Inside Mitokado Homura's command tent.
Uchiha Fugaku sat on the right side, his face full of unease.
Standing behind him were two young Uchiha.
One was his five-year-old son, Uchiha Itachi, and the other was the rising genius of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Shisui.
Glancing at the sky outside the tent, Fugaku forced himself to calm down.
Ever since Danzo's son was ambushed, he had constantly felt open hostility staring him down.
He would catch glimpses of Root operatives now and then.
Before he could even figure out why he was being monitored after Takeshi's attack, he received news during this morning's meeting—
Danzo was coming to take over command on the frontlines.
Danzo's son is attacked, Fugaku is placed under surveillance the very next day, and Danzo arrives on the third to seize command?
Fugaku was a bit sharper than Takeshi—putting all this together, he immediately understood:
Danzo was blaming Takeshi's ambush on him!
Unbelievable!
Sure, he didn't like Danzo and had secretly cursed him countless times, but he swore on everything—he had never once harbored any ill intent toward Danzo's son!
Throughout the entire Kirigakure battlefield, he hadn't even seen Takeshi once in person—how could Danzo pin this on him?!
This won't do. I need to explain myself face to face!
While Fugaku sat like he was on pins and needles, Tsunade quietly spoke with Jiraiya, occasionally glancing over at him.
Tsunade had filled Jiraiya in on the details of Takeshi's ambush. The moment they learned one of the attackers was a Uchiha, the suspicion they had both initially dismissed suddenly made sense.
They had first assumed this was just Danzo lashing out, but facts were facts—there really was a Uchiha who had stood against the village.
Which meant... they had no choice but to cast doubt on Fugaku too.
Feeling Tsunade and Jiraiya's eyes on him, Fugaku grew even more uncomfortable, practically squirming in his seat, his expression filled with helpless innocence.
What did I do wrong? Why are even Tsunade and Jiraiya starting to distrust me?!
Just when Fugaku thought things couldn't get worse... another gaze locked onto him.
This time, it was Orochimaru.
By observing Tsunade and Jiraiya's reactions and piecing together the fragments he had noticed over the past few days, the brilliant Orochimaru more or less deduced what had happened.
He had originally thought Fugaku was just some meek character—but now, it seemed this guy was surprisingly bold.
Sitting at the head of the room, Mitokado Homura looked bored out of his mind, just waiting for Danzo to arrive and take over.
Noticing the Sannin occasionally glancing toward Fugaku, he too curiously looked in his direction.
Since Homura was seated at the head, everyone in the tent could see his actions, which led all the other jōnin to also shift their gaze toward Fugaku.
Fugaku: Seriously?!
Realizing that even his son and Shisui were staring at him, Fugaku desperately wanted to leap off a cliff and end this torment.
...
A long time passed—so long that Fugaku was drenched in sweat—before Danzo finally pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside.
"Danzo, have you seen Takeshi?"
None of the jōnin inside stood up—only Mitokado Homura rose to greet him.
"Yes."
Danzo nodded, clearly uninterested in small talk. He walked straight to the head of the room and declared his assumption of command.
Homura, already used to Danzo's way of doing things, said nothing. His expression unchanged, he returned to his prepared seat.
Danzo had already reviewed the frontline situation before arriving.
Combined with the intel Homura had left him, Danzo quickly made some strategic arrangements, preparing for a final assault on Kirigakure.
With his own strength, plus the aid of the three Sannin, he was confident—even if Kirigakure deployed the Six-Tails in desperation, he could crush it.
So, Danzo's strategy was bold and aggressive.
None of the jōnin voiced any objections.
The war had dragged on long enough. These jōnin were weary of the constant bloodshed and longed to return to normal life.
Seeing no opposition, Danzo cast one final glance at Fugaku, then at Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui behind him, and flatly declared the meeting adjourned.
Once most of the attendees had left, Fugaku finally stood and walked with the two toward Danzo's desk.
"I'll head back to my tent now, Danzo."
Knowing Fugaku wanted to speak privately, Mitokado Homura also stood and took his leave, giving the group some space.
"Captain Fugaku brings guards even to a meeting, I see."
Casually picking up a file from the desk, Danzo looked up at Fugaku, his tone calm.
"This is my son, Uchiha Itachi. The other is Uchiha Shisui," Fugaku introduced them politely.
"Shisui is strong and still young. I'd like to assign him as Takeshi's personal guard to ensure his safety."
Of course Danzo knew Uchiha Shisui.
After all, he was the grandson of Uchiha Kagami.
Looks like Fugaku sensed danger and was trying to play the emotional card to ease the tension.
If it hadn't been for his earlier conversation with Takeshi, Danzo would've likely accepted both the gesture and the life offered with it.
But now...
"I understand. However, I'll need to ask Takeshi for his opinion first."
Danzo nodded, signaling a tentative acceptance of Fugaku's offer.
Just when Fugaku thought the issue was resolved, Danzo abruptly steered the topic toward his son.
"Your son is five this year, isn't he?"
"Yes." Fugaku felt a vague unease creeping in.
"As a veteran jōnin often stationed on the frontlines, you must not have much time to care for your child. My own son, though humble in ability, could at least help look after the boy."
After hearing that, Fugaku's face turned green.
This bastard... he's trying to take my kid as a hostage!
I'm the head of the police force, clan leader of the Uchiha—how could I allow myself to be manipulated like this?!
Without waiting for Fugaku's reply, Danzo turned his attention back to the document in front of him, casually adding:
"This recent ambush on Takeshi—two of my subordinates were hit with genjutsu cast by the Sharingan."
"I understand. I'll have Shisui take Itachi to visit Takeshi's tent shortly."
Fugaku's heart surged with alarm.
Danzo was clearly satisfied with this answer. He finally set the document aside and pulled out a scroll from inside his robes, holding it out to Fugaku.
Fugaku reached out to accept the scroll, only to find Danzo refusing to let go. Turning his head, he said:
"Shisui, take Itachi to Takeshi's tent first."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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