With a sharp gesture, the Uchiha clansmen under Fugaku's command dragged a few restrained figures from the crowd, shoving them forcefully to the ground in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"The ancestors of the Uchiha clan founded Konoha alongside the First Hokage, and we have guarded it day in and day out for decades," Fugaku Uchiha declared, his face a mask of righteous anger.
"During the Night of the Nine-Tails, our clan defied the prohibition and mobilized alongside the Anbu to evacuate civilians. The elite ninja of the Uchiha, myself included, marched straight to the battlefield to confront the Nine-Tails head-on!"
He swept his gaze across the assembled villagers. "So why is it that after our clan fought and bled for this village, our sacrifices are twisted into a conspiracy? How did we become the ones accused of controlling the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha? I ask Lord Hokage for justice!"
"We ask Lord Hokage for justice!" the entire Uchiha clan echoed in unison, their voices thundering across the square.
An intense, chilling aura rushed forward from the united clan, causing Hiruzen to involuntarily freeze. 'Such terrifying killing intent. No wonder even Sensei was so wary of the Uchiha clan,' he thought.
However, Hiruzen remained inwardly perplexed. Was it really necessary for the Uchiha clan to make such a massive fuss over a mere rumor, even going so far as to drag the entire clan out to threaten the Hokage?
If Jie could hear Hiruzen's thoughts, he would have firmly answered: 'Yes, it was necessary.' Why was a rumor just a rumor? Because it was false. It couldn't stand up to scrutiny. As long as it was dragged into the light and proven false in front of everyone, the lie would collapse on its own. Conversely, keeping quiet and hiding in the shadows would only allow people's imaginations to run wild until the fake eventually became real in the minds of the masses.
That was exactly why Jie had instructed Shiraishi Uchiha to secretly fan the flames, letting the rumors spread rapidly throughout the entire village until they reached a boiling point. Then, in front of everyone, they would force Hiruzen Sarutobi to personally dispel those rumors. It would show the entire village that the Uchiha clan were the true inheritors of the Will of Fire.
Mobilizing the entire clan served other purposes, too. It strengthened their internal cohesion and served as a blatant show of force. It was a warning to let certain individuals know that the current Uchiha was a united front, not the fragmented, easily manipulated clan they might have hoped for. Anyone who wanted to scheme against them would have to seriously weigh whether they had the capability to survive the backlash.
Judging from the current situation, his plan was a resounding success.
Upon hearing the Uchiha clan's demands, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't an armed rebellion, everything was manageable. As for the rest of it? The Uchiha had already caught the rumor-mongers and dropped the evidence right at his feet. What else was there to consider?
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen stepped forward and projected his voice to the crowd.
"The appearance of these rumors in the village put me on guard, and everyone's panicked reaction has left me somewhat shaken. The Uchiha clan, just like everyone else here, is an integral part of this village. We absolutely cannot harbor suspicions against our heroes because of a few baseless lies! Just as Clan Head Fugaku said, the Uchiha clan fought a bloody battle for the village. They are well-deserved heroes!"
"..."
With the Third Hokage personally stepping down to vouch for and defend the Uchiha, the rumors evaporated. Consequently, the villagers' years of ingrained prejudice against the clan began to shift dramatically.
This unexpected bonus was something even Jie hadn't fully anticipated. Furthermore, to his surprise, the massive trap he had set with the intention of dragging Danzo down had been sprung early—and not by him.
It was unclear who in the crowd shouted it first, but a voice rang out suggesting that since the Uchiha rumors were resolved, they should clear up the rumors about Danzo while they were at it. But after waiting for an uncomfortable amount of time, Danzo never showed his face to defend himself.
His glaring absence aroused everyone's suspicions. Then, as the various ninja clans present began chiming in and sharing what they had seen that night, a damning conclusion was reached: Danzo truly hadn't lifted a single finger during the Night of the Nine-Tails.
The rumor was confirmed as fact.
Moreover, after a public interrogation of the culprits the Uchiha clan had captured, the crowd came to a sudden, sickening realization. These men had all been directly instructed by Root to spread the anti-Uchiha propaganda throughout the village.
Good heavens! It was one thing for Danzo to stand by and watch while the village burned, but now that they had finally entered a period of peace, he was actively spreading lies to slander the village's defenders. Now that the public's fury had been ignited, there was no stopping the inferno.
Bowing to the immense pressure of the united clans, the Third Hokage stripped Danzo of his position as Hokage's Assistant on the spot and officially ordered the Root organization to disband.
Watching Danzo transform from a high-ranking, shadow-ruling elite into a helpless, reviled, solitary one-eyed old man, Jie mentally noted that although the process had a slight hiccup, the ending was absolutely beautiful.
However, Jie wasn't naive. He knew Hiruzen stripping Danzo of his duties and disbanding Root was merely a political show to placate the furious clans. After this public humiliation, Danzo would definitely bury himself even deeper into the darkness, making him much harder to guard against in the future.
But one thing was certain: for the time being, Danzo wouldn't dare jump out to point fingers at the Uchiha.
Having perfectly executed his preliminary plan, Jie could finally lay low with peace of mind and focus on his own training. And right at that moment, the System decided to join in on the fun.