Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

This kind of thing couldn't be brought out into the open.

As the four of them sat there, even without saying it aloud, they all understood each other perfectly. All four upheld the ideals of the Second Hokage—their teacher—and naturally harbored a deep-seated distaste for the Uchiha clan.

But no matter how much they disliked them, the official rules still had to be followed.

You couldn't just make a move against the Uchiha without them making an obvious mistake, especially when someone had caught you red-handed.

If this matter wasn't handled properly, it wouldn't just be an Uchiha problem; it would affect the other ninja clans in the village.

Especially the Hyuga.

If you dared to gouge out an Uchiha's Sharingan today, wouldn't you dare to make a move against the Hyuga clan tomorrow?

That would completely destroy any sense of security.

"Although Uchiha Fugaku is willing to drop the matter regarding your actions, we still need to give the Uchiha clan an explanation," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "It would be unjustifiable to punish the Uchiha clan under these circumstances."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both frowned.

They were naturally wary of the Uchiha clan. Especially after what happened last night, they felt a constant, prickling sense of danger.

However, since Shimura Danzo had been caught red-handed by the Uchiha, they had to show a clear stance if they wanted to punish the clan.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his gaze to Shimura Danzo, his voice calm. "Danzo, you should take some time to rest and recover. All Root personnel will be integrated into the ANBU."

"Hiruzen!"

Shimura Danzo immediately grew anxious. This was completely stripping away his foundation.

How could he allow this?

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu thought for a moment before nodding in silent agreement.

"I agree."

"I agree as well."

Shimura Danzo's expression changed drastically as he looked at them. "You..."

Companionship and old friendships aside, both of them felt that punishing Danzo at this moment was the right course of action.

Simply put, Danzo had allowed himself to be caught.

Utatane Koharu spoke up. "This way, punishing the Uchiha clan will be perfectly justifiable."

Mitokado Homura nodded. "Indeed. What Danzo did cannot be kept hidden. Once the Hyuga clan finds out, they will definitely become wary, and the other ninja clans will be watching closely from the shadows. We must make our stance clear."

Sarutobi Hiruzen then said, "Let it be so. Danzo, you went too far this time."

Shimura Danzo felt like a clown. He had come here injured, only to receive this kind of outcome.

He stood up and walked toward the door without a word.

"You will regret this, Hiruzen."

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know why, but hearing those words actually made him feel relieved.

That was more like it.

That familiar feeling had returned.

"Ahem, I am the Hokage, Danzo."

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, signaling the attendants supporting Shimura Danzo to help him out.

Shimura Danzo left, feeling incredibly stifled, but he had no better options.

As for what was going through his mind, only he himself knew.

Shimura Danzo had arrived quickly and left even faster, as if he had never been there at all. The three remaining people weren't surprised by this; Danzo had always been this way.

Utatane Koharu said, "Let's leave Danzo's matter at that for now. Hiruzen, how exactly should we handle the Uchiha?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.

To be honest, he didn't have a good solution either.

The scenes from last night were still fresh in his mind. The existence of Uchiha Taiga constantly made him hesitate, because the boy was simply too unique.

An innate Sage Body.

Even if he couldn't use ninjutsu for the time being, if he truly grew into his potential, just how powerful would he become?

Would he become another Senju Hashirama?

No!

He would likely become another Uchiha Madara.

It was a pity. Why did he have to be an Uchiha?

At the same time, he knew very well that pretending last night's events never happened was absolutely out of the question.

After all, so many people had died last night, and the village had suffered such extensive damage. If they didn't provide an explanation, many people would be deeply dissatisfied.

Mitokado Homura said expressionlessly, "A heavy punishment won't work, but no punishment won't work either. Conveniently, Danzo's situation can be used to silence the Uchiha. Consequently, if we punish them for the Nine-Tails incident, they will have nothing to say."

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him. "What if they deny it?"

Mitokado Homura replied, "It is a fact that the Nine-Tails was controlled by a Sharingan. Many people in the village saw it; they cannot deny it."

