A/N:- So, I will be releasing atleast 9-10 chapters a week from now on. I don't have any exam for atleast next three weeks.
--------------------------
At the Leaf Village Cemetery,
The remaining members of the Uchiha clan are silently mourning the death of their loved ones. Fugaku Uchiha silently stands at the front of the clan as his eyes are closed.
'My clan has met with such an unfortunate incident and I was powerless to do anything.'
Fugaku clenches his fist as he stares at the gravestone of his friends and clan members.
"Almost sixty percent… almost sixty percent of Uchiha clan members died in this incident."
Fugaku remembers the tally of dead clansmen.
"Seventy people were slaughtered in this attack. They were assassinated silently and most of them were killed in gruesome ways."
Nerves popped out in Fugaku's hand as he clenched his fist harder. Blood leaks from his palm.
"Our once noble clan of elites has fallen to such a down crest position. Most of the remaining members are non-shinobis and only a handful of them are ninjas."
Mikoto pulls Fugaku's hand and shakes her head. Fugaku sighs and closes his eyes.
The remaining Uchiha clan silently prays for the rest of the dead as tears flow from their eyes. Izuna silently mourns the death of his clan members as he remembers the faces of some clan members.
'Many of them were so kind and friendly to me. But I allowed them to die such an unfortunate death.
Some things still happened despite my presence. But I never expected Danzo to be alive and hire Akatsuki to start a slaughter.
Next time, if I see any Akatsuki member; I will kill them with no hesitation. There will be no mercy for them.'
Tears flow through his eyes as he recalls the state of many corpses. Most of their eyes were missing. Some corpses have even their heart stolen and some of them were dismembered beyond recognition.
-----------------
Crunch… crunch…
Izuna lifts his head as he hears the sound of footsteps crushing the gravel in the cemetery.
"It was an unfortunate turn of series; all of you have my condolences."
Hiruzen and the rest of the elder council members slowly approach the Uchiha clan and stand beside them.
They close their eyes to pay homage to the dead.
"Uchiha clan has fallen out of grace. With their downfall, they are no longer a part of the noble clans of Konoha."
Koharu closes her eyes as she mutters these words.
"Looks like some subtle changes are going to happen in the power scale of the village…."
Homura remarks as he closes his eyes.
Izuna raises his eyebrows as he hears the content of the conversation.
'These pairs of old bones are playing politics at such an occasion. I have to somehow kick them out of the elder council. They have corroded the village together with Danzo.
It's time for some new people to join the council. I have to think of a way to instate Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage.
Sigh… But she won't abide by my request. I have already asked too much from her.'
Izuna looks at the carving of Minato on the Hokage Monument.
'Minato, Kushina, I will revive you soon. Just wait a bit longer.'
"Koharu, Homura!... let's leave the political matter for the later meeting. We are in the middle of a funeral." Hiruzen reminds them.
Koharu and Homura stop their conversation and closes their eyes.
-----------------
After the funeral ceremony,
The Uchiha clan members slowly disperse as they tend to the graves of their loved ones.
Fugaku slowly walks in front of his family. Sasuke is holding Mikoto's hand as he silently stares at the grave of an old woman.
"Sasuke! Let's give some company to Grandma Furi." Mikoto carries Sasuke towards one of the grave.
Fugaku stares at Izuna, Shisui, and Itachi for a while before a sigh escapes from his mouth.
Sigh…
"You three are the hope of the Uchiha clan. With so many capable ninjas gone, the Uchiha clan will suffer from further prejudice and scorn.
The nine-tails incident had already soiled our reputation with false rumors and then the Coup d'état."
Fugaku stares at Shisui and Itachi.
"You were aware, father!" Itachi gulps his saliva.
"Who do you think am I? I already suspected you as a double agent when I saw you snooping around near various elder's house."
Fugaku activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and shows it to Itachi. Shisui and Itachi are surprised to see his Mangekyo..
"During the third Shinobi war, I lost a close friend of mine and gained the power of Mangekyo."
Izuna activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and shows Fugaku.
"You aren't the only one who lost a friend in the third war, Fugaku-san."
Shisui and Itachi also activate their Mangekyo Sharingan.
"What?" Fugaku's eyes widen as he stares at the group.
"I expected Izuna-kun to have the power of Mangekyo. But Shisui and even you Itachi?"
"Father! I awakened my Mangekyo in this massacre." Itachi replies sadly.
Sigh…
Fugaku sighs and pats Itachi's shoulder.
