He coughed violently a few times, a horrifying, wet sound in the quiet room, and under the incredibly tense, horrified gazes of the gathered crowd, he continued to pitifully "expose" the shocking truth of the attack.
"He... he suddenly came to find this tired old man late tonight... claiming there were some highly urgent clan matters... that desperately needed my immediate discussion... I... I was completely off guard, thinking nothing of it..."
"He... he suddenly and viciously attacked me! He aggressively questioned exactly why... why I didn't fully support their highly radical, dangerous views regarding the village... I sharply rebuked him, of course... sternly telling him that he was entirely too young and foolishly impetuous... and that his aggressive actions would inevitably bring absolute disaster down upon our entire clan... and then he... then he suddenly made his lethal move!"
Uchiha Setsuna visibly "struggled" with immense effort to raise his trembling hand, weakly pointing a shaking finger directly at his heavily bandaged, bleeding temple and then gesturing wildly at the chaotic, messy room surrounding them. His raspy voice trembled violently, perfectly filled to the brim with the agonizing, heartbreaking pain of a profound, personal "betrayal."
"He... he absolutely not only physically attacked me... but... but he also violently forced me, under threat of death, to immediately hand over the highly classified maps detailing the clan's ancient secret passages and... and a massive amount of our emergency resources... He loudly declared... he declared that he wanted to take those... those impressionable young clansmen he had successfully bewitched with his lies... and permanently leave Konoha tonight! To... to treasonously seek political refuge in one of the other great nations! I... I sternly and absolutely refused his insane demands... and then he... then he..."
He suddenly seemed to be completely overcome by a fresh wave of sheer, unadulterated anger and physical trauma, violently gasping for breath once again before forcefully gritting his teeth in simulated agony and forcing himself to continue speaking.
"He brutally knocked me completely unconscious... violently took the classified maps and the sealed resource scrolls... he absolutely must have... have already taken those manipulated people and... successfully defected! Uchiha Hiro... he has committed high treason and defected! He actually dared to attack a seated Elder of the clan and violently plunder our most guarded secrets!"
An absolute, deathly silence instantly fell heavily over the crowded stone house, lasting for a heartbeat, rapidly followed by an absolute, deafening explosion of pure shock, boiling anger, and entirely unbelievable, chaotic clamor!
Uchiha Hiro, the entire clan's universally acknowledged, peerless genius and undeniably one of the most prominent, iconic figures of the militant Hawk Faction, had actually, violently attacked the highly respected Elder Setsuna in cold blood and aggressively coerced eleven highly trained, young elites of the clan to permanently defect from Konoha?!
This horrific, unbelievable news acted exactly like a massive, devastating bombshell, instantly and violently detonating directly among the gathered Uchiha high-ranking officials and the heavily armed Guard Unit members present in the room. With this specific, incredibly impactful, and highly detailed version of events—"Uchiha Hiro violently defecting and brutally attacking Elder Setsuna"—the shocking news was absolutely guaranteed to spread exactly like a raging wildfire through the entire, sprawling Uchiha clan compound and inevitably, disastrously spread rapidly to all the other political areas of Konoha Village before dawn.
Uchiha Tenjima's normally composed face was currently already exactly as black and furious as the scorched bottom of a cast-iron pot. A highly prominent clan genius violently defecting and brutally attacking a senior Elder was absolutely not only a massive, irreplaceable loss of combat strength for the Uchiha, but it was also an incredibly serious, highly volatile political incident that the paranoid Konoha high-ranking officials, who were already deeply, inherently suspicious of the Uchiha's loyalty, could easily and immediately use as a perfect, golden pretext to justify a massive, violent crackdown!
He instantly and painfully realized that the sheer, catastrophic severity of this specific situation far, far exceeded the parameters of a typical, manageable internal clan conflict.
"Immediately seal off the flow of this news... No, damn it all, it is already vastly too late for that."
He made a highly prompt, calculated tactical decision and began sharply barking out direct orders in an incredibly cold, commanding voice that cut through the panic.
"Guard Unit commanders, immediately organize and dispatch your absolute most elite tracking squads to aggressively investigate and pursue along absolutely all possible, viable escape routes leading out of the village! At the exact same time, immediately... immediately dispatch a messenger to officially report this catastrophic matter directly to Hokage-sama!"
He grimly knew in his heart that the Uchiha absolutely could not possibly hope to keep an incident of this massive magnitude under secure wraps. Uchiha Hiro's violent defection would instantly and inevitably become a massive, highly public political scandal and a profound crisis, violently shaking the entire foundation of Konoha Village in the absolute most intense, shameful, and dangerous way imaginable.
Meanwhile, quietly lying completely still on the cold ground and flawlessly continuing to play the tragic, helpless role of the weak, beaten victim, a very subtle, profoundly relieved glimmer briefly flashed deep within Uchiha Setsuna's cloudy eyes, perfectly and entirely hidden from absolutely everyone's panicked sight.
The deafening, chaotic clamor in the room gradually and reluctantly subsided under the weight of command, and absolutely everyone present nervously turned their intense gaze directly toward the Clan Head, desperately waiting for his final, stabilizing decision.
Uchiha Tenjima finally spoke slowly, his deep voice incredibly steady but carrying a massive, unquestionable authority that instantly and completely suppressed absolutely all remaining noise in the room.
"Silence yourselves, all of you!"
He glared around the cramped room, and wherever his furious, sharp gaze landed, the proud clansmen immediately lowered their heads in submission or nervously looked away.
"Elder Setsuna is currently seriously, critically injured and absolutely needs immediate, uninterrupted rest. Those of you who are completely uninvolved in the immediate investigation, physically leave this stone house immediately; absolutely do not disturb the Elder's necessary recovery."
"Guard Unit commanders, leave exactly two fully armed squads behind here. One squad will be held strictly responsible for fiercely protecting the Elder's physical safety from any further attacks, and the other squad will immediately and completely seal this crime scene, strictly impose total martial law within the borders of the clan compound, and aggressively investigate any suspicious persons or lingering clues. However, under absolutely no circumstances are you to violently disturb or panic the ordinary, civilian clansmen in their homes."
"As for the absolute rest of you standing here, immediately return to your assigned duties. There is to be absolutely no idle, private discussion regarding this event, and most certainly no foolish spreading of unconfirmed, dangerous rumors or news!"
His rapid-fire orders were incredibly clear, highly decisive, and perfectly carried the massive, heavy responsibility and the necessary, stabilizing ability expected of a true Clan Head facing a crisis.
Tenjima undeniably still possessed a significant bit more genuine respect, prestige, and raw political power than his eventual, softer successor, Fugaku, ever would.
Although the gathered clansmen were completely full to the brim with profound doubt and absolute, sickening horror regarding the news, under Tenjima's long-established, ironclad authority, they immediately began to exit the crowded stone house in a highly orderly, disciplined fashion exactly as strictly instructed, leaving behind entirely only the absolutely necessary, heavily armed guards and the dedicated medical personnel.
Uchiha Tenjima then turned and said in a very low, highly confidential voice directly to the several Influential Elders who had rapidly arrived upon hearing the shocking news.
"Elders, please, follow me immediately to the secure next room to urgently discuss exactly how we are going to formally and politically report this massive disaster to Hokage-sama. This is an incredibly grave, highly volatile matter and absolutely must be handled with the utmost political caution."
The senior Elders all nodded heavily with incredibly solemn, grim expressions and silently followed Tenjima directly out of the stone house, which was currently heavily permeated with the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood and the lingering shadow of deep conspiracy.
Soon after the exodus, entirely only Uchiha Setsuna, still pitifully holding his bandaged head, a single, highly trusted Medical Ninja specifically left behind to closely look after his vitals, and two high-alert, heavily armed guards standing stoically at the door remained within the quiet stone house.
After roughly about the specific amount of time it takes for a single incense stick to completely burn down, Uchiha Tenjima finally returned to the room entirely alone.
He looked directly at the Medical Ninja and the two guards and spoke firmly.
"You three, all go outside into the corridor first and stand strict guard directly at the door. Absolutely no one is to enter this room without my direct, explicit order. I urgently need to ask Elder Setsuna about some highly sensitive, classified details regarding the attack entirely in private."
"Yes, Clan Head-sama."
The three loyal shinobi absolutely did not dare to delay or question the order; they immediately bowed deeply and quickly withdrew from the room, incredibly carefully and securely closing the heavy stone door firmly behind them.
Absolute, suffocating silence immediately returned to the small stone house once more, leaving entirely only Tenjima's incredibly steady, controlled breathing and Elder Setsuna's highly exaggerated, weak gasps echoing on the cold floor.
Uchiha Tenjima slowly and deliberately walked over to Setsuna's side and looked directly down at his prone form from high above, remaining completely, utterly silent for a long, calculating moment without saying a single word.
After a highly tense moment of observation, he suddenly bent down and carefully reached his hand out, but surprisingly, absolutely not to gently help the old man up. Instead, he utilized his index fingertip to extremely lightly, almost surgically brush away a tiny, highly inconspicuous, jagged fragment of glazed ceramic pottery currently resting on the dark cuff of Elder Setsuna's sleeve, a fragment which had previously almost completely blended in perfectly with the surrounding gray dust.
The highly specific physical position of that single fragment resting on his sleeve, the exact, mathematical direction in which the main, shattered ceramic shards on the floor had violently splattered outward, and the highly specific, defensive physical posture Setsuna loudly claimed to have been trapped in when suddenly attacked... there was a very slight, highly glaring physical contradiction present in the scene that would absolutely be extremely difficult for any ordinary, untrained person to ever notice.
"Elder Setsuna," Uchiha Tenjima slowly straightened his back, his deep voice incredibly flat, cold, and entirely emotionless, actively showing absolutely neither anger nor any genuine concern.
