status within the village, one that could be considered a representative of the Fourth Hokage.
So the Uchiha ninjas Makoto encountered along the way mostly nodded to him in greeting, slightly bowing to show their welcome.
For this group to go that far was already quite remarkable.
The most important reason was that Makoto's strength was right there for everyone to see, and this clan always showed sufficient respect to those strong individuals they acknowledged.
The ninja world was a place where strength ruled above all else, and this trait was displayed even more directly among the Uchiha. Without strength? No matter how great your reputation, they would not even bother giving you a second glance.
When he arrived at Fugaku's home, the clan leader's reception was rather grand. He had brought his entire family to the door to greet him, as if wanting the clan members to see the results of his work as clan leader—that the Uchiha clan was not completely isolated within the village.
The clan's organizational structure was relatively simple. Unlike the Hyūga, who were also an ancient and prestigious family, they did not maintain a main-house and branch-house system, nor were there any so-called clan elders within the family.
As for the few old fellows who were still alive, in recent years they had become dissatisfied with Fugaku's lack of strong leadership and could hardly be bothered to even speak with him.
They rarely even attended clan meetings. Yes, the people of this clan really were that straightforward—the stronger they were, the less they cared for complicated schemes.
Clan Leader Fugaku appeared very pleased by Makoto's arrival.
"Makoto, you coming here at this time has really helped me out a great deal."
"Fugaku-ojisan, you're being too polite."
Seeing that Makoto was still willing to address him as "ojisan," Fugaku's good mood rose another level.
"No, it's simply the truth. Come, let's go inside and talk."
Makoto nodded and gave a slight bow to the young woman beside him.
"Mikoto-neesan, sorry to trouble you."
Mikoto was taken aback for a moment. She touched her face and happily accepted the gift Makoto handed over.
"Oh my, what an outstanding junior. Come inside and sit down. Dinner will be ready soon."
Fugaku suddenly realized he had been happy too early.
Hey—am I really that old?
Thinking about it carefully… it did seem to be the case.
He was five years older than his wife.
After they sat down at the dining table, Fugaku said with a hint of regret: "If Minato and his family could come today, it would be even livelier."
"I'm sorry, Father. I failed to invite Lord Fourth Hokage," said Itachi, lowering his head in apology while holding his younger brother.
Makoto said, "Itachi, you were probably stopped as soon as you got close to the Fourth Hokage's house, weren't you?"
"Yes, Makoto-senpai. Why?"
Makoto did not answer him. Instead, he said to Fugaku, "Fugaku-ojisan, at a time like this, inviting me alone is enough. You shouldn't have tried to invite Minato-senpai's family—not even if Itachi is just a child."
Fugaku also knew that in his anxiety he had done something foolish. "I didn't think it through."
...
After dinner, Fugaku invited Makoto to the study.
Itachi handed his younger brother to his mother and came in behind them carrying tea. He was very interested in what the two were about to discuss, and Fugaku did not stop him.
It seemed that he valued his eldest son greatly. At such a young age, he had already taken him to the battlefield to experience the brutal wars between nations, and now he also intentionally allowed him to listen in on this conversation with Makoto.
Fugaku spoke very directly. "Makoto, our clan's situation right now is very difficult."
"Only the Sharingan can control a tailed beast. Being suspected and excluded—doesn't that seem perfectly normal?"
"But this truly wasn't done by our clan. To control a tailed beast, the Sharingan must… In short, no one in our clan currently possesses that terrifying level of dōjutsu power. The three-tomoe Sharingan cannot do it."
At present, very few people in the ninja world knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan. Thanks to the ninja secrecy system, even many ninjas within their own clan did not know much about it.
Since it concerned the clan's core secrets, it was normal for Fugaku to conceal certain things. Makoto understood him—every family had its secrets, and he himself was no exception.
"Unfortunately, Fugaku-ojisan, the Nine-Tails' rampage that night was indeed caused by an Uchiha."
Fugaku immediately denied it. "Impossible—absolutely impossible. That night, our clan's ninjas were only allowed to evacuate the villagers, and afterward Danzō-sama ordered us not to leave the clan compound.
