Chapter 96

In the heart of Konohagakure, murmurs and whispering grew louder by the minute.

You couldn't blame them.

The Uchiha massacre had been unimaginably brutal.

The Uchiha, once the greatest clan in the village, had dozens of members—not just ninja, but civilians too.

And yet, such a large clan had been annihilated in a single night.

The carnage was so overwhelming that no one had expected it.

So now, faced with Shisui standing off against the Hokage, many hesitated.

They didn't immediately attack.

Gradually, voices of doubt emerged among the seemingly one-sided support for the official story.

"But come on, the Uchiha were Konoha's largest clan. Just their Jōnin alone numbered over a hundred. How could they be wiped out so quietly?"

"It happened at night, sure, but surely someone should've noticed the fighting…"

"Besides, Shisui and Itachi were both from the Uchiha. Why would they destroy their own clan…?"

"Could there be more to this than we know?"

"And for Shisui to dare return and confront the Hokage…"

As doubt spread among the shinobi, Hiruzen's expression turned uglier.

Inwardly, he cursed Danzō a hundred times over.

If only that bastard hadn't acted so recklessly.

If only I'd never told him… or let him do it…

But regrets were useless now.

So he took a deep breath and declared in a solemn voice:

"Uchiha Shisui, stop spreading lies! Uchiha Itachi wiped out the Uchiha clan, and Uchiha Sasuke saw it with his own eyes."

"According to our investigation, you were working with Sasuke. You two were the ones who did it!"

"If there's any misunderstanding, surrender your weapon and come with us. As the Third Hokage, I swear I'll see you treated fairly…"

Shisui nearly laughed out loud.

His three-tomoe Sharingan burned with killing intent as he stared at Hiruzen, filled with hatred.

How had he never realized Sarutobi Hiruzen was this shameless?

Surrender his weapon? That would be suicide.

He and Danzō would never let an Elite Jōnin like him live.

Suppressing his rage for Naruto's plan, Shisui coldly sneered and followed the script.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, you're the one spouting lies."

"I saw it with my own eyes—Root's ninja slaughtering my clan members."

"Some of them were even from your own ANBU. I remember their names—Zō, Haru, Rinka, Aburame Kanpei, Nara Kensei, Asahiya…"

"And if I'm lying, why don't you allow a public autopsy of the Uchiha clan's corpses? What are you afraid people might discover?"

Hiruzen's face grew darker, but he didn't answer.

The truth was, if the bodies were examined, it would reveal everything.

And that was something he absolutely could not allow.

Before Hiruzen could find a way to spin it, Shisui's voice rang out again.

"You feared the great clans of Konoha, so you orchestrated the massacre of the Uchiha."

"But we were innocent! In the last Shinobi World War, we gave our blood and lives like everyone else, and how were we repaid?"

"Shoved into a single job—policing Konoha.

Forced to carry out the most dangerous missions.

Assassinated in the dark. We lost dozens of our people that way."

"And even after that, you still weren't satisfied. You wanted to erase us completely."

Then Shisui turned to the other clan representatives—Hyūga Hiashi, Akimichi Chōza, Yamanaka Inoichi…

"Today it was us. Tomorrow it could be the Hyūga, the Nara, the Aburame, or the Akimichi."

"As long as your clan becomes powerful enough… you may follow in our footsteps."

His words struck deep.

Hiashi and the other clan heads fell silent, their expressions turning grave.

"Silence!"

Hiruzen roared, his face dark with fury.

"Don't spread your lies! You and Itachi are traitors, and Sasuke saw it with his own eyes!"

"Kakashi, Gai, Hiashi—take him down now! I want to know which village manipulated him into turning on us!"

With the Hokage's direct order, the named ninja exchanged glances—then rushed toward Shisui on the Hokage Rock.

Shisui scoffed.

Without another word, he stomped the ground and vanished like a shadow.

Within seconds, all their silhouettes disappeared into the distance.

Silence fell over the crowd.

But while the surroundings were quiet… their hearts were anything but.

Shisui's words struck like nails into their minds, leaving deep cracks in their faith.

Could it be true?

Did the Hokage really destroy the Uchiha?

And if it's false, why not allow an investigation of the corpses?

Hiruzen, sensing the bizarre atmosphere, felt overwhelming regret.

If he could go back, he'd never trust Danzō.

Not only had he failed to kill Shisui, the Uchiha massacre was now blowing up in his face.

All these mistakes piled up… and now, Hiruzen could only pretend nothing had happened.

But beneath his calm expression, his fingers dug into his palm—drawing blood.

Pain and remorse consumed him.

At the same time, his hatred for the one who ruined this cover-up burned ever hotter.

He muttered with cold malice:

"Namikaze Menma… who are you really?"

Back in the Land of Water—

After hearing Naruto's plan, Izumi looked at him with teary yet determined eyes.

"Menma-dono, thank you… for giving our clan the truth, and clearing our name."

Naruto shook his head.

"It's nothing. I just suggested it to Shisui. But his words alone aren't enough to make Konoha believe him."

"Hiruzen's been Hokage for decades. His influence runs deep. One man alone isn't enough to shake his foundations."

Izumi shook her head, smiling gratefully.

"Still… I'm already satisfied. If it weren't for you, Menma-dono, we wouldn't even be alive, let alone able to uncover the truth."

Naruto gave her a sly look.

"And how do you plan to thank me then?"

Izumi froze.

Her face turned bright red as memories from the past few days surged up.

She lowered her head, too embarrassed to speak.

"I… I…"

Though she had resolved to devote herself to Naruto, when it came down to it, she still couldn't help but get shy.

Facing Naruto's fiery gaze, Izumi blushed furiously and quickly changed the subject.

"M-Menma-dono, um… why did you bring us to the Land of Water?"

Seeing the flustered girl acting like an ostrich, Naruto chuckled but didn't tease her further.

He turned his gaze toward Kirigakure.

A sharp gleam lit up his eyes.

"Do you know?"

"The Fourth Mizukage… is actually a puppet. A puppet controlled by the Mangekyō Sharingan."

(End of Chapter)

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