Yamanaka Inochi's blood surged the very moment his cousin was called a slave.
Most of the people present did not fully understand what the Uchiha meant by those words.
But the clan heads and the jōnin of the village understood clearly.
Slowly, their gazes turned toward Danzō.
Those clan heads whose members had been drawn into Root were burning with anger at that moment.
Only now did they truly realise how deeply and quietly Danzō had controlled their lives—methodically, mercilessly.
The Third Hokage, having heard Toyoma's words, noticed the eyes fixed on him.
Accusing.
Questioning.
Jiraiya thought it couldn't get any worse.
Reality proved him wrong.
His eyes widened as he stared at the Third Hokage, the unspoken question written plainly across his face—
How could you allow something like this?
"All Uchiha, we are leaving."
Grand Elder Setsuna's voice rang out across the area.
His eyes lingered briefly on Kuroto's unconscious body before he turned away without another word.
The people watched silently as the Uchiha clan departed.
None of the clan heads present spoke.
None of the shinobi stepped forward to stop them.
Even the village elders—Koharu and Homura—remained silent.
Hiruzen approached Inochi and spoke in a calm, comforting tone.
"Inochi, don't worry. Kuroto will receive justice. The village will not allow the Uchiha to harm Kuroto's family."
Yamanaka Inochi stood up.
Shikaku quietly released his grip, saying nothing.
Without replying to the Hokage, Inochi walked toward Kuroto.
Together with the other Yamanaka shinobi, he lifted the unconscious man and began moving toward the clan compound.
Only then did Inochi speak.
"The Uchiha will not take revenge on a village's slave family."
His voice was low and restrained.
Yet every clan head and jōnin present heard it clearly.
A heavy guilt settled deep within their chests.
Jiraiya and Minato watched as the Yamanaka clan head departed, his back rigid, his steps heavy with unspoken resentment.
Jiraiya let out a slow, tired sigh.
"Since when did our village become like this?"
One by one, the clan heads began to leave the area.
The street gradually emptied until only the village's higher-ups and the ANBU remained—standing with Jiraiya and Minato amid the suffocating silence.
Homura turned to Hiruzen.
"The trust has been lost from this moment onward, Hiruzen."
His gaze then shifted toward Danzō.
"You should stand down now. Otherwise, no one in the village will be able to save you."
Danzō, who had been frozen in place—still haunted by the stares of the clan heads—finally snapped back to reality.
When he looked at Homura, the fear on his face was unmistakable and impossible to hide.
Grand Elder Setsuna and Toyoma walked side by side toward the Uchiha clan compound.
Neither of them spoke as they walked.
When they reached the Grand Elder's residence, Setsuna finally broke the silence.
His words halted Toyoma's steps.
"How did those Root shinobi enter your residence?" Setsuna asked calmly," Without triggering the barrier?"
He did not look at Toyoma while asking.
Yet his entire focus remained on him.
Toyoma stayed silent and resumed walking at a steady pace.
After a brief moment, he spoke as if the question had never been asked.
"I don't know how."
Then, deliberately changing the subject, he added,
"Grandfather, have you received any news about Elder Kohaku?"
Setsuna glanced at him briefly.
He understood—Toyoma did not wish to speak further on the matter.
So he chose not to press him.
"He has gone to speak with the Daimyō," Setsuna replied."He will definitely return with good news."
Toyoma nodded in response.
"Well… many things depend on Elder Kohaku's results now."
The words were calm on the surface.
But beneath them lay an unspoken truth—
The next move would decide whether the Uchiha still had a place within the village.
On the fringes of the Mist battlefield—
Uchiha Uzuku stood motionless as the last enemy shinobi collapsed at his feet.
The squad that had crossed into Fire Country for espionage had been completely intercepted and eliminated.
Blood soaked the damp ground beneath them. The fog slowly thinned as silence returned.
A Uchiha jōnin approached him, his expression tense and cautious.
"Senior Uzuku," he said quietly, "don't you think our missions are becoming far more dangerous lately?"
Uzuku did not answer immediately.
The jōnin swallowed before continuing, lowering his voice further.
"Why did Orochimaru-sama assign our squad missions like this—so deep into enemy territory, and so far away from the main battle units?"
Uzuku finally spoke, his voice cold and steady.
"As shinobi on the battlefield, we have no right to question the commander directly," he said."Complete the mission. That is all."
The jōnin stiffened slightly, then nodded without asking anything further.
Uzuku already knew the reason behind these increasingly dangerous assignments.
The last time he had seen Fugaku make a mistake, the man had been surrounded by detonating talismans.
To save him, Uzuku had acted on instinct—unleashing the Thunder Sword Style without restraint.
Many shinobi had witnessed it.
