章節 63: Revelations
Jun was the only one to be summoned before the Hokage. The kids were left alone. They didn't have much to say anyway. The teenager was the one who fought Itachi and interacted with him. He might be paranoid, but he couldn't help thinking that the Sandaime wanted to see him and make sure Itachi had kept his mouth shut.
If it were to be known that Konoha was aware of what Itachi was planning and silently condone it, the political fallout would be catastrophic. It would destroy all the trust the clans had in the system and shake the village's foundations. Hiruzen's reputation would also take a hit. There may be an uprising to remove the Hokage from his position. The other villages may seize the opportunity to attack Konoha.
In his anger, Jun thought it may be right for the village to suffer from their actions. He believed Konoha was a corrupt institution. Danzo was behind the massacre, but Hiruzen hadn't stopped him. He remained passive. Had the Raging Rupture seal not been activated, Danzo would still be manipulating things in the shadows. The Sandaime would have let him act without impunity. The village had something rotten in it. For a second, he imagined some kind of divine justice befalling the village leaders.
However, he had spent too much time, blood, and sweat defending Konoha. He wouldn't let his siblings grow up in an unsafe environment. If the village collapsed, his family would also suffer from it.
Jun knew that peace depended on keeping secrets about what really happened. He arrived in the Hokage's office with Shikaku. Homura and Koharu were also present with Inoichi Yamanaka, Ibiki Morino and a few ANBUs. The teenager sensed Kakashi's chakra among them and recognize his hairstyle. There was also…
"Shiba-sensei! What are you doing here?" The Uchiha exclaimed in surprise.
"Yesterday, I was appointed as temporary chief of the Police to supervise their dismantling. I guess it makes me the only member of the Police force still alive."
Jun grimaced. Shiba had a big sense of responsibility. He must have felt bad about not being able to complete his assignment.
"We're all here. As you know, the Uchiha clan was slaughtered last night. Itachi Uchiha is responsible for it. Danzo was also murdered, but there is nothing to link his murder to Itachi." Hiruzen said.
The Sandaime looked troubled. Danzo had been his friend, despite his shortcomings. Did he think Itachi had murdered him?
"The investigation is still ongoing. One thing we know for certain is that Danzo was killed by a timed explosive placed in his face, possibly in the bandages covering part of his head or by implantation. But Itachi was nowhere near the scene when the explosion happened." Inoichi explained.
Jun took in a deep breath but said nothing. Shikaku gave him a sharp look.
"However, all the Uchihas weren't wiped out. Sasuke, Itachi's brother, was spared. There are also Jun and his siblings, Izumi and Kazuma. Technically, to be qualified as a clan requires the existence of four people related by blood or adoption, half of whom must be shinobi. Therefore, Jun Uchiha… You are now the leader of the Uchiha clan."
Jun felt like the ground was giving way under his feet.
"What?!"
"You won't be expected to take on the same responsibilities as your predecessor. The reorganization of the Police force will be entrusted to Shiba Arata, with the assistance of the ANBU. The Uchiha district will likely be razed. But until then… Anything left in the district is yours. You will also be given custody of young Sasuke Uchiha." Hiruzen added.
Jun was still shocked. Despite the gravity of the situation, he could see several people hiding amused smiles. The teenager didn't share their amusement. Him being the Uchiha clan leader? Who came up with this idea? And he had to take care of Sasuke? As if he didn't have enough kids under his care already. Just thinking about it made him want to jump out of the window. It may be a bit too much for him. Dealing with a traumatized Sasuke wasn't something he felt ready for.
"Kazuma had never been formally recognized as an Uchiha. So, there aren't four of us," Jun said.
"Uchiha blood flow through his veins. It's enough for us."
Jun was getting angry. They weren't listening to him at all.
"I know it's difficult, but please, don't be blinded by your resentment toward the Uchihas. The Uchiha clan more than paid for what they did." The Hokage said in a gentle voice.
"That's not the problem. Do you think I want to be a clan leader? Do you think I want to babysit Sasuke?"
There was a short silence. It was the jonin commander who broke it.
"It's not much different from being in charge of a bunch of kids like you already are. Regarding the clan leader status, there are just a few more official meetings. I will explain it to you. It's a pain, but I'm your superior. It's my duty to do so…"
Having Shikaku's assistance took a weight off his shoulders. But Jun still didn't want to be the leader of the clan. He turned a pleading gaze towards the Hokage…
"You're the only family Sasuke has left. He's an innocent little boy, almost the same age as your brother, who needs you. Don't turn your back on him."
Jun sighed. The idea of being a clan leader was maddening and ridiculous. He thought about Sasuke. He had lost everything at the hands of the brother he loved and admired. The teenager felt for him. He was raised with the idea of the Uchiha clan being the best and a vast and prosperous clan. And now… It was reduced to nothing. He couldn't imagine what the boy must be feeling.
The Uchiha clan didn't deserve to be annihilated. The name did not deserve to disappear. There was a lot of hurt, shame, and pain attached to that name, and Jun was aware of that. But it was also Shisui's name, his mother's name, his grandparents… There was nothing left of them, except that name.
"Alright. I will do it." He said with determination.
There was a brief silence. Ibiki broke it this time.
