The council hall was on the brink of collapse.
Everyone present could feel it—one wrong word, one wrong move, and the meeting would erupt into open conflict between the village's higher-ups and the Uchiha Clan.
The other clan heads did not want that. Not now.
From where they sat, it was impossible to decide who was right and who was wrong.
They were not in the Uchiha's position, nor did they fully trust the village elders' claims.
From the Uchiha side, the pressure placed upon them felt suffocating—unrelenting and unfair.
From the village's perspective, suspicion was not entirely baseless.
The Uchiha had rebelled twice in history.
That fact alone made everything more complicated.
Danzo, however, was no longer thinking about politics.
His rage had reached a point where he wanted to tear Toyoma apart.
Being called Senju Danzo.
Being referred to as a breed of Senju.
Never in his life had anyone insulted him so openly—so shamelessly—inside the council hall itself.
His chakra flared violently.
In an instant, Danzo vanished.
He appeared directly in front of Toyoma.
The Uchiha elders and every jōnin present reacted immediately—but they were a step too late.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
The attack was launched.
And in that same instant—
Toyoma activated his technique.
Blink Change.
Space twisted.
Danzo's position switched with Homura, who had been seated beside the Third Hokage.
Danzo didn't even realise what had happened.
His attack was already flying forward.
Straight toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Hokage's eyes widened.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
The defence rose—but it wasn't enough.
The wind blade tore through, grazing his arm.
Blood spilled.
Silence slammed into the hall.
"Danzo! What the hell are you doing?!"
Koharu shouted.
Homura, meanwhile, found himself surrounded.
Uchiha elders.
Jōnin.
Cold, stunned eyes stared at him.
Only moments ago, he had been seated beside the Hokage.
He had no idea how he got here.
The Uchiha around him were equally shocked—because they had all seen it.
Danzo had attacked the Hokage.
ANBU and jōnin moved instantly.
Danzo was restrained and slammed to the floor before he could act again.
Confusion ruled the hall.
Several clan heads turned their gaze toward Shikaku Nara.
In a situation like this, if anyone understood what had just happened—
It would be him.
Minato, however, was staring at Toyoma.
He had seen it clearly.
The switch.
A space-time technique—far more refined than his own.
He could only switch with marked targets.
Toyoma hadn't marked anyone.
And yet—
He had moved Danzo and Homura
effortlessly.
Cold sweat formed on Minato's back.
This jutsu…If misused…
It was terrifying.
Uchiha Setsuna turned his gaze toward the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still surrounded by ANBU, medical ninjutsu glowing faintly as they treated his wounded arm.
Setsuna's voice cut through the hall.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen," he shouted, his chakra pressing down on the room, "do you intend to fight us to the death now?"
The air grew heavy.
"If so, then come," Setsuna continued coldly."The Uchiha are not cowards who sit in halls and stab others from behind."
Silence followed his words.
Setsuna then turned to Toyoma, his expression shifting—only slightly.
"Are you alright, child?"
Toyoma nodded calmly.
"I already said it," he replied evenly."Even if all of them come together, they can't hurt me."
His eyes swept across the elders.
"They're only good at using their mouths—and blackmailing others in the name of the Will of Fire."
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly.
He knew this was not the moment to act against the Uchiha.
They were needed for the war.
And even if he wanted to move against them now—
The village clans would not support him.
Politically, he was cornered.
He opened his eyes and looked at Setsuna once more.
"Uchiha Elder," Hiruzen said, his voice controlled but strained, "the village and the Uchiha have accumulated many misunderstandings."
"What you see is the perspective of your clan," he continued," and what we see is the perspective of the village."
"Because of this, we fail to understand each other."
He paused.
"It was never our intention to weaken the Uchiha or pressure your clan."
"We were afraid of the consequences," Hiruzen admitted."Of what might happen if something went wrong."
The words hung heavily in the council hall.
Nara Shikaku finally stood up.
He had been watching in silence, weighing every word spoken in the hall.
If no one intervened now, he knew the outcome.
Not the Uchiha.
Not the elders.
The village itself would suffer.
"Hokage-sama," Shikaku said calmly, then turned toward the Uchiha elders," and Uchiha Elders."
"From what we have heard today—and from the facts before us—it is clear that the pressure placed upon the Uchiha Clan was wrong."
