"The clan head summoned me. Of course I came."
Uchiha Mo met Fugaku's gaze directly. Those usually calm eyes showed not the slightest hint of evasion.
"It's just that I'm not sure—does the clan head wish to talk about what happened at the academy gate yesterday… or something from even earlier?"
Something earlier?
Uchiha Fugaku's voice carried a trace of danger.
"…What exactly are you referring to?"
Mo stepped forward slightly, a faint, almost teasing smile appearing on his lips.
"For example—the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. The Sharingan that controlled it… who did it really belong to?"
The air froze.
Fugaku's pupils shrank almost imperceptibly, and the aura around him instantly grew heavy.
The Nine-Tails incident—
That was the turning point of the Uchiha clan's fate.
Before that night, their relationship with the Hokage faction had been strained, but still balanced in a fragile equilibrium.
After that night—
Suspicion and fear descended like an iron curtain, completely isolating the Uchiha from the village's core.
And the most ironic part—
The Uchiha had no defense to offer.
Because that night, not only the Fourth Hokage and his wife died—
Countless elite ninja fell as well.
Overnight—
The Uchiha offended nearly every major clan in the village.
If not for that—
They wouldn't have been left completely alone, with not a single ally willing to speak on their behalf.
Everyone simply watched—
Coldly.
Waiting for the Uchiha to fall.
At that moment, Mo seemed to recall something and asked casually—
"Clan head… I've always been curious. At that time, the Uchiha were loyal to the Fourth Hokage. So why did you follow Root's order and hold back?"
"…Especially when it was a forged order in the Third Hokage's name."
"I don't believe you couldn't see through it."
The moment those words fell—
Fugaku's breathing paused for a split second.
That question was like a poisoned senbon—
Piercing straight into a wound he had spent years avoiding.
He didn't answer immediately.
His gaze shifted away from Mo, drifting toward the clan compound outside the window—
Toward the symbol of Uchiha pride and isolation.
Deep within his eyes, emotions churned.
Regret.
Resentment.
And a trace of humiliation—
At having the truth exposed so mercilessly by someone younger.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"…See through it? Heh…"
"In hindsight, yes—the flaws were obvious. But at that moment… that order, whether real or fake…"
"…gave us the most 'stable' excuse."
He turned back toward Mo.
For the first time, his eyes clearly revealed the hesitation and calculation of that night.
"Mo… you're oversimplifying it."
"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—he had only just taken power for a year. Brilliant, yes… but his influence hadn't yet reshaped the entire village."
"But the Third Hokage…"
"…had ruled for decades."
"His will, his roots—were embedded in every corner of Konoha. Most ninja, especially those in key positions, instinctively obeyed commands from that side."
Fugaku's voice grew heavier.
"At the time, I thought…"
"If the Uchiha openly defied an order issued in the Third Hokage's name—and forced our way into the battlefield…"
"…what would that mean?"
"It would mean standing in complete opposition to the Third's faction."
"I couldn't gamble the entire clan's fate on whether the Fourth could stabilize the situation and fully reclaim authority… and protect us afterward."
He paused.
Then finally spoke the truth he had buried the deepest.
"…And…"
"Who could have predicted…"
"That the Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze—would die?"
The last words were quiet—
But heavy as mountains.
That—
Was the truth.
It wasn't that he couldn't see through Danzō's scheme.
It was that, in the face of overwhelming political risk—
He chose the safest path.
Obey the symbol of authority that had ruled Konoha for decades.
But he misjudged Minato's resolve to sacrifice himself—
And overestimated the Third Hokage's willingness to defend the Uchiha afterward.
One wrong step—
Led to countless more.
That single moment of hesitation—
That "cautious" decision—
Pushed the Uchiha toward destruction.
"So you chose the safest path."
Mo's voice remained calm.
"But that meant watching the Fourth fight alone… and letting the Uchiha's reputation collapse."
"…You were afraid."
The words were quiet—
But they tore apart the illusion Fugaku had maintained for years.
Fugaku's expression darkened.
"Watch your words. Everything I did was for the survival of the Uchiha."
"Survival?"
Mo let out a soft laugh.
"Clan head… do you really believe the Uchiha still have a future to survive?"
"What you call 'survival'… is just a slow death."
Fugaku slammed his hand onto the table.
"Enough!"
A surge of chakra filled the room instantly, scattering scrolls across the floor.
Mo didn't move.
Not even his clothes fluttered.
"Clan head… anger won't change reality."
"I didn't come here to judge your past."
"I came to offer the Uchiha a future."
Fugaku stared at him for a long moment.
Then slowly withdrew his chakra.
"…Go on."
"Uchiha Obito is alive."
"And he has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"He is acting as the executor of Uchiha Madara's will."
"And the Nine-Tails incident… was his doing."
Those words—
So absurd, so unbelievable—
Instantly froze the anger on Fugaku's face.
"…What did you say?"
"Obito?"
"That Obito? The one who died at Kannabi Bridge… protecting his comrades?"
His voice trembled.
"…That Uchiha Obito?"
He stared at Mo—
Searching desperately for any sign of a lie.
But Mo's expression remained calm.
Certain.
"That's impossible!"
Fugaku almost roared.
"All of it is impossible!"
"How could he be alive?!"
"How could he awaken the Mangekyō?!"
"And become Madara's successor?!"
"This is absurd!"
Uchiha Obito…
Of course he remembered that name.
Among the many prodigies of the Uchiha—
Obito had never stood out.
If anything—
He was an anomaly.
Average talent.
Loud personality.
Even chasing after a girl like a lovestruck fool—
Completely out of place in a clan that revered strength.
But still—
He was one of them.
The Uchiha might be proud—
Might be competitive—
But they never abandoned their own.
Especially not orphans like Obito.
His elderly grandmother had always been cared for by the clan.
Food and necessities delivered regularly.
After he entered the academy—
The clan assigned a chūnin to teach him basic techniques and chakra control.
Nothing extraordinary—
Just standard instruction.
But for a parentless child—
It was more than enough.
In Fugaku's eyes—
In the eyes of most of the clan—
Obito might not have felt deeply attached to the Uchiha…
But there was no reason—
No justification—
For hatred this deep.
And yet—
If what Mo said was true—
Then everything…
Had been wrong from the very beginning.