Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Taiga stopped in his tracks.

Bright yellow chakra surged from his body once more, rapidly condensing around him. Within a single breath, the skeletal half-body of the Susanoo took shape, enveloping him completely.

Everyone present felt a distinct, overwhelming pressure.

Some felt their hearts grow heavy, some grew anxious, and others turned pale.

Naturally, the ones with the ugliest expressions were Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

"The fact that you can say such things just goes to show how much you despise the Uchiha on a daily basis."

Uchiha Taiga's voice echoed from within the Susanoo.

"I don't care whether you like the Uchiha or not. But wrongly accusing me..."

He paused.

"You'd better give me a satisfactory explanation. I'm not Uchiha Fugaku; I won't coddle you old fools just for the sake of the clan. So, think carefully before you speak."

Utatane Koharu's face instantly drained of color.

She subconsciously took a half-step back, but quickly forced herself to stand firm.

As an advisor to the Hokage, she couldn't show weakness in front of so many people.

Mitokado Homura's expression was equally grim.

He knew all too well how incredibly stupid Koharu's previous remark had been.

In a situation like this, claiming that Uchiha Taiga intentionally let Obito escape was practically handing him a weapon to use against them.

How could they possibly manage Konoha properly while working alongside such a parasite?

But it was too late to say anything now.

Koharu gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak. "I was merely voicing a reasonable suspicion. Why are you getting so worked up? If you have nothing to hide..."

"Shut your filthy mouth."

Uchiha Taiga cut her off. His voice carried a hint of amusement, yet it was chillingly cold.

"When I was fighting, you told me to stop. When I stopped, you accused me of letting him go on purpose. So you get to dictate the narrative, and I'm just supposed to take the blame?"

Taiga sneered repeatedly. "To think that trash like you are actually the higher-ups of Konoha, that you're actually advisors. Right now, I have every reason to suspect that what's on your face isn't a mouth, but an asshole."

Pfft!

Someone finally couldn't hold it in and let out a low snicker, before hurriedly stifling it.

But the expressions on many faces in the crowd had already become extremely peculiar.

"You!"

Koharu's face turned a furious shade of purple. The glare she directed at Taiga was filled with enough rage to burn him to ashes.

"What's wrong? I'm merely voicing a suspicion too. See how reasonable it sounds?"

Taiga didn't care in the slightest. He continued, "So only you're allowed to suspect me, but I can't suspect you? That logic... doesn't quite hold up, does it? Of course, maybe you just think I'm an easy target. If that's the case, I really need to give you a reality check. I, too, know a thing or two about violence."

As he spoke, the Susanoo's arm raised slightly. With just that single movement, the surrounding air seemed to grow significantly heavier.

Mitokado Homura took a deep breath and stepped in front of Utatane Koharu.

He knew that they absolutely could not back down now.

"Uchiha Taiga, Koharu's words were indeed inappropriate. But you have to understand, the stakes are incredibly high, and it's inevitable that people might overthink things. Put away the Susanoo first, and we can talk this out calmly."

"Put it away?"

Uchiha Taiga laughed.

"Just a moment ago, I put my weapons away, and you immediately pinned the blame on me. If I put it away again now, wouldn't you just attack me directly?"

The atmosphere instantly dropped to the freezing point.

Uchiha Fugaku finally made his move.

He took a step forward, standing right beside Uchiha Taiga. Several Uchiha clansmen behind him followed suit, the three tomoe of their Sharingan spinning slowly in their eyes.

They didn't say a word, but their stance couldn't have been clearer.

Koharu's expression worsened.

Looking into the eyes of those Uchiha clansmen, she felt a chill shoot straight up her spine.

The ninjas and ANBU behind Homura also unconsciously gathered closer.

Some gripped their kunai tightly, while others had already assumed combat stances.

They didn't necessarily want to stick their necks out for the two advisors, but orders were orders. In the face of the village higher-ups' authority, obedience had become an instinct.

However, a portion of the crowd remained unmoving.

The ninjas hailing from the various noble clans stood their ground, neither moving closer to the advisors nor approaching the Uchiha.

Some remained expressionless, some stared at the ground, and others simply took a few steps back, watching the drama unfold from a distance.

As far as they were concerned, this was a dispute between the village higher-ups and the Uchiha. Who was right and who was wrong had nothing to do with them, and they had no desire to get involved.

And so, the standoff was set.

On one side stood Uchiha Taiga and the Uchiha clan.

On the other side were the two Hokage advisors, backed by their ninjas and ANBU.

In between lay a neutral zone of those who refused to take a side.

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Sweat had already begun to bead on Mitokado Homura's forehead.

He stared at the bright yellow half-body of the Susanoo, his throat going dry.

At this distance, and in this state, if Uchiha Taiga actually decided to attack...

He didn't dare think about what would happen next.

Utatane Koharu finally realized the severity of the situation.

Her lips trembled slightly, but she stubbornly refused to take back her words.

She knew that what she had said earlier was indeed a mistake, but in front of so many people, she couldn't admit fault.

If she conceded, it would be tantamount to admitting that the village higher-ups were unjust. Their authority would be shaken, and who would ever take an advisor's orders seriously again?

So she couldn't concede.

Even if everyone knew she was wrong, she couldn't admit it.

Uchiha Taiga looked at the two of them, the smirk on his lips growing wider.

"Have you thought it through?"

His voice was slow and deliberate.

"Give me a proper explanation, and we can put this behind us. Otherwise..."

The Susanoo's arm raised a little higher.

"I can't guarantee what will happen next."

Mitokado Homura gritted his teeth, his voice betraying a hollow bravado. "Uchiha Taiga, are you planning to betray the village?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the surrounding air grew even colder.

Uchiha Taiga fell silent for a moment, then laughed.

The laughter echoed from within the Susanoo, carrying undisguised contempt.

"Do you really think you represent the village?"

His gaze swept from Mitokado Homura to Utatane Koharu, and then back again.

"If so, then this village is far too small."

Mitokado Homura's face flushed bright red.

Utatane Koharu's lips trembled even more violently.

The ninjas standing behind the advisors exchanged uneasy glances, a flicker of imperceptible wavering flashing in some of their eyes.

As for the neutral clan ninjas, some gently shook their heads, while others sighed silently.

No one spoke.

No one dared to speak.

The air was so heavy it felt like it was solidifying.

Right at that moment—

"All of you, stop this at once!"

A loud shout rang out from a distance, the voice old but full of vigor.

Everyone turned their heads simultaneously.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure appeared at the edge of the ruins. He was still wearing the Hokage robes he had donned for his official duties outside the village, though his Hokage hat was nowhere to be seen.

He had clearly sprinted all the way back, his breathing slightly ragged.

By his side, a young man followed closely—white hair, a mask covering the lower half of his face. It was none other than Hatake Kakashi.

The single visible eye outside his mask swept over the opposing factions, then landed on the Susanoo in the center of the battlefield, his pupil shrinking slightly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly strode into the clearing. His gaze swept past Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, glanced over Uchiha Fugaku, and finally settled on Uchiha Taiga's Susanoo.

His expression was incredibly grim.

But he didn't say anything else. He merely took a deep breath and spoke in a deep, commanding voice.

"Who can tell me what exactly is going on here?"