Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

"Hiruzen, what do you think?"

Advisor Mitokado Homura turned to the Third Hokage.

Although Hiruzen hadn't said anything yet, Homura faintly sensed that he might already know Danzo Shimura's whereabouts.

"Knowing Danzo's caution, these people likely don't know where he went."

After a moment of thought, the Third Hokage replied.

"Then what should we do now?"

Koharu Utatane frowned deeply.

The disappearance of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal strongly implied that Danzo was dead.

Danzo had once been her teammate. Though saddened by the possibility of his death, she couldn't deny how troublesome the situation had become.

"I'll have the ANBU launch a full investigation and locate Advisor Danzo as soon as possible."

Hiruzen said solemnly.

"Danzo's gone missing, and Root is growing unstable. What do you plan to do about it?"

Homura glanced at the Root operatives around them and asked.

"I'll have the ANBU take temporary control of the Root base. Once the investigation is complete, we'll determine what to do next."

After brief consideration, Hiruzen gave his decision.

With Danzo missing—likely dead—it meant Hiruzen had lost a political ally.

But at the same time, it presented him with an opportunity: a chance to fully take control of Root.

Unfortunately, most of Root's elite operatives had left with Danzo.

"There's no other choice, then."

Koharu and Homura exchanged glances and nodded.

They could already guess Hiruzen's intentions, but with Danzo gone, and Root destabilizing, there was no better option than this.

After deploying ANBU to temporarily take over Root's base, Hiruzen returned to the Hokage Tower.

Once back, he immediately issued a series of orders:

Send ANBU to the Land of Rice Fields (Tanokuni) to investigate Danzo's whereabouts and confirm whether he was truly dead.

Monitor the Uchiha clan closely check whether a large number of their members had recently left the village.

After more than a day of travel, Uchiha Fugaku and his group returned to Konoha.

Mikoto Uchiha looked him over carefully to make sure he wasn't injured, then finally let out a breath of relief and asked gently:

"How did it go? Smoothly?"

"Quite smooth. President Taihe Youshi of the Taihe Trade Association was successfully rescued and has been returned home safely."

Fugaku replied with a calm smile.

"And those bandits?"

Mikoto's expression grew cold at the thought of the attackers who had killed Uchiha clansmen.

"They've paid the price for what they did."

A trace of coldness flashed in Fugaku's eyes before he resumed his composed expression.

That "price," of course, meant death.

Understanding the implication in his words, Mikoto smiled softly.

"That's good."

Though she no longer took missions, she was still a kunoichi—and had no sympathy for enemies who killed members of the Uchiha clan.

"To be able to wipe out two Uchiha squads led by jōnin... who exactly were they?"

"A group of rogue and missing-nin. Among them was a defector from Kirigakure with strength on par with an elite jōnin."

Fugaku explained.

At this stage, he didn't intend to reveal the truth to Mikoto.

Not because he didn't trust her, but because telling her would require her to keep secrets from Itachi, and that would reveal Itachi's status as an internal agent.

"No wonder…"

Mikoto murmured in realization. No wonder those men had managed to wipe out two Uchiha squads led by jōnin—it made sense if they had an elite-level defector from Kirigakure.

After a pause, she asked:

"Were there any casualties this time?"

"Some injuries, but no one died."

Fugaku responded calmly.

"That's a relief."

Mikoto finally relaxed completely.

Her husband was unharmed, and no one in the clan had died on the mission. That, to her, was the best outcome.

Clack, clack, clack—

Footsteps echoed. Fugaku and Mikoto turned their attention toward the sound.

It was a female clan member—one of the guards stationed outside their residence.

"Clan Head, an ANBU is here. Lord Hokage has requested your presence at the Hokage Tower."

"The Hokage Tower, huh?"

Fugaku thought to himself, So it begins.

He wasn't surprised the Third Hokage had sent for him.

With Danzo dead, the Uchiha were the prime suspects. Interrogating the clan leader was only natural.

"Understood."

Expression unchanged, Fugaku gave a slight nod, signaling the female clan member to leave.

Then he turned to Mikoto and smiled.

"The Hokage likely wants to ask about the details of our mission outside the village. I'll head over."

"Alright."

Mikoto gently adjusted his robes and nodded.

Leaving his home, the smile vanished from Fugaku's face. He proceeded toward the Hokage Tower with a cold, composed expression.

The ANBU guards had already been notified. As soon as he arrived, one of them led him inside to a small meeting room.

Inside were the Third Hokage, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.

"Lord Hokage. Advisors Koharu and Homura."

Fugaku greeted them coldly, his expression unreadable.

"Clan Head Fugaku, have you resolved the incident where two Uchiha squads were wiped out?"

The Third Hokage looked at him and asked directly.

"The bandits have been eliminated. The matter has been resolved."

Fugaku nodded.

"I see."

Hiruzen nodded slightly, then asked again:

"Who were those bandits?"

"A group of rogue and missing-nin, including a defector from Kirigakure at elite jōnin level."

Fugaku repeated the same explanation he had given Mikoto.

"Elite jōnin-level? No wonder they managed to wipe out two jōnin-led Uchiha teams."

Hiruzen nodded again. But then, his gaze turned sharper.

"Did you encounter Advisor Danzo during your mission?"

"Advisor Danzo? Did he leave the village?"

Fugaku internally remarked, Here it is, but outwardly feigned surprise.

"Three days ago, Advisor Danzo left the village with many Root elites. His destination was the same as yours—Tanokuni."

Hiruzen's gaze lingered on Fugaku with deeper meaning.

"Also headed to the Land of Rice Fields? That's odd… I never encountered Advisor Danzo."

Fugaku maintained a calm expression.

"Yesterday, we lost contact with Advisor Danzo. His last known location was in Tanokuni."

The Third Hokage's gaze grew sharp.

"Clan Head Fugaku… Danzo disappeared in Tanokuni. And during that same period, you were also there."

"Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence?"

As he finished speaking, the Third Hokage's voice grew forceful, laden with authority and pressure.