Even Uchiha Shisui found himself at a loss. Chapters first released on noᴠelfire.net
He did intend to use force to bring Chiyu in, but only on the condition that it wouldn't lead to direct conflict with the entire Uchiha clan. Now that Patriarch Fugaku had personally stepped forward, if Shisui continued to fight, he would be contradicting his own initial purpose.
What's more, the Hokage had tasked him with restraining the Uchiha's rising hostility. Should he use force now, it would only provoke them further.
Shisui spoke in a low voice:
"Patriarch, this incident has broad implications. Even though Nichio-sama was stripped of his title, he was still the longtime leader of the Sarutobi. I hope you'll take the bigger picture into account and truly hand Chiyu over to the Hokage."
Fugaku replied calmly, "That is precisely my intention."
Shisui sighed in compromise.
"Very well. For now, let's end things here. After this, we'll leave it for the Hokage himself to settle."
With Shisui saying that, Sarutobi Shinnosuke also had no reason to make a move.
The Sarutobi clan, however, could not simply swallow their fury at Nichio's death.
"So what, Nichio-sama is to die for nothing?!"
"We must avenge him today!"
This time, Shinnosuke actually had to stop them from escalating further.
"People of the Sarutobi clan—Nichio was my uncle. I feel every bit as much grief as you do for his death. But trust in Lord Hokage—he'll see justice done. Don't let your rage blind you and lead to worse consequences than we can bear."
One Sarutobi shinobi cried out, "So, even the Anbu are siding with the Uchiha now?!"
"On our way here, the Anbu tried to stop us. Now that Nichio is dead, you're stopping us from taking revenge?!"
Hearing this, Shinnosuke nearly lost his composure. His own subordinates had been killed by these rabid clan members! He'd barely said anything about holding them accountable, yet now they were blaming him? Did they think he and the Anbu were pushovers?
"Hmph! The Anbu were following the Hokage's direct orders. You all took it upon yourselves to kill three of my men just to defy those orders. I will be investigating that in full! If you insist on stirring trouble now…" He let his dark, oppressive chakra flare up. "We in the Anbu are more than ready to 'play' with you!"
Under that crushing aura, the Sarutobi clan members finally cooled their heads. Nichio was gone, and even if they tried to fight, they'd have little chance of winning. Reluctantly, they withdrew, gathering up Nichio's remains, casting hateful glances at both Chiyu and Shinnosuke before turning away.
Shinnosuke exhaled deeply.
"In that case, I'll await your 'fair handling,' Patriarch Fugaku. We're leaving."
With that, the Anbu also departed.
Only the Uchiha remained. Fugaku finally allowed himself a heavy sigh. Today's incident had come perilously close to igniting an all-out war with the Sarutobi clan, perhaps even with the higher-ups of Konoha. Had that happened, the Uchiha's fate would have been unimaginable.
He shot a meaningful look at Shisui. That young man's stance just now caused the Patriarch some unease. Fugaku was well aware that Shisui was close to Sarutobi Hiruzen, but he didn't know how close. Many in the Uchiha—especially hardliners who supported rebellion—still considered Shisui their key to victory. Without him, a coup would be doomed. But if this "top Uchiha powerhouse" was in fact Hiruzen's lapdog…
What future would the clan have?
His gaze drifted elsewhere… towards Chiyu.
Uchiha Shisui also fixed a searching stare on Chiyu. But Chiyu merely sheathed his katana, unperturbed. Aoki, Yamakaze, and several other like-minded officers from the Police Force gathered around him, as if to protect him at the center. Shisui's misgivings only deepened.
He turned to Fugaku. "Patriarch, to calm the crisis, it's best we bring Chiyu to meet with the Hokage as soon as possible."
Fugaku looked casual, but there was an underlying note in his voice.
"Shisui, if a battle had truly broken out just now, what would you have done?"
"I…" Shisui hesitated before shaking his head. "It wouldn't have come to that. I would never let the Uchiha go to war with the village."
Fugaku frowned. He didn't press further.
"Chiyu, come with me to see the Hokage."
Chiyu made no objection and simply nodded.
Inside the Hokage's office, having listened to Shinnosuke's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was grim. He slammed a fist down on the desk, trembling with anger.
"That idiotic Nichio!"
"He was dead weight—he actually committed such a foolish act, and even killed three Anbu! He was asking for death!"
Shinnosuke spoke quietly.
"Father—excuse me, Lord Hokage… Yes, but that doesn't mean we can let them kill him and his son without consequences."
Closing his eyes briefly, Hiruzen exhaled, then opened them.
"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Chiyu are here."
Fugaku entered first. "Lord Hokage, I've brought Chiyu."
Chiyu followed, as calm as ever. Hiruzen studied him gravely.
"Patriarch Fugaku, previously at the Police Station, you said you would keep Chiyu under strict control. Yet he proceeded to kill both Sarutobi Jirō and Sarutobi Nichio. Even if those two were in the wrong, can he really just dole out capital punishment in the village without trial?
"Now, you must give me an explanation."
Fugaku opened his mouth to speak, but Hiruzen cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"I don't want to hear any more excuses."
Fugaku furrowed his brow. But Chiyu spoke up instead:
"Lord Hokage, what exactly have I done wrong?"
Chiyu continued, interrupting him.
"If today the Uchiha led a battalion in broad daylight, trespassing on Sarutobi territory and threatening war, would they simply wait to be slaughtered? Do you think they would just surrender without a fight?"
Hiruzen's voice lowered. "I do not wish to see any clan or ninja in this village killing one another. That's my responsibility as Hokage."
"Exactly. I feel the same. That's why I eliminated Sarutobi Nichio first, to prevent further bloodshed between our clans.
Hiruzen was speechless. "…You're making no sense."
"It's not nonsense. Had I not used the 'take out the leader first' tactic, that man—already half insane—would have caused a far larger tragedy. Then our two clans really would have gone to war. No matter which side won, Konoha would ultimately lose."
He glanced at Shinnosuke. "Sarutobi Nichio killed three Anbu, did he not?"
Shinnosuke remained silent.
"So are you saying we should have let him continue killing Uchiha until we were somehow officially allowed to fight back?"
"Lord Hokage, that makes no sense. Nichio became a criminal of Konoha the moment he lost his mind and murdered Anbu. In any village, killing your own village's shinobi is tantamount to treason and rebellion, punishable by death. I simply killed a deranged traitor, not the 'head of the Sarutobi clan.' I see no error in disposing of a traitor."
Hiruzen and Shinnosuke both scowled. Though Chiyu's rhetoric sounded glib, it wasn't entirely without logic. Nichio's Patriarch status had indeed been revoked by Hiruzen himself. And it was true that he had slaughtered three Anbu, blatantly invaded Uchiha territory, and been killed in the process—there wasn't much left to say.
Worst of all, Nichio had mustered a large band of Sarutobi shinobi in open daylight, heading straight for the Uchiha quarter. Nearly every clan in the village had witnessed it. There was no covering it up.
That accursed fool! Hiruzen silently cursed Nichio yet again in his heart.