Chapter 20: The Yin Snake Spits Its Tongue (Part 2)

The corridors leading to and fro were all being patrolled by Anbu; such a strictly guarded scene had never appeared in the past.

The air was permeated with a sense of oppression, as if a storm were about to break.

"Nanshu, no matter what happens later, you must remain calm. Remember that your actions represent the entire Uchiha."

Fugaku and Nanshu arrived before the conference room, and Fugaku gave this final instruction before they went in. The atmosphere inside the Hokage Building was clearly unusual; every corridor entrance was guarded by Anbu, and the level of vigilance was clearly extraordinary. Fugaku felt by intuition that this meeting was likely to be ominous.

"Do not be easily provoked; the other side will not let your flaws go."

Nanshu nodded solemnly.

"……Mm, then let's go in."

Pushing open the great doors, accompanied by a creaking sound, the conference room doors slowly opened.

The air inside the conference room felt very stifling, and the air was filled with a cold killing intent. In the center of the not-so-spacious conference room, there had originally been a table, but now it had been replaced by a wooden stretcher, and the corpse lying on the board did not look unfamiliar.

Nanshu took a deep breath, then walked in with his chest out and head held high.

Things had reached this point; he had no way back. Since that was the case, he could only bite the bullet and face it!

The atmosphere inside the conference room instantly solidified. Seven or eight pairs of murderous eyes instantly locked onto them. The Cloud Shinobi stared at the incoming Uchiha with hateful gazes, their expressions as if they couldn't wait to tear them to pieces.

Nanshu met the angry gazes of the surrounding Cloud Shinobi, treating these hostile stares as if they were nothing, which instead further infuriated the Cloud Shinobi.

Nanshu kept a cold face while bearing the pressure, scanning the surroundings once. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but compared to Fugaku, who was the backbone, the gazes of those present were focused more on him.

The Cloud Shinobi, who made no effort to hide their hostility toward him, were sitting in the seats on the right side of the conference room. The leader was a nameless extra who was currently closing his eyes to rest, seemingly having no interest in his own affairs. Or perhaps he simply didn't care?

Nanshu turned his gaze toward Hyuga Hiashi, who was sitting on the right side of the hall, only to find that the other man's complexion was somewhat ugly.

There was that feeling of stifling frustration at having to do something against one's will, and the look in his eyes when he glanced at Nanshu carried a hint of complex emotion—containing both helplessness and determination.

What had happened?

Nanshu subconsciously frowned, ripples rising in his heart. ……

The Third Hokage was already nearing seventy and had a full head of white hair. His weather-beaten face was etched with the traces left by time. His figure was not tall, and sitting down made him appear even smaller. He wore the Hokage robe and a conical hat, yet his frail, aged body possessed a pair of unusually sharp eyes. Having spent years in politics, his experience was extremely rich, which was also the reason why he had been able to suppress the Uchiha for so many years.

"Third Hokage, long time no see."

Fugaku led Nanshu, who had an ugly expression, forward, and they arrived before the Third Hokage to greet him respectfully.

"Fugaku, sorry to trouble you to make a special trip."

The Third Hokage wore a kind smile on his face, chatting as familiarly as if he were talking to an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time. His gaze sized up the middle-aged man before him; just like many Uchiha, hidden beneath that obedient surface was the ambition for the Uchiha's revival.

The Third Hokage had never truly trusted Uchiha Fugaku, only observing him while keeping him in check, always keeping the Uchiha Clan in a state of suppression. He had originally planned to find a way to resolve the deepening conflict between the village and the Uchiha by the time of the Fourth Hokage, but he had not expected the Nine-Tails Incident to completely disrupt his plans. Once the Fourth died, there was no longer anyone who could act as a trusted intermediary between the village and the Uchiha.

"It really has been a long time. The last time we met was at the Fourth Hokage's funeral, right?"

"Yes, we haven't really run into each other since the funeral ended."

That was because, as soon as the funeral ended, the higher-ups couldn't wait to drive the Uchiha to the outskirts of the village.

"In the blink of an eye, he has been gone for nearly four years. If the Fourth Hokage were still here, perhaps the misunderstanding between you and me would not be so deep."

"That is already in the past, Third Hokage. Our clan has no complaints against the village."

