"Shisui! Someone is framing Tekka and Yashiro! I am certain they would never do such a thing!" Uchiha Itachi said, his voice firm with conviction.
Shisui looked at him with a knowing, somber gaze. He shook his head helplessly, then raised a hand and placed it on Itachi's shoulder. "Itachi, of course I understand," he said with a wry smile. "But the truth of what happened doesn't matter right now. The most important thing is what the village leadership believes."
"They are not fools. It is impossible for them not to see that someone is trying to frame the Uchiha clan."
Itachi's expression filled with a desperate hope. "Well… if that's the case, the Hokages shouldn't do anything to my father."
"Ah…" Shisui sighed softly. "If it were only a matter of punishment, that would be one thing. What I truly fear is… that this will ignite an open conflict between the village and the Uchiha."
"If it comes to that, the streets of the village will be flooded with blood, and countless more innocent people will die."
"No, it won't!" Itachi responded immediately, his voice sharp. "The Third and Fourth Hokage would never let the situation escalate to that point!"
"Itachi, this matter is incredibly serious. Even if the two Hokages are resolute, the political pressure could force their hands," Shisui explained patiently.
"This news will spread through the village quickly. If the leadership doesn't make a decisive statement, it will be impossible to quell public outrage. And you know as well as I do that most people in our clan are already deeply dissatisfied with the village's oppression. They will hear of this, and many will believe the Uchiha were truly responsible."
"Perhaps… some will even believe this was deliberately orchestrated by the village elders themselves."
Listening to Shisui's grim analysis, Itachi felt a cold dread creep into his heart. "Is it… a dead end? Must there be a river of blood?"
"Well…" Uchiha Shisui sighed softly, saying no more.
In the Hokage's office, inside the Hokage Building, a sharp knock echoed on the door.
"Come in," the voice of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, called from within.
Creek…
The office door was slowly pushed open, and the Anbu captain walked in with Uchiha Fugaku.
"Lord Third, Lord Fourth, the man has been brought to you."
"Good. You are dismissed."
"Yes!" The Anbu captain closed the door and left.
"Uchiha Fugaku, as the patriarch of the Uchiha clan, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Homura Mitokado asked first, his tone accusatory.
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes were firm and unwavering. "Lord Third, Lord Fourth, and honored elders, I swear to you that my Uchiha clan harbors no treasonous intent against Konoha. We would never commit such a rebellious act as assassination."
Shimura Danzō snorted coldly. "Humph. Then let me ask you, where are Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Tekka now?"
"I do not know. I have already dispatched members of the Military Police to check their homes, but they could not find any trace of them. Your Anbu were present and can testify to this."
Koharu Utatane countered, "Of course they are not there. According to the Anbu's report, the last place those two were seen was near your home, just before they vanished."
Uchiha Fugaku's stoic expression did not change. "I truly know nothing about this."
"Hmph!" Danzō was about to speak again when the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, interrupted him. "Fugaku, if your conscience is truly clear, do you dare to submit to an official inquiry? I will have the Yamanaka clan examine the memories within your mind. If it is proven that this truly has nothing to do with you or the Uchiha clan, then Minato and I will not pursue the matter."
"…"
Uchiha Fugaku fell silent. A cold dread washed over him. He didn't dare. He couldn't. Just this evening, Tekka and Yashiro had been in his home, urging him to lead a rebellion against the village. If the mind-walkers of the Yamanaka clan were to see that memory, no amount of explanation would save him. His silence would be taken as an admission of guilt.
Danzō leaned forward, his voice dripping with venom. "Fugaku, why the hesitation? Are you hiding something?"
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