Fugaku's face had never looked so grim. As a clan leader, being threatened with a ninja blade by his own clansman, who even mentioned decapitating him, was unprecedented.
His dark pupils swiftly turned blood-red, and the three tomoe of his Sharingan slowly rotated. Uchiha Fugaku said with a somber tone, "I am the head of the clan, and I will enter now to take those people away!"
"Heh."
Yoichi snickered upon hearing this, his expression cold. He tilted his head, indicating the police force's gate to Uchiha Fugaku, "Try it, clan leader."
The Raiden blade remained raised, its blood-red tomoe locked in a stare with Fugaku's three tomoe. Yoichi's expression seemed to state a fact: 'If you dare enter, I dare to chop off your head.'
In Yoichi's view, Fugaku, who had been propped up by Danzo's words, didn't deserve to be the clan leader. By this time, the militaristic faction aligned with the Second Elder had already made their choice, and it would be best for Fugaku, the clan leader, not to betray the will of his clansmen.
Otherwise, the same way he was elevated to his position, he could be dragged down!
Truth be told, Fugaku did not possess the Mangekyo Sharingan nor the strength to convince all clan members; even if he did, making an unsatisfactory decision would still not garner their support.
Take Uchiha Madara, for example, whose decision to join Konoha was his own, and yet he wanted to leave again just a few years later, causing turmoil—moving the clan to the village only to declare moving back.
Should Fugaku indeed take a step forward, Yoichi would genuinely dare to strike him down. It wasn't as if he had no cards to play; Yoichi could still summon King Ghidorah one more time. If Konoha wanted to turn hostile, then no one would get off easily.
He could summon King Ghidorah directly within Konoha, destroying this damn village; initiating the Third Great Ninja War two years early and making Konoha history!
Fugaku found himself in a difficult position, pressured by Danzo from behind and watched by Hiruzen.
What infuriated Fugaku the most was being threatened by Yoichi, a younger member of his clan.
Fugaku felt that if he truly didn't enter now, the clan leader's dignity would be completely lost.
Thus, a few seconds after Yoichi finished speaking, Fugaku lifted his foot towards the police force's gate, seemingly determined to go in and bring those people out.
'What a pathetic clan leader!'
Yoichi thought bitterly, ready to go down together, who was afraid of whom!
The Raiden blade crackled intensely with lightning, and with a swift motion, it aimed straight for Fugaku's neck.
Yoichi held nothing back with this strike, believing that if he didn't establish his authority now, he might face a fate worse than death later on.
If Fugaku dared to step forward under the guise of the clan leader, then death was what he sought!
Clang! A clear, ear-piercing clang of metal collision sounded as a chakra blade, shimmering with white light, intercepted the Raiden blade.
The invisible wind-style chakra on the white short blade easily shredded the lightning encasing the Raiden blade.
Wind-style's cutting power countered the piercing force of lightning-style, something Yoichi had experienced during spars with Kakashi; though Kakashi's wind-style wasn't as strong back then, making the counter not as apparent.
However, on the White Fang of Konoha, the elemental counter was strikingly clear.
"Yoichi-kun, please calm down. The most important thing now is to clarify the spy issue; everyone is too impulsive."
Sakumo spoke with a gentle tone, having used almost instantaneous movement to appear from behind Hiruzen to Fugaku's side, blocking Yoichi's strike.
The sparks generated by the collision of the two ninja blades nearly splattered onto Fugaku's neck, leaving him with a mix of anger and astonishment.
Fugaku hadn't expected Yoichi to truly attempt to kill him; had it not been for Sakumo's intervention, his neck might have been severed by now.
"Uchiha Yoichi!"
Fugaku shouted angrily, about to use his Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on Yoichi.
However, before he could act, a hand rested on his shoulder, interrupting Fugaku's move with a gentle but firm grip.
"Clan Leader Fugaku, let's all calm down. The misunderstanding will deepen if we continue like this. We just need to clarify if Yoichi-kun's detainees are indeed spies from the Stone Village. All misunderstandings will be resolved, and Yoichi-kun's actions were for the village's sake. Moreover, Yoichi-kun didn't actually harm anyone; even without me, Clan Leader Fugaku wouldn't have been in danger. I was just being meddlesome."
