Clan Head Uchiha listened quietly.
From Kagami's expression alone, he already understood that the Hokage had once again avoided giving a clear answer to the clan's anger.
"Kagami," he said after a pause, "if this continues… we may have no choice but to follow Setsuna's path."
His voice did not carry anger — only worry.
"Many in the clan believe the Second Hokage acts out of personal grievance. They do not see anything else."
Kagami stepped forward quickly, almost anxious to respond.
"No, Clan Head. That isn't true."
There was urgency in his voice —
not calculation, but genuine belief.
"The Second Hokage regrets what happened to our people. The mission system wasn't fully structured yet. He admitted that."
Iguchi looked at him carefully.
Kagami continued,
"He has begun reorganising the mission assignments. Missions will now be divided by rank and difficulty. Shinobi will take tasks according to their ability."
"He told me this himself."
The Clan Head fell silent.
If that were true… then unnecessary failures would decrease.
Uchiha shinobi would not be pushed into missions beyond their strength.
It sounded reasonable.
It sounded fair.
But the losses had already happened.
"It is a good step," Iguchi said slowly.
"But it will not erase what has already occurred. The clan is grieving, Kagami. Reason alone will not calm them."
Kagami lowered his gaze briefly —
then looked up again.
"There is more."
Iguchi raised a brow.
"The Second Hokage has asked me to join his personal guard unit."
For a moment, Iguchi stared at him.
Not in suspicion.
In surprise.
"You are certain?" he asked.
Kagami nodded.
"He said it himself. If I stand beside him, it will show the village that there is no discrimination. That Uchiha and Senju protect the same village."
There was no ambition in Kagami's expression.
Only hope.
"If I join him," he said quietly, "perhaps people will begin to see that we are also an easygoing clan."
Iguchi studied him for a long moment.
Since Madara's departure, there had been no Uchiha standing close to the Hokage.
No bridge.
If Kagami truly joined the guard unit…
It could change things.
Or at least begin to.
"I will try to calm the clan," Iguchi said at last.
"But speak with the Hokage again regarding Elder Setsuna's punishment."
His tone grew softer.
"He acted out of frustration. If the punishment is too severe… resentment will deepen."
Kagami nodded immediately.
"I will do what I can."
He hesitated for a brief moment.
Kazuto's name lingered in his thoughts.
If Setsuna were punished harshly… the consequences would not end with him.
Kagami straightened.
At that time, he truly believed this was the beginning of something better.
"Clan Head."
A Uchiha shinobi hurried inside and bowed.
"Hokage-sama has called for an elder meeting. A masked shinobi delivered the message. You are asked to attend."
Clan Head Iguchi froze for a moment.
Then a wide smile slowly spread across his face.
Even Kagami, standing nearby, could not hide his relief.
"Clan Head, this is good news," Kagami said quickly.
"Please, we shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting."
An elder meeting.
And the Uchiha Clan Head had been summoned.
After so long.
Iguchi's smile was difficult to restrain.
For a brief moment, the weight on his shoulders felt lighter.
Kagami's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.
"Yes… Yes, of course."
He straightened his robes, then looked at Kagami.
"Come with me."
The two of them left at once, walking swiftly toward the Hokage building.
For the first time in many days, hope felt close enough to touch.
As they stepped out of the compound and onto the main street, conversations began to quieten around them.
Several villagers turned their heads.
Their clan attire made them easy to recognise.
"…Those are Uchiha," a man murmured under his breath.
"I heard they tried to attack the Hokage again."
"Again?" someone else whispered, startled.
"I don't understand them," another voice said, low but not quiet enough.
"First the First Hokage… now the Second…"
A faint sigh followed.
Kagami and Iguchi heard enough to understand.
But neither of them stopped.
They walked forward steadily.
The murmurs lingered behind them.
"Our image has worsened since Madara-sama defected," Kagami muttered softly. "I don't know when it will improve again."
Iguchi glanced at him, a trace of concern in his eyes.
"It depends on us," he said gently.
"On how we choose to improve it from now on."
He looked ahead toward the Hokage Tower.
"If we remain distant, they will remain distant. We must try to see things differently. Blend in. Stand beside them, then things will change naturally."
There was no bitterness in his voice.
Only resolve.
Kagami nodded.
"I will."
They reached the Hokage's office.
Before they could knock, a raised voice came from inside.
"What are those villages attempting? Do they not understand that within the Land of Fire, only Konoha shinobi are authorised to carry out missions here?"
The door opened.
"Hokage-sama," Kagami greeted as he stepped inside.
Tobirama Senju looked up as Kagami entered, followed by Uchiha Clan Head Iguchi.
"Welcome, Clan Head Uchiha," Tobirama said evenly.
Iguchi's gaze swept across the room.
A red-haired woman sat to the side — dignified, composed. Uzumaki Mito.
Beside her sat an older man with sharp features and a rigid posture.
He did not bother hiding his displeasure.
"Hmph."
Senju Takemori — current head of the Senju clan.
Tobirama gestured toward an empty seat.
Iguchi sat.
"Hokage-sama," he began calmly, "regarding yesterday's incident — all Uchiha involved have been placed under arrest. They await your judgment."
Before Tobirama could respond—
"At least you understand that much," Takemori muttered.
"For a moment, I wondered if you would follow Madara's path and abandon the village altogether."
The room grew still.
Iguchi's expression tightened.
"We helped build this village," he replied, his voice steady but firm.
"Our resources, our blood, were used here. Was it only so your clan could prosper while ours is treated with suspicion, Senju clan head?"
"Then what's the meaning of this village?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the room.
Iguchi was not known for speaking so directly.
Tobirama's eyes hardened.
