The Land of Fire.
Leaf.
Inside the Uchiha compound.
"That's right. There are many suspicious points about what happened to Senior Kagami back then. Hiruzen Sarutobi's story is full of loopholes. There must be something wrong with it. We must find out the truth."
"We must not only find out the truth, but also give justice to our predecessors."
"Yes, Konoha has always been harsh on our Uchiha clan. Not only was it like that to Kagami-senpai, but in this war, we Uchiha were also the ones who were sacrificed."
"We were sent to the most dangerous places, to do the most dangerous missions, and to face the highest mortality rate, but the village gave us Uchiha the least in return."
"That's so unfair!"
The reason these people have such strong opinions is not simply because they feel indignant on behalf of Uchiha Kagami.
More importantly, these people have always felt that they haven't received fair treatment in the village and have been targeted. Now they want to stand up for Uchiha Kagami.
More than anything, they wanted to stand up for themselves and others and fight for their interests.
"So what should we do?"
As soon as the question was raised, everyone fell silent.
The Uchiha clan of today is no longer the same as the Uchiha clan of yesteryear.
After Madara Uchiha defected, the Uchiha clan suffered extremely severe suppression, which continues to this day. The Uchiha clan's strength has decreased significantly compared to before.
Moreover, the Uchiha clan was further divided into multiple factions.
"This is a matter of great importance, so let the clan chief make the decision."
"What if the clan leader does nothing? After all, you all know the clan leader's usual attitude; when facing Konoha, he only tells us to back down."
"If that's the case, he's not qualified to continue being our clan leader!"
The news quickly reached the ears of the current head of the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha San'gaku.
—Fugaku Uchiha's father.
Upon hearing the report about the rumors, Uchiha San'gaku showed no change in expression. He simply summoned Uchiha Fugaku to his study and brewed him a pot of tea.
"Father, the tea is ready."
Uchiha San'gaku picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
"Fugaku, you've heard the rumors circulating within the Uchiha clan lately, haven't you?"
"I heard you."
What do you think?
Fugaku Uchiha said, "There are indeed some doubts about Kagami-senpai's matter."
"Foolish!"
Uchiha Sangoku gave Uchiha Fugaku a disappointed look.
"The matter of Senior Mirror happened so long ago, and no one mentioned it before. Now it's suddenly spreading on a large scale within the Uchiha clan. Someone must be secretly stirring things up."
"The goal is definitely to sow discord between the Uchiha clan and Konoha."
"In my opinion, Iwagakure is the most likely candidate."
"Right now, their war with Konoha is the most intense. Once the Uchiha and Konoha become disaffected, Iwagakure will be able to gain a greater advantage on the battlefield more easily."
After Uchiha Sangoku finished speaking, his tone softened slightly.
"If you were the clan head, Fugaku, how would you decide to handle this situation?"
"Father, you are the clan leader."
Uchiha Sangoku waved his hand.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later. Why should my son and I be so concerned about it? Just think of it as me testing you."
Fugaku Uchiha recalled Sangoku Uchiha's previous attitude.
"Father, I think... we need to control this?"
Uchiha Sangoku nodded.
"I'll leave this matter to you. Consider it your internship before you officially take over as clan leader."
"Yes, Father."
The actions of Uchiha Sangoku and Uchiha Fugaku disappointed these people.
They had assumed that with so many suspicious points surrounding the Uchiha Kagami incident, the Uchiha clan head would at least seek confirmation from the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To uncover the truth behind Uchiha Kagami's death and to secure the rights that the Uchiha clan rightfully deserves.
But to everyone's surprise, Uchiha Sangoku did nothing and even controlled the spread of rumors within the clan.
"A Uchiha said angrily."
"Too weak!"
"It is because of a clan leader like this that our Uchiha clan has been bullied by Konoha. He doesn't stand on the side of us Uchiha clan members at all, and only thinks about groveling to Konoha."
"Just to keep his own position."
"Such a person is not qualified to be the head of our Uchiha clan."
"We can't count on him; we can only rely on ourselves and fight with our own strength!"
"From today onwards, I will refuse to go to the battlefield and refuse to accept any missions."
Another Uchiha stood up.
"That's right. If Konoha doesn't give us an explanation, we won't work for Konoha."
"strike!"
...
Letters were delivered to the Hokage's office.
Some came from the front lines, and some came from the mission department.
Hiruzen Sarutobi read through the letters one by one, and the more he looked, the more his expression changed.
"What's going on?"
On the battlefield, at almost the same time, six or seven Uchiha members withdrew from the front lines citing illness.
One or two could be coincidences.
However, with so many people at the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that something was very wrong.
And it's not just on the front lines.
The mission department within the village also reported back with information.
He assigned missions to the Uchiha ninjas, but they were repeatedly rejected.
Some are sick, some are injured, and others have other very important matters to attend to, so they simply cannot go.
It's obviously not normal.
"What are these Uchiha people trying to do? Are they crazy? Causing trouble at such a crucial time?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned somewhat grim.
Clearly, this is a collective incident, and a collectively malicious one.
"Come in."
As soon as the sound fell, an ANBU ninja entered.
"Go investigate."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Before long, the ANBU ninja returned with their investigation report. The rumors had not been kept secret, and many other villagers besides the Uchiha were also talking about them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly darkened.
"Nonsense!"
"These Uchiha people went on strike because of this rumor, and I have to explain it to them?"
Where are their brains located?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was very angry.
One reason is that this is a crucial moment for Konoha, as the war between Konoha and Iwagakure is nearing its end.
At this time, problems within the village could affect the situation on the battlefield.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi is truly no match for his opponent on the battlefield, he can barely accept it.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi would absolutely not accept losing because of internal problems or sabotage.
"Can't these Uchiha just shut up for once?"
An image involuntarily surfaced in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
Back then, when Tobirama Senju looked at the Uchiha clan, he showed a look of utter disgust, and then uttered a sentence in an extremely disgusted tone.
The Uchiha clan is inherently evil!