Fugaku stood there, stunned.
After hearing Yamanaka Shintarō's report, his mind went completely blank.
…Was it really true?
Senju Tobirama.
The man who had feared the Uchiha to the bone, who had branded them as evil, who had gone to extreme lengths to suppress and eliminate them—
And yet the truth behind his death was this absurd?
No wonder anyone would feel numb.
When Tobirama had faced death, he probably never imagined that he—so proud of his intellect—would ultimately be betrayed by his own disciples.
And Danzo's plan… was to weaken Sarutobi?
What a joke.
Fugaku had never imagined the Hokage faction could be this vicious.
For the sake of power—
A teacher could be schemed to death.
Decades of camaraderie could be trampled without hesitation.
He couldn't comprehend it.
But only now did everything finally make sense.
No wonder.
He had always questioned himself.
Why was he so weak?
Why couldn't he even protect his own clan, let alone contend with Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Now he understood.
It wasn't that he was incompetent.
It was that his enemies were too despicable.
How could someone who still believed in rules and conscience ever defeat those who had none?
You played by the rules.
They never did.
After a bitter sigh, Fugaku shook his head.
"I see now."
"So I didn't lose unfairly back then."
"These people really are scum."
"But that has nothing to do with us."
"Let them tear each other apart."
"We just need to finish our task."
"There's still one elder left—Mitokado Homura."
"We need to move."
Yamanaka Shintarō nodded.
Yes.
Although the Yamanaka clan was part of Ino–Shika–Chō and had long known something was wrong with the Hokage faction—
Learning the full truth still left him sick to his stomach.
Were these people even human anymore?
At that moment, he felt more certain than ever.
Joining the Uchiha wasn't a mistake.
At the very least—
Even if the Uchiha were emotionally unstable, they were far more honest than people like Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Those were the real cannibals.
Taking a deep breath, Shintarō forced his expression back under control.
There was still work to be done.
Without wasting another second, the two of them acted decisively.
First, they destroyed Koharu's brain completely, ensuring no one could extract memories from her.
Then they vanished silently from the Tenten clan compound, heading straight for the Mitokado clan.
The journey was smooth.
No incidents.
They found Mitokado Homura precisely where expected.
And Fugaku killed him cleanly.
There was nothing surprising about it.
The two elders might once have been capable shinobi.
But that was long ago.
Since becoming elders, they had rarely fought.
Age had dulled both their bodies and instincts.
In Konoha, their authority was immense—
But their strength?
Even an ordinary jōnin could likely handle them.
Let alone Yamanaka Shintarō.
And as for Fugaku—
A Mangekyō wielder who had survived countless battlefields—
If he truly went all out, even Sarutobi Hiruzen at his peak wouldn't dare underestimate him.
…
Half an hour later.
Uchiha compound.
Fugaku's residence.
After completing the mission, the two returned swiftly to the main hall.
At this hour, the others were absent.
Some were on duty.
Others were resting to avoid suspicion.
Only Nara Kōji and Shisui remained.
The moment they entered, Kōji spoke up.
"How did it go?"
"Was the mission smooth?"
"Any complications?"
As the strategist, this was what concerned him most.
Fugaku nodded.
"Relax. Everything went perfectly."
"Our two elders have already gone to the Pure Land."
"It's just that what I learned tonight was so disgusting I nearly threw up."
"But forget it."
"I'm too sick of it to explain."
"Let Shintarō handle the details."
With a grim expression, Fugaku waved it off.
He poured himself a cup of tea, sat cross-legged on the tatami, and drank.
Gone was his usual dignified posture.
Right now, he couldn't be bothered to maintain the image of a clan head.
Shisui: "..."
Kōji: "..."
The two exchanged glances instinctively.
Something was off.
Didn't he say everything went smoothly?
Then why did Fugaku look like this?
But if the mission had failed, this wouldn't be his reaction either.
Their gazes shifted to Yamanaka Shintarō.
"The mission was a success," Shintarō said slowly.
"The two elders are dead."
"And Danzo's plan has been fully uncovered."
"He intends to strike the Sarutobi clan tonight."
"The baseline objective is to eliminate half of their shinobi—preferably two-thirds."
"In Danzo's words, since both sides have already become enemies, even if they cooperate temporarily, allowing the Sarutobi clan to remain too strong is dangerous."
"And with Sarutobi Hiruzen absent from the village, this is the perfect opportunity."
"As for the fallout?"
"Danzo isn't afraid."
"After killing Sarutobi Shinnosuke, their relationship was already irreparable."
"The only reason there's no open war is because they share a common enemy."
"That enemy is—"
"The Uchiha."
"After the Uchiha are dealt with, a split is inevitable anyway."
"So even if Hiruzen gets angry, he won't dare break things off now."
"That's why Danzo feels completely secure."
Hiss—
Kōji and Shisui both inhaled sharply.
This was ruthless.
Utterly ruthless.
Two thousand shinobi—just like that.
But then again—
Considering it was Danzo, it made a twisted kind of sense.
Still—
Kōji wasn't focused on Danzo right now.
He was looking at Fugaku.
After nodding, he spoke calmly.
"I understand."
"But there's more, isn't there?"
"Otherwise, Fugaku wouldn't look like this."
"So—"
"Say it."
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