"That is quite enough of this performance. There is absolutely no one else here to fool. Stop acting."
Lying still on the cold floor, Uchiha Setsuna's aged physical body stiffened almost entirely imperceptibly for a fraction of a second, and then, miraculously, the highly exaggerated, "weak" gasping completely and instantly stopped.
He very slowly and deliberately opened his eyes. The previously feigned cloudiness, the perfectly acted shock, the boiling anger, and the profound sorrow completely and seamlessly faded away exactly like an ebbing ocean tide, rapidly replaced entirely by a highly sharp, undeniable glint of deep, calculating cunning.
He didn't immediately try to stand up, remaining casually lying down on the hard stone, but he smoothly turned his head to look directly up at Uchiha Tenjima, the corners of his aged lips slowly curling upward into a very faint, highly mocking arc.
"Oh? Is that so, Tenjima? Exactly why in the world do you say that? This tired old man really did take a vicious, physical hit to the head tonight and genuinely bled all over the floor for you."
Setsuna's vocal tone was absolutely no longer trembling or pitifully weak; it instantly returned to its usual, highly commanding, aged rasp, but it was now heavily laced with a profound, undeniable relaxation that only comes immediately after a massive, successful sense of relief.
Uchiha Tenjima absolutely didn't look down at him; his highly analytical gaze remained firmly fixed on the violently overturned wooden shelf, where the highly chaotic, scattered physical trajectory of some of the old scrolls also seemed slightly, overly deliberate and staged.
He said slowly, his voice calm.
"If the sudden, violent attacker tonight truly were Hiro, given his universally recognized, overwhelming physical strength, the absolute, undeniable urgency of what he successfully planned and executed for tonight, and his famously volatile temperament, he would have undoubtedly either delivered an instant, fatal blow to completely silence you forever or simply, effortlessly knocked you entirely out cold and physically taken or tightly bound you. He absolutely, undeniably would never have carelessly left such an incredibly, highly restrained, minor physical injury and such a glaringly obvious yet highly 'not-so-intense' staged 'struggle' scene behind for us to find."
The entire, highly experienced Uchiha high command intimately knew of Uchiha Hiro's past, well-earned reputation as an impulsive, violent hothead; exactly how could a highly emotional young man like him possibly know how to perfectly, surgically hold back his lethal strength in a life-or-death struggle?
"This entire, messy scene honestly seems vastly more like... you absolutely needed it to look exactly like a violent attack to the public, but you couldn't possibly let the physical attack seem entirely too fatal or entirely too professional, lest it inevitably invite much deeper, highly dangerous scrutiny from the Anbu investigators."
He paused for a heartbeat and continued his cold, logical deduction.
"Vastly more importantly than the physical evidence, Uchiha Setsuna, you yourself are widely known to be the absolute, invisible, guiding leader of the militant Hawk Faction. Among those currently residing in the clan who are absolute, most violently dissatisfied with the current political status quo and who deeply, inherently distrust the Konoha high-ranking officials the absolute most, you easily and undeniably rank in the absolute top three."
"When it truly comes down to it, the one specific individual who honestly wants to permanently leave Konoha the absolute most and aggressively find an entirely new, secure way out with the Uchiha's most valuable, young seeds is highly likely you."
"That young boy Hiro certainly has immense, undeniable talent, but without an incredibly experienced, highly connected veteran actively supporting and carefully guiding him from behind the political scenes—even secretly providing highly classified escape passages and vast resources that even I, the Clan Head, might not be entirely, fully aware of—it would be absolutely, functionally impossible for him to flawlessly organize such an incredibly clean, highly efficient mass defection so quickly and successfully take so many highly trained people with him tonight."
Facing Uchiha Tenjima's incredibly meticulous, flawless logical analysis of the situation, the faint smile resting on Uchiha Setsuna's aged face visibly widened into a genuine grin. He absolutely didn't even attempt to deny the damning accusations; instead, acting exactly as if he were finally letting out a massive, highly relieved sigh of pure satisfaction, he gave a very long, drawn-out "Mm."
"Exactly as I would have expected of you, Tenjima. You always could see right through the mist."
He simply and entirely stopped pretending. Firmly supporting his aged body with his strong arms, he very slowly and deliberately sat up from the floor and casually leaned his back against the violently overturned wooden shelf. Though his physical movements were undeniably slow due to his advanced age, they entirely lacked the painful, clumsy sluggishness of someone who was genuinely, seriously injured in a fight.
"Indeed, you are entirely correct. I am absolutely a fully willing accomplice to high treason. I personally gave him the classified maps, I carefully chose the specific, highly talented people for his squad, and I actively, heavily encouraged him to take this drastic path."
He admitted his massive, treasonous crimes entirely frankly, his glowing, aged gaze looking directly out at the pitch-black night sky through the broken window, acting exactly as if he could easily, effortlessly pierce straight through the suffocating darkness to see the future.