"I had people check. Every Uchiha ninja was inside the clan. On this point, Danzō-sama and his Root ninjas can all testify."
Makoto smiled. "Clan Leader Fugaku, aren't you being a little naïve? You expect Adviser Danzō to testify on your behalf?"
"But that is the truth. Makoto, that night only you, Minato, and his wife were present. What exactly happened? How did the Nine-Tails break through the seal and escape?"
"I said it was done by an Uchiha. I didn't say it was an Uchiha from the village."
"Then who else could it be? According to my investigation, the Uchiha absolutely have no bloodline that was lost outside."
"Are you certain? The mysterious man that night claimed to be Uchiha Madara."
"What? Uchiha Madara?" Hearing that name, Fugaku was stunned on the spot. He had never imagined that this person could be involved. "But he should have died long ago."
Itachi asked curiously, "Father, the Uchiha Madara that Makoto-senpai mentioned—is he the former clan leader of our clan who founded Konoha together with the First Hokage?"
"That's right, it's him. But he should have died decades ago at the hands of the First Hokage."
Makoto offered a slight hint.
"Is it possible he only faked his death? After all, there are many strange ninjutsu in this world that can preserve one's life. It wouldn't be surprising if Uchiha Madara had mastered one of them."
Fugaku froze for a moment. That really was possible. As clan leader, he naturally understood this best—the Uchiha clan itself possessed such a technique, a genjutsu capable of reversing death and rewriting an unfavorable outcome: Izanagi.
"Could it really have been Uchiha Madara?"
"On the contrary, Minato-senpai and I both believe it wasn't Uchiha Madara himself. His personality and methods don't match. But whether it was him or a bloodline he left behind outside, the result for your Uchiha clan is the same, isn't it? It won't change your situation."
Fugaku suddenly felt powerless. Makoto was right. No matter which possibility it was, in the end the blame would still fall on the Uchiha clan.
Even if they managed to capture the mysterious man and hand him over to Konoha for judgment, it would not help. It might even make matters worse.
If you can capture the culprit who controlled the Nine-Tails, doesn't that mean your clan already possesses the same ability?
Or could it be that this is just a staged performance—that you were accomplices all along?
The fact that the Sharingan can control a tailed beast was itself the original sin. No matter what they did, it would still be wrong.
In other words, they were completely trapped.
There was no way out at all.
Fugaku felt somewhat discouraged. He had originally hoped to prove his clan's innocence through the testimony of someone who had been there that night, but reality had dealt him a heavy blow.
Fortunately, he quickly reacted. Makoto agreeing to come to his home today was itself a sign of trust, wasn't it?
If he believed them, that meant the Fourth Hokage also believed them.
As for that group of old men around the Third Hokage, Fugaku had already seen through them—they were completely unreliable.
He asked with concern, "How are Minato and Kushina doing now?"
"Fugaku-ojisan, that's not something you should ask. No matter what relationship your two families had in the past, you must keep your distance now."
"You're right. Then, Makoto, what do you think our clan should do now?"
"Keep a low profile. Lie low and wait for the situation to change. No matter what the mysterious person's goal is, they won't remain hidden forever. One day they will reveal themselves.
"And Fugaku-ojisan, as the clan leader of the Uchiha, the most important thing you should do right now is not try to prove the clan's innocence—you can't prove it. The urgent priority is to stabilize things internally and prevent the conflict between the clan and the village from deepening further."
Fugaku sighed.
"There's nothing else we can do. Fortunately, you and Minato are still willing to believe in our clan."
"As long as the Uchiha always stand on Konoha's side, they are our companions. We will not abandon our companions because of suspicion. That is not permitted by the Will of Fire."
Standing to the side, Itachi's eyes sparkled.
So this was Makoto-senpai's Will of Fire?
Never abandoning any companion who had fallen into difficulty. Even the Uchiha clan, suspected by everyone, were still believed in and worth seeking a solution for.
Such a Will of Fire was truly wonderful.
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