"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Makiya began by recounting Obito's anomalies, detailing his process of tracing the rumors, including which villagers he contacted, ultimately narrowing down the target, catching the culprit, and conducting interrogation.
"Special curse marks were inscribed on these people. They weren't killed by me, but were erased by the curse marks on their bodies."
Makiya pried open the maimed prisoner's mouth, pulling out the tongue to show the curse mark to everyone, while simultaneously handing the scroll to the Third.
The Third's expression remained unchanged as he finished reading. He passed the scroll down, and the clan heads looked through it one by one, their expressions varying.
"The scroll records the rumors they spread. To be honest, the intent was extremely malicious."
Makiya looked at the clan heads: "By spreading such rumors to the villagers, they wanted to erase the contributions of everyone on the front lines, deny the final battle against the Mist, deny the significant results, and attribute the victory to luck rather than the sacrifices of each clan. They are sowing discord between the villagers and the ninjas of each clan!"
'You sure know how to spin it; they were targeting you, not everyone.' The clan heads' mouths twitched, inwardly despising Makiya's behavior of borrowing their authority.
But they couldn't refute it. Makiya had killed three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had saved Might Dai, the location of the Mist base was interrogated by Makiya, and in the final battle, Makiya had protected many people with Fire Style. Every clan owed him a debt of gratitude.
Denying Makiya's contribution was denying everyone's.
"As for whether the information I've provided is true, they contacted many villagers. Lord Hokage can send someone to interrogate them; I recall the Yamanaka clan excels in this field." Makiya nodded slightly toward the young Inoichi Yamanaka, then turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi: "My suggestion is to act as quickly as possible, otherwise the spy's accomplices might take the opportunity to kill those villagers, and then I would be unable to clear my name."
"No need." Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a heavy voice, "The Anbu has already confirmed it with the villagers. The intelligence Makiya investigated is correct."
A long silence followed, and the atmosphere in the office was oppressive. Makiya's expression was as usual, standing tall with a natural posture.
The clan heads secretly marveled. Just based on this poise and elegance in the face of pressure, he was no ordinary person. It was a pity he was born into the Uchiha and wasn't one of their own.
"Danzo." Hiruzen spoke slowly, "These... ninjas, they are your people, aren't they? Do you have anything to say?"
Danzo stood up and glared at Makiya: "They were merely dissatisfied with your unauthorized abandonment of the mission and complained a few times, yet they were brutally murdered by you. As expected of a naturally evil Uchiha brat."
Makiya's eyes swept over Fugaku. Seeing him sitting in deep thought, unmoved, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. He took a step forward and sneered: "If you're crippled, hand over your position. Did you not understand what I just said? Whether it's a 'complaint' isn't for you to decide. Since they are your people, then release the curse mark and let the clan heads participate in the interrogation. Hand over all intelligence to Lord Hokage for a decision."
Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously nodded. This method was good. Root was firmly controlled by Danzo and buried too many secrets he didn't know; this was the perfect chance to investigate.
Danzo slammed his cane against the ground: "Uchiha Makiya, watch your attitude! I am the Hokage's Assistant!"
Makiya didn't back down an inch: "The Hokage's Assistant has a group of spies as subordinates? Are you sure you aren't the Raikage's Assistant or the Mizukage's Assistant?"
Danzo trembled with rage. He believed himself to be acting solely for the sake of Konoha and could not tolerate such slander.
"No matter how much you quibble, it doesn't change the fact that you abandoned your mission without authorization. White Fang's example is right before our eyes. Makiya, you should commit suicide to apologize."
The corner of Makiya's mouth curled up, but he quickly suppressed it and asked curiously: "Lord Danzo means that ninjas prioritize missions above all else, and any ninja who abandons a mission must commit suicide to apologize?"
"Of course."
Makiya looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi: "May I ask Lord Hokage, is the Shadow Guard's mission to protect the Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded: "Of course. That is their only mission."
"What are you trying to say? Don't change the subject!" Danzo had an ominous premonition.
"When the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was ambushed and needed several of you from the Shadow Guard to step forward to lure the enemy away and protect the Hokage, why was it that only Lord Third took the initiative to step up and take responsibility? Did the others forget their mission?"
"Lord Danzo, according to your words, please kill yourself. Set an example for me."
"You..." Danzo's single eye constricted, his voice filled with disbelief: "Where did you hear about this?"
The details of this incident only circulated among the heads of several major clans. Now, being exposed by a junior in full view of everyone made Danzo extremely uncomfortable.
This was the eternal pain in Danzo's heart. He believed he had only hesitated for a single moment, and thus missed the chance to become Hokage, a regret he felt deeply.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado glanced at each other, silently lowering their presence.
Makiya looked at Fugaku: "After Elder Kagami returned, he was filled with regret, believing he had failed his duty as a member of the Shadow Guard. He became depressed and passed away from illness shortly thereafter."
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, the tobacco burning intensely. After a two-second pause, he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"So that's it. Is that what Kagami thought?"
Hiruzen knew it was time for his entrance. Danzo had been cornered by Makiya; he couldn't actually commit suicide. He needed to give him a way out. It was wartime, and the village could not afford internal strife.
Danzo's unauthorized actions also made Hiruzen very angry, and the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was an infringement on the Hokage's authority. This was a good opportunity to knock him down a peg.
The Third Hokage's voice came from within the smoke: "Danzo, you have been lax in managing your subordinates. Although their actions were unintentional, they are indistinguishable from spies and inevitably cause misunderstandings. The ninjas of Root need to be retrained..."
"As for Makiya, you were too impulsive. While they were in the wrong first, you shouldn't have conducted a forced interrogation, indirectly leading to the death of comrades. The Will of Fire tells us... blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave everyone a slap on the wrist. Danzo was penalized for poor management, and Root was stripped of the right to recruit new members. Makiya was penalized for excessive self-defense, his accumulated war contributions were revoked, and his planned promotion to Special Jonin was canceled.
Taking advantage of the fact that the clan heads or representatives were all gathered, Hiruzen Sarutobi delivered another speech about the Will of Fire before letting everyone leave.
In the end, the supreme leader of Konoha still didn't explicitly state whether the mission or comrades were more important. He left the trolley problem to everyone and reserved the right of final interpretation for himself.
Makiya walked down the street, side by side with Fugaku.
"Makiya, you were too impulsive." Fugaku's tone was full of reproach. He knew that while Danzo accepted the punishment on the surface, he would definitely pressure the Uchiha clan afterward.
"I don't attack unless I'm attacked." Makiya didn't feel he was in the wrong: "Since they wanted to manipulate public opinion to attack me, they were already my enemies. When dealing with enemies, my principle is to always wipe them out completely."
With a cheat at his disposal, if he still had to act timidly, wouldn't his cheat be wasted?
Fugaku shook his head. Makiya was ultimately a young man full of vigor, not seeing things far enough ahead and unable to think from the perspective of the entire clan.
Makiya, on the other hand, thought Fugaku was too cowardly. In a world of extraordinary powers, strength was respected, and the rights the Uchiha received were far lower than what their current strength deserved.
Benefits are fought for; if one is kind, they will be bullied. Ultimately, one must speak with their fists. Only by appropriately demonstrating power and character can respect be earned, not through tolerance and Talk-no-Jutsu.
Hashirama Senju was able to pacify the chaotic world not because he kowtowed at the Five Kage Summit, but because if war broke out, he could force the other four Kage to kowtow.
Between the Uchiha and Danzo, only one was destined to survive. Danzo's actions had long ago torn off the mask, but Fugaku was still playing dead, pinning his hopes on the Hokage.
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