Under the moonlight, Uchiha Fugaku blended into the night as he sprinted toward Naruto's location.
What had happened tonight had shaken him deeply; even now, he couldn't calm his inner turmoil.
Because he had not only witnessed his son's betrayal, but he'd also seen the man who, eight years ago, had murdered the Fourth Hokage and his wife, leaving the Uchiha clan to bear a monstrous burden of blame!
What angered and pained him even more was that his own son had ended up involved with such a man. This wasn't just betrayal—it was unthinkable.
"Could it all have been Konoha's plot, or even the Third Hokage's plot?"
Fugaku couldn't stop himself from thinking this way. Why had Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped down? The reason was simple: during the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had suffered such heavy losses that, even after defeating Iwagakure, they hadn't dared to claim any spoils—only seeking so-called peace.
A victorious country refusing all demands—of course that would cause public outrage. Combined with their own losses, it led to the youngest Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, rising to power.
Truthfully, when Minato took office, Fugaku had seen hope, because Minato had shown goodwill toward the Uchiha.
Fugaku had met Minato one-on-one and could sense his sincerity.
He wasn't like Hiruzen and the others, who put on a friendly face but always hid deep wariness.
Fugaku had believed that under the Fourth Hokage's leadership, the Uchiha would finally reintegrate with Konoha.
Especially since his wife and Minato's wife had been classmates and close friends—giving him a bridge to communicate with Minato.
But after just a year in office, the Fourth Hokage died—on the day his wife gave birth, on the day his child was born.
After that, the Third Hokage returned to power and took charge again, while the Uchiha were treated as the default suspects in the Fourth Hokage's death.
After all, eight years ago, the Nine-Tails' eyes had clearly shown the Sharingan—meaning it had been controlled by an Uchiha.
Before tonight, Fugaku wouldn't have suspected so much.
But now, after seeing Itachi working alongside the mysterious Uchiha who had killed the Fourth Hokage—and realizing their goal was to wipe out the Uchiha clan—he couldn't stop thinking.
Especially since Itachi was in ANBU and had worked for Root, it was obvious he'd acted under orders.
"So… could the Third Hokage have deliberately found that mysterious Uchiha after stepping down, in order to regain power?
And together, they orchestrated the events of eight years ago, even using Danzo to keep us from mobilizing—just to smear the Uchiha and assassinate the Fourth Hokage?"
Once that seed of doubt was planted, everything began to fall into place. And with incomplete information, the more Fugaku thought about it, the more convinced he became.
The day of the Nine-Tails' attack was top secret—even the Uchiha couldn't have known about it. So how did that mysterious Uchiha find out?
Someone must have told him—and that's how it all happened!
And tonight's events seemed to prove that the mysterious Uchiha had connections to Konoha's leadership—otherwise, why would Itachi be working with him on the night of the massacre?
The more he thought about it, the more Fugaku couldn't shake the feeling that he was right.
The more he believed it, the more his anger burned—he couldn't think of a single reason to believe it was all just a "coincidence."
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku forced himself to calm down, because he had reached Naruto's home.
Naruto's place was close to the Hokage building—right in Konoha's most bustling district.
As the former head of the police force, he'd always known where Naruto lived, but had avoided contact to prevent suspicion.
And with ANBU stationed here, Fugaku had to be careful.
After scouting, he pinpointed the ANBU positions and launched his attack under the cover of night.
"Who's there?" The ANBU were startled, but Fugaku moved too fast.
With the help of his Mangekyō, it didn't take him long to take them all down.
But he didn't kill them—just knocked them out. Once he finished, he quickly entered Naruto's room.
Naruto lay curled up in a blanket that probably hadn't been washed in ages, fast asleep. He looked so much like the Fourth Hokage.
Fugaku approached silently, but his face changed quickly.
Because he noticed the room was a mess—cobwebs in the corners, a place no child should live in.
And the table was covered with nothing but ramen cups, no sign of proper nutrition.
Most shocking of all, the milk on the table was nearly expired!
"This is the Fourth's child… the hero's son…"
Fugaku's eyes blazed with fury. He knew Konoha treated Naruto poorly.
That was partly a way to deflect attention from the village's problems and a burden all jinchūriki faced—but he'd thought at least Naruto's life would be secure. But what he saw here made his blood run cold.
At that moment, his suspicions hardened into conviction.
And at that moment, he felt the Fourth Hokage's sacrifices had all been in vain.
"Hiruzen, you'd better hurry!"
Meanwhile, in Root's underground base, Danzo clutched his severed right arm, hastily retreating with a group of Root shinobi.
But he still didn't feel safe. He just hoped that the shinobi he'd sent out with orders and messages would hurry.
And he hoped his old friend Sarutobi Hiruzen would hurry too—any slower and he'd be in real danger!
Uchiha Yuhara was too dangerous. As a student of the Second Hokage, he knew all too well how terrifying the Mangekyō Sharingan could be.
Normally, he'd feel confident handling it—but only if he knew its abilities.
Ninja battles were essentially battles of information. Once you knew an opponent's jutsu, you could counter it.
But this Uchiha Yuhara—someone he'd once dismissed—had the Mangekyō Sharingan too. Worse still, he had a space-time ability like the Flying Thunder God!
Space-time abilities were tricky enough, but Yuhara's power was completely unpredictable.
If he hadn't stayed alert, he wouldn't just have lost an arm—he'd have lost his head!
"That space-time ability—it must be from those eyes. Those eyes…"
Danzo almost bit through his lip thinking about it. The thought of Yuhara appearing like a ghost made him afraid—but also greedy.
If he could have those eyes—no, he had to have them! Then he could finally become Hokage!
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the base, making the entire place tremble.
The blast snapped Danzo back to reality. He didn't know what happened behind him, but he knew he had to get out of this place now!
"Where are you going, Danzo-sama?"
Just then, a figure blocked his way.
They had reached the base's outskirts—one step more and they'd be out.
Looking up, Danzo saw Uchiha Shisui standing in front of him!
"Uchiha Shisui, do you know what you're doing?" Danzo growled. "You're betraying Konoha!"
"Whether we're betraying Konoha is not for you to decide."
Shisui's expression was cold as many Uchiha appeared behind him.
"But Danzo-sama, you do need to answer for what you've done tonight."
"What is there to answer for?"
Danzo snorted, glaring at Shisui.
"Everything I've done has been for Konoha. If you're still a Konoha ninja, then stand aside!"
"For Konoha, huh?"
Danzo's voice had just fallen when another voice echoed behind him, sending a chill down his spine.
He turned and saw Yuhara stepping out of the shadows, his ninja blade still dripping blood. Yuhara's eyes were fixed coldly on him.
"I don't think so. You've only ever served yourself—and we have a debt to settle!"
(end of this chapter)