"You have gone through a lot recently. I don't want Sasuke to go through similar things. So, let's try to protect that smile of his."
Itachi looks at the sad expression of Sasuke, who is praying in front of the grave.
"Yes, father! I will protect that smile of his."
Itachi turns to Shisui and speaks,
"Shisui nii-san, I think I have found my Ninja way. I don't have any big ambition or goals. I just want to protect the smile of my family. I don't want to feel the same sense of despair and helplessness again. So, I will grow stronger to protect that smile."
Shisui smiles at Itachi and pats his head.
"Yes, you will. I will always have your back." Shisui places his arm on Itachi's shoulder."
"And I will have yours." Izuna hugs both of them.
Fugaku looks at their interaction and a smile replaces his ever-present frown.
'Looks like there is still hope for my Uchiha clan. But first, I have to deal with the dirty politics of the village.'
Fugaku frowns as he spots an Anbu member walking towards him.
Izuna and the rest notice him too. Izuna nods to Shisui and Itachi. Both of them flicker away.
After relaying the message to Fugaku, the Anbu member flickers away.
"I will accompany you Fugaku-san." Izuna walks towards and stands in front of Fugaku.
Fugaku ponders for a while before he nods his head.
"That would be great. Let's go to the meeting."
-------------------
Inside the meeting room,
Various elders of the village sit around a large round table. Hiruzen sits in the middle of the table with Koharu and Homura on his sides.
Many other clan leaders are also taking part in the meeting. Fugaku and Izuna enter inside the meeting room.
Koharu and Homura frown when they notice Izuna in this meeting.
"What's the meaning of this, Fugaku Uchiha? It is a meeting of council elders and clan leaders. Why have you brought a clan member in this meeting?" Koharu questions Fugaku.
Izuna stares at Koharu.
"It's fine, Koharu. Izuna Uchiha is an elite jounin of our village. His achievements are more than enough to grant him an elder position in the village council. If it wasn't for his age, I would have upvoted him for Hokage's position." Hiruzen interrupts Koharu.
'What?... This pervert old geezer has such a high opinion of me.'
Hmph…
Koharu snorts and ignores Hiruzen's remark.
'This granny wants an early retirement. She fricking lived till Naruto's reign as a Hokage and interferes in his rule. Soon, I will give her a long vacation.'
Izuna takes a seat beside Sakumo and calmly looks at the rest of the clan leaders.
'Hmm… From their expression, I can see that Hyuga clan, Aburame clan, Nara clan, Yamanaka clan, and Akimichi clan have no feud with Uchiha clan…'
He continues to stare at the rest of the middle-sized clan members.
'Huh!... Kurama clan leader seems to be excited a little. From his heartbeat, his erratic breathing, I can feel his excitement. Hmm… let's see what he has to say during this meeting.'
Soon, all clan leaders arrive for the meeting. Hiruzen raises his hand and signals the start of the meeting.
"Let's start the meeting."
Hiruzen stands up and walks to the center of the round table to address the clan leaders.
"As all of you know, the Uchiha clan was attacked two days ago. In the night's silence, Akatsuki members attacked the Uchiha clan and killed most of their members."
Hiruzen pauses and stares at the rest of the people. The clan leader nods their head.
"This attack placed a heavy burden on the power structure of the village. We have lost almost all of the Police Force members and the security of the village is in jeopardy. So, I would like to…"
"I have something to say, Hokage-sama." Izuna interrupts Hiruzen.
Homura frowns and rebukes Izuna.
"Brat! We are still in the middle of our discussion. Don't interrupt the meeting and waste our time."
Hiruzen silently stares at their interaction as he awaits Izuna's response.
Bam…
Izuna smashes the table and stands up.
"The matters of village politics has got nothing to do with me. I want to ask the elder council, especially you two…
Izuna points fingers at Koharu and Homura.
"Why haven't you announced the name of the instigator of the Uchiha Massacre event yet?"
Bam…
The table breaks from the force exerted by Izuna. Fugaku looks at Izuna and wonders.
'It was worth it to bring him here. He can voice his opinion and thoughts much more openly than me.'
-----------------------------
A/N:- Uchiha clan is in a weird spot right now. They are suspected of the Nine-tails incident and the Coup d'état. This massacre has declined their power. I want Uchiha clan to assert their dominance. So, the next two chapters will have some politics stuff involved. This is required for the plot and for the Uchiha clan to grow as a powerhouse.
PS: Hyuga Affair Part-3 will be released tomorrow alongside regular chapter.