Chapter 38: Three Different Situations
An uncustomary bustle animated the Uchiha compound today, which had been pushed to the outskirts of Konoha, as the clan was hosting two special guests. Civilians and ninjas on the Uchiha streets turned their surprised and cautious gazes toward the Hokage beside Fugaku and toward Naruto, who was energetically observing his surroundings while holding Mikoto's hand. Looking around with curiosity, Naruto spoke up.
"Wow! It's so different from Konoha, but at the same time, it's so similar!"
As Naruto looked left and right, a shop caught his eye, and he remembered his main reason for coming here. After taking a deep breath, he advanced toward the shop with resolute steps. While Mikoto accompanied him with a slight smile, the ANBU ninja Puma was right behind them like a silent shadow. Hiruzen and Fugaku slowed their steps and lagged slightly behind. Watching Naruto and Mikoto enter the shop, the Hokage broke the silence.
"What is the current situation with the hawks in the clan? Are they still angry with me?"
Fugaku hesitated for a moment at this question. He knew that the Hokage was already aware of the tension within the clan and the thoughts of the radical wing. The Third Hokage was no stranger to the internal dynamics of the Uchiha clan; therefore, figuring that a detailed answer would hold little meaning, Fugaku chose to respond on neutral ground with a flat tone of voice.
"The situation is a bit complicated, Hokage-sama... Frankly, I cannot blame them; our clan lands had been in the center since the village's founding, yet we were unjustly pushed to the outskirts overnight. This was a heavy blow to all Uchihas."
Hiruzen let out a tired sigh in the face of this answer he had expected to receive, and lightly rubbed his old eyes.
"...I want you to understand, Fugaku. There were signs in the Nine-Tails' eyes pointing to the Sharingan. To be frank, even I seriously suspected a Uchiha's involvement in this matter. Because there are definitive signs that the Kyuubi was under a Genjutsu, and the only known person to have controlled it is..."
Fugaku sighed as a slight ache appeared at his temples. It was difficult to build a solid defense against this argument; after all, it was a known and openly demonstrated fact that Uchiha Madara had controlled the Nine-Tails in the past. Yet still, there were things he was certain of regarding his clan's innocence.
"I understand what you mean, Hokage-sama. But I assure you, during the Kyuubi's rebellion, I verified the whereabouts and actions of all Uchihas, and I am 100% certain of those results."
Then, lowering his voice a little more, he continued with absolute seriousness.
"Meaning, no one from my clan was involved in this. Furthermore, you know as well as I do that ordinary Sharingans cannot control the Kyuubi, for if such a thing were possible, we would have controlled the other tailed beasts—which are weaker than the Kyuubi—during the Third Ninja War. There is no one in my clan who has awakened those eyes."
He silently thought to himself.
'Other than me... but I did not do this.'
Hiruzen slowly nodded as he listened to the Clan Leader with a careful but pensive expression. Taking this silence as an opportunity, Fugaku continued his words.
"Furthermore, the advisor Danzo blocked our opportunity to prove our innocence. He surrounded my clan with all of his ROOT personnel and, claiming he came on your orders, commanded that all Uchihas remain within the compound. Otherwise, we would be declared traitors and executed, whereas my clan was ready to fulfill its duty of security and attack the Kyuubi..."
When Fugaku finished his sentence and fell silent, Hiruzen took a deep breath, breaking the silence. Given the current political and military situation the village was in, the Uchiha clan held critical importance for Konoha. With both their population and the abilities they possessed, they served as a serious deterrent. 'Shunshin' Shisui, one of the newly rising talents, and 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku standing before him were massive pillars of power even on their own. Konoha losing this clan would create an irreparable vulnerability in the village's defense.
"I guarantee you this, Fugaku: Danzo and the advisors made decisions and acted on their own. While I was fighting on the front lines, they went behind my back. I did not give any special order regarding the Uchiha."
Hiruzen looked into Fugaku's eyes, delivering these words with unshakeable conviction and clarity. After remaining thoughtful and silent for a few seconds upon hearing this, the Uchiha leader spoke without breaking that flat and emotionless expression on his face.
