"There is a clear distinction between willing to and forced to."
The words hung in the air.
For a moment—
Nobody spoke.
The statement directly challenged a concept most people had never even considered questioning.
Patriotism.
To the people of Konoha, it was as natural as breathing.
From ordinary civilians to veteran jonin, there was one belief almost everyone shared.
If the village was threatened—
You fought.
You protected Konoha.
That was how things were.
Nobody questioned it.
Nobody needed to.
Yet now—
Someone was standing before them and saying that they had never fought willingly.
That they had been forced to.
The idea left many shocked.
Others confused.
And quite a few angry.
"As a Konoha shinobi, how can you say something like that?"
Jiraiya and Homura spoke at almost the same time.
Though their reasons were different.
Jiraiya was angry because Toyoma had pushed the discussion far beyond what he expected.
Questioning policies was one thing.
Questioning the very foundation of a shinobi's duty was another.
Homura, however, understood the danger hidden behind those words.
He had already seen what happened when shinobi began questioning missions.
When they stopped viewing difficult assignments as responsibilities and started searching for reasons to avoid them.
Now Toyoma was planting an even more dangerous question.
Why fight for the village at all?
The voices of Jiraiya and Homura finally pulled many people out of their stunned silence.
Countless eyes turned toward Toyoma.
Toyoma simply looked at Jiraiya.
Then he asked,
"Do you truly believe the village gives us something worth risking our lives for?"
The question caught many off guard.
Then—
Toyoma tilted his head slightly as if genuinely considering the matter.
"Hmm."
A few seconds passed.
"Nothing."
His voice remained calm.
"So weren't we forced?"
Silence spread once more.
This time, Fugaku spoke.
"What do you mean by that?"
His brows furrowed.
"The village gives us protection."
"A place to live."
"A place to eat."
"A place to sleep without constantly worrying about survival."
As he finished speaking—
Toyoma slowly turned toward him.
Their eyes met.
And for the first time since the discussion began—
Pure contempt appeared in Toyoma's gaze.
"Uchiha Takami."
Toyoma looked directly at Fugaku.
"Age thirteen."
"Died during a mission after information about the operation was leaked."
Fugaku's brows furrowed.
Before he could speak—
Toyoma continued.
"Uchiha Kaitoro."
"Age thirty-three."
"Died during a mission while his teammates, Sarutobi Kaizo and Shimura Zoma, returned alive."
His eyes remained fixed on Fugaku.
"His death is still being questioned."
A few Uchiha in the crowd lowered their heads.
Others clenched their fists.
Toyoma did not stop.
"Uchiha Ichaku."
"Age twenty-one."
"Died because of a mistake during a mission."
"His Senju teammate survived."
"The Second Hokage's office promised an investigation."
"They were told to wait."
Silence spread.
The more Toyoma spoke—
The darker Fugaku's expression became.
Finally—
"Enough!"
Fugaku's voice echoed across the area.
"What exactly are you trying to prove?"
"As shinobi, deaths happen."
"That is the reality of our profession."
Toyoma stared at him.
Then laughed.
Not loudly.
Just once.
A short, humourless laugh.
"You said the village gives us security."
"Then why was Uncle Uzuku's family attacked?"
"You said Konoha gives us a place to sleep."
"Then why do these same villagers curse us whenever our backs are turned?"
His gaze slowly swept across the crowd.
"You speak of protection."
"While village leadership spent decades searching for ways to weaken us."
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Several clan heads exchanged glances.
Even Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Toyoma looked back at Fugaku.
"You talk about food."
"About survival."
"Do you know how many families sold most of their property just to keep living?"
"While certain clans grew fatter and richer every year?"
The accusation struck like a kunai.
Many faces darkened.
Then—
Toyoma's voice became colder.
"This village has given us nothing."
"Only someone like you could convince himself otherwise."
The moment those words left his mouth—
The atmosphere exploded.
Jiraiya's face darkened.
Several elders frowned.
Even some Uchiha looked uncomfortable.
Fugaku's jaw tightened.
"This is not the place for this discussion."
His voice became stern.
Authoritative.
"As Clan Head of the Uchiha, I order you to return to the clan compound immediately."
Then he looked toward the surrounding Uchiha.
"Take him back."
For a moment—
Toyoma simply stared at him.
Then—
"Shut the fu*k up, you dumb*ss."
The words echoed across the square.
The crowd froze.
Fugaku froze as well.
Toyoma took a step forward.
"You think I care that you're Clan Head?"
His eyes were filled with disdain.
"You're nothing but a Sarutobi-bred Uchiha."
"A tool they left inside the uchiha clan to destroy us from within."
The crowd erupted.
Some villagers gasped.
Some laughed.
Several smaller clan heads openly snickered.
To them—
Watching Uchiha tear each other apart was entertainment.
The laughter only made Fugaku's face darker.
His chakra surged.
For the first time since the argument began—
His control slipped.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Wall Jutsu!"
Flames exploded from his mouth.
The massive wave of fire surged toward Toyoma.
At the same instant—
The Hawk members moved.
