Clap! Clap! Clap!
A slow, deliberate applause rang out, cutting through the shouts and clamor.
All eyes turned. From the Police Department's lobby, Uchiha Fugaku stepped calmly into the open. His face was cool, even mocking, lips curved in a faint sneer as he applauded—eyes locked coldly on Danzō.
"Wonderful. Truly wonderful, Lord Danzō," Fugaku said, voice low but carrying, each word crisp.
"A masterfully staged play, painstakingly crafted. Remarkable, really."
"You—!"
Danzō's shadowed eyes flared sharp. His right hand clenched his cane tight as his voice rose. "At this point, you Uchiha still dare deny it?!"
He snatched the bundle of files from his guard and held them high. "From the first report to the entire sequence of the case—everything is recorded here! And more—the victim died right outside your Uchiha compound!"
Fugaku gave a thin smile. "So what? Lord Danzō, do you think flimsy scraps like these can convict us?"
His gaze swept over Danzō with contempt. "Shall I teach your Root men how an investigation is actually conducted?"
"You—" Danzō's face twitched, lips bending into a sardonic line. "Of course scraps alone can't convict, because the crucial evidence was destroyed by you. But that's no matter…"
He turned toward the Hokage. "Interrogate the officers directly involved. The truth will come out. Hiruzen—summon the Interrogation Unit now! Let them question Uchiha Eiya and Uchiha Izumi—let's hear what secrets they discovered on-site!"
His words struck with force, his face expressionless, but inside he exulted. He knew very well there was no "crucial evidence." If Eiya and Izumi couldn't produce anything, doubt would only take deeper root.
Even if Hiruzen forced the matter closed, suspicion would linger—fertile soil for the Uchiha's downfall.
Hiruzen puffed his pipe in silence, face clouded, weighing.
The square hushed, all waiting.
Then Fugaku's voice rang, calm and steady.
"Lord Hokage, as a direct witness to this incident, I believe I must explain a few things publicly."
"After I've spoken, my clansmen—including these two—will submit to your judgment."
The plaza erupted in shock.
On a rooftop, Yamanaka Haiichi's eyes narrowed. "Fugaku's too calm. Too confident. That composure isn't an act."
Nara Shikaku frowned deeply. "This isn't as simple as we thought. Danzō looks like the hunter here—but perhaps he's the prey."
At the rear of ANBU's line, Eiya heard and allowed a faint smile beneath his mask.
Now—the Uchiha's counterattack began.
…
"Akitada," Fugaku called, eyes like blades on the trembling informant beside Danzō. "If I recall today's patrol roster, this morning you were assigned to East Street. Weren't you?"
"Then why abandon post? Why were you 'coincidentally' outside the office to 'coincidentally' overhear our leaders?" His tone bit on each "coincidence."
Akitada went white, eyes skittering, stammering: "I—I had to consult Yashiro-senpai… that's why…"
"Oh? You've served in the Police for five years. Patrol duty should be no burden. And East Street saw no incidents requiring urgent report. What matter was so dire you had to abandon your patrol to rush to Yashiro?" Fugaku pressed.
"I… I…" Akitada stammered, sweat beading.
Fugaku didn't relent. "And didn't it strike you odd? In your whole time eavesdropping, not one colleague happened by? Want to know why? Because I had Inabi and Yashiro clear the corridors. Not a single stray was left nearby!"
Danzō's eye twitched. A dark premonition stirred, but Fugaku's rising voice smothered him.
"Lord Hokage, don't you wonder—why would a Uchiha like Akitada betray his clan so fully for Danzō? Was he bound by a cursed seal? Ensnared by genjutsu? Or perhaps—does Danzō hold something over him?"
Each rhetorical question struck like a blade. Danzō's face darkened further.
"And more," Fugaku pressed. "Root mustered a full detachment in mere hours? What, do they usually sit idle, no missions at all? Or… had they returned days ago, all arranged in advance for tonight's scheme?"
"Lord Hokage, these irregularities can be confirmed easily."
Hiruzen's brows knit tight. His eyes hardened, fixing on Akitada. "Seize him! Interrogate thoroughly!"
Two ANBU blurred forward, slamming the youth to the ground and binding his chakra with seals.
Fugaku exhaled faintly, then went on. "In truth, that file bundle is bait we left deliberately. Marked with errors only we would recognize. A proper check will show it's forged."
Danzō's stomach sank.
Fugaku's voice cut sharp. "Near the victim's body, our men did find something. When I saw it, I knew—this was a carefully planned frame-up to ruin the Uchiha, to topple the Police. To expose the culprit, we had no choice but to play along."
From his robes he drew a ragged piece of black cloth, raising it high. A sliver of the Uchiha fan crest was visible, blotched with dried blood.
"Look!" he called. "Even with no investigative skill, anyone can see—blood doesn't age and dry like this in a single day."
"And tell me—if our Police truly killed some unarmed villager, would they blunder so badly as to let him tear away such a large crest patch before dying? Would they leave such damning evidence and stroll away?"
"There's only one reason: because planting this cloth was the only way to force a link between the Uchiha and the crime. This is nothing but a clumsy frame-up!"
The plaza froze silent.
Every listener's doubts now churned into certainty.
Eyes turned on Danzō—suspicious, condemning, furious.
Even Hiruzen's gaze had gone glacial, cold fire flashing within.
The tide had turned.
Fugaku's voice lashed out like thunder: "Lord Danzō!"
"To destroy us, you forged evidence, planted spies, staged this farce! What is your true aim?!"
"Is persecuting the Uchiha worth more to you than Konoha's peace?"
"Do you mean to spark civil strife in our village?!"
The rapid-fire accusations hit like a storm, battering Danzō till his temples throbbed, his tongue clamped silent.
Hiruzen's face blackened, voice heavy as stone. "Danzō—what have you to say?!"
__________________________________
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247