Fugaku, as the current head of the Uchiha Clan, eventually silenced the Uchiha ninjas behind him, no matter how dissatisfied they were, when faced with his stern tone.
"Lord Danzō."
Before turning to leave with a stiff face, Fugaku said with a slightly heavy tone, "The Uchiha Clan has no other intentions towards the village, so there's no need for the village to be so distrustful of the Uchiha Clan."
With that said.
Without waiting for Danzō to reply, Fugaku gritted his teeth and turned away, leaving only his receding back for Danzō.
Fugaku sighed inwardly.
He knew he had backed down again, and in front of so many clan members... This time, his retreat might even leave Uchiha Chisen without help.
But Fugaku felt that if he didn't back down, the relationship between the village and the Uchiha would be completely unsalvageable.
The village already didn't trust the Uchiha Clan.
If they were to engage in a physical conflict with the Root ninjas now...
Could the Uchiha Clan still establish a foothold in Konoha?
"I'm sorry, Chisen..." Fugaku looked up at the full moon in the sky and murmured, "I'm doing this for the greater good. As long as the Uchiha Clan can coexist peacefully with the village, I'll bear all the infamy and everything else alone."
Fugaku felt he saw things clearly.
The Uchiha Clan seemed strong, but compared to the entire village, they were merely like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
"I'm only doing this to protect the Uchiha Clan."
The shame in his eyes lessened slightly.
...
"Hmph. Uchiha..." Danzō's eyes grew increasingly sinister, but he didn't lose his mind to the point of forcibly keeping Fugaku there.
"Lord Danzō, the Hokage and the others are back!" Just then, a Root ninja suddenly reminded him.
Danzō was startled, "So soon?!"
He had only waited a few minutes and indeed saw Sarutobi Hiruzen return to Konoha with a group of Anbu ninjas.
"Hm?"
Danzō suddenly felt something was wrong, as he saw many Anbu ninjas returning carrying "dead bodies."
Even that monkey's arms were holding a "dead body."
So many dead people!
Under the moonlight, his gaze lingered on each corpse, but he couldn't find the detestable face he most wanted to see.
The attire of these corpses was mostly that of Anbu ninjas, with a portion appearing to be researchers.
And their deaths were all extremely gruesome! Many corpses were missing body parts, appearing "scattered."
Danzō also smelled a faint scent of burning.
"Hiruzen, where is Uchiha Chisen?!" Danzō's brows furrowed deeply, and he impatiently blurted out his question.
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his eyelids and glanced at Danzō.
But he silently bypassed Danzō, not even acknowledging any of the Root ninjas, as if treating them all as air.
This made Danzō's temper flare up.
"Hiruzen!"
"Lord Danzō." At this moment, an Anbu ninja suddenly blocked Danzō's path and said in a low voice, "The Hokage-sama has just experienced the grief of losing his son. Please do not disturb him."
Lost his son?
Danzō's pupils contracted slightly.
Doesn't that mean the deceased in the monkey's arms is Sarutobi Shinosuke? The monkey's eldest son is dead? Died at the hands of Uchiha Chisen?
Danzō's breathing quickened slightly.
This was a mortal feud, wasn't it? That monkey must be so enraged that he ordered the Anbu ninjas to surround and kill Uchiha Chisen, right?
"As for Uchiha Chisen..." the Anbu ninja hesitated before continuing, "He left the secret research base and should have already returned to the village. Perhaps he took a direct route over the village wall to avoid the hassle, too lazy to go through the main gate?"
Danzō suddenly froze.
"What do you mean?"
His sinister eyes were filled with disbelief, and the great fluctuation of his emotions made his old face's expression seem somewhat strained. Danzō gritted his teeth and asked with hatred, "Are you saying... Hiruzen let that inherently evil Uchiha brat go? Even though that evil Uchiha killed his eldest son?"
"Yes," the Anbu ninja replied simply.
Danzō was stunned.
He knew that monkey was getting old, long past his former ambitions, and had become indecisive.
But he never expected that when faced with the revenge for his son's death, that bastard monkey would still be so indecisive!
How could he let the killer of his son go?
Was he a saint?!
"Hiruzen!" Danzō's emotions finally broke. His face was so grim he was about to curse, but he managed to hold back, only shouting at Sarutobi Hiruzen's retreating back, "What on earth are you thinking?! That inherently evil Uchiha brat killed your son! And so many Anbu ninjas! You're still going to keep that menace in the village?!"
Danzō couldn't understand!
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused his steps.
"This old man..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth so hard his gums bled. He looked down at the face of Sarutobi Shinosuke in his arms.
"This old man... is upholding Shinosuke's last Will of Fire. He didn't want to see the village's strength wasted on internal strife when there were no external enemies."
"This is his dying wish."
"This old man..." Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath. "Must fulfill his dying wish. And, Uchiha Chisen... Uchiha Chisen didn't... kill the wrong person—that's what Shinosuke said too."
Danzō stared, dumbfounded, wondering if he was getting old and his ears were malfunctioning.
He thought Sarutobi Shinosuke, killed by Uchiha Chisen, had gone mad!
And Sarutobi Hiruzen, grieving the loss of his son, had also gone mad!
Damn it...
Were there any normal people left in Konoha?
...
Meanwhile.
Izumi, who had returned to the village with Uchiha Chisen, once again dragged her exhausted body back to the Uchiha Clan compound. They parted ways halfway.
"Ah! So tired..."
Izumi walked down the dimly lit street, feeling utterly lifeless.
It was a dual exhaustion of both body and soul.
She couldn't count how many people Senior Chisen had killed tonight. Especially at the moment that wave of lava rain fell; not many people in that secret research base probably survived.
And Senior Chisen had even killed the Hokage's eldest son.
Was this "Absolute Justice"...?
Even the Hokage's eldest son's status held no privilege in the face of justice.
"This... is perhaps why, no matter how tired I am, I grit my teeth and strive to follow in Senior's footsteps?"
Izumi was talking to herself.
Just then, she almost ran headfirst into a tall figure.
Fortunately, her reaction was quick, and she stopped immediately.
She hastily took two steps back.
Looking up quickly, Izumi was startled and blurted out, "Clan Head Fugaku?"
Fugaku was also stunned; he recognized the Uchiha girl.
"Izumi?"
Fugaku suddenly thought of something. "Did Chisen return?"
Izumi quickly replied, "Senior Chisen should have already gone home."
"...I see!" Fugaku's heart relaxed.
Chisen had returned alive.
Fugaku felt a pang of guilt again.
...
At the same time.
Back home, Uchiha Chisen focused his attention on the last "legacy" left by Sarutobi Shinosuke, the former Jonin instructor—the "rewards" dropped from killing the Red Name villain.
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