Murmurs spread through the hall.
"It affected their daily lives, their livelihoods, and their standing within the village," Shikaku continued evenly."In that sense, the Uchiha's response cannot be called unjustified."
Homura and Koharu stiffened.
Their gazes locked onto Shikaku.
He ignored them.
"At the same time," he said, "the village's fear was not without reason."
"The real problem," Shikaku continued, "is that even after years of Uchiha sacrifice, that fear never disappeared."
"That failure—on the village's part—is what led us to today's situation."
The hall fell silent.
"To say clearly who is right and who is wrong now is difficult," Shikaku admitted."But as clan heads, we understand one thing."
He looked around the room.
"None of us wants this to happen to any clan of Konoha."
"Our predecessors formed this village so that we—and our descendants—could survive together."
He turned back toward the Uchiha.
"Because of that, we stand with the Uchiha."
A ripple passed through the council.
"However," Shikaku said, his voice firm, "the current situation does not allow us to fully pursue justice."
"Any reckless decision now would affect the ongoing war—and endanger the entire village."
He bowed his head slightly.
"I hope the Uchiha Clan can understand this."
One by one, the other clan heads nodded.
Voices followed.
They expressed their understanding.
And they promised—
After the war, they would help the Uchiha seek justice.
Both Uchiha Fugaku and Hiruzen Sarutobi listened in silence.
They understood the same truth.
The village's current situation left little room for resolution.
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Fugaku.
"Uchiha Clan Head," he said slowly, "this matter… was the village's failure."
A stir ran through the council.
"Our fear of Uchiha rebellion should not have persisted for so long," Hiruzen continued."Not after the sacrifices your clan made for Konoha."
His voice remained calm, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
"I also understand that true understanding between the village and the Uchiha requires open discussion."
He paused.
"But the present situation does not allow it."
Hiruzen met Fugaku's eyes.
"As the Nara Clan Head has stated, the village will answer the Uchiha's sacrifices."
"For now," he said quietly, "I ask that the Uchiha understand the village's difficulty—as one of Konoha's founders."
Fugaku listened without interruption.
He understood that every decision the village leadership had made against the Uchiha was now exposed before the entire village. From this moment on, any action taken against the Uchiha would be judged by all—because no clan wished to suffer the same injustice.
He glanced briefly toward Grand Elder Setsuna, then toward the other Uchiha elders.
The hall waited for his answer.
Finally, Fugaku spoke.
"Grand Elder. Elders," he said calmly, "the village has now acknowledged our difficulties."
"They have given their assurance."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"All of you also understand the current situation."
"Pushing this matter further now will only make things worse."
He turned fully toward the council.
"For now," Fugaku concluded, "we will set this matter aside."
Grand Elder Setsuna heard those words and turned his gaze toward Toyoma.
Toyoma met his eyes and gave a slight nod.
He had achieved what he intended.
The wrongs done to the Uchiha were no longer hidden.
They had been spoken of openly before the entire village.
Toyoma knew how history would remember this clan in the future—how, in Sasuke's era, the Uchiha would be spoken of as monsters, traitors, or curses.
That was what he wanted to change.
Not by force.
But by reminding everyone—Even the Uchiha themselves—
That they were humans first.
Setsuna looked at Toyoma for a long moment, then nodded.
Turning to Fugaku, he gave a silent affirmation.
Only then did the tension in the hall finally ease.
Nara Shikaku surveyed the hall and spoke calmly.
"Now," he said, "we should return to the matter this meeting was originally called for—the issue of war supplies and the sudden increase in prices."
The words seemed to pull everyone back to reality.
One by one, the clan heads realised how far the discussion had drifted.
The conflict, the accusations, the near-collapse of the council—
All of it had made them forget why they had gathered in the first place.
Their gazes turned toward the Hokage and the village elders.
Danzo was released on Hiruzen's order.
As he rose, his eyes fixed briefly on Toyoma.
He measured him silently.
The boy's strength was already beyond that of an elite jōnin—and that strange technique of his was far more troublesome than Danzo liked to admit.
Hiruzen looked around the council hall once more.
"Then," he said evenly, "let us begin this meeting properly."
The council resumed—
But nothing was the same as before.