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Hiruzen's mood grew increasingly grim because he knew deep down that Midorima's words carried undeniable logic.
However, agreeing with Midorima also meant acknowledging the painful truth that the Hidden Leaf Village had been manipulated and toyed with by the Akatsuki organization for a very long time.
"What should we do now that a civil war has broken out inside the Hidden Leaf Village? It wouldn't be appropriate for us to intervene directly, would it?" the Raikage asked bluntly.
"There is no need for any of you to take action," Hiruzen replied, waving his hand dismissively.
This was the Hidden Leaf Village, not some foreign territory. If the Hokage had to rely on the Raikage to deal with a rebellion from his own clan's rogue shinobi, the Leaf would lose all face and credibility in the ninja world from that moment onward.
The Raikage was not surprised by the Hokage's response. If a similar crisis had erupted in the Hidden Cloud Village, he would have made exactly the same decision. He would never allow outsiders to interfere in internal matters, as that would only invite ridicule and contempt from the other villages.
"I have something to say," Midorima raised his hand. "Akatsuki's primary objective is almost certainly the Six-Tails and the Nine-Tails. The Six-Tails resides within me, and the Nine-Tails is right next door in the adjacent room. Therefore, if Akatsuki launches a fierce assault on this location, I hope all of you will be willing to lend your assistance."
"By saying that, aren't you essentially expressing a lack of trust in the Hidden Leaf Village?" the Raikage countered sharply.
"Yes, that is correct," Midorima answered without hesitation. "At the same time, I believe that the power of Akatsuki is far beyond what any single ninja village can handle on its own."
"I don't believe that," the Raikage scoffed coldly.
Onoki stroked his beard thoughtfully. Although he remained silent, his attitude clearly aligned with that of the Raikage.
Akatsuki's main base was located in the Hidden Rain Village, and everyone present knew exactly how much military strength the Rain Village actually possessed. Even during the time when Hanzo the Salamander—once called a "demigod"—had been alive, the village had never been overwhelmingly powerful. Now, with Hanzo gone, there were no particularly formidable figures left in the Rain Village, at least none that had come to public attention.
Midorima's bold claim that no single ninja village could confront Akatsuki alone clearly exceeded their current understanding and expectations.
"I believe him."
Terumi Mei spoke without a moment's hesitation, her trust in Midorima evident in her voice.
"I believe him as well," Jiraiya said, echoing Terumi Mei's words.
Unlike Terumi Mei, however, Jiraiya's agreement stemmed from careful, rational judgment rather than personal loyalty alone.
Because Midorima had once been a member of Akatsuki and possessed deep knowledge of both the Hidden Mist and Hidden Leaf villages, his assessment of Akatsuki's strength was far more accurate and reliable than anyone else's. Moreover, he had personally infiltrated the Hidden Rain Village and experienced the organization's terrifying capabilities firsthand.
"Jiraiya, are you certain you trust his judgment?" Onoki asked, visibly surprised.
"Yes. I once infiltrated the Hidden Rain Village myself and nearly lost my life there. Additionally, Midorima's understanding of Akatsuki surpasses that of anyone else here. Therefore, I trust his assessment. Besides, have we all forgotten one crucial fact? Akatsuki already possesses at least six tailed beasts. The organization was already formidable before acquiring them. With six tailed beasts now under their control, their overall strength has increased dramatically."
Onoki's mouth opened slightly before he swallowed hard. "Are you saying they are capable of actually using the tailed beasts?"
"Otherwise, why would they go through the trouble of collecting them?" Jiraiya countered.
Midorima looked at Jiraiya with mild surprise.
Akatsuki could not directly wield the full power of the tailed beasts in the conventional sense, but that did not mean they were unable to utilize them through the Outer Path Statue. From that perspective, Jiraiya's statement was not incorrect.
With Jiraiya vouching for him, the others began to take Midorima's warnings more seriously.