And the news had reached Orochimaru.
To him, it resembled the Lightning Chakra Mode of the Cloud—or perhaps something dangerously close to it.
That was when Orochimaru summoned him.
"So," Orochimaru said, his lips curved in faint amusement, a sharp glint in his eyes,
"I never expected a genius like this to appear among the Uchiha—someone who could recreate a Lightning Chakra Mode comparable to the Fourth Raikage."
His tone made his intent clear.
He wanted more knowledge.
Uzuku met his gaze without flinching.
"It is a clan secret jutsu, Orochimaru-sama,"
Uzuku replied calmly."I cannot speak about it further."
Orochimaru studied him carefully.
The indifference in Uzuku's eyes told him enough—there would be no prying this information out.
"Well," Orochimaru said lightly, "the Uchiha clan has always possessed many secret jutsu. As someone who practices ninjutsu, it is unfortunate that I never had the chance to witness them during previous wars or missions."
Uzuku did not avert his gaze.
"Commander-sama," he said evenly, "are we here to discuss the Uchiha clan's secret jutsu?"
"If so, then I have nothing more to say."
The sudden shift in Uzuku's tone caught Orochimaru off guard—respectful, yet firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
For a brief moment, Orochimaru was silent.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Interesting," he said.
"Well," Orochimaru had said later, his voice smooth and measured, "I have a mission suited for a strong man like you, Uchiha Uzuku—one that would be appropriate for someone of your strength."
From that moment onward, Orochimaru began assigning Uzuku missions of this kind.
Dangerous.
Isolated.
Far from support.
Lost in that memory, Uzuku slowed as he approached the Uchiha camp.
Figures emerged through the thinning mist.
Fugaku was there.
Alongside him stood several Uchiha jōnin, their expressions serious as they noticed Uzuku's arrival.
Fugaku watched as Uzuku's squad returned to the camp.
When they drew closer, he allowed himself a small, restrained smile.
"Uzuku," he said, stepping forward, "how was the mission? It took longer than usual."
Fugaku already knew the answer.
Uzuku's squad had been assigned one dangerous mission after another—missions that pushed too deep, lasted too long, and offered little margin for error.
Once, Fugaku had questioned Orochimaru about it.
The reply had come calmly, almost casually:
"Strong people are suited for strong missions."
When Fugaku pressed further, the response had turned cold.
"When you become a commander,"
Orochimaru had said flatly, "you may assign missions however you like. Until then, let me do my work."
Remembering that exchange, Fugaku looked at Uzuku again.
Uzuku said nothing at first.
Then he asked quietly, "Why is the mood here so serious?"
His eyes moved across the camp—over the Uchiha jōnin standing nearby.
Their faces were tight, worried, far more tense than after any ordinary battlefield report.
Fugaku looked at Uzuku for a long moment before answering.
"It may be good news for you," he said at last, his voice heavy," at least indirectly."
Uzuku frowned slightly.
"We received an order from the village," Fugaku continued.
"Orochimaru has been reassigned to the Cloud shinobi border."
A low murmur passed through the jōnin.
"He's taking nearly thirty per cent of the civilian shinobi stationed here with him."
Uzuku stiffened.
"What?" he asked sharply. "Won't that increase our clan's burden?"
His gaze hardened as he continued.
"At the Mist front, it's mainly the Uchiha fighting—supported only by civilian shinobi. If they're pulled back, our strength here will be reduced even further."
The implication was clear.
More pressure.
More casualties.
More isolation.
Fugaku did not deny it.
"That is exactly why I'm worried," Fugaku said, his tone heavy.
"The village claims it will send shinobi from other clans to reinforce us—but not immediately. It will take a month… perhaps two."
Uzuku's eyes narrowed.
He was about to ask more—
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion tore through the camp.
The ground trembled violently.
Smoke and sparks rose in the distance.
Every Uchiha present froze for a heartbeat.
Then—
Fugaku and Uzuku's expressions hardened instantly, snapping into full alert.
Fugaku turned toward the source, his voice sharp.
"That's Tatsuma's squad camp."
The moment Uzuku heard that it was Tatsuma's squad, he wasted no time.
He broke into a sprint toward the camp.
Tatsuma was one of the five leading jōnin of the Hawk unit—and secretly, an elite even among them.
Knowing that, Uzuku understood immediately:
This was no ordinary infiltration.
Whatever had struck that camp had come prepared.
Fugaku did not hesitate.
He signalled his squad and moved after Uzuku at once.
Other Uchiha jōnin reacted just as quickly, breaking into motion and joining them without needing further orders.
In moments, multiple squads were converging on Tatsuma's camp.
Whatever awaited them there.
It was already serious.