The people parted to make way, and Fugaku Uchiha went straight to the center of the conflict. Itachi Uchiha stopped at the edge of the crowd, and at eleven years old, he calmly took in the scene before him.
"Fugaku Uchiha, it was them…" Inabi Uchiha opened his mouth to argue, but under the calm and icy gaze of Fugaku Uchiha, all his words stuck in his throat. Fugaku Uchiha's eyes swept over the disheveled Inabi, Tekka Uchiha, and Yakumi Uchiha, lingering on their humiliated and uneasy faces before finally settling on Kakashi Hatake.
"I am sorry for causing trouble for our colleagues in ANBU," Fugaku Uchiha said after exhaling. "Thank you for coming to stop the disorder." Without waiting for Kakashi Hatake to respond, he slowly turned to face the villagers who were still simmering with anger.
Under everyone's gaze, the head of the Uchiha Clan and captain of the Konoha Police Force slowly bent his straight back. "I sincerely apologize," Fugaku Uchiha said with his head lowered, his voice clear. "The duty of the Konoha Police Force is to protect villagers and maintain order, not to create confrontation and fear."
"No matter the reason for today's events, forcibly taking villagers and causing physical conflict are serious violations of police regulations." He stated that this was his failure as Captain of the Konoha Police Force to properly discipline and guide his subordinates. He apologized on behalf of the Konoha Police Force and the Uchiha Clan to everyone who had been frightened or wrongly accused, especially the woman involved.
After speaking, Fugaku Uchiha straightened, his face still calm. He said that all clansmen involved would be punished under the highest disciplinary rules, and that the Konoha Police Force would send people to apologize in person and verify compensation for any losses.
Before he could finish, a foul smelling egg flew from somewhere in the crowd and smashed into Fugaku Uchiha's shoulder, staining his clothes and splashing onto his cheek. An angry voice immediately shouted that no one believed in punishment or cared about compensation. They said they only wanted to do business normally and stay far away from the Uchiha.
Under the mask, Kakashi Hatake's face twitched. This time, even he felt a headache coming on.
The surroundings seemed to fall into a deathlike silence. Only the sound of water dripping onto the ground could still be heard clearly. No one spoke, as if even breathing had slowed.
Fugaku Uchiha's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but he did not look at the filth on his shoulder or the scraps on his cheek. He did not even raise a hand to wipe them away. He stood there as if nothing had happened.
"You bastards!"
Anger surged again across the faces of Inabi Uchiha and the other two, but Fugaku Uchiha suddenly raised his left arm and blocked them. He stopped their bodies as they tried to rush forward once more.
"Apologize."
The two words sounded as if they were forced out through clenched teeth, carrying a chilling restraint of anger. The impulsive three shuddered as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over them.
Humiliation and unwillingness churned in their chests, almost tearing their reason apart. Yet Fugaku Uchiha lifted his hand and pressed them down, forcing all three to bow deeply toward the people in front of them.
The villagers who had been shouting in rage moments ago were left at a loss. Seeing the high ranking clan head of Uchiha Clan bow twice in such a solemn and humble manner left them momentarily speechless.
Others also fell silent, exchanging looks with one another. Much of the anger in their chests faded, though traces of resentment and dissatisfaction were still clear on their faces.
"Get back."
Fugaku Uchiha released the arm holding the three back and spoke coldly.
The faces of the three burned with shame as they clenched their teeth hard enough to crack. They swallowed the rage that could have ignited the air and forced it back into their stomachs.
Under countless complex gazes, they stiffly and slowly withdrew their hands from their sword hilts. Without looking back, they turned and left.
Only after they were gone did Fugaku Uchiha straighten his back. He could clearly feel the looks cast at him, no longer filled with respect but mixed with resentment, disgust, and long suppressed contempt.
Light reflected in those eyes, revealing only a cold barrier. Yet Fugaku Uchiha could do nothing about it.
He turned again to Kakashi Hatake and gave a slight nod, maintaining the last shred of dignity. "My apologies."
Without another word, he walked straight through the crowd and left the street with Itachi Uchiha under the many watching eyes.
At a distant alley entrance, Yunchuan Hyuga's gaze flickered. He thought to himself that the clan head of Uchiha Clan was indeed a clever man, though it was a pity.
He was far too naive.
Whether it was bringing a three or four year old Itachi Uchiha to the battlefield to kill, hoping to teach Itachi Uchiha about the cruelty of the Ninja World but instead shaping extreme ideas. Or later wavering between Konoha and the clan, indecisive to the point of pushing Itachi Uchiha into Danzo Shimura's hands and letting Danzo Shimura fill him with the twisted notion of bearing darkness.
All of it proved Fugaku Uchiha's naivety.
But it no longer mattered. Even if Fugaku Uchiha were not naive, nothing would truly change.
Because those watching Uchiha Clan were no longer only Yunchuan Hyuga.
"Black Zetsu, let me see what you truly want to do."
Yunchuan Hyuga's gaze seemed to pierce the night and fix on a distant tree. A black and white figure slipped into it in an instant.
"Perhaps what we want to do is the same," he said softly.
As he spoke, Yunchuan Hyuga's figure melted into the darkness, and a faint chuckle drifted away with the wind.
"Heh, a play of 'the living go to die, the dead return to life, cause and effect repaid'?"
"As the first act for the arrival of the Void Realm, it seems acceptable."
At the same time, Fugaku Uchiha walked with Itachi Uchiha at his side, with Yashiro Uchiha and the other three following behind. The six stepped onto the quiet path leading toward the Uchiha clan grounds, far from the noise of the crowd.
The waters of the Naka River flowed beside them, clear under the moonlight. This river had once been where Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha first met, and now it had become the divide separating Uchiha Clan from the village.
The oppressive atmosphere was almost suffocating, heavy and unmoving. The night wind carried dampness and chill from the river.
"Fugaku Uchiha!"
Inabi Uchiha finally could not hold back any longer and quickened his steps to catch up to Fugaku Uchiha. His voice was hoarse from suppressed humiliation as he demanded why they had bowed to those people.
He accused them of trampling the dignity of Uchiha Clan and mocking them for not daring to go to the battlefield. He even repeated the words comparing them unfavorably to a boy from the Hyuga Branch Family.
His hands clenched into fists, knuckles turning white as his voice trembled.
"Yes, Fugaku Uchiha!"
Tekka Uchiha spoke as well, red veins still visible in his eyes. He complained that the Konoha Police Force worked tirelessly to maintain order, only to become a joke in the end.
He listed how clans like Akimichi Clan, Nara Clan, and Yamanaka Clan were sent to face Kumogakure in the Land of Moon campaign. Even smaller clans like Inuzuka Clan and Aburame Clan had been sent to the Land of Rain front against Sunagakure.