Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

After the pursuing Anbu returned, the Third Hokage went back directly with his men. With both a suspect and a corpse in his possession, it no longer mattered whether the two who had escaped were chased or not.

After all, the Uchiha clan was still in Konoha, so he could simply go to them directly.

Upon returning to the Hokage's office, medical-nin immediately began treating Kakashi. The removal of his eye at the root had been merciless, causing unavoidable damage.

The Third Hokage gathered his people overnight and marched towards the Uchiha clan area.

"Crack! It's a bit too large, and this eye technique consumes too much chakra..."

When Yagami returned home, the first thing he did was embrace the beast in his arms, receiving chakra transferred from the Three Tails.

He had used Flying Thunder God twice in quick succession, nearly fainting from the strain. Stopping this eye technique from time to time was taxing, and he resolved to use it sparingly in the future.

However, bringing Kamui over was worth it!

Still, it was a bit of a pity; he had left in a rush and hadn't done anything about the people at the root. He wondered if the Third Hokage had left one or two of them; otherwise, things could become troublesome.

"Yagami! The Third Hokage has led a group into the clan area, demanding to know why we took Kakashi's Sharingan… What's wrong with you? You used the left eye's technique!"

Shisui appeared beside Yagami in an instant. Seeing his weakened state, he couldn't help but look concerned.

"Are you here? Don't worry. Let's hear what they have to say; none of us Uchiha were out tonight!"

Yagami took a deep breath. With the Tailed Beast's chakra replenishing him, although his eyes still felt uncomfortable, his body had mostly recovered, so there was no risk of the Third Hokage noticing anything amiss.

"Is Fugaku here? Where is Uchiha Yagami? Let him come out and meet me! We had an agreement regarding Kakashi's Sharingan, and your Uchiha clan agreed to let that eye be installed in Kakashi's body. Now, you're going back on that—what exactly do you Uchiha want?"

At the gate of the Uchiha district, the Third Hokage looked sternly at the Fifth Elder, a person known for his relatively soft personality who generally advocated for peaceful coexistence with the village.

Under the Third Hokage's pressure, the Fifth Elder couldn't bear it and couldn't bring himself to respond.

Hyuga Hiashi, who had come upon hearing the news, observed this scene and sneered. He thought bitterly that the Hokage was gentle with outsiders but harsh on those within—what a leader!

"Lord Hokage, the matter hasn't been resolved yet, and the Uchiha leader hasn't come out. Is it necessary to be so forceful?"

Hiashi spoke from the side, still remembering the unresolved issues from the last time.

"Hiashi, this matter doesn't concern the Hyuga. I advise you not to get involved!"

The Third Hokage glanced at Hiashi and spoke coldly. The growing closeness between the Hyuga and Uchiha had always been a concern for him, but he had refrained from acting, not wanting to antagonize two major clans at once.

But that didn't mean Sarutobi Hiruzen was unwilling to confront Uchiha and Hyuga.

"Lord Hokage, you're coming to us in the middle of the night just to flaunt your authority? The Hyuga Clan head merely spoke fairly; how has he gotten involved?"

Yagami appeared with Shisui from within the clan grounds, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Uchiha Yagami, I don't have time to argue with you here. Hand over Kakashi's Sharingan!"

The Third Hokage looked slightly uncomfortable but didn't engage with Yagami further, reaching out directly for Kakashi's Sharingan.

"Kakashi's Sharingan? What does that have to do with us? Did he lose his Sharingan?"

Yagami feigned surprise and asked back with a puzzled expression.

"Uchiha Yagami! Do you think you can get away with playing dumb? Hand over the Sharingan, and we can pretend none of this happened."

"Lord Hokage, if you want our Uchiha's Sharingan, just say so. There's no need for these excuses. You claim Kakashi's Sharingan is with us—do you have proof? And the Sharingan belongs solely to the Uchiha. I've never heard of the Hatake clan possessing a Sharingan."

Yagami was confident that his actions would not be exposed. Without solid evidence from the Third Hokage, maintaining a façade of ignorance was the best approach.

"Yagami, it's pointless to be stubborn.

There were three people who attacked Kakashi.

They were very familiar with the village's barriers, skilled in Fire Style, and powerful.

Besides you, Uchiha, who else in Konoha would target Kakashi? If you deny it now, the autopsy results in our hands will change things.

