Time passed quietly, and a month went by in a flash.
Since winter began, the weather had worsened day by day; the cold wind cut like a knife, and the chill penetrated to the bone. The overall atmosphere in Konoha Village was somewhat oppressive and heavy, like dark clouds pressing down from above.
The most obvious reason for the deteriorating Village atmosphere was the Uchiha.
The villagers noticed that the Uchiha Police Force seemed more irritable than usual since winter began. They walked around with expressions as dark as if someone owed them a million ryo, and they handled various disputes with increased impatience.
As for the few who knew the truth, they understood why the Uchiha were brimming with resentment.
About a month ago, at a high-level meeting, Uchiha Fugaku explained in front of the Hokage, several elders, and the heads of various Ninja Clans that he believed Naraku's death was suspicious. He presented the evidence he had gathered and demanded a face-to-face confrontation with Shimura Rō.
However, at that time, Shimura Rō was not in the Village. He had left Konoha two days prior to perform a mission and had since vanished without a trace, with no news of him even now.
This was clearly an attempt to stall, hoping the matter would resolve itself.
The Uchiha, naturally, could not swallow this. At another high-level meeting, Fugaku brought up the matter again, demanding that the Village immediately recall Shimura Rō for questioning.
Just as the Hokage was about to give the order, Elder Danzo Shimura stood up to object, stating that Shimura Rō's mission was very important and he could not be easily recalled. Furthermore, he argued that the Uchiha's evidence could only be understood by them, and who knew if it was fabricated, suggesting it should be handed over to the Hokage for verification before any further decisions were made.
No one understood how troublesome this move was better than Uchiha Fugaku, who was the party involved.
If he didn't hand it over, it would prove the Uchiha were guilty and the evidence was likely fake.
But if he did hand it over, and the evidence was tampered with, the Uchiha would never have another chance to pursue the matter.
After careful consideration, he still chose not to hand it over, explaining that if verification was needed, he could bring the items to the Hokage Office at any time, but the evidence could not leave Uchiha control.
This blatant distrust of the higher-ups further put the Uchiha at a disadvantage.
The situation remained deadlocked. The Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's neutral stance, in the eyes of some shrewd individuals, instead proved that what the Uchiha said was very likely true.
It turned out that the higher-ups' desire to eliminate the Uchiha was already this urgent.
Thus, they all remained neutral, not getting too involved, and protecting themselves... Uchiha Clan Hall.
Letters returned from the Clan Member who had been searching for Naraku outside, each still reporting no progress.
As expected, everyone started arguing again.
When the news of Naraku's death was first announced, almost all Uchiha mourned the loss of a genius in their Clan, but they quickly became enraged by the truth of the incident.
They could accept a fellow Clan Member dying on a mission or on the battlefield, but under no circumstances could it be an assassination by a Ninja from the same Village!
The Konoha higher-ups' indifference to all of this, and their current disregard for the truth, made them feel even more disheartened.
Or perhaps, the mastermind behind Shimura Rō was among the higher-ups, very possibly Danzo Shimura, a fellow Clan Member of the former.
Some conservatives believed that the current situation was unclear and they must secure the Hokage's support to investigate whether Danzo Shimura was involved in this matter.
The more radical ones proposed directly leaving the Village to capture Shimura Rō, even killing him on the spot to avenge Naraku.
Even more extreme individuals threatened to launch a coup, to purge all the Konoha higher-ups who had targeted the Uchiha for years, and for their Clan to take control of Konoha... and the number of supporters grew steadily.
If Fugaku hadn't desperately kept the Mangekyo a secret, this hatred would probably have been uncontrollable long ago.
They argued back and forth until the meeting adjourned, but still, there was no good idea that Fugaku felt he could decisively act upon.
Fugaku returned home, exhausted. His pregnant wife had already prepared a table of hot food to welcome him, but he just couldn't bring himself to look into her sorrowful eyes.
He couldn't keep the matter from Mikoto at all. Before that meeting where the truth was announced, Fugaku had told her everything, including the Mangekyo.
Mikoto didn't break down emotionally, nor did she cry out in despair. She just silently shed tears, putting the new clothes she had bought for Naraku into the bottom drawer of the cabinet.
Then she reached out and hugged Fugaku, patting his slightly slumped back, which was weighed down by powerlessness and confusion.
"You must avenge him, avenge the Clan Member of the Uchiha."
His wife's words still echoed in his ears, but now he had accomplished nothing, unable to find a solution or make a decision.
Never had he felt so incompetent as he did now.
Whether as a Clan Head or as a father.
"Eat quickly."
Mikoto placed a bowl of hot soup into Fugaku's hands and smiled gently: "After you've eaten, we'll think of a solution."
"Alright."
...On the other side.
Uchiha Entō returned home after the meeting, and his son was indeed still waiting for him, hoping he would bring back some good news.
"I'm sorry, Shisui."
Entō took off his jacket, shaking his head to indicate that there was still no progress on the matter.
Shisui had learned to control his emotions through repeated disappointments. He took his father's clothes to hang them up, and involuntarily thought of the string of paper cranes in his room, growing longer and longer, with no one left to receive them. His eyes welled up with bitterness.
More than a month had passed, but the image of his senior, Naraku, became even clearer in his mind. What happened that night felt like it was just yesterday, and the warmth from Naraku's shoulder still lingered in his palm.
—Why?
—Even though they know who the real culprit is, why is everyone in Konoha so indifferent!
—They don't care! Not even the Hokage... doesn't care!
Shisui tightly clenched the fabric in his hands, leaving creases on his father's smooth jacket.
Seeing his son's small back filled with unwillingness and indignation, Entō sighed softly.
"Come on, Shisui, since you can't sleep anyway, how about we spar a bit?"
"Okay, Father."
To relieve his son's emotions, Entō took him to train in their home courtyard, then guided him in throwing techniques for half an hour, and finally urged his lightly sweating son to quickly shower and go to bed.
After arranging these trivial matters, he sat in the courtyard, gazing at the myriad stars, worrying about the future of the Uchiha.
Konoha disliked the Uchiha; this was a well-known "secret."
But now, he felt this malice like a fully formed blade, gradually approaching the necks of all Uchiha, bringing sharp pains to his soul... Mountain Prison.
A White Zetsu walked into the underground training ground. Its strange posture and appearance made it look like a walking, inverted tree root.
It handed Naraku a piece of intelligence, tilting its head as Naraku broke the seal and read it carefully.
"Just as you thought, they always argue, but they haven't taken any action yet."
"Because the Uchiha are all idiots."
He showed the smile only Naraku would have, put away the note, seemingly unconcerned that his Clan Member were facing a life-or-death crisis.