Mito narrowed her eyes, arms folded as she stood facing the kneeling elders.
"What are you-"
"Mito-sama."
Uchiha Chen spoke first, respectful and solemn even as he kept his head bowed. He was the elder who had remained behind with the clan while the others scattered under previous orders.
"We are here to help Lord Akira get revenge."
"Revenge? What revenge? He clearly..." Mito hesitated mid-thought, remembering what she'd shouted the night before in anger-"Akira is dead."
Her silence stretched as she realized they must have believed it. A dozen warriors kneeling at her door demanding justice for someone very much alive. She froze in place, lips parting but no words coming out. Calling Akira out to explain would only make things worse-there was no way to admit now that it had just been childish rage without exposing herself completely.
Chen straightened slightly, misreading her hesitation as grief. He dropped both knees to the floor and lowered his head again with even greater sincerity.
"Lord Mito, please rest assured-we may not be of the Senju clan, but we are not without loyalty. Lord Akira has done much for us Uchiha. If you know who was behind it, tell us. I will see it done myself, no matter the cost."
"No matter what-we will go through fire and water," echoed the rest behind him, their voices cutting clear and deep into the afternoon air.
Their earnestness left Mito feeling conflicted. It wasn't just endearing-it was also ridiculous to be on the receiving end of it over some poorly timed tantrum. She couldn't tell the truth. Even if she wanted to protect Akira's planning, her own pride was now on the line too.
Face blank but mind scrambling for cover, she raised her hand slightly and spoke in even tones.
"Akira is not dead. He's missing. I don't know where he went. When I said he was dead-it was just guesswork from what I saw last. I don't know the details."
"Ha?"
Their confusion rang clear from every expression, even if none of them dared press further.
Thud-thud-thud-boots on stone drew every head toward the front gate. Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with his entourage trailing behind him in full formation-Hyūga, Ino-Shika-Chō units moving in alongside civilian patrols as if preparing for battle.
"What are you doing? Put down your weapons and surrender!"
Seeing armed Uchiha gathered in rows sparked immediate suspicion from the Hokage. Even if he knew of Akira's impact on their development, trust had always run thin between that clan and the rest of Konoha. Worst-case scenarios rushed to his mind, and stopping unrest before it exploded into civil war became the priority.
Across from him, Uchiha warriors stared back without understanding what had triggered this level of response. Their hands hovered near weapon pouches on instinct alone-but no one moved.
Before anything worse could happen-
"Stop!"
Mito's command sliced through the tension with enough strength to halt everyone breathing in place.
As Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Senju matriarch, and Akira's wife in name if not practice-Mito's authority held weight few others could contest openly. Even Sarutobi flinched slightly at her tone.
She pointed toward him-and Uchiha Chen beside him.
"Monkey-and that guy-come with me."
Both looked at each other in shock but said nothing as they followed her toward one of the side rooms.
Once inside and seated opposite each other beneath muted paper lanterns, Mito sat forward slightly and asked flatly-
"Whose idea was this?"
Her doubts had been growing ever since Akira mentioned enemies hiding in plain sight-something that sounded absurd until today's chaos unfolded barely hours after announcing his "death." It made everything feel less like coincidence and closer to sabotage.
Sarutobi and Chen both misunderstood her tone but responded with grim honesty anyway.
"Our actions were from our own judgment," Chen answered. "Lord Akira has no official ties with us-but he guided us when no one else would. When even Lord Tobirama turned his back on us-Akira risked that tension by giving us structure. We owe him everything and would trade our lives to repay it."
Mito nodded lightly without revealing how much of that she believed-or how much surprised her. She turned her attention next to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I... received intelligence saying the Uchiha were about to move on you," he admitted under pressure. "When I saw them assembled armed-I reacted."
Mito's brows furrowed.
"From where did you get that intelligence?"
"It came from one of the patrols. They reported suspicious activity at the Uchiha compound."
"Ah..." she exhaled slowly-because now she remembered her own reaction upon seeing them armed earlier in the day. She had been ready to believe rebellion too-and that left her visibly exasperated now.
After glancing between the two of them again-she waved them off dismissively.
"Forget it. Go back."
Both stood quickly-even Sarutobi showing visible relief at being dismissed so easily. He lingered only long enough to ask-
"Lord Mito-did Lord Akira really leave nothing behind? Any message? Anything?"
Uchiha Chen also hesitated at the door-turning back to hear any final response.
Mito didn't try to hide her annoyance anymore.
"Why? Didn't he say anything to either of you?"
Both shook their heads wordlessly-silent understanding passing between them again.
"Well, then there's nothing," Mito replied at last with blunt certainty. "He's lazy as hell. If there really was anything important-he wouldn't have left without telling someone directly."
Her answer shut them down completely-they bowed and left without forcing another word from her lips.
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