The sun continued to climb higher into the sky. Tiny snowflakes drifted down and melted the moment they touched the ground. Morning had arrived.
Uchiha Hikaru and Fugaku were in the Konoha Police Force office when they simultaneously received orders from the ANBU.
"Hikaru, are we heading to the Forest of Death tonight? Looks like Danzo already informed Hiruzen about the Root base. What's the plan you mentioned last night?"
Fugaku hurried over from the office next door and questioned Hikaru.
Hikaru sat calmly in his chair, sipping green tea from a white porcelain teacup.
"Just go to the Mission Hall and fetch a copy of the intelligence on the operation that #5 and the others are executing."
Fugaku eyed Hikaru, who remained unfazed. Ultimately, he chose to trust Hikaru's judgment again.
After all, Hikaru hadn't made a single mistake so far. Trusting him blindly always paid off.
Fugaku turned and walked toward the door.
"Hurry back. I need help dealing with the pile of reports on the desk."
Fugaku nearly tripped over the threshold. He turned back, shooting Hikaru a glare, ready to protest.
But then he remembered his family still depended on Hikaru.
Grinding his teeth, he forced himself to swallow his anger.
"Tch… Fine!"
That night, the winter air turned bitingly cold.
Inside the dense green jungle, the Forest of Death brimmed with danger. Venomous snakes, wild beasts, and even the most unassuming plants could harbor deadly poison.
Hikaru and Fugaku had already reached the central tower in the Forest of Death.
Late into the night, under the cold light of the moon, Hiruzen and Danzo finally arrived at the agreed location.
Though only Hiruzen and Danzo stood before them, Hikaru could sense nearly a hundred chakra signatures surrounding the tower. Judging by their chakra levels, even the weakest were likely Tokubetsu Jonin.
When the four of them finally faced off, Danzo wasted no time and launched into sharp interrogation.
"Hikaru, Fugaku, where's the traitor Itachi? Did he run off like a coward?"
Fugaku's expression immediately twisted. He was furious at hearing his son insulted so brazenly.
But Hikaru wasn't fazed. Fugaku might not be the most articulate, but Hikaru was a master of verbal warfare.
"Hokage-sama never requested Itachi's presence."
Hikaru stared at Danzo, his face the picture of exaggerated concern, as if worried for Danzo's intellect. It was as if he couldn't understand how anyone could ask something so absurd.
The silence that followed was awkward.
Danzo had hoped to dominate them verbally, but Hikaru's single sentence flipped the tables.
Seeing Danzo humiliated, Hiruzen stepped in to defend his old friend.
"That's enough. Hikaru, stop with your games."
He turned his sharp gaze toward Fugaku.
"Was it you, Itachi, and Hikaru who attacked the Root base last night?"
His cloudy eyes momentarily gleamed with the sharpness of his past self.
Hikaru casually nodded.
"Yes, we did. Problem?"
Then, his eyes shifted—three tomoe spinning rapidly into the form of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Danzo and Hiruzen tensed, stepping back into defensive positions.
The standoff had begun.
Hikaru's voice turned sharp with irritation.
"I said we did it. So what? You got a problem with that?"
Chakra erupted from Hikaru's body. A blue aura enveloped him, and the oppressive pressure doubled in an instant, pressing down on both elders.
Danzo snarled.
"As expected from the cursed Uchiha clan. You people never change!"
Hiruzen joined in.
"You slaughtered so many for no reason! You killed Konoha's own! Do you feel no remorse?!"
Danzo felt a chill at Hiruzen's words, a sudden unease in his gut—but the modifications on his right arm gave him confidence. He was Danzo Promax now. What did he have to fear?
Hikaru laughed darkly.
"Hahaha… How ridiculous. All this time, and you, the Hokage, still don't even know why I attacked Root. You're just regurgitating Danzo's one-sided tale?"
"Fugaku. Show Hokage-sama the evidence."
Fugaku tossed a scroll toward Hiruzen.
As Hikaru spoke, Hiruzen felt a twinge of unease. Still, he took the scroll and examined it.
After reading, he frowned.
"I know of the mission involving the twelve Uchiha. I personally approved it, at the Daimyo's request. What's your point?"
Hikaru's Mangekyō focused on Danzo, then returned to Hiruzen.
"They all died on the way back. I sent scouts to inquire with the Fire Daimyo. The squad left the capital just after nightfall yesterday."
"They should've reached Konoha by this morning. But there's been no word. Not a single one made it back."
Hiruzen's face hardened.
"You're saying they were all killed?"
"Don't tell me you believe they were attacked by Root?"
"What? Is that it? Speak, Uchiha Hikaru!"
When Hiruzen first opened the scroll, he'd expected damning evidence. But now he thought Hikaru was merely grasping at straws, using a weak excuse to justify his violent actions.
Clap clap clap…
Hikaru suddenly began applauding and laughing.
"As expected of our Hokage! You guessed it right."
"Then surely Hokage-sama would be interested in some evidence?"
Danzo's unease flared again. That couldn't be. his team was flawless. There was no way they left any traces.
Fugaku began forming hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, a black cat appeared, carrying a scroll on its back.
Fugaku grabbed the scroll and tossed it to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen opened it with skepticism.
But as his eyes scanned the contents, his expression darkened. His gaze turned icy as he glared at Danzo.
"Hikaru, even if Root was at fault… you didn't have to massacre them all. They were still Konoha shinobi!"
Danzo looked completely bewildered.
"What did I do wrong?"
The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Hiruzen hurled the scroll at Danzo's face.
"I may be old, but I still recognize the paw prints of the Ninja Cat Clan!"
The Ninja Cat Clan was one of the great summoning clans, rivaling the three legendary summoning forces. Known for their extensive dealings in the ninja world, they had ties with many villages and families.
Because of an old debt the Uchiha clan had helped settle, the Ninja Cat Clan had always maintained good relations with them. Not to mention, the Uchiha produced some of the finest ninja tools—shuriken, explosive tags, and more.
If the Ninja Cat Clan had provided a statement supporting the Uchiha, then the evidence was irrefutable.
Even the Hidden Cloud Village—despite their war-hungry nature—still dealt respectfully with the Ninja Cats. During the Warring States era, the Yotsuki Clan once tried to seize the Cat Clan's market. They were only spared because the Uchiha clan intervened.
In the aftermath, the Yotsuki's economy tanked for decades. It wasn't until their leader personally knelt and begged forgiveness that the trade resumed.
Even if Hiruzen had doubts, he couldn't reject this scroll outright. Doing so would risk cutting off nearly 40% of Konoha's supply of ninja tools.
And Hiruzen wasn't ready to let Konoha follow the Yotsuki Clan's path to ruin.
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