The Land of Fire.
Konoha.
Inside the Uchiha compound—
"That's right. There are too many suspicious points in Kagami-senpai's case. Hiruzen Sarutobi's story is full of holes. Something must have happened back then, and we need to uncover the truth."
"Not only uncover the truth—we need to seek justice for Kagami-senpai."
"Exactly. Konoha has always treated the Uchiha harshly. It wasn't just Kagami-senpai. In this war too, we Uchiha are the ones being sacrificed."
"They send us to the most dangerous places, assign us the deadliest missions, and make us bear the highest casualty rates. But what does the village give the Uchiha in return?"
"The least of all."
"It's completely unfair!"
The anger of these people was not merely about defending Uchiha Kagami.
More than that, they had long believed that they themselves had never been treated fairly within the village.
They had always felt targeted.
Now, they did not just want justice for Kagami—
They wanted justice for themselves.
They wanted to fight for their own interests.
"So what do we do now?"
As soon as that question was raised, the room fell silent.
The Uchiha of today were no longer the Uchiha of old.
After Uchiha Madara defected, the clan had suffered severe suppression that continued to this day. The clan's overall strength had already fallen sharply from what it once was.
And even within the clan, they were divided into multiple factions.
"This matter is too important. We should let the clan head decide."
"And what if the clan head does nothing? You all know his usual attitude. Whenever it comes to Konoha, all he ever does is make us back down."
"If that happens, then he has no right to continue being our clan head!"
Soon, the news reached the ears of the current Uchiha clan head.
Uchiha Yamakaku—
Uchiha Fugaku's father.
After hearing the report about the rumor, Uchiha Yamakaku showed no change in expression. He simply summoned Uchiha Fugaku to his study and had him brew a pot of tea.
"Father, the tea is ready."
Uchiha Yamakaku lifted the teacup and took a shallow sip.
"Fugaku. You've heard the rumors spreading through the Uchiha recently, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"What do you think?"
Uchiha Fugaku answered, "There really are suspicious points in Kagami-senpai's case."
"Foolish!"
Uchiha Yamakaku looked at him with disappointment.
"Kagami-senpai's matter happened long ago. No one mentioned it for years, and now suddenly it's spreading widely through the Uchiha. Someone is clearly fanning the flames from the shadows."
"Their goal must be to drive a wedge between the Uchiha and Konoha."
"In my opinion, Iwagakure is the most likely culprit."
"They are the ones fighting Konoha most fiercely right now. If the Uchiha and Konoha drift apart, Iwagakure will gain a much greater advantage on the battlefield."
After saying that, Uchiha Yamakaku's tone softened somewhat.
"If you were the clan head, Fugaku… how would you handle this matter?"
"Father, you are still the clan head."
Uchiha Yamakaku waved a hand.
"That is only a matter of time. We are father and son—there is no need to be so rigid. Consider this a test."
Remembering his father's earlier attitude, Uchiha Fugaku hesitated before saying,
"Father… I think… it needs to be controlled?"
Uchiha Yamakaku nodded.
"Good. I'll leave this matter to you. Consider it practical training before you formally inherit the position of clan head."
"Yes, Father."
The actions of Uchiha Yamakaku and Uchiha Fugaku left these people deeply disappointed.
They had thought that with so many suspicious points in Uchiha Kagami's incident, the Uchiha clan head would at least question Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage.
At the very least, he should seek the truth behind Kagami's death and fight for the rights the Uchiha were owed.
But instead, Uchiha Yamakaku did nothing at all.
Not only that—he even moved to suppress the spread of the rumor within the clan.
One Uchiha said furiously,
"Too weak!"
"It's because we have a clan head like this that the Uchiha keep getting bullied by Konoha. He doesn't stand with us Uchiha at all. All he wants is to wag his tail at Konoha."
"He only cares about protecting his own position."
"A man like that has no right to be the head of the Uchiha clan."
"We can't count on him. We can only rely on ourselves—on our own strength—to resist!"
"From today onward, I refuse to go to the battlefield. I refuse to accept missions."
Another Uchiha stood up as well.
"That's right. If Konoha won't give us an explanation, then we won't work for Konoha."
"Strike!"
…
…
Letter after letter was delivered to the Hokage's office.
Some came from the front lines.
Some came from the mission department.
Hiruzen Sarutobi read through them one by one, and the more he read, the uglier his expression became.
"What is going on?"
On the battlefield, almost at the same time, six or seven Uchiha members had withdrawn from the front, citing illness.
One or two might have been coincidence.
But this many at once?
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that something was very, very wrong.
And it wasn't only the front lines.
Reports had also come in from the village's mission department.
Tasks assigned to Uchiha shinobi had been refused repeatedly.
Some were suddenly sick.
Some were suddenly injured.
Others claimed they had urgent personal matters and absolutely could not go.
At a glance, none of it looked normal.
"What are these Uchiha trying to do? Have they gone mad? Causing trouble at a moment like this?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned grim.
Clearly, this was a collective incident.
And not just any collective incident—
A collective act of serious disruption.
"Come in."
At his command, an ANBU shinobi immediately entered.
"Investigate it."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Not long after, the ANBU shinobi returned with a report.
The matter of the rumor had not remained confined to the Uchiha. Even many ordinary villagers had begun discussing it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened instantly.
"What utter nonsense!"
"These Uchiha are going on strike over a rumor and demanding that I explain myself?"
"Where exactly did they leave their brains?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious.
Partly because this was a critical moment for Konoha.
The war between Konoha and Iwagakure had reached the stage where victory or defeat would soon be decided.
If something went wrong inside the village at a time like this, it would affect the battlefield.
If they lost because the enemy truly outmatched them, Hiruzen might barely have been able to accept it.
But to lose because of internal problems—
Because someone was stirring up chaos from within—
That, Hiruzen Sarutobi absolutely could not accept.
"Can't these Uchiha stay quiet for once?"
Involuntarily, a certain image rose in Hiruzen's mind.
Back then, when Senju Tobirama looked toward the Uchiha clan, there had always been a deep, instinctive disgust in his gaze.
And in that same disgust-laced tone, he had spoken a single line.
"The Uchiha are evil by nature."
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