Sakumo's voice was gentle, yet his words commanded respect from everyone present.
Being the White Fang of Konoha, with a reputation and prowess that could intimidate enemy village Jonin and even earn respect from the Sannin, many in the village speculated that in terms of sheer strength, perhaps only Hiruzen was stronger than the White Fang.
And his words also surprised Yoichi, seemingly helping him smooth over the situation. However, after a moment of thought, Yoichi understood it was probably because Kakashi had discussed the matter with his father.
Fugaku took a deep breath, managing to suppress his rage. Sakumo had just saved him, and being significantly stronger, Fugaku decided to see how Sakumo would handle the situation.
"Third Hokage, the root of the dispute lies in whether those individuals are spies. If so, let's investigate now to dispel all misunderstandings," Sakumo addressed Hiruzen, prompting action.
Hiruzen, no longer able to feign ignorance, responded, "Very well, Sakumo-kun. I entrust this matter to you."
Relieved, Hiruzen sighed internally. Sakumo seldom approached him, but his visit to the Hokage's office today, discussing Kakashi's mission and the leaked intelligence, hinted at a near disaster for Sakumo's only son. Betraying village ninjas and leaking intelligence violated Sakumo's principles.
Knowing Sakumo wouldn't deceive him, Hiruzen took the matter seriously. Given the news of Kakashi teaming up with Yoichi and a bit of deduction, it wasn't hard to guess who had the audacity to undertake such actions.
Danzo!
With Hiruzen's permission, Sakumo turned to Yoichi, "Yoichi-kun, please let me accompany you inside. If they are indeed spies communicating with the Stone Village, they shouldn't be overlooked."
"Please, follow me, Sakumo-san."
After a moment, Yoichi addressed Sakumo, then proceeded towards the police force.
Entering, Yoichi noticed the complex glances from his clansmen—mixtures of awe and shock, possibly because they saw Yoichi dare to confront the clan leader and intimidate Root operatives, significantly boosting the police force's reputation.
In truth, the police force had often been bullied by Root. Previously, when the police force rigorously purged spies from the village, Root operatives would demand their release under various pretexts.
Moreover, their demeanor was disdainful, as if the police force was obligated to serve Root.
Therefore, after today, the police force's respect for Yoichi was partly due to his boldness and partly due to the satisfaction of seeing Root operatives being intimidated.
(End of Chapter)
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"Yoichi-kun, Kakashi's safe return this time is largely thanks to your help. Without you, Kakashi might have..."
Upon entering the police force building, Sakumo began speaking to Yoichi.
As a father, knowing his son was nearly killed due to intelligence leaked by their own village, even the usually tempered Sakumo couldn't help but feel enraged.
Sakumo was aware of the team-up between Kakashi and Yoichi, trusting Kakashi's judgment without much interference, a fact surely known to the village's higher-ups as well.
Yet, despite this, Kakashi and Yoichi's squad still fell victim to schemes by the village's upper echelon, even having their mission details leaked to the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
This was something Sakumo could not tolerate. The Leaf Village, founded by predecessors, was meant to protect the younger generations, not to persecute them for selfish gains.
"Elder Sakumo, you're also aware of the situation, so I won't hide it from you. I'm completely certain Danzo is behind this, hence my retaliation by targeting the Shimura clan. Barely surviving betrayal from our own village, I couldn't swallow this grievance without retaliation!"
Yoichi explained, presenting a map of watchposts drawn by the Stone Ninja as evidence. "The source of this evidence isn't crucial, but it clearly indicates the Stone Ninja's ambitions to expand their influence in the Land of Grass."
"It seems unrest is brewing in the ninja world again," Sakumo observed the map and its annotations. As long as Yoichi insisted it was found in the Shimura household, it was as good as nailing their coffin shut.
Even explanations would be futile; who could search Yoichi's mind for the truth?
"I understand. Let's leave it at that for now, Yoichi-kun. I've seen Danzo's decisiveness firsthand. Unfortunately, these individuals likely won't implicate him."
Sakumo advised, having served under Danzo during the Second Ninja War and witnessed his ruthlessness firsthand.
