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Chapter 29: Internal Turmoil Erupts Like Wildfire!
Oborotsuki's judgment was spot-on.
Minato Namikaze's funeral had barely concluded.
Back in the Hokage's office, Konoha's top leadership had already begun a tense, heated discussion about the cause of the incident, analyzing its impact and preparing to select a new candidate to fill the vacant Hokage position.
"I'll keep it short—you all saw what happened that night!"
"The Nine-Tails was clearly controlled by a Sharingan…"
Danzō was the first to speak.
His accusation pointed straight at the Uchiha clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, immediately darkened their expressions.
Before the Nine-Tails incident even erupted, the village had already experienced abnormal events.
A suspected Uchiha had spied on Uzumaki Kushina's residence.
They had even used a Mangekyō Sharingan to control Kakashi, who was on guard duty.
Then came Yūhi Kurenai's disappearance.
The investigation into the Uchiha clan hadn't even concluded.
And now, the Nine-Tails attack had followed so soon after.
At this moment, even the usually mild-mannered Hiruzen couldn't help but feel strong suspicion toward the Uchiha clan upon hearing Danzō's words.
"Although this incident caused severe damage to the village—including the loss of countless elite shinobi, including Minato—we have no direct evidence proving the Uchiha clan was responsible!"
Hiruzen reminded gravely.
"Across the entire ninja world, aside from the Uchiha clan, who else has the ability to control the Nine-Tails with Sharingan genjutsu?"
Danzō shot back immediately.
His question silenced everyone in the room.
No one could answer.
In every mind at that moment, the same name surfaced: Uchiha Madara.
As disciples and elite guards of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, these veteran elders had personally witnessed the battles between Madara and the First Hokage Hashirama Senju.
They had seen Madara use his Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails and clash with Hashirama in that earth-shaking spectacle.
"Since none of you are speaking, I'll handle this matter my own way. Any objections?"
Danzō pressed his advantage.
Minato's death in battle against the Nine-Tails was heaven-sent news for him.
With the Hokage position vacant, as long as he performed well now, wouldn't the seat eventually fall to him?
Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura remained silent.
The Nine-Tails attack had inflicted catastrophic damage on the village.
It wasn't just a matter of the higher-ups being furious.
Countless clans had suffered heavy losses, civilians were displaced, and elite forces had been decimated…
Beyond giving an explanation to the victims and their families, Hiruzen and the others also had to carefully consider how to report this man-made disaster to the Fire Daimyō.
Moreover, some matters were not entirely within the control of Hiruzen, the two advisors, or even Danzō.
On the night of the Nine-Tails attack, countless people had witnessed the beast's eyes glowing with the Sharingan.
Not just the higher-ups and ANBU—elite shinobi, regular ninjas, and even civilians had seen it.
Even the Uchiha clan themselves had surely noticed.
Three people make a tiger.
While these leaders were holding an emergency meeting, rumors and gossip were already spreading like wildfire throughout the village.
So—whether there was evidence or not, whether the Uchiha were truly responsible—the reality was that they needed the Uchiha clan to take the blame.
If the Uchiha didn't shoulder it, they couldn't quell the villagers' anger and suspicion.
They couldn't explain it to the Fire Daimyō.
…
On the other side, within the Uchiha clan—
Clan head Fugaku Uchiha keenly sensed the abnormal atmosphere in the village.
The rumors were flying everywhere, and from the very beginning, they had pointed directly at the Uchiha clan. The situation was growing more intense by the hour.
"The one who attacked Kushina and Minato and controlled the Nine-Tails to destroy the village—it absolutely could not have been one of our elite members…"
"I must explain this clearly to the higher-ups."
After urgently convening a meeting with all Uchiha high-ranking members, Fugaku made his decision and personally drafted a detailed internal investigation report.
The report meticulously recorded the current strength, Sharingan awakening levels, and whereabouts of every Uchiha shinobi on the night of the incident.
It also listed extensive evidence proving that no member of the Uchiha clan had been active on the battlefield that night.
Finally, Fugaku revealed the secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was the even more powerful evolution that followed the awakening of the three-tomoe Sharingan.
And on the night of the incident, the one who controlled the Nine-Tails had used a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Currently, no one in the Uchiha clan possessed such power.
Fugaku intended to use this to prove the clan's innocence.
This was an absolute last resort.
Right now, the entire Uchiha clan had become the target of public outrage in the village.
The Sharingan control of the Nine-Tails was far too obvious—nothing could wash them clean.
If they took a confrontational stance, it would mean declaring war on the entire village.
Fighting every ninja and every clan in Konoha would be suicide.
Soon, Fugaku arrived at the Hokage's office on behalf of the Uchiha clan.
"Lord Third, Advisors, Lord Danzō—I come representing the Uchiha clan to clarify the situation…"
Fugaku presented the internal investigation report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen remained expressionless, merely giving the report a faint glance.
At that moment, Danzō spoke up:
"The incident only happened recently, yet you've already completed an internal investigation and produced a report."
"Fugaku, it's hard not to suspect you had such an emergency contingency plan prepared in advance."
"Unless you have a guilty conscience—how else could you act so efficiently and swiftly?"
Hearing Danzō's words, Fugaku's heart sank.
"To prevent further misunderstandings, to avoid escalating conflict between the Uchiha clan and other clans, and between every villager, we mobilized all our resources for a strict internal investigation."
"The process and conclusions are detailed in the report. Please review it, Lord Third…"
Fugaku knew the higher-ups were deliberately making things difficult.
But he had no choice but to restrain his anger and patiently explain with a forced smile.
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