To prevent Izumi Uchiha from overthinking, Jie Uchiha simply took her out onto the streets of Konoha.
However, Jie quickly realized that coming to the bustling marketplace wasn't the best choice either.
The commotion last night had been too massive. Even though the events were entirely beyond the reach of these ordinary Konoha civilians, it didn't stop the villagers from turning what they had seen and heard into fresh gossip.
Especially when they talked about the battle between the two Susanoo. Seeing the longing and excitement in the villagers' eyes, Jie felt incredibly awkward.
It wasn't that he didn't want to hear the villagers' discussions, but rather that the focus of their gossip was truly bizarre.
"Did you guys see the battle between the two Giants of Light in the back mountain last night?"
"Man, that crimson-gold giant was incredible! It beat that green monster into the ground!"
"Right? I heard that green monster was a trick by Kumogakure."
"Yeah, yeah, it was definitely Kumogakure's doing."
"That's not all! I also know that the crimson-gold giant was a power the Uchiha clan received by praying to the Sage of Six Paths to protect the village."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"How could it be fake? I heard it from my great-aunt's nephew's cousin's brother-in-law. He's in the Hokage's Anbu. He saw it with his own eyes last night!" one villager spoke with absolute certainty, causing the surrounding crowd to inhale sharply.
"As expected, the Uchiha clan are the true guardian deities of the village. Even though their law enforcement was a bit strict in the past, it was all for our own good."
"Exactly. In the future, if the Uchiha come knocking, we must cooperate fully. It's for our own good."
The surrounding villagers collectively sighed in agreement.
"Did you hear that, Jie?" Izumi teased with a smile, listening to the lively chatter around them. "You've become a great hero in everyone's eyes."
The villagers didn't know the truth, but Izumi knew that the crimson-gold giant was none other than the boy standing right beside her.
Jie's face, however, was stiff with embarrassment.
Listening to their wild rumors, he almost thought he had walked onto the wrong movie set. Good grief, even 'Giants of Light' had made an appearance. The next time he used the third form of his Susanoo, would he have to strike a pose and yell 'Gaia' beforehand?
But thinking about Shisui Uchiha—who had also used the third form of his Susanoo but was directly branded a 'green monster' by the same villagers—Jie instantly felt much better...
However, a strange thought lingered in Jie's mind. He had listened for quite a while, and the villagers were only discussing the colossal battle from last night. Yet, not a single person had mentioned Danzo's death. It was as if no one knew it had even happened.
Before Jie could investigate further, Izumi grabbed his hand, dragging him along to continue enjoying their time on the streets.
Jie simply tossed the political fallout of last night to the back of his mind. It was a rare moment of leisure. Why bother thinking about those troublesome matters?
Meanwhile, as Jie and Izumi strolled peacefully through the village, Fugaku Uchiha sat in the Jonin conference room, his arms crossed and his face devoid of emotion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table wearing his Hokage robes, his weathered face clouded with gloom.
They were not the only ones present. The clan heads of all the major ninja clans in Konoha filled the large room, the atmosphere thick with tension.
"I assume everyone has already heard about what happened last night," Hiruzen spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on the unreadable face of the Uchiha leader. "But to give everyone here a clearer understanding, let us first invite Clan Head Fugaku to explain."
Fugaku didn't even look at Hiruzen. He spoke in a flat, unrelenting tone.
"The rogue ninja Danzo Shimura, former Hokage Assistant, colluded with Kumogakure spies to kidnap the sons of the Uchiha and Hyuga clan heads. Fortunately, thanks to the swift efforts of the Uchiha and the other major clans, the Kumogakure spies were intercepted in time, ensuring that the village's Kekkei Genkai did not fall into enemy hands."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Not only that, but the rogue ninja Danzo Shimura desecrated the corpse of the First Hokage and stole the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. His crimes are heinous and unforgivable. After the Police Force thoroughly investigated the Shimura clan, we discovered that they were heavily involved in Danzo's treason. Currently, the entire Shimura clan has been apprehended."
Listening to Fugaku label Danzo a rogue ninja with every breath, the various clan heads felt a cold sweat break out on their backs.
Who didn't know that Hiruzen and Danzo were old teammates? Even after Danzo's death, Hiruzen had personally escorted his corpse to the morgue. Now, Fugaku was showing absolutely no mercy, tearing away every shred of dignity. Was he truly unafraid of Hiruzen turning hostile right then and there?
Surprisingly, although the gloom on Hiruzen's face deepened, he made no move to retaliate. In fact, after Fugaku finished speaking, the Third Hokage nodded in slow agreement.
"The Third Great Ninja War ended not long ago, and then we suffered the Nine-Tails disaster. The village simply cannot withstand any more turmoil right now," Hiruzen stated calmly. "Although Danzo was horribly wrong this time, considering the numerous contributions he made to Konoha in the past... now that he is dead, we should turn the page on this matter."
He sighed heavily. "As for Danzo's death, we will announce to the village that the Shimura clan rebelled. Upon discovering this, the former Hokage Assistant, Danzo Shimura, chose righteousness over his family and ultimately perished alongside them."
Even though Danzo's crimes were undeniable public knowledge among the higher-ups, Hiruzen still refused to let his old friend die bearing the title of a rogue ninja. He was determined to spin a tragic hero narrative.
Upon hearing Hiruzen's whitewashing, Fugaku finally showed his first expression—a cold sneer.
"A rogue ninja is a rogue ninja. For the Hokage to just twist his words and try to brand Danzo as a hero seems quite inappropriate, doesn't it?" Fugaku challenged. "Danzo desecrated the corpse of the First Hokage and stole the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. Even if he were to be forgiven, that forgiveness should come from the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan."
A mocking look crossed Fugaku's face. He suddenly tapped his forehead, acting as if he had come to a sudden realization.
"Ah, I almost forgot. The Senju clan is already gone."
Hearing this, every single clan head in the Jonin conference room widened their eyes in absolute horror.
How dared Fugaku bring up that matter?
Shortly after Hiruzen had succeeded the position of Hokage, the elites of the Senju clan had been entirely wiped out in an enemy trap due to a catastrophic intelligence error from the village. From then on, the Senju clan never recovered, eventually vanishing entirely from the ninja world.
A powerful ninja clan with hundreds of years of heritage, the very founders of the village, just disappeared into the annals of history. It was extremely abrupt and highly suspicious.
However, being in the midst of a brutal war at the time, the village did not investigate it deeply. Even if some people later felt something was amiss, Hiruzen had already secured his absolute authority as Hokage, and no one dared to look further into it.
Over time, this had become the darkest, deepest secret buried among the major ninja clans of Konoha.
Yet now, Fugaku Uchiha had actually ripped it out and thrown it onto the table for all to see!
Upto 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk