Naraku continued to disappear without a trace in Mountain Prison, while Konoha was rife with undercurrents.
Uchiha Entō and Uchiha Fūyō reported the investigation results to Fugaku.
As Fugaku listened to all the evidence suggesting that Naraku was very likely assassinated by the squad leader, the veins on his forehead throbbed and his jaw was clenched tightly, all indicating that even this 'mud man' had a bit of fire in him.
When he finally heard the words 'Mangekyo' from Entō's mouth, he glared with wide eyes and slammed his hand on the table, standing up.
"What did you say?!"
Entō took a deep breath and repeated, "According to the Chakra traces displayed on the scroll, Uchiha Naraku is suspected to have awakened the Mangekyo before his death."
Fugaku felt a rush of blood to his brain, a buzzing sound exploding in his head, followed by a sharp, continuous ringing in his ears.
This was the power the Uchiha Clan yearned for, the strongest reliance that could protect the entire clan and allow it to continue to survive!
Fugaku's bloodshot eyes burned with raging fury.
His own child died by assassination from someone within the Village, and the precious Mangekyo was nowhere to be found. Even worse, the Konoha higher-ups must now know that Naraku awakened the Mangekyo before his death, and they must have sent people to look for it!
If it wasn't found, then fine, the Uchiha Clan still had a chance to breathe. But if the Third Hokage or Danzo Shimura obtained those Mangekyo... At this point, the crisis was imminent, and he had to come up with a solution!
Fugaku recalled how Sakumo faced a public opinion crisis, and Naraku came to him late at night to discuss it, his words clear and logical, his countermeasures decisive and effective.
If Naraku were still alive, he would have one more person to consult with, not to mention that the other party had the Mangekyo, which would also give the Uchiha Clan much more confidence... In the Hokage Office.
An Anbu knelt before the desk, reporting the results of the Uchiha surveillance in detail.
Uchiha Fugaku sent people to investigate the Uchiha Naraku cliff-fall incident, and the Uchiha responsible for the investigation had special tools, so Fugaku most likely already knew the truth.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe, slowly exhaled, and then nodded, saying, "Understood, you may leave."
"Yes." The Anbu disappeared in response.
He turned to look at the person sitting properly on the sofa beside him, who was still wrapped in bandages, his unusual appearance concealed by a wide kimono.
"Danzo, wouldn't it have been better to just let that child slowly succumb to his illness? Why the rush?"
Facing another interrogation from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo was extremely annoyed and denied it again: "I didn't order Shimura Rō to do it!"
As soon as he woke up, he learned that Shimura Rō had already completed the mission to "assassinate Uchiha Naraku," and he was utterly bewildered.
Although Uchiha Naraku's death was gratifying, he truly hadn't given that order.
This was utterly bizarre; could he have been sleepwalking during his coma?
Now it was good, the order was issued from him, and Shimura Rō, who carried out the act, was his staunch confidant. It was like mud falling into his pants; he couldn't explain himself no matter what.
Hiruzen Sarutobi merely took it as him being stubborn and unwilling to admit it, and a hint of anger rose in his heart.
Not only did he repeatedly disregard his orders as Hokage, but he also acted so sloppily, allowing others to seize on it and cause the situation to escalate.
"I don't have time to argue with you about this. The Uchiha will definitely not let this go now! This is your own doing, so you come up with a solution!"
"What can they do?"
Danzo scoffed, exhaling a wisp of air through his teeth, showing no regard for the Uchiha: "That Uchiha Fugaku fellow, just scare him a bit and then give him some benefits, and he'll be fine."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reply, seemingly considering how to pressure Uchiha Fugaku, and then what benefits to offer the other party.
Danzo Shimura, meanwhile, thought of an even more sinister idea.
"Or just let him make a fuss, let it get out of hand. The other Ninja Clans won't stand idly by. Then the Uchiha will have no place to stand."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been looking down and smoking, looked up and gave him a glance, and Danzo knew that this plan was more in line with the other party's wishes.
The interests of Konoha Village had long been distributed among the major Ninja Clans. If the first plan were adopted, actively compensating the Uchiha would mean that Hiruzen Sarutobi would have to cut into the interests of other Ninja Clans.
Cold-shouldering his supporters and fattening up the Uchiha, it clearly held no benefit for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The latter plan, however, was different. Letting the Uchiha stir up trouble themselves, harming the interests of other Ninja Clans, would naturally make them unite to support him, the Hokage, in dealing with the troublemakers.
Danzo showed a hint of a "making amends for past wrongs" expression and proactively took on the task: "Leave it to me, Hiruzen. I'll resolve it within two months."
Hiruzen Sarutobi initially wanted to refuse, but after some thought, he realized he had no one else around who could handle this matter, so after much deliberation, he decided to entrust it to Danzo.
"Danzo, maintain proper control and don't always be so hasty! A centipede dies but never falls, and the Uchiha are not that easy to deal with."
"Understood."
Danzo slowly walked out of the office, leaning on his cane, a crazy and cold arc forming on his lips.
Actually, he only revealed half of this plan to Hiruzen Sarutobi, so that Hiruzen would agree to let him handle the matter.
With Hiruzen's nod, the Root organization could legitimately be restored, making it convenient for him to carry out the unstated other half of the plan—he would manipulate things further to escalate the conflict between the Village and the Uchiha, directly forcing the Uchiha Clan into rebellion.
At that time, the Village could legitimately suppress the rebellion and completely eliminate this cancerous growth.
It was a pity about those Mangekyo. If it weren't for the limited number of personnel currently available, they wouldn't have failed to find Uchiha Naraku's body by now.
Due to his concealment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still didn't know that Uchiha Naraku had awakened the Mangekyo. If he found the body first, he would have the Mangekyo in hand.
This would allow him to better control the Uchiha, and also give him an extra trump card when competing for the Hokage position in the future.
—Hmph, never mind. Once the Uchiha are dealt with, he'll have as many Sharingan as he wants.
—And Sakumo Hatake, you and your son won't escape then either!
Danzo's single eye gleamed with a sinister light, like a ravenous beast choosing its prey.
He would not forget who was responsible for his near-death experience, nor would he forget who had wiped out the now-empty Root.
Everything he had lost, he would personally reclaim!