Chapter 30: Shatter, Mirror Flower, Water Moon! (Part 1)

In front of the Hokage Building, Fugaku saw Nanshu off to the exit.

Although Danzo had repeatedly opposed it, he could not stop the Third Hokage's order to release the person, but he certainly would not let it go just like that. Nanshu's survival was already a thorn in Danzo's side, reminding him at every moment of how he had been humiliated by the Third Hokage today, and how the plan he had painstakingly orchestrated had been so easily escaped by someone from the Uchiha Clan.

Before leaving, Nanshu saw the cold, murderous intent hidden in Danzo's eyes, as well as several Root members looking at him with equally cold gazes.

Although the matter with the Cloud Ninja was resolved, it was clear that a grudge had been formed with Root. While it was true that the Uchiha and Root had long been at odds, Nanshu was the first Uchiha to date who dared to jump up and shout defiantly at Danzo, and naturally, he had become the Uchiha that Danzo most wanted to eliminate.

Things would not end just like this; the storm had not yet ceased.

Unless one of either the Uchiha or Root fell, this struggle would only become increasingly extreme and, at the same time, increasingly bloody.

"Lord Fugaku, the Third Hokage, he really..."

"Don't worry. Since the Third has already made his stance clear, he will not go back on his word. He was able to do this only after weighing the pros and cons. Besides, you shouldn't have provoked Danzo like that right before leaving; it will only incite him to target you more crazily."

Fugaku knew very well what kind of person Danzo was, which was why he was even more worried about Nanshu's safety.

"Do not leave the clan grounds for a while; avoid the limelight for now and find an opportunity to come out later."

Fugaku pulled an emergency Signal Gun from behind his back, making Nanshu's eyes widen.

"Lord Fugaku, you?"

"A precaution. Besides, this thing is actually for others to see; when I truly need to contact you, I will use the Summoning Technique."

Fugaku handed the Signal Gun to Nanshu and earnestly instructed: "The Third kept me behind because this matter requires me and the Hyuga Clan to contribute. Konoha protected the Hyuga Clan from being implicated, so they will inevitably respond. At the same time, although the Uchiha were innocently involved, it was ultimately the Third who stepped in to suppress the matter, so we Uchiha must also pay a price for this to be considered completely over."

"Although the truth is that it was the Third Hokage's unnecessary meddling in sending people back that caused this series of events, which then dragged in the Hyuga, the Uchiha, and Danzo, who wanted to stir up trouble behind the scenes. Afterward, the Uchiha nearly engaged in an armed conflict with the other three parties, yet the Third Hokage was able to sit securely on the sidelines and reap all the benefits in the end."

"However, this is the method of our Third Hokage of Konoha. Did you see it clearly today, Nanshu?"

Nanshu opened his mouth, then nodded silently.

That is good.

Fugaku patted Nanshu on the shoulder; having this direct realization was better than many other Uchiha in the clan.

"You also saw Danzo's twisted expression. To be honest, if we hadn't been dragged into this, I would actually be quite happy to see Danzo get thwarted."

"Hmm... but Danzo likely won't let it go at that. The Third Hokage has shown he can suppress him, but there is no telling what methods he might use behind the scenes."

Uchiha Fugaku frowned; based on his understanding of that man, things certainly would not end so simply.

Moreover, he had a premonition.

As long as the Third had not yet signed and sealed the agreement with the Cloud Ninja, there was still room for things to turn around. There was no guarantee that Danzo wouldn't take a desperate risk to save face. What Fugaku worried about was that if Nanshu were assassinated during this period, Danzo could completely claim that Nanshu had "committed suicide out of fear of crime" to turn the tables. The current situation was no longer just a problem between the Uchiha and the Cloud Ninja, but had evolved into a power struggle between Danzo and the Third Hokage.

"I must stay behind to help the Third complete the final procedures. Furthermore, because of the Anbu lockdown, there are almost no civilians in this area, so you must be extremely careful when returning to the clan grounds."

"That man Danzo is not the type to swallow his anger. If you encounter any emergency, use it."

Nanshu looked at the Signal Gun in his hand.

He nodded earnestly.

Hopefully.

There will be no need to use it. …………

After bidding farewell to Fugaku, Nanshu ran toward the clan grounds without looking back.

He had to inform the clan of what happened today to prevent the emotionally agitated clansmen from doing anything brainless.

Additionally, Fugaku was worried that since they had been gone for so long without news, some people in the clan might lose their patience and do something extreme, especially the young and hot-headed Hawks, who were a problem after all. They were usually arrogant in the Military Police Force, acting aloof everywhere, which made the public's impression of them extremely poor; many people had even been threatened by them after filing complaints.

At the end of the day, these young radicals were just hot-headed and arrogant. They were still restrained and polite to their own clansmen, but once they were in the village facing civilians and other clans, they were completely different people. You can fully imagine the disgust of having a group of extremely arrogant Uchiha looking down on you and ordering you to do this and that in a commanding tone.

If you think about it carefully, doesn't your blood pressure start to rise? Then congratulations, you finally understand why the people of Konoha hate the Uchiha so much.

These young radicals who caused trouble for the clan whenever they had the chance were a headache for Fugaku, and they were also trouble that Nanshu could not avoid. If he wanted to avoid the night of the clan's annihilation, he had to integrate the entire clan.

After experiencing today's events, Nanshu felt that Fugaku might be one of the very few people he could trust. At least he was both the Clan Head and had much more sense of responsibility than Hyuga Hiashi. Moreover, their interests regarding the Uchiha were aligned; helping him was equivalent to helping himself, so he could perhaps get closer to him in the future.

Only...

That person was trouble after all. If he wanted to get Fugaku to stand with him, that guy was an obstacle he could not bypass.

"Itachi Uchiha."

Nanshu thought with a frown.

By this time, Nanshu had left the village's central district and was running toward the forest on the outskirts.

As Nanshu sprinted through the woods, he thought that there was no doubt Itachi Uchiha would betray the Uchiha sooner or later. Furthermore, Nanshu did not believe he was better at brainwashing than the Third Hokage; trying to make Itachi Uchiha change his mind, stand on the clan's side, and betray Konoha was likely a pipe dream. However, he could not just attack Itachi Uchiha casually, or he would surely face a backlash.

Shisui Uchiha was already dead, and there was a high possibility that Itachi Uchiha had already obtained the Mangekyo. If they fought, it was a question of who would eliminate whom. Secondly, how would he explain it to Fugaku? If he succeeded in persuading him, would Fugaku have the heart to kill his own son for the sake of justice? If he failed, would Fugaku still be able to stand on his side like he did today?

Nanshu crossed a waterfall and arrived in a dark forest, his brow furrowed tightly.

Moreover, although Itachi Uchiha was not close to his clansmen, he had considerable prestige within the clan. Even a gatekeeping Uchiha had a look of admiration when talking about him. It was hard to say whether a group of people who supported him stood behind Itachi Uchiha. If he were to break with Itachi Uchiha, who would they believe was the traitor to the clan?

The answer was perhaps obvious.

At this moment, Nanshu suddenly stopped in front of a large tree.

Looking up at the dense forest that almost blocked out the sky, the stifled feeling in Nanshu's heart grew heavier.

The heavy stone pressing on his heart could never be lifted, making his body and mind feel heavy. ……