The atmosphere on the scene was already stretched to its limit, when Hiruzen Sarutobi finally appeared, with Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado following behind, echoing his words. Their language, both explicit and implicit, aimed to pin the crime of rebellion on the Uchiha Clan.
But Fugaku showed no sign of backing down. He pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two Advisors, cursing them, and vehemently rejected the Hokage's demand for the Uchiha Clan to disband their forces.
The moment the three words "I refuse" were uttered, accompanied by stirring background music, Fugaku's face appeared majestic and powerful in the eyes of the audience. The bullet comments were filled with cries vowing to dedicate themselves to the Clan Head.
[Shameless, immediately trying to pin blame!]
[Fugaku will turn you all into red bean paste later! Red bean paste! (Angry)]
[Well said! Fugaku has been so impressive these past few episodes, it brings tears to my eyes.]
[Clan Head is mighty! Overthrow Konoha!!]
[I am willing to offer my heart for the Uchiha! Long live the Uchiha who fight to the death!!]
Upon hearing the elders demand evidence, Fugaku, enraged, laughed in response. He stated directly that the Uchiha Clan had evidence, but no one present dared to look, no one dared to believe.
If the Uchiha Clan died, who would be next?
These words were deafening, each one a stab at the heart.
The Ninja from Ninja Clans all had grim expressions, especially the Hyūga Clan Head. Among the animator's close-up shots, his face was the darkest.
—We can't delay any longer, or morale will collapse!
Hiruzen Sarutobi made a decisive move, ordering his subordinates to attack. Fugaku was not to be outdone, and a pair of Mangekyo were about to manifest.
Just as the two sides were about to clash, a figure descended at an extremely fast speed into the center of the field. The immense force of the impact shook the ground for a hundred meters around, sending people and horses scattering, instantly interrupting the battle.
"I'd like to see who dares!!"
A familiar roar came from within the dust.
The plot abruptly stopped, the screen went black, and the ending theme began to play at an inopportune moment.
[This strong Fugaku is so satisfying!]
[Only the person who wronged you knows how wronged you are.]
[As far as the eye can see, not a single person is willing to speak a word of justice.]
[If I stand by idly today, then when disaster befalls me tomorrow, no one will rally for me!]
[Neutrality is a bias towards the bully.]
[What the hell! Tsunade!]
[Tsunade isn't here to break up the fight, is she?]
[She'd love to tear Danzo Shimura limb from limb, break up a fight? What a joke!]
[The progress bar can't hold out! Gai—ya—!]
—
Naraku was dumbfounded for the entire episode.
When he saw the Uchiha Clan leave their territory, he immediately switched accounts to save people, and didn't continue watching the commotion.
Although Sensing Ninjutsu could cover the Hokage Building, he couldn't hear what the "Chakra groups" specifically said. He only knew that Tsunade and Jiraiya arrived later, and the result was likely a failure to reach an agreement, leading to a fight between the two sides, and ultimately, Danzo was gone.
He had no idea that Fugaku would show such a strong stance, truly a highlight of his life.
Daring to challenge and curse all of Konoha, was this still the Uchiha Fugaku he knew?
Naraku: Listen well, you hardliner! Whoever you are, get off Fugaku immediately!
After the meme was over, he told the system to quickly open the next episode, eager to see what happened next.
—
With Tsunade's interference, both sides had no choice but to pause their offensive.
Everyone thought Tsunade was there to help the Hokage, but the first thing she said to the Hokage was to demand a public inspection of the Uchiha Clan's evidence.
Did Hiruzen Sarutobi not know whether the evidence was real or not? He immediately reprimanded Tsunade for being foolish.
But Tsunade was determined to seek justice this time. Even if it meant defying her mentor, she would see it through. If she couldn't, she would rather kill Danzo herself than let him continue to harm Konoha.
Furthermore, with Jiraiya also appearing and siding with the Uchiha Clan, Konoha truly wasn't confident of a decisive victory if they were to fight now.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's indecisiveness resurfaced.
—Anyway, there's still room for debate regarding the Uchiha Clan's evidence. How about we wait and see?
Some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that while Hiruzen was smoking his pipe, Danzo Shimura in the corner of the screen said something to his subordinate, and then that Root Ninja quickly left.
[Princess Tsunade! You are my god!]
[Are you stupid? Two of the Sannin are siding with the Uchiha!]
[This act of righteous family destruction is good, it's right!]
[Hahahaha, Hiruzen is agonizing again. As long as he has a choice, he will agonize.]
[What the hell! What is Danzo, that old dog, up to now!]
[Killing witnesses! He's going to kill witnesses!]
Uchiha Fūyō returned, bringing back a large amount of physical evidence, and also carrying the useless human witness, Shimura Rō.
Originally, Fugaku didn't have high hopes for this weak witness, but Tsunade summoned Uzumaki Kushina, which rekindled a glimmer of hope in him.
—That's right, if the Uchiha Clan can't undo the Sealing Jutsu, can't the Uzumaki Clan?
Naraku's cause of death was gradually revealed, coupled with Tsunade's and Jiraiya's attitudes, the expressions of many Ninja around them changed.
Viewers could see them beginning to hesitate, doubt, and waver, their will to fight the "rebels" gradually disintegrating.
[Tsunade: Fugaku, let me show you my connections.]
[6, when it comes to Sealing Jutsu, you have to look to the Uzumaki Clan.]
[Tsunade still has brains. Fugaku is enlightened but not completely. He doesn't know how to unite other forces.]