Danzo was willing to sacrifice a dozen of his own men for a major victory, a method Sakumo had disagreed with, leading to their dispute.
Although the Shimura clan members could be pinned down this time, implicating Danzo directly might not be possible.
"I know, Elder Sakumo. After all, the Third won't let his old teammate face trouble!"
Yoichi said with a cold laugh, unable to fathom the depths of Hiruzen's tolerance for Danzo, even forgiving assassination attempts.
Though this wouldn't immediately doom Danzo, Yoichi, a vengeful soul, wouldn't forget the 'care' Danzo showed him.
"Let's go, Yoichi-kun. I must report back to the Hokage."
With that, Sakumo, carrying evidence against the Shimura clan along with other 'supporting' documents, made his way out of the police force.
Upon exiting, everyone's gaze turned to Sakumo and Yoichi.
Sakumo, holding the evidence, whispered to Hiruzen upon reaching him, "Lord Hokage, these were found on the Shimura clan members. It details the Stone Village's expansion plans in the Land of Grass and residual trade contracts from the Land of Earth."
These were acquired by Yoichi during previous missions, now used against the Shimura clan.
After reviewing the evidence, Hiruzen's expression darkened, then he turned to Danzo, "Danzo, you are hereby relieved from your duties as the Hokage's advisor and will be investigated by the Anbu."
"Danzo, you..."
"Until the Anbu concludes their investigation, Root will be under their jurisdiction!"
"That's unacceptable, I..."
"Enough, Danzo. I am the Hokage!"
Hiruzen raised his voice, silencing Danzo instantly, his clenched fists betraying his fury.
Following the verdict on Danzo, Hiruzen turned to Fugaku, "Clan Leader Fugaku, since the evidence against these individuals is conclusive, let the police force handle it according to Konoha's laws."
With that, Hiruzen adjusted his Hokage hat and departed.
Despite knowing Danzo wouldn't act against Konoha's interests and that the evidence might have been gathered by Yoichi on missions, Yoichi's timing in presenting it was to ensure the Shimura clan's downfall.
After Hiruzen left, Danzo, with a thunderous expression, also departed, leaving almost only the police force members on site.
Yoichi spoke, "Elder Shoji, Elder Horigawa, just imprison those individuals for now. For the moment, there seem to be no further issues. Thank you for your efforts."
Shoji nodded, "There shouldn't be much left to do."
Horigawa patted Yoichi's shoulder, "Yoichi-kun, you can defeat me, I'll truly trust you."
"I'll do my best, Elder Horigawa."
After parting, Yoichi left without exchanging words with Fugaku, indicating no room for reconciliation between them.
————————————————
"Yoichi-kun, although the outcome is favorable this time, you acted too impulsively," Kenji said after setting down his tea cup. He had discreetly observed the unfolding events near the police force, feeling relieved by Yoichi's decisiveness yet frightened by his boldness, as if the blade was swung not at Fugaku but at Kenji himself.
"You can swing your blade at Danzo, given his suspected collusion with the Stone Ninja, but you must not do the same to the clan leader, no matter your disdain for him. Fugaku remains the Uchiha clan's leader."
"Though you've tarnished Fugaku's reputation today, word will spread, and your reputation will suffer. You'll need to find ways to remedy this, as most will likely side with Fugaku over you."
Kenji continued, his advice stemming from a place of concern, almost suggesting he saw Yoichi as a future clan leader.
"I understand, Elder Kenji. I'll be more cautious in the future."
Yoichi expressed gratitude, thankful for Kenji's support today, without which he would've faced a lose-lose situation against Danzo.
"As for the Shimura clan, there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with their external business. I'll handle it. If a chance to confront Shimura ninjas arises, Yoichi-kun, it'll be your turn."
Kenji nodded, "Focusing on reputation and rallying clan members will mitigate today's impact, as those who came today wish for the Uchiha to break free from endless compromises."
"However, you'll need to lay low for a while, avoiding missions for the time being."
"And, accompany me to see the Great Elder. Just remain silent when we get there. Oh, and bring along some of the mutton we received yesterday."
(End of Chapter)
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