Utatane Koharu nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Hiruzen. We must take this opportunity to place restrictions on the Uchiha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent once again.

"This matter..."

He habitually wanted to postpone the issue, but before he could finish, Utatane Koharu interrupted him.

"Hiruzen, the Nine-Tails incident cannot be hidden. The other hidden villages will soon find out. We must stabilize the village before that happens. The Uchiha are the most unstable factor in all of this. We cannot delay!"

Her words were severe, but as an advisor, it was only natural for her to say them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

"Then let's convene a Jonin Council meeting and ask for their opinions."

Mitokado Homura's eyes lit up. "Yes, that is a viable approach. I will go notify them immediately."

With that, he stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped him and added, "Notify the ANBU. Have them dispatch a squad to call Jiraiya back."

"Alright, understood."

Mitokado Homura quickly left the room.

If one were to ask how many people in the village were dissatisfied with the Uchiha clan, the answer would be a staggering amount.

The ninja clans were somewhat understanding, at least knowing the importance of the Uchiha clan's existence to Konoha.

But among the ordinary villagers, and even ninjas of civilian origins, there was no shortage of people who held a negative attitude toward the Uchiha.

Simply put, it was a mess of the Uchiha clan's own making.

The rights and wrongs of the matter weren't important.

What mattered was that these negative perceptions were mostly caused by the Uchiha themselves. No one could deny that.

It was simply because any Uchiha who had awakened their Sharingan was invariably arrogant.

One or two would be fine, but with the vast majority acting this way, it would be a miracle if the Uchiha clan had a good reputation.

Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen was bringing the Uchiha's connection to the Nine-Tails' appearance out into the open, the conclusion that the Jonin Council would reach was already self-evident.

Whether the punishment was heavy or light didn't matter either.

What mattered was the punishment itself.

That was the key.

...

Two days had passed since the Night of the Nine-Tails, and Konoha had been in a constant state of busy activity.

The chaos had ended, but the reconstruction work was still ongoing. Many were grieving, but even more had already turned their eyes toward the future. Life had to go on, after all.

Today, however, Konoha was immersed in sorrow.

Because the funeral for the Fourth Hokage and his wife was being held today.

Having been Hokage for less than two years, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, held immense prestige among the civilians. He was a Hokage acknowledged by everyone.

And this time, the Nine-Tails' rampage had cost Konoha this young Hokage. It was an unbearable price for the village to pay.

In the western part of Konoha, at the Memorial Stone.

Many people had come here today. From the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, down to the most ordinary villagers, everyone had gathered. Dressed in black, the crowd stood in solemn silence.

Uchiha Taiga was among them, blending into the ranks of the Uchiha clan with a calm expression.

He hadn't interacted much with Namikaze Minato, so naturally, he didn't feel much emotional attachment. He was here today mostly out of respect for the dead.

As for why he hadn't saved Namikaze Minato that night?

He couldn't have.

Because he was an Uchiha, the village higher-ups would never have allowed him to get involved in sealing the Nine-Tails. It was as simple as that.

Therefore, the deaths of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina were, to him, roughly just the passing of two respectable individuals. He had come here with that mindset.

At the front of the group, Uchiha Fugaku wore a heavy expression, his brows tightly furrowed. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Uchiha Taiga only found it amusing.

With Namikaze Minato dead, the Uchiha's situation would likely become even more difficult from now on.

Rumors had already been spreading over the past two days that the Nine-Tails' appearance was connected to the Uchiha. One could only imagine the immense pressure Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, was under right now.

But none of that had anything to do with Uchiha Taiga.

People stepped forward one by one, laying down a daisy to express their grief.

Uchiha Taiga moved forward with the crowd and laid down a flower as well. However, with his sharp senses, he noticed a few people in the crowd watching him.

Turning his head, he saw someone smiling at him.

The person had a pale complexion, long black hair, golden pupils, and purple eyeshadow extending down to the sides of his nose.

Orochimaru.

'This guy hasn't defected yet?'