Without hesitation.
Without orders.
They rushed toward Toyoma.
"YOU DARE?!"
Setsuna roared.
His body shot forward like an arrow as killing intent burst from him.
Fugaku launched himself toward Toyoma.
Killing intent filled his eyes.
The sudden escalation shocked everyone present.
A moment ago—
It had only been an argument.
Now—
The Clan Head of the Uchiha had openly attacked one of his own clansmen.
Several civilians immediately ran backwards.
Some stumbled in panic.
Others hurriedly pulled their families away from the growing chaos.
Nobody wanted to be caught between shinobi.
Jiraiya's expression changed.
Tsunade did as well.
Both stepped forward at the same time.
Around them—
ANBU appeared one after another.
Several jonin also moved.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
"What is the meaning of this, Uchiha's?!"
Jiraiya's voice thundered across the area.
His gaze swept across both sides.
At that moment—
Toyoma disappeared.
Blink.
His figure vanished from where he had been standing.
Fugaku landed heavily on the ground.
Nearby, several Uchiha jonin also landed.
The Hawk members gathered around them.
On the opposite side—
ANBU and village shinobi had already formed a line.
For a moment—
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The two groups simply stared at one another.
Waiting.
Watching.
Ready.
Many hands slowly moved toward weapon pouches.
Several shinobi had already begun gathering chakra.
One order.
That was all it would take.
One order—
And blood would spill in the entrance of Konoha.
"You bast*rd!"
Several Uchiha jonin immediately grabbed Fugaku before he could charge again.
Fugaku struggled against the Uchiha, holding him back.
His eyes were bloodshot.
The humiliation was simply too much.
Before today—
He still possessed authority within the clan.
Now Toyoma had openly questioned him before the entire village.
"Enough!"
Fugaku's voice shook with rage.
"You have gone too far today!"
Toyoma merely looked at him.
Calm.
and serious.
Then he spoke.
"And you think your cheap tricks won't be discovered?"
His voice was cold.
Word by word.
"You traitor inside the clan."
The surrounding Uchiha immediately tensed.
Toyoma pointed directly at Fugaku.
"Do you really think we wouldn't notice?"
"How long have you been trying to steal our formulas?"
"So that you can hand them over to this Sarutobi faction."
A ripple spread through the crowd.
Several clan heads narrowed their eyes.
Toyoma's gaze shifted toward Hiruzen.
"Let me make this clear."
"Even if your next ten generations were born together, they still wouldn't be able to easily take it from us, without blood."
The accusation immediately caused an uproar.
"That is a serious accusation against the Hokage."
Homura stepped forward.
His expression was dark.
He could not allow such rumours to spread unchecked in front of the villagers.
Toyoma snorted.
Then spat on the ground.
"Hokage?"
"My foot."
The crowd gasped.
Several ANBU immediately tensed.
Toyoma ignored them.
"This thief's whole bloodline has spent decades stealing resources and credit from others."
The atmosphere became even heavier.
"Brat."
Tsunade stepped forward.
Her voice was stern.
"Don't test our patience."
"You cannot throw accusations at the Hokage without proof."
Setsuna and Uzuku immediately moved beside Toyoma.
The three stood together.
Facing the village leadership.
Toyoma looked directly at Tsunade.
"Proof?"
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"Do we really need proof?"
"Wasn't the entire village already aware that Shisui tried to steal from the Uchiha and destroyed many of our jutsu scrolls?"
The smile disappeared.
"And after that?"
"One attempt after another."
"Again."
"And again."
"And they're still happening. Are you testing our patience?"
The crowd became restless.
Some villagers looked uncertain.
Others exchanged nervous glances.
The situation had escalated beyond what anyone expected.
This was no longer an argument between clan members.
This was becoming a confrontation between the Uchiha and the village leadership.
Many clan heads quietly stepped back.
Not because they trusted Hiruzen.
And not because they trusted Toyoma.
The truth was much simpler.
Their businesses were now deeply tied to the Uchiha.
Many of their clans held shares in Uchiha companies.
Some supplied materials.
Others transported goods.
A few had invested directly.
If they openly took a side today—
It would be their own clans that suffered tomorrow.
So they remained silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
Measuring the direction of the wind.
For the first time since the argument began—
Hiruzen spoke.
"Shisui is a member of your clan."
His voice was calm.
But those closest to him noticed the strain beneath it.
"What he does has nothing to do with the village."
Every word was spoken carefully.
Deliberately.
As though he was forcing himself to remain composed.
Hiruzen looked directly at Toyoma.
His expression remained steady.
Yet his clenched jaw revealed the anger he was suppressing.
"What an Uchiha chooses to do is not automatically the responsibility of Konoha."
The crowd immediately became quieter.
Several clan heads narrowed their eyes.
That was a reasonable argument.
Even Jiraiya glanced toward Toyoma.
Waiting to see how he would answer.
Because everyone understood what Hiruzen was doing.
He was drawing a line.
If Shisui acted on his own—
Then the village was innocent.
If Shisui acted under orders—
Then the situation became far more dangerous.
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