Outside Konoha Village.
Obito's figure stepped out from the whirlpool and landed in an open area.
Sora, Kisame, and Zetsu were already waiting there.
Zetsu looked quite battered, with cracks covering half his body as he slowly healed, clearly having sustained serious injuries.
"Tch, Zetsu, you look pretty rough."
Kisama, shouldering his giant sword, grinned.
The White Zetsu part spoke weakly:
"That Might Duy was terrifying... I almost got killed by him..."
The Black Zetsu part remained silent, not uttering a word, but its gaze briefly swept over Sora.
Obito looked at Zetsu and asked:
"What happened?"
White Zetsu complained:
"That Might Duy opened the Seventh Gate right away, and one 'Daytime Tiger' punch nearly blasted me into scraps! If I hadn't run fast..."
Kisame raised an eyebrow.
Sora listened quietly from the side, thinking to himself it was a pity Black Zetsu hadn't been killed.
Obito was silent for a moment, then looked at Sora and Kisame:
"What about your side?"
Kisame scratched his head:
"Uchiha Shisui really is troublesome. His Shunshin is unbelievably fast. I only managed to hold him back with my Water Prison Technique and Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave."
Obito nodded, then turned to Sora:
"White Tiger, what about Uchiha Takumi?"
"He chose to observe."
Sora replied calmly:
"I have history with him. He knows that if he had made a move tonight, the Uchiha Clan's situation would have gotten worse, so he didn't leave the clan grounds."
Obito's brow furrowed slightly beneath his mask.
Although this outcome wasn't quite what he had anticipated, at least Uchiha Takumi hadn't appeared on the battlefield. The suspicion on the Uchiha still wasn't cleared.
"That masked man with the crescent moon..."
"Does anyone know anything about him?"
Kisame and Zetsu both shook their heads, and Sora followed suit.
"Mangekyō Sharingan, space-repulsion type dōjutsu..."
Obito murmured to himself, as if pondering something.
After a moment, he looked at the three of them:
"Tonight's mission is basically complete. The Fourth Hokage is dead, Konoha is critically wounded, and suspicion has been sown on the Uchiha."
"Each of you leave separately and await the organization's next summons."
As his voice fell, he vanished into the whirlpool. Sora and the other two exchanged glances and also departed in different directions.
...
Konoha Village, Hokage Building.
The atmosphere in the conference room was extremely heavy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the main seat, having already donned his Hokage robes again. His face showed exhaustion, and his eyes were bloodshot, clearly having not slept all night.
Seated on either side were the high-level advisors like Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, along with representatives from the various clans.
Uchiha Fugaku sat in a corner, head bowed, remaining silent.
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke in a deep voice:
"The situation is basically under control now."
"Casualty statistics are still being compiled, but preliminary estimates show over five hundred civilians dead, and over a hundred shinobi casualties..."
The conference room fell into complete silence.
"The Fourth..."
Utatane Koharu's voice was somewhat choked, whether genuine or feigned: "He sacrificed himself to protect the village."
Everyone was silent.
Though Namikaze Minato's time as Hokage was short, his warmth, his strength, and his love for the village had won everyone's hearts.
"Now is not the time for grief."
Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and said calmly:
"The urgent task is to stabilize the situation, elect a new Hokage, and... investigate the truth of last night's events."
As he spoke, his gaze casually swept over Uchiha Fugaku.
"The truth?"
Utatane Koharu's voice suddenly turned sharp:
"Is there even a need for investigation? Everyone saw the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes! And that masked man with the crescent moon, he also used a Mangekyō!"
"Koharu, calm down."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly:
"The Sharingan doesn't necessarily mean the Uchiha Clan did it. It could also be an enemy deliberately framing them."
"Framing them?"
Utatane Koharu sneered:
"That masked man with the swirl used a Mangekyō's space-time ninjutsu! The masked man with the crescent moon also used a Mangekyō dōjutsu! Two enemies possessing Mangekyō appearing in one night, both targeting Konoha—do you think that's possible?"
Uchiha Fugaku finally raised his head, his voice calm:
"Advisor, the fact is that not a single member of the Uchiha clan left the compound last night."
"Fact?"
Utatane Koharu stared at him:
"Clan Leader Fugaku, can you guarantee that not a single Uchiha harbors dissent? Can you guarantee that no one secretly colluded with outsiders?"
Uchiha Fugaku fell silent.
He couldn't guarantee it.
In fact, the radicals within the clan were growing increasingly dissatisfied. It was entirely possible some clansman with a secretly awakened Mangekyō had done this—he knew this in his heart.
"Enough."
Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted their conversation:
"The most important thing now is unity. The fact that the Uchiha Clan didn't appear on the battlefield last night is true, but it has also aroused suspicion among the villagers."
He looked at Uchiha Fugaku and spoke slowly:
"Fugaku, for the stability of the village, and for the reputation of the Uchiha Clan... I suggest the Uchiha Clan temporarily relocate to the outskirts of the village."
As his words fell, the conference room was enveloped in silence.
Uchiha Fugaku's body trembled slightly.
Relocating to the outskirts—this was tantamount to isolating the Uchiha, a naked display of distrust and ostracism.
But he knew he had no choice.
Now, with the village suffering heavy losses and the Fourth Hokage dead, the villagers needed an outlet for their anger.
And the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes had already made the Uchiha the most obvious target.
If the Uchiha didn't make concessions, the conflict would only escalate.
"...I understand."
After a long pause, Fugaku spoke slowly, his voice hoarse:
"The Uchiha Clan will relocate to the outskirts."
A flicker of complexity passed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, but he finally nodded:
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Fugaku."
The meeting continued, discussing reconstruction, compensation, and candidates for the next Hokage.
But Uchiha Fugaku was no longer listening.
He stood up, gave a slight bow to Sarutobi Hiruzen, then turned and left the conference room.
The corridor was empty.
Fugaku leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
...
Three days later.
Inside Konoha Village, the Uchiha Clan began their relocation.
Clan members silently packed their belongings, their expressions complex—a mix of reluctance, anger, sorrow, and confusion.
They didn't understand why the village was treating the Uchiha like this.
During the Nine-Tails incident, it was true they hadn't acted, but that was on orders from the higher-ups—the Hokage's direct ANBU had informed them that the Uchiha Clan was not to leave the compound, citing the reason "to prevent further control of the Nine-Tails."
Now, that very order had become evidence of their guilt.
"Clan Leader, do we really have to move?"
a young clansman couldn't help but ask, indignation in his eyes: "Why? We didn't do anything wrong!"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at him and said slowly:
"It's for the stability of the village."
"Stability?"
Another clansman sneered:
"The village is stable, but what about us Uchiha? Driven out to the village edge, how is that different from exile?"
Uchiha Fugaku's gaze sharpened, and he barked:
"Enough."
"Carry out the order."
The clansmen dared not say more, bowing their heads and continuing to pack.
By evening.
The Uchiha Clan's new compound was located in the outermost area of Konoha Village.
This area was originally a training ground and warehouse district, with crude conditions, far inferior to their original compound. Uchiha Fugaku stood in the center of the compound, watching his busy clansmen, his heart heavy.
"Clan Leader."
A clansman approached and said in a low voice:
"Those few from the radical faction... request your presence."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded and followed the clansman to a temporary wooden hut.
Pushing open the door, seven or eight people were already seated inside.
They were all representative figures of the clan's radical faction—Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, Uchiha Tekka...
"Clan Leader Fugaku."
Uchiha Yashiro spoke first, his voice cold: "We've been driven to a place like this now. Don't you have anything to say?"
Uchiha Fugaku sat down calmly:
"What do you want to hear from me?"
"About the future of us Uchiha!"
Uchiha Inabi slammed the table and stood up: "The village treats us like this; it's clearly distrust! What meaning is there in staying in Konoha?"
"Inabi, calm down."
Uchiha Tekka held him back, but his own gaze was equally sharp: "Clan Leader, we want to know your stance. Will you continue to appease the village?"
The hut fell silent.
Everyone stared at Uchiha Fugaku, waiting for his answer.
Uchiha Fugaku slowly raised his head, his three-tomoe Sharingan glowing faintly red.
Namikaze Minato, whom the clan had recently fully supported, was dead. This not only meant the Uchiha's investment was wasted but also, because they had previously helped Minato compete for the Hokage's power, they had thoroughly offended Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After all, in such political struggles, there was no such thing as sitting on the fence; that was suicide.
Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen was back in power, it was inevitable he would move against the Uchiha, especially since he had returned to power in this manner.
The Uchiha Clan's situation could be said to be even more difficult than before...
Last time, Uchiha Fugaku had rejected the radical faction, but his approach had failed with Minato's death. This time, he had no choice left.
Uchiha Fugaku was silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly:
"The glory of the Uchiha will not disappear just because of one relocation."
"But the future of the Uchiha... we need to fight for it ourselves."
"The Konoha of today is no longer the Konoha of the past."
As his words fell, the eyes of the radical faction members lit up.
They understood the clan leader's meaning.
Uchiha Fugaku stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the distant lights of Konoha Village.
A trace of resolve flickered in his Sharingan.
"From today onward, the Uchiha Clan... will live for ourselves."