You should know I don't want too much trouble with the Uchiha!"

Kakashi hadn't realized the truth. Yagami's time-stop was too effective. Under it, even Kakashi's thoughts froze, leaving him unaware once released. This, combined with his preconceived notions, made him overlook the possibility of Yamanaka clan techniques being used.

The Third Hokage took a deep breath.

In the past, he would never have handled things this way.

The real issue was that the Uchiha had shown less respect toward his position as Hokage lately, disregarding the village's orders and growing close to the Hyuga. Now, they had directly attacked Kakashi, his direct Anbu subordinate.

Though the Uchiha had clashed with Anbu before, there were no casualties, so the Third Hokage had let it slide, given the Uchiha's grievances over the years.

But tolerance didn't mean he'd let Uchiha do as they pleased. Keeping a Sharingan was one motive, but restraining the Uchiha was his main aim.

It's not that Konoha was afraid of an armed conflict with Uchiha, but he wouldn't back down.

"Lord Hokage, this is your mistake.

Without evidence, you accuse us of taking Kakashi's eye based on mere suspicion.

It shows that you have no trust in the Uchiha! And isn't your old friend Danzo just as interested in Sharingan? Why don't you suspect him?"

"Our Uchiha don't fear accusations and won't admit to something we didn't do. Even if we wanted to reclaim Kakashi's Sharingan, we would do so openly, not in secret."

"Furthermore, I doubt you, Lord Hokage, have truly stopped monitoring us, Uchiha.

Check if anyone from our clan went out tonight or if someone with the strength you suspect is missing from their home.

Investigate if any Uchiha has left for the Daimyo's estate or even the corpse you seized.

If there's a connection to our clan, we'll admit it."

Perfect! If Sarutobi Hiruzen had a corpse in his possession, my efforts wouldn't have been wasted stirring up this mess. Let's see how he resolves this.

…

"What! The eye wasn't recovered, someone was lost, and Sarutobi took the body?"

Upon hearing the report, Danzo nearly choked. What are these fools doing?

"Apologies, Danzo-sama. I recall holding the eye, but it suddenly vanished. Hokage-sama was rushing us, so we had to withdraw."

"Idiots! Utter idiots! Leave? What's the point of leaving if you can't secure the body? With them holding a complete corpse, what good is running away?!"

Danzo was livid, about to lose his composure. How could he have such incompetents under him, failing to complete the task and bringing more trouble?

Forget blaming the Uchiha; now he was implicated. The worst part? To anyone observing, Kakashi's Sharingan appeared to be with him.

But he didn't have it! He hadn't even seen the Sharingan!

When the time came, the Third Hokage would surely retrieve the Sharingan himself. Could he avoid this fallout? Impossible!

While Sarutobi was tolerant toward him, he was still a shinobi. If a decisive moment arrived, Sarutobi could easily discard him.

This was outrageously unfair!

…

Seeing Yagami's firm stance, the Third Hokage found himself uncertain, especially when Danzo's name was mentioned. A cold feeling washed over him.

Could it truly have nothing to do with Uchiha? Danzo indeed had reason to target Kakashi, as he'd previously sent Tenzo against him.

"Lord Third Hokage, the corpse belongs to a commoner shinobi from our own village and… they bear the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal!"

As the Third Hokage wrestled with his thoughts, a shinobi from the Intelligence Department reported in.

Third Hokage: … 

Yagami: Heh!

Hiashi: Tch!

Anbu: …

"Lord Hokage, I suggest you discuss this with the old man! And by the way, tell him that Kakashi's Sharingan is still with him. We can abide by the agreement, but if he intends to hold onto it, we will retrieve it! Also, regarding tonight's events, we expect an explanation. You know we don't want unnecessary conflict with the village."

Yagami said icily, causing the Third Hokage's face to turn various shades of dark and blue, like a dye vat.

"Tomorrow, I'll give you an answer."

The Third Hokage took several deep breaths, speaking with a blank expression, and then turned with his people toward the root.

"Shisui, let's check things out. If necessary, we'll retrieve any Sharingan he has in his possession tonight."

Yagami told Shisui as the Third Hokage's face darkened further. He understood what Yagami meant: the Sharingan Danzo had wasn't Kakashi's, so they were no longer bound by the prior agreement.

Unconsciously, the Third Hokage quickened his pace, frustrated at Danzo's reckless actions.

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