After all, while Midorima's own strength remained uncertain, Jiraiya's power reputation was undeniable and well-known throughout the ninja world. He had long since reached the level of a Kage-tier shinobi.
"In that case, we will take responsibility for protecting the Six-Tails and the Nine-Tails. You can leave the matters outside to us," Onoki declared in a deep, serious voice.
Hiruzen nodded in agreement and immediately leaped toward the exit of the conference hall.
Midorima furrowed his brows.
He also wanted to follow the Hokage outside, but under the current circumstances, it seemed he would have to wait a little longer.
...
Fugaku rushed toward the front lines in a state of extreme fury and frustration. Some rogue shinobi from the Uchiha clan had already set their sights on attacking the Five Kage Summit. Hundreds of ninja had split into two opposing groups: one faction was holding off the Leaf reinforcements rushing to the scene, while the other stood in direct confrontation with the Uchiha shinobi who had been assigned to guard the summit.
"What the hell are you all doing? Do you even realize what day this is?" Fugaku roared angrily. "Look at yourselves right now! Inside the conference hall, someone has already spoken up on behalf of our clan, and even the Hokage has begun to believe that the death of the Kazekage likely has nothing to do with the Uchiha. But all of you…"
Fugaku was so enraged that he could barely finish his sentence.
Midorima had said many positive things about the Uchiha clan during the meeting. Not only had the Hokage's attitude softened, but the leaders from the other villages had also started to reconsider their prejudices against the Uchiha. And now, this group of fools had single-handedly confirmed every negative suspicion and misunderstanding the other villages held about them.
"Bah! The Hokage? If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been forced to do this! Clan Leader, if you still consider us your clansmen, then pick up your weapon and join the rebellion. Otherwise, you have no right to call yourself our leader!"
"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying," Fugaku replied, utterly bewildered.
"The Hokage—that old bastard Sarutobi—issued orders for the Leaf ninja to kill every last one of us! We have been ambushed from all sides and have already suffered thirty to forty casualties. How can we possibly endure this any longer?! The Uchiha clan… even if we must die, we refuse to die like cowards!"
"That's right! We won't die like cowards!"
"This is nonsense. If the Hokage had truly issued such an order, how could I possibly be unaware of it?!" Fugaku shouted, pointing at the clansmen who were trying to charge forward. "Give me five minutes! Just five minutes! I will go and find out exactly what is happening…"
Fugaku turned around hurriedly, preparing to rush back and question the Hokage directly.
The distance between the conflict zone and the conference hall was roughly three hundred meters, with a wall standing in between.
In order to save time, Fugaku decided to leap over the wall. The moment he jumped onto the top of the barrier, he suddenly sensed someone standing directly in front of him, launching a fierce attack toward his abdomen.
Fugaku quickly twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. His eyes then locked onto the attacker.
A black cloak adorned with red clouds—this was Akatsuki?
Fugaku's heart jolted with shock. When he clearly saw the face of the person attacking him, a cold chill ran down his spine.
"Itachi… you…"
Fugaku lost his balance and began to fall backward. Just as he was about to hit the ground, another figure suddenly appeared behind him, thrusting a kunai straight toward his back.
Fugaku barely managed to dodge once again, but a third attack followed immediately afterward. A massive ninja blade clamped down viciously on his body.
"You all…" Fugaku had never expected three attackers to be lying in wait for him here. The blade from the third assailant pierced straight through his body.
"With this, we have enough material," Obito said calmly as he pulled out his kunai.
"Itachi, I understand the difficult position you were in. I don't blame you…" Fugaku's final gaze landed on Itachi. Yet those cold, emotionless Mangekyo Sharingan simply stared back at him with icy indifference.
"No. I have no such burdens or excuses," Itachi murmured quietly.
"What do we do next?" Kisame asked.
"Throw this corpse toward the Uchiha rebels. I want to see how those traitors will react once they witness their clan leader's death," Obito said, deliberately glancing at Itachi.
Itachi gazed calmly at Fugaku's body as it fell to the ground, then slowly closed his eyes.