A heavy silence filled the medical tent. Jiraiya and the others stood around Yohei's bed, faces grim. The weight of what they'd just learned sat on everyone's shoulders.
Jiraiya's voice was low and steady. "Keep going. What happened after the ambush?"
Yohei shifted against the pillows, still looking rough. "I reached the meeting point in the Land of Rain like the mission said. The contact showed up, but the second we were close he went straight for my eyes. They wanted the Mangekyo, Jiraiya-sama. They weren't even trying to hide it."
He handed over another scroll. "Two of them survived long enough for me to seal their bodies. I didn't have time for more."
Minato stepped forward without hesitation. He broke the seal right there in front of everyone. Two corpses appeared in a puff of smoke. The black cloaks and animal masks made the room go still. These weren't ordinary ANBU. The markings were Root.
One of the staff officers couldn't stay quiet. "This can't be right. You must have planted these yourself. Why would Root—"
He stopped when no one backed him up. Everyone was watching Jiraiya.
Jiraiya gave Minato a small nod. Minato moved to the bodies, pulled off the masks, and checked under their tongues. The curse seals were there, clear as day. Root. No question.
The tent went quiet again. Even the ones who wanted to argue looked shaken. Yohei wasn't just some random Uchiha. He was fighting on the front lines for the village. And Root had tried to kill him for his eyes.
Jiraiya spoke clearly. "This stays controlled. What needs to be said will be said. What doesn't, stays here. I'll make sure Yohei gets justice, but we do this the right way. Now get back to your posts."
Most of them left. Only Yohei's teammates stayed behind.
Obito dropped onto the edge of the bed the second the others were gone. "Cousin, you really took them all out by yourself? Saori said you could've called Taiichi for backup."
Yohei shot a quick look at Saori. She gave a tiny nod. He sighed. "Taiichi's still up north. Don't go spreading rumors that he left his post. That kind of talk gets people in trouble."
He kept his voice casual, but the look he gave Obito said plenty. Obito caught on fast and shut his mouth.
Kakashi leaned against the wall. "What are you going to tell the clan?"
Yohei looked calmer than he had any right to. "It's already handled. Taiichi took care of it. My only job right now is to heal up."
The others exchanged glances. If Taiichi was already moving, then this wasn't going to stay quiet for long.
While the camp whispered about spies and betrayal, Taiichi was already inside the Uchiha compound.
He moved through the shadows like he belonged there. The barriers and patrols didn't slow him down. Years of working with the Barrier Team had taught him exactly where the gaps were. He slipped past everything without raising a single alarm.
Fugaku's house was quiet when he arrived. Taiichi didn't bother hiding his presence anymore. He let a thread of chakra leak out, just enough to be noticed.
Inside the bedroom, Fugaku's breathing changed instantly. He was awake and alert. A few moments later the clan head stepped into the main room, dressed and composed. He didn't look surprised to see Taiichi standing there.
"Taiichi," Fugaku said evenly. "You're the last person I expected to visit at this hour."
Taiichi gave a small smile. "Daytime's too crowded. Too many eyes. Figured this would be cleaner."
Fugaku studied him for a second, then sat down across from him. His wife appeared briefly with tea, set the cups down without a word, and left them alone again.
Once she was gone, Taiichi's expression turned serious. "Fugaku-sama. Yohei was ambushed today. Root tried to kill him and take his Mangekyo."
Fugaku went very still.
Taiichi slid a sealed letter across the table. "He wrote this for you. Read it."
Fugaku opened the letter and read it twice—once for the words, once for the hidden markers they'd agreed on. When he finally set it down, his hands were tight.
"They went after his eyes," he said quietly.
"They did," Taiichi confirmed. "And they used a real mission scroll to lure him out. This wasn't some rogue move. This came from the top of Root."
Fugaku was quiet for a long moment. Then he looked Taiichi in the eye.
"What do you want from the clan?"
Taiichi didn't sugarcoat it. "I want to know if the Uchiha are willing to stand behind Yohei all the way. If you're not, then we don't need to keep talking."
Fugaku's jaw tightened. For a second the old frustration showed—the divided clan, the radicals, the conservatives, the endless arguments. But something in Taiichi's calm stare pushed him past it.
He made his choice.
"The Uchiha will back him," Fugaku said. "Completely. Tell me what you need."
Taiichi nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then we use this. When the news spreads, I want you to visit the other clans. Make it clear what Root tried to do. We need pressure from every direction if we want the village leadership to actually move against Danzo."
Fugaku hesitated. "Our relations with the other clans aren't good. They might not help us."
Taiichi met his eyes without flinching.
"Then make them understand that if Root can do this to the Uchiha, they can do it to anyone. This isn't just your problem anymore. It's everyone's."