Kakashi, naturally, had also received the news. But as a member of the Anbu, what could he do? Nothing but quietly accept it.
He understood things very clearly—this was nothing more than a power struggle between the two great factions of Konoha.
It was obvious that the Third Hokage had tried to move against the Uchiha clan, but failed. Instead, his schemes were exposed, and now the tables had turned.
The outcome was certain: the Uchiha had won.
The village was about to change forever, and Kakashi knew he had neither the power nor the position to interfere.
Instead, he sighed, shoved his hands into his pockets, and muttered:
"Guess I'll just get some ramen."
He strolled into Ichiraku and sat down.
"One bowl of ramen, please."
"Coming right up," replied Teuchi cheerfully.
Two days later, in the Hokage's building, every clan head of Konoha had gathered.
The building itself was now completely under Uchiha control. Fugaku personally led the Uchiha Police Force in securing it.
The atmosphere was tense. All the clan heads knew why they were summoned: the trial of the Third Hokage.
The mood was complicated.
Some of the smaller clans who had long supported Hiruzen were uneasy. If the Hokage fell, their position in Konoha would surely suffer. Worse yet, they feared the Uchiha might retaliate against them.
Other clan heads, however, had calmed down over the last two days.
The scandal was too great to ignore: Hiruzen had killed Uchiha Shisui and stolen his eyes, attempting to use them to control Uchiha Ryosuke—thus seizing control of the entire clan.
The crime was massive. There was no way the Uchiha would let him go unpunished.
Rumors spread that Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and gained a special ocular power—one capable of influencing even someone as powerful as Ryosuke. That, people whispered, was the motive behind Hiruzen's crime.
And that wasn't all.
When the Uchiha Police searched Danzo's Root bases, they uncovered a mountain of evidence: records of inhuman experiments. Some reports even suggested connections to Orochimaru himself.
Everyone remembered the chaos Orochimaru had caused—horrific human experimentation, kidnappings, countless dead. Now Danzo was tied to the same crimes.
And could Hiruzen really be innocent? Was it possible he hadn't known? Few believed it.
The Hokage's reputation was shattered.
At that moment, Fugaku stood. His heart was pounding.
Not long ago, he had been crushed under the weight of Hiruzen and Danzo's combined pressure. But now—now it was his turn to pass judgment.
This was his chance to destroy Hiruzen's name completely, to bury the Third Hokage in disgrace.
He exchanged a quick glance with Ryosuke—they had already discussed this. The plan was simple: shift all of Danzo's Root experiments onto Hiruzen as well, making him responsible for everything.
Once Hiruzen's reputation was gone, removing him would be easy.
Looking at the gathered clan heads, Fugaku spoke coldly:
"You've all heard the rumors in the village. You've seen the announcements issued by the Uchiha. I won't waste words. Today, we will judge the Third Hokage."
"First, let the Ino–Shika–Chō clan heads, the Inuzuka clan head, and the Hyūga clan head present their evidence. They were the ones who collected it."
He deliberately framed it this way, distancing the Uchiha from the accusations. This would prevent others from claiming the Uchiha had fabricated the evidence.
The clan heads' faces darkened. Evidence was already being laid on the table? This trial was serious.
Was it true? Had the Third Hokage really committed such acts?
All eyes turned to the clan heads being called upon. These were not minor families—their words carried real weight.
If even they couldn't be trusted, then the village truly was in the Uchiha's grip.
The Hyūga clan head stepped forward, holding a folder.
"This," he said, his voice calm but heavy, "was recovered from one of Root's underground laboratories. This base was under the Hokage's direct jurisdiction. These are the records of their human experiments."
At his signal, his retainers distributed copies of the files to the other clan heads.
As the documents were read, the room fell silent.
Faces paled.
The files recorded fifty-nine child corpses, their remains catalogued. Detailed notes described experiments attempting to fuse their bodies with the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
The clan heads were horrified.
Even more shocking was the connection to recent events: hadn't the Land of Fire been plagued by reports of missing children? Everyone had assumed it was foreign kidnappers. But now?
Now it seemed their own leaders had been responsible.
Several clan heads stood abruptly.
"Are these documents real?" one demanded.
"These experiments—were they truly conducted by Danzo?" another pressed.
The thought was almost impossible to believe.
Danzo was supposed to be a village elder, sworn to protect Konoha. How could he commit such atrocities?
Read ahead with 90+ chapters now and daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus