Fugaku's Transformation: Going to the Clan Chief

Chapter 113 Fugaku's Transformation: Going to the Clan Chief

"Is this really true?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Send someone down to investigate, Hiruzen. Since Kirigakure is so certain, it can't be baseless," Mitokado Homura said.

"Hmm." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and called out the window, "Someone come here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a member of the secret service slipped through the window and entered the room.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Go and summon Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan. I have something to ask him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused mid-sentence, as if he had thought of something, and then changed his mind and called out Fugaku's name.

"Yes!" the ANBU replied in a deep voice, and then immediately disappeared from the room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Tadamasa Odagiri and gave him a gentle smile.

"Please wait a moment, envoy."

Tadamasa Odagiri nodded, and the room fell silent.

A moment later, a fierce-looking man pushed open the door to the council hall and entered the room. He walked to the side of the Hidden Mist Envoy and looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting above him.

"I've arrived, Third Generation."

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could even speak, Koharu Utatane frowned and said with a hint of reprimand, "Fugaku, you should call him Ho—"

"Never mind, it's just a title." Before she could finish speaking, the Third Hokage waved his hand, interrupting her without any hesitation.

One cop, one lenient cop—I can't believe I was ever fooled by such a simplistic tactic!

Fugaku rolled his eyes, silently thinking to himself.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and asked, "Fugaku, are the seven ninja swords from Kirigakure in the hands of the Uchiha?"

"Not here." Fugaku replied instantly, without even lifting his eyelids.

After a year, Mo used his methods and strength to make Fugaku fully realize his own position.

Regardless of his inner thoughts, since Mo had given the order, he only needed to obey and carry it out. As a former leader, he deeply understood that most of the time, rigid subordinates were far more reliable than intelligent and perceptive people.

Perhaps deep down he still felt that the Uchiha should maintain good relations with Konoha, but that didn't stop him from changing his approach because of Mo's attitude.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi on the stage could react, Tadamasa Odagiri, standing next to Fugaku, immediately bristled at these words.

"Bullshit! If the ninja swords weren't in your hands, how did the Kirigakure ninjas who died at the hands of the Uchiha die? Did they commit suicide?!"

Fugaku frowned, his eyes instantly turning blood red. He turned to look at Odagiri Tadamasa, his face filled with undisguised coldness.

"If you have the guts, say those first two words again."

Fugaku already had a fierce appearance and great strength, and now, with his furrowed brows and those cold Sharingan eyes, he exuded an even stronger sense of oppression.

"Uh—" Odagiri Tadamasa's breath hitched, his whole body stiffened instantly, and he turned his head away without saying another word.

"Alright, Fugaku. Mr. Tadamasa was just a little flustered, please don't mind him." Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly spoke up to ease the tension.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku put away his Sharingan and turned his gaze away again.

"Let's get back to the main point. Since the ninja swords are not in the hands of the Uchiha, I would like to know what about the ninja swords that Mr. Tadamasa mentioned that the Uchiha possessed."

"Some of these ninja swords were picked up by the Uchiha themselves, and some were from the clan's inventory. In short, they have nothing to do with the ninja swords of Kirigakure. That's my answer to the Hokage's question. These ninja swords are the property of the Uchiha clan. If the Hokage wants to take them, he can talk to the clan head. It's no use coming to me."

Fugaku remained expressionless, still refusing to admit it.

"you----"

Upon hearing this, Odagiri Tadamasa raised his finger and pointed at Fugaku, his finger even trembling with anger. However, after uttering a single word, perhaps out of fear of something, he remained silent for a long time.

"Fugaku! Do you think everyone's a fool?!"

"How could there possibly be fourteen ninja swords in this world that look exactly alike and function exactly the same! Hand over your ninja swords right now! All spoils of war belong to the village, and the village will distribute them according to merits. No matter how great your contributions are, the Uchiha clan has absolutely no right to dispose of the spoils of war independently!"

Koharu raised her eyebrows and looked at Fugaku with a cold rebuke.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mitomon Homura immediately chimed in to offer his advice.

"Fugaku, it's not that the village wants to encroach on the Uchiha's rights. Now that Kirigakure has come to negotiate, these ninja swords are the bargaining chips. If it weren't for this, it wouldn't be unreasonable to take these ninja swords as a reward for your Uchiha's heroic actions, but the situation is different now—for the sake of the village's peace, please be understanding. After the war ends, the village will compensate the Uchiha from other sources."

The two of them began their charade, while Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe, his cloudy eyes slightly narrowed behind the smoke as he stared intently at Fugaku Uchiha, whose expression remained completely unmoved, a hint of doubt and unease rising in his heart.

"Fugaku is different now—"

Sure enough, the moment the Third Hokage had this thought, Fugaku Uchiha suddenly spoke calmly: “There’s no use in telling me this. I’m no longer the head of the Uchiha clan. If you want to seize the Uchiha’s private property, go talk to Mo.”

"You?!" Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane stood up instantly, her face extremely ugly.

"Fugaku! What do you mean! What do you mean by 'encroachment'—"

"Enough." Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly raised his eyebrows and his voice rose several octaves.

Xiaochun immediately fell silent upon turning to her new room, her expression changing repeatedly before she finally returned to her seat.

"In that case, you should go back and call Mo over."

"What is it?"

The cold-faced boy held his ninja sword, his voice calm, but the entire council hall was eerily quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and even the slightest increase in breathing could be clearly heard.

He looked up at Mitomon Homura on the left side of the stage, and saw that the old man was sitting upright, expressionless, and had no intention of making a sound.

Mo's gaze shifted again, landing on Koharu Tsurugi. The old woman trembled slightly, straightened her back, and sat up straight, remaining silent.

Seeing that a while had passed and Mo still showed no sign of looking away, Koharu Utatane gradually broke out in a cold sweat. Then, pretending to be impatient, she turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and quickly said, "Hiruzen, now that the Uchiha clan leader is here, you should start already."

"Why----"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and sighed, utterly speechless.

His two old partners are really too much of a bully who preys on the weak.

Of course, if Danzo were still alive, they wouldn't be afraid with him leading the charge. But things are different now. With Danzo dead, their inherent weakness has been completely exposed.

Moreover, Uchiha Mo was different from the people they had bullied before. Those people were either strong but lacked temper and courage, or they had courage but lacked strength.

The rumors of Mo's cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness have been circulating in the ninja world for years. Having lived on the high platform of power for so long, they really don't dare to gamble with this kid on whether he has the guts.

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