"There is also the question of the fate of Itachi Uchiha. He's a nukenin now, a rogue ninja. We are going to add him to the Bingo Book. We need to update it with a list of his abilities. I will need the details of his skills, Lord Hokage, Uchiha clan leader."
Jun realized a few seconds later he was talking to him. It was disconcerting, but he will have to get used to being called like that sometimes.
"He will be added as an S-rank criminal. A bounty will be on his head. If he is captured by a Konoha ninja, the bounty will be donated to the Uchiha clan, as compensation for his crimes." Ibiki added.
The Sandaime and his advisors nodded. Jun was a bit dizzy by all the information. He was a clan leader, and Itachi was a nukenin. There were no more Uchiha apart from his family. It all seemed a little surreal.
"He's one of our youngest nukenins… And an S-rank…" Inoichi muttered regretfully.
"And no one saw it coming? It seems to me that the Police had suspected him of the murder of Shisui Uchiha. And now, after what he did to the rest of the clan…" Shikaku said.
"Should the investigation be reopened? I doubt we'll get very far, though." Shiba said.
"Itachi didn't kill Shisui," Jun said.
No one said a word, but everyone looked at him. Jun gritted his teeth. His heart was pounding, but it was too late to shut up.
"Itachi didn't kill Shisui because whoever did would have stolen his Sharingan. If Itachi had done that, he would be dead."
"What do you mean?" Shiba asked, frowning.
Jun took a deep breath. His hands were suddenly sweaty.
I can't blame Danzo for ordering the massacre. All these people are loyal to Konoha. Learning that one of them ordered a teenager to kill his clan… They don't even know about the coup. But If I talk about Shisui's Sharingan, maybe they'll make the connection with the massacre and think that Itachi wasn't the mastermind behind it. Jun thought.
He couldn't absolve Itachi. He couldn't bring out the truth about all of Danzo's deeds. But he could make sure some truths came to light. He could make sure everyone in the room heard it.
"A few years ago, one of my comrades was killed during a mission. His name was Ise Hyuga, a member of the main family. The enemy wanted to take his eyes, but I managed to stop him by destroying Ise's body. That event got me thinking… The thought that someone could mutilate a friend's body to steal their Dojutsu wasn't pleasant. Then, I started working on a seal to prevent Dojutsus from being used after they were stolen. It took me several years to complete it. I called it the Raging Rupture Seal."
There was a tremor in the room.
"The principle of the seal is simple. It only affects the eyes. Once an eye is no longer powered by its owner's chakra but by an entirely foreign chakra, the Raging Rupture activates. It may take several days for the remaining chakra in the eye to deplete and be replaced by that of the thief. Several weeks, even, if the thief doesn't try to use the eye at first. However, if the thief does use it, the seal ignites…"
The teenager paused.
"The eye explodes, and the whole head goes with it."
The air turned suddenly icy. The room grew colder. The description of Danzo's death fit perfectly with Jun's seal. No one could ignore it. They instantly realized what it meant. Danzo had stolen an eye bearing the Raging Rupture Seal. And since Jun had mentioned Shisui's eyes, the connection wasn't hard to make.
"I gave the seal to Shisui as a gift. I knew his eyes were going to be very coveted. After all, his Sharingan is capable of casting a Genjutsu so powerful that it is undetectable and impossible to break. It is the perfect brainwashing jutsu. Can you imagine what an enemy could have done with that?"
Apparently, several of the jonins in the room hadn't been aware because almost all of them had widened their eyes in shock. Disbelief was on Inoichi's face. Shikaku was immobile, like a statue. They understood. They knew what it meant; they knew why Danzo had coveted Shisui's eye, and why it was very likely that he had indeed committed the theft. Jun had said his piece. They now knew part of the truth.
"What is your point?" Koharu asked in an icy voice.
Jun didn't look away, even though his heart was beating like a drum. The Sandaime's face had hardened. For a brief moment, the atmosphere was almost explosive. Jun and the Sandaime stared at each other, both knowing that the future would depend on the words that would come out of his mouth next.
Jun was terribly tempted to tell everything. But the rational part of him took over. He knew telling the whole truth would only make things worse. The Hokage wanted to hide it. That much was obvious. The teenager had already pushed it far enough by revealing the truth about Danzo's death.
He looked at the advisors one after the other, then he stared back at Hiruzen.
"My point? I'm just saying Itachi didn't steal Shisui's eyes. And if someone else stole it, well… let's say that we're lucky I placed the Raging Rupture Seal on his eyes. I don't know about you, but in my opinion, anyone who would mutilate the body of a Konoha shinobi for personal gain would definitely deserve to have their head blown off."
The Sandaime narrowed his eyes slightly. Jun glared back at him with a hint of defiance. He had just implicitly accused Danzo of being a thief and that he had killed for it. The Hokage had no choice but silently accept it. Hiruzen knew his childhood friend had gone too far. In any case, Jun had wiped out all the sympathy the Hokage had displayed toward him at the beginning of the meeting. Jun didn't regret his action. He could have revealed more, and some people in the room knew it.
The silence was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Then Ibiki Morino cleared his throat.
"There is also the question of the reorganization of the Police. Shiba is the new chief, but we'll need to start recruiting."
The conversation turned to practical details. The tension gradually vanished, but no one completely relaxed. A fraction of the truth had been revealed. Jun had accomplished his mission.
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