Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

"Lord Hokage, do you believe I had something to do with Advisor Danzo's disappearance?"

Faced with the pressure of the Third Hokage's presence, Uchiha Fugaku remained unmoved. He furrowed his brow and asked calmly.

"Indeed," answered Advisor c coldly in place of the Third Hokage, her gaze sharp as if scrutinizing a criminal.

"You and Advisor Danzo were both in the Land of Rice Fields at the same time, and now Danzo is missing. We have reason to suspect your involvement."

"Advisor Koharu," Fugaku replied with a cool tone, locking eyes with her,

"While the Land of Rice Fields isn't large, it's not small either. Although we were in the same country, I never encountered Advisor Danzo."

"As for his disappearance, I believe it may be related to the mission he undertook. Lord Hokage and you two advisors should probably start the investigation from that angle."

"We will be investigating from that direction as well."

Koharu replied coldly.

She had already been informed by the Third Hokage that Danzo's mission had been an ambush to eliminate Uchiha Fugaku.

But such a motive could never be made public—especially not in front of Fugaku himself.

"Then how do you explain," Advisor Homura Mitokado suddenly interjected,

"that aside from the twelve clan members accompanying you openly, dozens more Uchiha were secretly deployed as well?"

'So they noticed after all…'

Fugaku thought to himself.

He had anticipated that moving such a large number of clan members would catch Konoha's attention.

Fortunately, he had already prepared a cover story.

"Although the attackers were just bandits, they were no ordinary threat. One of them, after all, was a missing-nin with elite jōnin strength."

He paused briefly before continuing:

"To be cautious, the Uchiha clan deployed two squads—one overt, one covert—to ensure everything went smoothly."

"..."

Homura's brow furrowed. He, too, already knew Danzo's true objective.

Even so, Fugaku's explanation reasonably justified the two-pronged deployment. He couldn't poke holes in it.

"No matter what, Clan Head Fugaku, you being in the same country at the same time Danzo disappeared is far too much of a coincidence..."

The Third Hokage said, frowning slightly.

Even with the intelligence he had, which all but confirmed that Fugaku was responsible for Danzo's disappearance,

he still lacked the necessary evidence to formally accuse him.

Even as Hokage, dealing with a major clan leader like Fugaku without solid proof could unsettle the other families and risk the village's stability.

"Indeed, it's quite the coincidence."

Fugaku nodded in agreement and met the Hokage's gaze.

"Lord Hokage, I ordinarily wouldn't ask this, but given what has happened, I must."

"Advisor Danzo hasn't left Konoha in many years. Why now? Why did he travel to the Land of Rice Fields—and at nearly the exact same time I did?"

He raised his voice slightly as he continued:

"What was Advisor Danzo's mission?"

"This..."

The Third Hokage hesitated.

He knew full well why Danzo had gone—more than that, he believed Fugaku did too.

In fact, Fugaku had likely guessed Danzo's intentions beforehand, which was precisely why he deployed one overt and one covert squad.

But that mission could never be disclosed publicly.

And any fabricated excuse could be easily debunked.

After all, the Land of Rice Fields was a minor nation with no hidden village of its own—hardly worthy of sending a Konoha advisor.

"That matter is classified," Koharu and Homura interjected to shield the Hokage.

"While you are the clan head, Clan Head Fugaku, this is not something you're authorized to know."

"..."

The Third Hokage quietly exhaled in relief, grateful for their support.

He glanced at Koharu and Homura with a frown.

Fugaku was proving far more difficult to deal with than anticipated.

Without evidence, confronting him over Danzo's disappearance was impossible for now.

After a pause, Hiruzen said:

"Clan Head Fugaku, you've just returned to the village. You must be tired. Go back and rest for now."

Then, his tone shifted.

"As for Danzo's disappearance—given the timing and location—I will have the ANBU conduct a deeper investigation."

"Should new information surface, I'll summon you for further questioning."

The meaning behind his words was clear: Fugaku was being treated as a suspect, and an investigation was already underway.

"Lord Hokage, Advisors, I shall take my leave."

Fugaku smiled faintly and turned to go, unbothered.

Danzo and his Root operatives were all dead. All battlefield traces had been meticulously erased.

He didn't believe the Hokage could produce any evidence linking him to Danzo's death.

Back at his residence, Fugaku found the First Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, the Second Elder, Uchiha Mamoru, and the Third Elder, Uchiha Shi, already waiting.

Clearly, they had already heard that Fugaku had been summoned to the Hokage Tower—and likely guessed why.

Fugaku brought them into his study and activated a soundproof barrier.

The second elder, Uchiha Mamoru—identifiable by his bare face, missing facial hair, and a mole above his left brow—immediately asked:

"Clan Head, what did the Third Hokage say?"

"As expected," Fugaku replied with a cold laugh.

"The Third Hokage does suspect—or rather, is almost certain—that the Uchiha clan was behind Danzo's disappearance."

"But since he has no proof, he could only question me and then let me go."

"We can't be careless," Mamoru said with a frown, still worried.

"If the Third Hokage finds any evidence later on, we'll be in trouble."

"Even the bodies have been turned to ash. If the Hokage thinks he'll find evidence, he's dreaming."

Uchiha Setsuna, the First Elder, scoffed.

He had personally supervised the cleanup and was confident no clues remained that could trace the incident back to them.

"Then I'm reassured."

Mamoru nodded and said after a moment of silence:

"Still, after this incident, the Third Hokage's faction likely won't sit idly by. They'll probably make some moves."

"That's to be expected. We'll stay alert."

Fugaku remained unbothered.

"Danzo and many of Root's elites are dead. The Hokage's faction has taken a heavy blow."

"The Uchiha clan now has strength they can no longer suppress."

He had always known that killing Danzo would enrage the Third Hokage.

But after weighing the risks and benefits, Danzo's death was clearly a win for the Uchiha.

"Now that Danzo is dead," asked the Third Elder, Uchiha Shi, eyes gleaming with killing intent,

"when do we deal with the Shimura clan?"

"In the coming days, ANBU will likely be monitoring the Uchiha closely. We'll hold off for now."

Fugaku said after some thought.

While the Shimura clan was no longer a major threat with Danzo gone, they had been the Uchiha's enemies for decades.

There was no way they'd simply let them go.

But with ANBU likely watching their every move, they would wait for the right moment.