[He's been isolated for too long, so he's used to relying on himself for everything.]
[Now Konoha really can't win.]
[Danzo always only considers profit. Didn't he ever think that people have feelings?]
[Exactly, not everyone is like him, treating the killing of a child as an everyday occurrence.]
Might Duy, one of the parties involved, was struck as if by lightning, and for the first time, his life's creed wavered.
Kakashi hadn't even finished listening and was already unstable due to hyperventilation.
In that Kusunagi Castle, he was the only one who knew nothing, understood nothing, and foolishly believed Naraku had died on a mission.
But Jiraiya almost cruelly demanded that he face all of it.
As Naraku's only close friend, he had to endure until the end.
[Uncle Dai probably regrets it even more. He was just a little bit away from saving Naraku...]
[Hyperventilation symptoms, if they get more severe, can actually kill someone.]
[If Kakashi were Uchiha, he could open the Mangekyo now.]
[Kakashi is really going to shatter.]
[Wuwuwu... Kakashi ah—]
[For kakashi, my tears are all dried up.]
On the other side, Shimura Rō's Tongue Sealing Jutsu was resolved by Kushina, and Tsunade summoned the Yamanaka Clan to prepare to use their Secret Technique.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's fists clenched, then relaxed, then clenched again, repeating several times, but he still did not speak to stop it.
He realized that his earlier compromise with Tsunade had already destined that Shimura Rō's memory search could not be prevented.
The Hokage could not go back on his word.
Everyone was watching. Why agree to the investigation just now, only to renege when it came to a soul search? Was he feeling guilty?
—It's fine, Danzo is always cautious, he won't leave any handles.
He silently comforted himself.
About a dozen people sat on the ground around Shimura Rō, with the Yamanaka Clan transmitting and sharing his memories, to prevent anyone from lying.
The audience also saw, in the flashback, the scene of Danzo directly giving orders to Shimura Rō, and the moment the blade pierced Naraku's body, blood splattering.
[Why...?]
Naraku's desperate expression and this murmur, after many days, once again stabbed the audience.
[Riding a tiger, hard to dismount, aren't you? Can't go back now, can you?]
[I feel like proving Danzo is the mastermind is a bit iffy. Such dirty work would surely be communicated with codes, right?]
[But at least we can see Shimura Rō making a move; he can't wash that away.]
[What the hell! Danzo said it himself?! Ironclad evidence!!]
[Heaven helps my Uchiha Clan!]
[The Old Thief keeps using this scene to stab me, wuwuwuwu]
[Even so, Naraku only asked 'why'. He wanted to know what he did wrong.]
[After all this time, seeing it again still hurts so much! Naraku just... gone...]
"Shi-mu-ra-Dan-zo!"
With Entō's hoarse roar, the outcome was already evident.
They had seen everything.
Fugaku's heartbroken emotions were evident on his face, and his entire body erupted with intense killing intent, leading his Clan Member, whose eyes were red with hatred, to press forward step by step.
"Sandaime, hand over Danzo Shimura!!"
The Uchiha Clan, consumed by grief and rage, was ready for an unending fight, while the Konoha Ninja were disunited and their fighting spirit had dissipated.
As the party in the wrong, how could they have the face to fight against the victims?
[Entō will probably flay Danzo.]
[Let the victims' parents take turns, that's fair.]
[The so-called 'army of sorrow' is bound to win; the Uchiha Clan has already won.]
[If Konoha Ninja have any conscience, they won't be able to look the Uchiha Clan in the eye.]
[This is why it's crucial to have a just cause.]
Hiruzen Sarutobi had absolutely no idea that Danzo would so blatantly give orders to his subordinate. He exchanged glances with the two Advisors, still trying to make a last-ditch effort.
But Fugaku was completely unfazed. His Chakra surged and burned, erupting with an extremely terrifying power.
"I said…"
"Hand over Danzo Shimura!!!"
The background music played a grand, spine-tingling, and blood-pumping drum beat. Piece by piece, fiery red Mukuro appeared around Fugaku's body, as if his extreme anger and hatred had materialized.
Seconds later, a giant skeleton stood upon the earth, letting out an equally sky-shattering roar.
As everyone watched, stunned into silence, the progress bar moved towards the end.
[Oh my god, Fugaku is awesome!!!]
[A Clan Head should be like this!]
[A father's hate and love formed the Mangekyo, I want to cry T-T]
[I declare Fugaku is one of the most resolute Clan Heads in all of Konoha, if not the most!]
[Fugaku could do this, I respect him as a man.]
[Die, Danzo!!]
[I bet a pack of spicy strips that Danzo will die next episode!]
—
Naraku: That old man Fugaku really pulled off a cool move… I really wish I could count all his current popularity points towards my account… According to the original plan, Naraku intended to use his own Mangekyo to support the Uchiha Clan. But when he was rescuing people at Inu Base (Dog Base), he discovered that Fugaku could actually summon a Susanoo, and he was completely stunned.
If he were to then summon a second Susanoo, it definitely wouldn't have been as impactful.
He could only go with the flow, directly revealing his Mangekyo when the base exploded and collapsed, at least creating a different kind of grand scene.
Although he felt a bit of a pang for the popularity points, Fugaku had pushed himself to this extent, and all this glory was well-deserved.
Naraku thought, silently giving his Clan Head a thumbs-up.
If Fugaku in the original timeline had been this strong, it would have been great. At least the Uchiha Clan's ending wouldn't have been so absurd.