"The meaning of this village is not yours to define," he said, each word deliberate.
Iguchi held his gaze.
"Second Hokage, things are slipping beyond control now. Whether you acknowledge it or not, many within my clan believe this has become personal between Uchiha and Senju."
The air grew heavier.
"You lost Hashirama. We lost Madara."
His voice did not rise.
"But if Konoha was never meant to let the Uchiha stand freely as equals as senju, then why were we asked to build it with them?"
Silence.
"If this were never our village," Iguchi continued, quieter now, "we could have chosen another path long ago. Why give us false hope then?"
No one spoke.
Not even Takemori.
Uzumaki Mito had been watching quietly till start.
From Iguchi's tone and posture, she could clearly see it.
He was not rebelling.
He was cornered.
As Clan Head, he stood between an angry clan and a wary village.
And there was little room left for him to stand.
Her gaze shifted to Tobirama.
A silent question was asked: Is this how you handle things as Hokage?.
Tobirama felt it.
Uzumaki Mito spoke in a measured and controlled tone.
"Clan Head Uchiha, no one here blames the entire clan for Madara's actions."
Her eyes did not waver.
"You are correct. The Uchiha contributed equally with the Senju in building Konoha. That is known to everyone in this room."
Mito inclined her head slightly.
"And I give you my word," she added softly, "that such mistakes will not be repeated."
Iguchi listened.
For a brief moment, his expression softened.
Then a faint, tired smile appeared —
not of relief, but of resignation.
"And what about the lives that've already been lost?" he asked quietly.
The room fell silent again.
"You may call it a mistake," he continued, "but not everyone will accept that."
His voice did not rise.
"The life partners. The parents. The children of those shinobi who did not return… they will not find comfort in the word 'mistake' alone ."
His gaze moved toward Tobirama.
"So tell me, Hokage-sama… what answer should this village give them?"
No one spoke immediately.
Even Takemori remained still.
The question did not accuse anyone.
It just demanded honesty from them.
Tobirama looked at Iguchi for a long moment.
There was no hostility in his gaze now as he understood his situation.
With a low sigh.
"I cannot change what has already happened," he said quietly.
"And I will not pretend that there is no explanation beyond what I have already given."
He paused.
"The mission system was flawed. Shinobi were allowed to accept tasks beyond their capacity. That is a failure of structure — and management."
Iguchi's jaw tightened slightly when he heard this as an insult, but he did not interrupt.
Before the tension could rise—
"Tobirama," Mito's voice cut in, in a low but firm tone for him to maintain his wording.
Tobirama acknowledged her glance, then continued more carefully.
"What I mean is this: the system must protect its people. If it does not, then the responsibility falls on me, which I accept."
Silence followed.
Then he straightened.
"But compensation alone is not enough for Uchiha."
His eyes met Iguchi's directly.
"The Uchiha are also the founders of this village, and it has been known to many. That position of founder must be reflected in responsibility as well as recognition."
Iguchi listened intently.
"I will formally establish a unit under the authority of the Uchiha clan."
The room stilled.
"This unit will maintain order within the village. They will oversee internal security — handling civil disputes, criminal disturbances, and threats to peace."
Takemori shifted slightly but did not interrupt.
"They will have the authority to construct detention facilities, enforce law within the village, and ensure stability among its people."
Tobirama's voice remained steady.
"This will not be a symbolic unit. It will be the official authority of Uchiha."
Iguchi felt the weight of those words.
Responsibility.
Recognition.
Trust.
Not exclusion.
"The Uchiha will stand as protectors of the village from within," Tobirama concluded.
"And their authority in this matter will be acknowledged by all clans and even hokage."
The room fell quiet.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Kagami.
Iguchi.
Even Takemori.
They stared at Tobirama as if they had misheard him.
The authority he had just described was not symbolic.
It was substantial.
If fully enacted, the Uchiha would hold internal jurisdiction over Konoha itself —
greater practical authority within the village than any other clan.
It felt unreal.
Takemori was the first to break the silence.
"Second Hokage, how can such authority be granted?"
His fist struck the table.
Bang.
His expression darkened.
"You would place internal security entirely under one clan?"
Tobirama did not flinch.
He turned toward Takemori calmly.
"The Senju hold elder positions within the village council," he said evenly.
"After Madara's departure, the Uchiha no longer retained representation at that level."
The name lingered briefly in the air.
There had been no successor to his seat.
"That imbalance must be corrected."
Takemori's jaw tightened.
"You would give them control over order within the village?"
"I would give them responsibility," Tobirama corrected.
His gaze shifted briefly to Iguchi.
"The Uchiha are the founders of this village. Their sacrifices are no less than ours."
He paused.
"And the village must acknowledge that."
There was no smile.
No softness.
Only decision.
"This is not indulgence. It is structure."
He folded his hands on the desk.
"If we expect unity, then authority must be shared."
Silence filled the room again.
Iguchi felt something unfamiliar settle in his chest.
Not triumph.
Not victory.
Recognition.
Kagami's eyes shone with quiet disbelief.
For the first time in a long while, he felt as though the distance between Senju and Uchiha might finally be narrowed.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kagami said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
Tobirama noticed it —
and for a brief moment, the sternness in his expression eased.
"I have only fulfilled my duty as Hokage," he replied.
"The village will allocate funds for the unit. It will be formally recognised as the Uchiha Guard Force."
His gaze shifted to Iguchi.
"Will this satisfy the Uchiha clan, Clan Head?"
Iguchi rose slightly from his seat and bowed.
"Hokage-sama, you have entrusted us with great responsibility. The Uchiha will honour it."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Only sincerity.
Tobirama watched him in silence.
***********************************************************************************************
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