Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The street then fell silent.

At the top of the Hokage Building, which symbolizes the highest power in the village, the "fire" flag that used to fly there has disappeared.

Instead, a huge red and white fan-shaped flag was displayed.

It rustled in the morning breeze, appearing particularly glaring.

"That, that's... the Uchiha clan crest?!"

An elderly villager rubbed his eyes, his voice trembling, "How could it be hanging there?"

"Could it be that something happened to the Hokage?"

"Don't talk nonsense! The Third Hokage was the strongest Hokage, how could he...?"

Whispers spread rapidly like a plague, and panic began to fester among the crowd.

Just then, a series of orderly footsteps came from the end of the street.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The crowd instinctively moved aside, making way for a wide path.

Dozens of members of the Uchiha Police Force, dressed in dark blue uniforms and bearing the Uchiha family crest of fans, walked out and headed straight for the plaza in front of the Hokage Building.

At the very front of the procession was Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan.

Following closely behind were not members of the Uchiha clan, but a group of faces that surprised the villagers even more.

The Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga; the Nara clan leader, Shikaku Nara; the Yamanaka clan; the Akimichi clan...

Almost all the heads of Konoha's prestigious clans had gathered here.

At this moment, however, their faces appeared somewhat pale, and their eyes revealed a hint of anger.

Beside these clan leaders followed a purple-haired woman dressed in a black bodysuit.

She wasn't wearing any headband, and her arms were casually crossed in front of her chest as she followed along, seemingly languidly.

"That's... the Hyuga clan leader?"

"Even the Nara clan chief has come?"

"What's going on? Is there going to be an emergency meeting?"

The villagers' confusion deepened.

Soon, this special team arrived at the plaza in front of the Hokage Building.

Fugaku Uchiha stopped and turned to face the crowd that had formed a tight circle around him.

He took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice, which, amplified by chakra, clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Fellow villagers, please be quiet."

The square fell silent instantly, and everyone held their breath.

"Last night, an unfortunate rebellion broke out in the village."

Fugaku's voice was tinged with sorrow, "But I regret to inform you that the one who orchestrated this rebellion was not an external enemy, but rather a treacherous insect hidden within our village."

"With the Hokage's assistance, Shimura Danzo!"

The moment the name was uttered, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

For most ordinary villagers, the name Danzo only existed in rumors, but as the Hokage's assistant, it was hard for the villagers to believe that he was plotting a rebellion.

"Silence!" Fugaku ordered to quell the commotion. "I know it's hard for you to believe, but it's true."

He turned to the side, making way for the person behind him.

"Please, Lord Orochimaru."

As Fugaku finished speaking, a pale and thin figure emerged from the shadows of the Hokage Building.

Those chilling golden snake eyes...

"O-Orochimaru?!"

"Didn't he defect? ​​What's he doing here?!"

Exclamations rose and fell, even more intense than before.

Ignoring the reactions around him, Orochimaru walked to the front of the stage and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"It's been a long time, everyone from Konoha."

He didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to the point, taking out a thick volume of documents from his pocket.

“This is a record of the crimes Danzo committed over the years that I found in the underground base of the Root.”

"This includes assassinating fellow village ninjas, conducting illegal human experiments, embezzling village funds, and even..."

Orochimaru paused, his snake-like eyes sweeping across the crowd, his voice turning cold.

"It even included a plan to collude with foreign enemies and plot to assassinate the Third Hokage."

"what?!"

"Plotting to assassinate the Hokage?!"

If the previous charges were still somewhat acceptable, this last one undoubtedly crossed the line for all the villagers.

"Not only that."

Orochimaru pressed his advantage, dropping another bombshell: "Last night, Danzo went even further, launching a coup d'état in an attempt to seize power by force!"

"And the Third Hokage..."

His voice dropped at the opportune moment, and a hint of sadness appeared on his face. As for whether it was true or not, only he himself knew.

"He was killed in battle against the traitors."

"The Hokage is dead?"

Upon hearing the news, sadness, anger, and panic intertwined, plunging the entire square into chaos.

"Everyone, please calm down!"

Just then, Nara Shikaku, who had been silent all along, stepped forward.

As the leader of the Jonin squad, he enjoyed extremely high prestige among the villagers.

He glanced at Fugaku beside him, then at Yoruichi who was smiling in the distance, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, but he still spoke loudly.

"What Lord Orochimaru said is all true."

"If the Uchiha clan hadn't noticed and suppressed it in time last night, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

He paused, seemingly resigned to his fate.

"For the sake of the village's stability, and to ensure that the Hokage's sacrifice was not in vain, our various clans, after an emergency meeting, have unanimously decided..."

"Support the Uchiha clan and temporarily take over the village's defense and management until a new order is established."

Even the most intelligent Nara clan said so, so Hiashi Hyuga could only nod expressionlessly, which was considered an admission of this statement.

Seeing this, the other clan leaders also chimed in.

With the endorsement of the major families, most of the villagers' doubts finally dissipated.

Instead, there was anger towards Danzo and gratitude towards the Uchiha clan for "turning the tide."

"So that's how it is. Thank goodness for the Uchiha!"

"I never imagined Danzo was this kind of person!"

"Support the Uchiha!"

At this moment, the tide of public opinion was completely reversed.

Seeing this, Orochimaru's smile deepened as he retreated into the shadows.

Fugaku stepped forward again and raised his hand to silence the crowd's murmurs.

"It's not just Danzo."

His gaze sharpened. "As advisors and elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu not only failed to fulfill their duties of assistance, but also colluded with Danzo, tacitly approving and even participating in these crimes."

Following his gesture, several members of the police force escorted two dazed-looking elderly men forward.

It was those two advisor elders.

However, their eyes were lifeless at the moment, clearly indicating that they were under an illusion.

"These are the sinners who betrayed the village." Fugaku pointed at them, his voice icy. "We will hold them on public trial to comfort the spirits of the three generations of ancestors!"

"Judgment! Judgment!"

Angry shouts erupted from the crowd.

As Fugaku watched this scene, the heavy weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

He turned around and winked at the clansman in charge of escorting him.

"Make sure they're clean on the way to prison, so they don't have a chance to say anything out of line."

"Understood, Chieftain."

The tribesman lowered his voice, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

As he watched the two elders being taken away, Fugaku raised his head and looked up at the round fan flag fluttering overhead.

The sunlight shone on his face, bringing a long-lost warmth.

In the following days, under the Uchiha clan's leadership, Konoha resumed its efficient operation.

Although the coup was bloodless, the transfer of power is never gentle.

With Fugaku Uchiha in charge of the Hokage Building, he used his years of prestige as clan leader and his political skills to handle the village's administrative affairs in an orderly manner and soothe the restless hearts of the people caused by the change in leadership.

Itachi removed his Anbu mask, put on the Uchiha clan crest of a fan, and led his clan in a final purge of the Anbu and the remaining members of the original Root who refused to submit.

The various clans that were wavering in their indecisiveness were persuaded by Uchiha Shisui.

Everything is moving toward the future that Sasuke envisioned.

..........