"Then you are doing a very poor job of showing it, Hokage-sama. Because thanks to our expulsion from our clan lands and being cast to the outskirts of the village, the entire clan believes you gave that order."
Attempting to suppress the helplessness and slight anger within himself, Hiruzen replied in an exhausted tone.
"I repeat, and I ask for your understanding, Fugaku. The Kyuubi's eyes were the Sharingan. Almost half of Konoha's ninjas and villagers saw this. Even I am certain that the shape those eyes took and the chakra they emitted belonged to the Sharingan. Moreover, very few people knew Kushina's birthing location and date, including you and Mikoto. Minato and Kushina gave you this information despite the opposing views of the advisors. So even if I believe you—and I had deep suspicions myself in the days following the rebellion—I cannot openly support you with the current evidence and information at hand; my hands were tied."
Even though Fugaku appeared completely unresponsive on the outside as he listened to this explanation, he inwardly understood just how cornered the Hokage was politically. After a brief silence, he sighed and asked.
"So now, are we, the Uchiha clan, suspects? Or are we under surveillance?"
Maintaining the same calmness, Hiruzen answered Fugaku's direct question.
"According to my investigations, you are largely innocent."
Without moving a single muscle in his face, Fugaku spoke.
"So you still have doubts. Is that why there are ROOT and ANBU members watching us in the vicinity?"
The old Hokage exhaled wearily.
"Even if I believe in your innocence, the council of elders is still cautious and doubtful. The Sharingan complicates matters, as you should know better than I do that implanting a Sharingan is no easy feat, and the Uchiha clan does not easily surrender its Sharingan; you take special precautions for that."
Fugaku let out a deep sigh and rubbed his tired eyes. For generations, the Sharingan had been the clan's power, source of pride, and greatest glory; but now, it had turned into a heavy shackle binding their feet. The sole piece of evidence slandering and cornering them was that damn Sharingan pattern that appeared in the colossal eyes of the Nine-Tails. This situation had branded the clan's forehead with a mark of betrayal that was hard to erase, causing them indescribable humiliation. Fugaku swore silently to himself; the moment they caught the true culprit behind this disaster, he would punish them in the most agonizing way possible and cleanse his clan of this dishonor and shame.
While this tense political dialogue between Hiruzen and Fugaku continued outside, Naruto, Mikoto, and Puma behind them had already stepped inside the shop. When the shop owner inside turned his head to look at the customers coming through the door, he recognized Mikoto and spoke with a relaxed and respectful demeanor.
"Ah~ Mikoto-sama. Welcome. How can I help you?"
As the other clan members in the shop also noticed the Clan Leader's wife and respectfully greeted her with a slight bow of their heads, Mikoto replied with a gentle smile.
"Good day to you, Satoshi. You're going to help this little one, not me."
Intrigued, Satoshi leaned slightly forward over the counter. His eyes locked onto the blond-haired boy standing with timid steps right beside Mikoto. Trying to hide his nervousness, Naruto raised his hand and gave a small greeting.
"H-h-h-hello. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I came to do some shopping."
Satoshi stared blankly at the boy's face for a moment. Unable to believe what he was seeing, he rubbed his eyes, and when he looked again, he turned to Mikoto with his mouth slightly agape in astonishment. The other customers in the shop were no different. After all, they were all from the Uchiha clan, and they knew who this blond-haired boy, Naruto, was. His was the last face they expected to see in the Uchiha compound. The presence of the masked ANBU standing silently in the corner had also instantly cloaked the atmosphere in a cautious silence.
Aware of the sensitivity of the situation, Mikoto gently brought her index finger to her lips, signaling them to remain silent. Then, using subtle hand gestures known to clan members, she gave brief instructions for them to handle the situation. The customers and the shop owner instantly grasped this silent message and composed their surprised expressions. Clearing his throat lightly, Satoshi returned to his professional merchant demeanor.
"Every customer is the crown of our head. What do you need, son?"
