In the crowd, as the Police Force was about to take Masahiro Tsuchibashi away, someone spoke up again.
"Isn't this just an ordinary argument? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
"Yeah, it's just a simple quarrel. You Uchiha lost the argument, so now you get angry, kill people, and when you can't kill them, you accuse them of being spies!"
"The Uchiha sure throw their weight around!"
...
Seeing Kintai's eyes flashing with bloodshot Sharingan in anger, Aozora quickly grabbed him and said, "Lord Kintai, trust me!"
Kintai struggled hard but felt Aozora's tremendous strength.
Unable to break free immediately, Kintai looked into Aozora's left eye filled with determination, snorted, and said, "Fine! I'll see how you handle this! If you disgrace us Uchiha, you will answer for it."
"Don't worry!"
After reassuring Kintai, Aozora swept his gaze across the crowd with a smile. "It seems Masahiro Tsuchibashi still has quite a few supporters among us!"
Then he pointed out one by one the people who had secretly spoken earlier.
"The one wearing gray in the second row, the one in white in the third row, the one in blue in the fifth row, and the one in black walking backward. Please, four ninja, stay for a moment and cooperate with the investigation by the Police Force!"
As Aozora finished speaking, villagers and ninjas near the four immediately stepped away, exposing them under intense scrutiny from all directions.
Unless they were Kage-level experts or willing to attack Konoha civilians and spark chaos, not even wings would help them escape now.
The mastermind wanted to use the power of the people, but who among them wasn't a citizen of Konoha?
If the dark hand could manipulate public sentiment, then Aozora could too.
A true wave-rider will always face the storm head-on.
The four exposed individuals felt extremely shocked. They had hidden themselves well, and none of the Uchiha present had even activated their [Sharingan]—how had he discovered them?
They naturally didn't know that when Aozora arrived at the scene, he had already infused chakra into his right eye to observe everyone.
The four didn't even consider running; the sheer pressure from the focused gazes of surrounding ninjas alone weighed heavily upon them.
A man in gray tried to deceive his way through the situation. "What is this? My family has been part of Konoha for generations! What crime is there in saying a few words? I…"
Aozora shook his head and said, "Both the Hyuga and Uchiha are present. Your abundant chakra can't hide forever."
Upon hearing this, the gray-clad man's face darkened. He shot back, "So what if I'm a ninja? Do we have to wear vests and forehead protectors every minute of the day? I'm a citizen too! What gives you the right to say I can't be here with everyone else?"
"I haven't even asked yet—who are you explaining yourself for?"
Aozora chuckled lightly. "An explanation means concealment, and concealment reveals the truth itself."
Upon hearing this, the bystanders and ninjas nearby couldn't help but reflect on Aozora's words.
Indeed, if he weren't hiding something, why would this ninja speak so much?
Caught between a rock and a hard place, the gray-clothed man remained speechless, glaring wide-eyed. He couldn't explain, but he couldn't keep silent either.
Seeing the gray-clad man trapped in confusion, a villager dressed in blue calmly remarked, "He's just scared of causing a misunderstanding, apparently!"
"What a great excuse—to fear misunderstandings!"
Clap! Clap! Clap! ——
Aozora clapped slowly, then his expression turned cold.
"When Masahiro Tsuchibashi slandered Uchiha just now," he continued, "did any of you try to stop him?
Spreading false accusations against a prestigious clan and undermining unity within the village—you let Masahiro Tsuchibashi speak freely without intervention! Do you truly understand nothing about the Uchiha's contributions, or their sacrifices for Konoha?
You stayed quiet back then. Now that the Uchiha want to investigate Masahiro Tsuchibashi, suddenly you've got something to say?
Either you're his accomplices, or spies sent by other ninja villages."
When these words rang out, those present thought carefully, finding the reasoning sound, and began murmuring among themselves.
"What the Uchiha said makes perfect sense."
"It was this gray-clothed guy beside me who started stirring everyone up!"
"That blue-clothed one was aggressive too!"
"…"
Finally, Aozora addressed the three men's earlier accusations.
"Why turn one argument into such a serious matter?"
"Because that argument contained defamatory remarks against Konoha's honored heroes—the Uchiha Clan—and damaged the unity of Konoha."
"They tried to kill him—twice—and now they call him a traitor?"
"I trust the people's discerning eyes. If I hadn't intervened, Masahiro Tsuchibashi would already be dead by Shin's hand."
After explaining to the crowd, he ordered firmly: "Seize them!"
The three conspirators exchanged anxious glances with the Blue-clad Villager, who surveyed the gathered Konoha citizens, shut his eyes, and slowly shook his head.
