Uchiha Fugaku sat quietly in his office, lost in thought. His intuition told him that while the Third Hokage was aware of the Uchiha Clan's plans for a coup, he wouldn't act immediately.
The fact that Uchiha Itachi had been assigned to keep an eye on him and the clan indicated this. If the Third Hokage truly intended to take immediate action, he would have mobilized forces to crush the Uchiha outright rather than merely observing them.
"The Third Hokage knows there are rumblings of rebellion within the clan, but no overt action has been taken yet," Fugaku mused. "If he attacks without clear proof, other clans might suspect something and rise up."
Fugaku believed that the oppression the Uchiha had faced was not just coincidental. He suspected that the village's leadership, led by the Third Hokage and his advisors, wanted to provoke the Uchiha into a coup. That way, they could justify wiping out the clan without appearing as the aggressors.
"They want to force us into a corner, so they can justify our destruction," Fugaku thought bitterly. "But I won't let them win."
The previous clan head might have played into the village's hands, but Fugaku had a different plan. He intended to make the Hokage's net useless by the time it was cast. His power was still growing, and by the time the village's leaders made their move, he would be strong enough to break free.
Half a month passed. The teams sent out by the village to investigate the deaths of Shimura Ryoma and the others returned with no useful information. Their search had been misdirected from the start, leading them nowhere. Eventually, Konoha decided to abandon the investigation, classifying it as an unsolved case.
While the Shimura clan was upset, they had no choice but to move on.
One morning, instead of heading to the Uchiha headquarters or the Konoha Police Force, Fugaku made his way to the Hokage's office. After formally reporting his presence, he was allowed in to speak with the Third Hokage.
"Fugaku, what brings you here?" The Third Hokage, seated behind his desk, puffed on his pipe, his demeanor calm and inviting. It was an act Fugaku knew all too well—the Hokage's pleasant front masked a far more cunning nature.
"I'm here to request permission to leave the village for a while," Fugaku said.
This caught the Third Hokage off-guard. He had suspected why Fugaku had come to see him, but the request to leave the village was unexpected.
"What for?" asked the Hokage, his tone still calm but with a hint of curiosity.
"Personal matters," Fugaku replied simply. He wasn't interested in explaining further. As clan head, he had the privilege to leave the village without the need for an official mission. He knew this, and so did the Hokage.
The Third Hokage wasn't about to question him further. Ninjas like Jiraiya and Tsunade had left Konoha for years without any repercussions, after all.
"What about the Police Force? Who will manage things while you're away?" the Hokage asked, still exhaling smoke.
"Uchiha Yakumi will manage the department in my absence. He has been by my side for years and has the experience to handle everything smoothly," Fugaku assured him.
With that, the Hokage nodded. "Very well. Permission granted."
Fugaku thanked him and quickly left the office. He had no desire to linger around the hypocritical leader of the village. One day, Fugaku swore, he would bring down that facade and see justice served.
---
Shortly after Fugaku left, the door to the Hokage's office opened again. This time, Danzo Shimura entered, his right arm and eye concealed by bandages.
"Hokage, I don't trust Fugaku's reasons for leaving the village. He must be up to something," Danzo said immediately.
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. He had suspected something similar but hadn't seen any concrete reason to stop Fugaku.
"Uchiha Fugaku is the head of his clan. He has the authority to leave the village if he wants, and we can't just deny him without reason," the Hokage responded, though he shared some of Danzo's concerns.
"Let me send my Root members to follow him. We'll figure out his true purpose," Danzo suggested.
After a brief pause, the Hokage nodded. He knew it was a breach of trust to spy on Fugaku, but the rising tensions within the Uchiha clan and the whispers of rebellion couldn't be ignored.
"Do it. But make sure it's your Root agents. If Fugaku discovers them, the blame will fall on you, not the village," the Hokage warned.and said the second sentence in his mind.
Danzo gave a slight smile. "Of course." He turned and left to put his plan into action.
(End of the chapter)
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