Seeing that he didn't receive the cold, ostracizing reaction he had expected, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Inwardly, he was both touched and overcome with a childish joy. With the confidence brought by relief, he took a careful look around the inside of the shop, then, not quite knowing what to do, scratched his head and turned to Mikoto.
"Big sister Mikoto..."
Understanding his confusion, Mikoto nodded reassuringly.
"Don't worry, let's look at the products together and decide."
Naruto nodded eagerly. Under the curious but silent gazes of the people around him, he began to walk after Mikoto. Puma followed them, maintaining his distance. Wandering among the shelves, Naruto tried to examine the product labels around him. However, his reading and writing skills were still weak, and his vocabulary was insufficient. Trying to make sense of the stacked writing had given him a slight dizzy spell. Seeing the little one look at the shelves and grimace, Mikoto chuckled softly. She slowly crouched down to Naruto's height and asked in a sweet voice.
"What would you like to buy first? Groceries? Cleaning supplies?"
Placing a hand on his chin, Naruto thought for a moment before making his decision.
"How about we buy something to eat?"
Mikoto stood up in agreement and headed towards the fresh produce section.
"Come on, let me teach you how to pick vegetables."
Naruto nodded eagerly and quickly kept pace with her steps. When they arrived in front of the colorful crates of vegetables, Mikoto pointed at the counter with her hand.
"Go ahead, try to pick out the beautiful ones."
Naruto nodded as if he were performing a serious task. After examining the products on the counter with cautious eyes, he picked a tomato from a crate and proudly handed it to Mikoto. Mikoto smiled slightly as she examined the tomato.
"Not bad, but if you look closely, you'll see the tomato is starting to get slightly squishy, and its color is also very dull."
Mikoto picked another tomato that looked bright and firm from the crate and handed it to Naruto. Then she bent her knees again and dropped down to his level.
"Here, take a close look..."
Showing the example in her hand, Mikoto explained to Naruto in simple, understandable language how he should distinguish between a flawed vegetable and a fresh one. Naruto was all ears, trying to engrave every word into his mind. Puma, on the other hand, silently watched this mundane scene from behind them, carrying on his duty with his arms crossed, leaning against the shop wall.
While this intimate shopping moment was taking place, three different figures were walking on a street not too far away from them outside. One was quite small, while the other two were taller and more solidly built. The small one complained in a tired and rather unhappy tone.
"Come on, big brother! Why can't we train alone?"
The person the boy addressed as "big brother" adopted a helpless yet affectionate expression in response to this rebellion.
"Don't complain too much, Sasuke. Shisui is more experienced than me; you should be happy he's training us. He is a Jonin."
Walking beside them, Shisui scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed by this compliment, and tried to deflect the praise with a modest demeanor.
"You're making me out to be a bigger deal than I am, Itachi. I still have many things to learn."
Rejecting his friend's humility, Itachi shook his head and spoke in an exceedingly serious voice.
"The title of Shunshin Shisui has already spread to many villages, and there are very few people who have managed to become a Jonin at your age, Shisui. You are too modest."
Faced with this sincere confession, Shisui remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. Inwardly, however, he was relieved. He had heard about the unfortunate incident that befell Itachi's team today and had rushed to his friend's side to support him and cheer him up a little. Now, seeing him somewhat recovered and back to his logical, mature stance made Shisui happy. Taking a deep sigh, he continued the conversation.
"I am still not at a level to fight Kages, Itachi. If a war breaks out, Konoha will be in a difficult situation because, aside from your father and the Hokage, we lack top-tier fighting power."
The mention of his father caused a slight shadow to fall over Itachi's face. The tension between the clan and the village was already wearing him down from the inside. He let out a troubled breath and nodded, and was just about to open his mouth to say something when Sasuke's excited voice broke the silence.
"Big brother, look! Father is over there!"
Hearing this, Itachi and Shisui looked with curiosity in the direction Sasuke was pointing. At the sight they beheld, both froze in their tracks, utterly dumbfounded; right in the middle of the Uchiha streets, Clan Leader Fugaku was deep in a serious conversation, face to face with the Third Hokage...