Surrounded as they were by ninjas and villagers, revealing their identities now would damage the Hokage's reputation.
He believed the Hokage wouldn't abandon them afterward.
Once the three were apprehended, Aozora scanned the crowd once more and declared aloud, "Konoha was built by the Uchiha…"
Gasps erupted from the crowd. Before they could fully process his words, Aozora continued:
"But it also belongs to all of you. Every ninja clan, every villager, is an indispensable part of Konoha. As citizens of Konoha, we must trust our companions and contribute to Konoha with our strength.
Even if you currently lack the ability to serve Konoha, please do not follow blindly or let ill-intentioned individuals lead you to slander the heroes who have sacrificed for Konoha."
Aozora paused briefly, then went on, "I admit there may be misconduct among certain Uchihas—but can you erase the achievements of countless heroic Uchihas who dedicated themselves to Konoha, simply because one bad apple exists? Can you brand the entire Uchiha Clan as demons?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent momentarily, then gradually voices began to rise.
"No way!"
"No way!"
"…"
What started as one voice became a resounding chorus.
Aozora gave a firm nod. "Of course not. Just like how we cannot condemn the Hokage's integrity because of Orochimaru's human experiments, nor can we label all Konoha shinobi as demons due to the faults of one individual."
Some found the statement oddly unsettling but didn't perceive anything wrong, nodding in agreement instead.
Finally, Aozora announced, "Everyone, disperse in order—don't cause a stampede!"
"Watch them go," Kintai stepped forward and said, "Your words are sharper than any blade!"
Aozora modestly replied, "I manage. Compared to drawing swords, I find speaking a safer option."
Kintai responded, "It's precisely because we have blades that we get the chance to speak freely."
Aozora nodded and said, "Master Kintai speaks truly."
Kintai looked at the obedient Aozora. He couldn't help but envy Fugaku for finding such a great assistant.
Strong, smart, sharp-tongued—and still obedient and understanding. The perfect assistant.
Unable to contain himself, Kintai blurted out, "Aozora, how about working under me?"
Aozora was stunned at the sudden offer. After a moment, he answered, "For the sake of the Uchiha, naturally I shall aid Master Kintai."
Kintai felt disappointment rise within him before pushing it aside. Changing the topic, he asked, "Is it the Hokage Faction then?"
Aozora replied, "Most likely Anbu. They probably will send someone soon to retrieve them."
The Anbu operated independently from the Police Force. Once Hiruzen issued his orders, they would need to hand over the captives anyway.
Besides, they were just bystanders—not criminals. You can't punish people for simply watching.
Nodding slowly, Kintai led Aozora and the others to escort Tsuchibashi Masahiro toward the Police Force headquarters.
In the Hokage's office,
Hiruzen listened to Sho's report, his voice filled with anger as he questioned, "The plan failed—why did Anbu remain on the scene?"
Sho paused for a moment before replying, "They only exchanged a few words. The Uchiha didn't really have any reason to hold them anyway."
Normally, bystanders wouldn't be held accountable—after all, the law couldn't punish everyone.
Yet Aozora Uchiha had isolated them, skillfully deepening the suspicion against those four Anbu members simply through speech.
Hiruzen took several puffs from his pipe before calming slightly, his tone turning icy, "Uchiha Aozora!"
He recalled the previous confrontation where Danzo had been forced into Defection. Back then, there wasn't even a shred of evidence, but somehow Aozora Uchiha still managed to sow doubt about Danzo purely through words.
Sho continued, "Lord Hokage, to prevent information leaks from Anbu, we must rescue Bobcat and the others urgently."
Frowning, Sarutobi asked, "Didn't you request Kintai to release them?"
Sho awkwardly replied, "On the way here, I revealed Bobcat's identities to Kintai, but he insists on receiving formal documents signed by you personally before releasing them."
Slam!
At this news, Sarutobi furiously slammed his desk.
After a while, grudgingly and in frustration, he signed a document and ordered, "Go retrieve them from the Police Department."
"At once!"
Sho immediately grabbed the document and vanished from the office with the Body Flicker Technique.
Inside the office, Sarutobi sat puffing his pipe quietly, muttering Aozora's name softly.
He realized—the Uchiha clan was no longer the same impulsive and short-sighted group he used to know.
And at the heart of this transformed Uchiha stood none other than this thirteen-year-old boy.
Unless Aozora was eliminated, bringing down the Uchiha remained impossible.
After prolonged deliberation, Sarutobi pulled out a Tokubetsu Jonin appointment letter.
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