The following day, as Uchiha Fugaku anticipated, a village meeting was held.
Upon learning that the twelve-member elite jonin team had nearly been annihilated—with only Uchiha Shisui surviving—the Konoha leaders were stunned and furious. Not only had they failed to kill the Wood Release user, but the mission also came at a tremendous cost in lives.
The room was charged with anger and frustration, and opinions were sharply divided. Some demanded swift retribution for the fallen jonin and called for forming an even stronger team to hunt down the Wood Release user. Others argued that this adversary's power was too great and that any further action should be carefully considered, if not entirely halted.
The debate raged for hours, and neither side could sway the other.
"Konoha, once the pinnacle of power in the ninja world, has fallen to this," Fugaku thought bitterly as he listened to the squabbling voices around him.
Konoha's golden age had been during its founding, when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha alone could easily overwhelm the other major villages. Even in later years, Konoha's strength had remained nearly unmatchable, boasting legends like the Sannin, the White Fang of Konoha, and the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. At its peak, Konoha had the strength to stand against all four great ninja villages combined.
But this power and its associated fame had also bred fear among the village's high-ranking officials. Led by the Third Hokage, the leadership, fearing threats to their own positions, used subtle but ruthless political means to undermine their most powerful assets. This ultimately led to the White Fang's tragic suicide, the disbanding of the Sannin, and the Fourth Hokage's isolation of the Uchiha clan after their inaction during the Nine-Tails attack.
Fugaku knew that, had these once-great forces remained intact, even someone as formidable as Uchiha Obito would be hard-pressed to match them. But the reality was that those forces were gone, diminished by the very leadership now seeking vengeance.
These high-ranking officials, led by the Third Hokage, were the true architects of Konoha's decline.
"It would be ideal if these leaders could set aside their prejudices against the Uchiha for the sake of an external threat," Fugaku thought, "but I don't expect it."
He knew that even if the Uchiha clan were spared for now, once the immediate threat passed, the high-ranking officials would turn their attention back to the clan, just as they had with the White Fang. Thus, the Uchiha's conflict with the Third Hokage and his supporters was one that could only end with the defeat of one side.
It wasn't that the Uchiha family ignored the larger picture. It was simply that Konoha's corrupt leaders had so deeply infected the village that they needed to be cut out.
The meeting stretched on for hours without any consensus. In the end, it was decided that the matter would be revisited another day.
After leaving the Hokage building, Fugaku walked down the street, brooding over the situation.
"Only one survivor out of twelve, and, of course, it's a member of the Uchiha clan. Patriarch Fugaku, you must be feeling lucky," a mocking voice called out from behind him.
Fugaku turned to see Shimura Daisuke and Aburame Shiwei. It was Daisuke who had spoken, and the hostility in his tone was unmistakable.
Given the history between these two and the Uchiha, it was clear they weren't offering compliments.
"Shimura-san, speak plainly," Fugaku replied, his tone cool.
"The mission failed, eleven jonin died, and only Uchiha Shisui survived. Tell me, was he just lucky? Or did he desert the battlefield?" Daisuke sneered, letting his meaning sink in.
Daisuke was unaware of Shisui's loyalty to the Third Hokage, nor did he know about the tensions between Shisui and Fugaku. All he knew was that eleven elite jonin had died while Shisui escaped. The fact that only an Uchiha had returned left him furious.
"It does seem suspicious," Aburame Shiwei added, his voice as calm and cold as ever. "If Shisui did desert the battlefield, he must be punished severely."
"If you have suspicions, feel free to raise them with Hokage-sama. Let him conduct a thorough investigation of Shisui," Fugaku said, keeping his voice steady. "But be careful, spreading rumors without evidence can harm your own reputation."
The irony of Daisuke's and Shiwei's insinuations wasn't lost on him. They might assume that Fugaku would defend Shisui, but the truth was quite the opposite. He would have preferred if Shisui hadn't returned alive, but things hadn't gone as he'd hoped.
"Rest assured, we will inform Hokage-sama of our suspicions," Shiwei replied icily. "And if anything is found, Shisui and the Uchiha clan will face consequences."
"Please, go ahead." Fugaku's mouth curled into a faint smile.
Even if these two did bring their suspicions to the Third Hokage, Fugaku doubted it would lead to any action. If anything, the Hokage would cover for Shisui, as he had in the past.
Even if Shisui had indeed survived by abandoning his comrades, there was no chance the Third Hokage would allow such a scandal to tarnish his favored subordinate.
"Don't get too comfortable, Fugaku," Daisuke snapped. "The Third Hokage has always looked for ways to keep the Uchiha in check. All it will take is a little more pressure, and Hokage-sama will have no choice but to investigate."
"If Shisui did abandon the others, he and the Uchiha clan will suffer the consequences," Shiwei added. "And even if he didn't, we can ensure that doubt lingers. Public opinion can be as powerful as truth."
Fugaku knew their plan. They intended to use this situation as a smear campaign, hoping to provoke public sentiment against the Uchiha, just as had been done to the White Fang. They hoped to isolate Shisui emotionally, perhaps even drive him to self-doubt, as they had with the White Fang.
"If you're serious, I'd suggest recruiting more allies," Fugaku said calmly. "Two voices may not be enough to convince Hokage-sama to act."
In most cases, Fugaku might have been concerned about the backlash such accusations could bring. But this time, he had no fear. The Third Hokage wouldn't risk exposing one of his most loyal spies to scrutiny.
"Just you wait," Daisuke growled, his face red with frustration. Shiwei's usually impassive expression also darkened, a hint of anger flickering in his eyes.
"If that's all, I'll be on my way," Fugaku said, brushing past them.
It was painfully ironic: while Konoha faced the threat of an external enemy, the village leaders were more interested in attacking their own allies. Daisuke and Shiwei were so blinded by hatred for the Uchiha that they couldn't see the bigger picture.
As he walked away, Fugaku made a decision. If these two continued to cling to their hostility, they would be removed. If they remained, they'd only serve to deepen the division within Konoha, feeding on its resources like parasites.
(End of Chapter)
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