Hiruzen could hardly believe his ears, and the two advisors beside him have similar expressions.
To put it bluntly, they had always treated the Uchiha Clan with a 'bully the nice guy' mentality.
Now that the other side had taken the initiative, they were somewhat at a loss.
Unlike these three, Danzo, who had been briefed in advance, immediately seized the opportunity to urge Hiruzen.
"See! Hiruzen, it's all because of your indulgence! The Uchiha Clan has rebelled right in front of you, and you still want to turn a blind eye?"
"Don't rush, Danzo. If the Uchiha Clan truly intended to rebel, they wouldn't choose this moment to come here openly."
Fortunately, Hiruzen could still maintain basic rationality.
Hearing this, Danzo only slightly frowned and didn't pursue the topic further.
He also understood that since the Uchiha Clan had brought the matter into the open, there wouldn't be many opportunities for him to act.
The group walked outside the Hokage Building together, facing the massive, surging crowd.
Around the periphery of the Uchiha Clan, many other Ninjas had gathered.
Due to the Uchiha's numbers, they didn't act rashly.
"Fugaku, what is the meaning of this?"
Hiruzen scanned the area, gesturing for the Anbu who had assumed attack stances to stand down, then locked eyes with Fugaku at the forefront.
In his view, given Fugaku's steady character, he shouldn't be doing something like this.
But unfortunately, Hiruzen guessed wrong.
After all, the person standing before him now was less Fugaku and more the Sasuke behind him.
"Hokage-sama, I am here today to seek justice for our Uchiha Clan!"
Fugaku showed no intention of saving any dignity for Hiruzen, speaking in a loud, clear voice that could be heard within a hundred-meter radius.
It seemed deliberate, ensuring everyone could hear.
Hearing this, Hiruzen's face twitched. He wanted to say more, but Fugaku spoke first.
"Over the years, the contributions our Uchiha Clan has made to the village are evident for all to see!"
"How many Uchiha sacrificed during the last Great Ninja War? How much resentment have we endured to maintain Konoha's peace?"
"Moreover, our Uchiha Clan co-founded Konoha with the Senju Clan as 'founding veterans'!"
"But how have you treated us!"
With guidance from a certain someone, Fugaku had clearly grasped the key points of information warfare.
Seizing the narrative first meant seizing the moral high ground.
Only then would their subsequent actions be endowed with 'legitimate' reasons.
Upon hearing Fugaku's words, regardless of the Hokage's Advisors, the other Ninjas and ordinary civilians watching showed thoughtful expressions.
Previously, under deliberate guidance by certain parties, they had always overlooked the points Fugaku raised.
Mention the Uchiha Clan, and impressions of arrogance, aloofness, and looking down on others came to mind.
But upon reflection, were this clan's contributions to Konoha small?
Fugaku didn't give the other side time to explain, pressing his advantage.
"I don't understand why some want to suppress the Uchiha Clan. Is it simply because our innate Ninjutsu's talent threatens certain people's rule!"
This statement struck at the heart of the matter.
"Spreading rumors to divide us, isolating us through actions, and pitting us against other villagers."
"You even want to continue suppressing us? Fine! I've gathered everyone here before you. Go ahead, make your move!"
As Fugaku's words fell, pairs of blood-red Sharingan lit up behind him.
One tomoe, two tomoes, three tomoes... and Shizuka's Mangekyo Sharingan.
Fugaku's impassioned, decisive speech had stirred the emotions of all clansmen.
The pressure on Hiruzen's side, suddenly faced with so many grief-stricken Sharingan eyes, was immense.
"Fugaku, please calm down first. The village has never-"
Before Hiruzen could finish, Danzo decisively stirred the pot.
"Uchiha Fugaku! Are you attempting to betray the village!"
After he spoke, several Root's members subtly moved closer, seemingly ready to incite chaos within the crowd at any moment.
"Silence! Danzo!"
Hiruzen reprimanded this 'teammate who hinders more than helps' with unprecedented severity.
Usually, he turned a blind eye to this guy's minor manipulations, wanting to weaken the Uchiha Clan's power.
How could he dare provoke them now?
"Nobody make any rash moves! This is the Hokage's order!"
Hiruzen's mind proved useful at this critical moment. He immediately ordered the Anbu to separate the crowd from the Uchiha Clan, then turned to Fugaku, adopting a gentle expression again.
"Fugaku, I think... there must be some misunderstanding between us. The village has never intended to harm your Uchiha Clan."
"Hmph, Hokage-sama, do you believe those words yourself?"
Fugaku constantly remembered the key point emphasized by his 'alternate-world son': maintain strength, seize the narrative.
He directly pointed at the other side, roaring with grief and indignation.
"Our Uchiha Clan has sacrificed so much for Konoha, only to face persecution! Now some still want to secretly attack my clansmen! Shizuka, you tell them!"
Shizuka stepped forward at this point, pointing at Danzo.
"Danzo-sama, you assigned me to secretly monitor the Uchiha Clan's movements, to report all intelligence to you immediately. Was this also the Hokage-sama's intention?"
"Danzo, you!"
Hiruzen turned to look at Danzo in disbelief.
"These are just their one-sided claims-"
Seeing this scene, Fugaku immediately seized the opportunity to speak.
He knew this self-justification trap had disrupted the other side's negotiation rhythm. Now was the critical period.
"Konoha won't give our Uchiha Clan a chance to survive! Then our Uchiha Clan will leave Konoha today!"
"Fugaku, don't be impulsive!"
Hiruzen looked from one side to the other, his head spinning like a top.
"Still claiming you're not betraying the village!"
"Konoha's founding relied on us and the Senju Clan! Even the Senju Clan has no right to call us 'traitors'!"
"And you… what has the Shimura Clan contributed to Konoha compared to even one-tenth of the Uchiha Clan's contributions? Who gave you the right to speak here!"
These words practically pointed directly at Danzo's nose in accusation.
Before the other side could react, Fugaku directly adopted the victim's stance.
"If you refuse to give our Uchiha Clan a way out! Then we're not afraid to fight it out with you, even if it means mutual destruction!"
After saying this, a dark red Complete Body Susanoo appeared before everyone's eyes amidst gasps of surprise.
As if to demonstrate their power, the dark red Susanoo threw its spear, destroying the nearby Hokage Rock.
Only one of the four faces remained.
Seeing this, Shizuka decisively summoned her own green Gundam.
Actually, from this, it was clear that Fugaku's strength definitely surpassed Yuzu's.
Because even the Susanoo Sasuke saw during his life-and-death battle with Itachi wasn't as massive as the one Fugaku manifested in this world.
So the leeway Fugaku gave Itachi was no less than what Itachi gave Sasuke… at least in the original timeline.
He was willing to die.
The other villagers witnessing this scene exclaimed in astonishment.
'Was that really power a Ninja could possess?'
'Was this the true strength of the Uchiha Clan!?'
Danzo and Hiruzen fell into brief silence.
Both had heard records of the Uchiha Clan mastering such a technique, but this was their first time seeing it with their own eyes.
Instantly, the scales of negotiation tilted in the other direction.
"Fugaku! Calm down! Everything can be discussed."
The compromise from the two old fossils, Koharu and Homura, essentially spoke for both Hiruzen and Danzo.
Beneath Fugaku's stern expression, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.
'Mission accomplished.'