The Third Hokage smiled without responding to anything, and Fugaku's face was cold, making it impossible to tell if he truly had no resentment. The two men's conversation seemed to hide many things, but for certain reasons, neither brought them into the open.

In fact, if the Fourth Hokage were still alive, it would have been a happy ending for everyone. The Fourth's personal charisma was unparalleled, and he had extremely high influence among both the populace and the clans. He came from a civilian background, had a tolerant personality, was kind to others, and on top of that, he had a legitimate, orthodox lineage. His serving as the Fourth Hokage could be said to be the wish of all of Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan also saw the promise in the Fourth Hokage and spared no expense, betting everything on him. Not only did the entire clan stand with the Fourth, but they even gave away their Xuejijiexian, which ninja clans valued extremely highly and would rather kill the wrong person than let fall into others' hands.

In reality, if it weren't for the sake of the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi wanting to keep Obito's left eye would have been a pipe dream; the Uchiha would have had to dig it out for him overnight, even at the risk of being dealt a heavy blow by the higher-ups!

It is just a pity that the golden-haired figure, who carried the expectations of the villagers and was the hope for the Uchiha's revival, ultimately left them forever, full of vitality as he was.

He took away the expectations of the higher-ups and the populace, and he also took away the Uchiha's last hope.

He died at the age of 24. ………………

The Third Hokage slowly awoke from his reminiscence, and having returned to reality, he spoke.

"You should also know the special and thorny nature of the village's current situation. If possible, I would like to avoid this kind of situation as much as possible, whether for the sake of cooling down the situation or for the harmony within the village. However, it is a fact that the Cloud Ninja envoy died in the village. If we do not give our allies a satisfactory answer, I fear it will drag the village into an unacceptable situation once again."

"I understand, Third Hokage. The Uchiha will fully cooperate with the village's investigation."

"Reliable as always. It is much more reassuring to have your Military Police Force protecting Konoha."

Fugaku looked at the smile on the Third Hokage's face; his eyelids twitched a few times, and no one knew what he was thinking inside.

"Hmph, let's skip the polite talk and get straight to the point."

Danzo's figure was completely hidden in the gloomy darkness, and only his hostile gaze scanned back and forth on Nanshu and Fugaku without any concealment.

Danzo……

Nanshu suddenly felt a chill run through his whole body, as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.

"Mm, that is also true. In that case, Fugaku, you two take your seats first."

The Third Hokage waved his hand, signaling for Nanshu and Fugaku to sit in the seats arranged earlier. In the conference room, the Cloud Shinobi occupied the majority of the seats on the left, and there was only one seat on the right, which was for Hyuga Hiashi. Logically speaking, Fugaku and the others' seats should have been together with the Hyuga Clan, but unfortunately, this meeting had been pre-arranged, so no seat had been left for the Uchiha on the Hyuga side.

Nanshu saw a lonely chair placed in the empty central conference room. This position was like the "statement seat" (center) in a courtroom, monitored from all directions; any slightly abnormal movement would be instantly discovered and recorded. It would be better to call it a dedicated seat for interrogation than a seat for sitting.

"Then let us begin."

The Third Hokage acted as if he didn't see Fugaku's somewhat ugly expression, and as his voice fell, the already cold and stifling air became even heavier. The large conference room was so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping could be clearly heard.

However, the silence of the venue lasted for less than a few seconds before it was broken by a shrill roar.

"Murderer!!"

Accompanied by this was a chair flying over, smashing toward Nanshu's position.

Whoosh—the chair, grazing the side of Nanshu's body, smashed heavily onto the marble floor, and the chair shattered into a pile of wood fragments on the spot.

Fugaku glanced indifferently at the "emotionally agitated" Cloud Shinobi, then looked at the two higher-ups sitting on the high platform who had not made a sound. Although the Third Hokage was dissatisfied with the Cloud Shinobi's actions, he tacitly allowed the situation to happen due to certain considerations. As for Danzo, no one knew what he was thinking at this moment.

Realizing that things would not end so simply, Fugaku simply sat in his seat and closed his eyes to rest. Since neither Danzo nor the Third had any intention of stepping in, he, as the Uchiha Clan Head, could not step in casually to avoid being caught by others, especially since they were already in an unfavorable position.

Now, the matters in the venue could only be handled by Nanshu himself for the time being.