Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

Inside the conference room, the Third Hokage sat at the head seat.

To his left were Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, while to his right sat Shimura Danzō.

Extending further behind them were the heads of the various clans and the elite jōnin among the civilian shinobi.

At this moment, Danzō's expression was extremely grim.

The visible portion of his left eye was cold and piercing, emanating an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

Many of the gazes in the room, whether intentionally or not, landed on Danzō.

Everyone present naturally knew that the three people who had been killed the previous night—Takasaki Kazushi, Iwasaki Yū, and Hoshino Atsumi—were all affiliated with the Shimura clan.

Three of his clan's affiliates had been murdered, so it was easy to imagine how furious Shimura Danzō was.

"Aburame Shibi, Shimura Daisuke, Takasaki Kazushi, Iwasaki Yū, Hoshino Atsumi... It feels like this Wood Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi has deliberately targeted the Shimura clan..."

One clan head whispered.

"You're only realizing that now?"

A fellow clan head, who had close ties with the first, gave Danzō a subtle glance and spoke in a serious tone.

"I suspected it back when Aburame Shibi and Shimura Daisuke were killed by the Wood Release shinobi. Now, it's clearly been confirmed."

"No wonder you've been distancing yourself from the Shimura clan recently. So this is why…"

The other clan head seemed to suddenly realize something.

"It's obvious. The Wood Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi is targeting the Shimura clan."

The latter whispered in as low a voice as possible.

Since a few more clan heads had yet to arrive, the meeting had not officially begun, and murmured discussions filled the room.

After a short wait, everyone arrived, save for a few clan heads and elite jōnin who were currently on missions.

Even the Takasaki, Iwasaki, and Hoshino clans had temporarily appointed acting clan heads to attend the meeting.

"Uchiha Fugaku"

Just as everyone had gathered, Danzō whose expression was dark and aura chilling suddenly raised his head, his exposed left eye glaring fiercely at Uchiha Fugaku.

"Your Uchiha clan is in charge of the Police Force. Now that three clan heads have been assassinated in the village, you cannot escape responsibility!"

"Advisor Danzō, your accusation is far too unjust. My Uchiha clan cannot bear such weighty blame."

Despite Danzō's aggression, Fugaku remained calm.

He looked steadily at Danzō, locking eyes with his fierce gaze.

He had already anticipated that Danzō would pin the deaths on the Police Force—and this confrontation was his key to further provoke him.

"While the Police Force is responsible for the village's public safety, that depends on the area."

"The three clan heads—Takasaki, Iwasaki, and Hoshino—were all killed within their respective clan compounds. These areas are secured and maintained solely by the clans themselves. The Police Force has no jurisdiction there, nor are we even permitted to enter."

"For such brutal murders to occur and for Advisor Danzō to blame the Police Force… that's simply unreasonable."

"Don't try to talk your way out of this!"

Danzō slammed the table heavily, his voice filled with anger.

"The Police Force is responsible for village security. How is it not your responsibility when three people are killed within the village?"

"Shimura Danzō, stop twisting the truth!"

Fugaku's calm tone suddenly shifted to one of anger.

He glared sharply at Danzō, even addressing him by full name.

"Why should the Police Force be responsible for security in places we're not even allowed to enter?"

"If your Root Division gets attacked one day, should the Police Force take full responsibility for that as well?"

"Uchiha Fugaku, how dare you call me by name...!"

Hearing Fugaku directly use his full name, Danzō's eyes flared with killing intent.

With a bang, he stood up, his aura flaring as if ready to strike at any moment.

"Respect is mutual. If you can call me by name, why shouldn't I return the favor?"

Fugaku stood up as well with a loud slam, not backing down in the slightest as he glared at Danzō.

"Ahem… Advisor Danzō, Clan Head Fugaku, please both calm down. Don't let this escalate needlessly."

The Third Hokage coughed, trying to ease the rising tension.

"Yes, let's all sit down and discuss this rationally."

Advisors Koharu and Homura also chimed in to mediate.

Under their persuasion, both Fugaku and Danzō took deep breaths, suppressing their anger and sitting back down.

To avoid further conflict, the Third Hokage took the initiative to change the topic.

"What about the rest of you? Does anyone else have thoughts on this series of incidents?"

"All three—Takasaki, Iwasaki, and Hoshino were killed within their own clan compounds. I believe this matter indeed falls outside the Police Force's jurisdiction."

After a moment of silence, Hyūga Hiashi, head of the Hyūga clan, spoke up.

"He's right. This clearly lies beyond the authority of the Police Force."

"I agree. Placing the blame solely on the Police Force would be quite biased."

"That makes sense. I feel the same way..."

Several clan heads voiced their agreement. These were clans that had grown closer to the Uchiha under Fugaku's diplomatic efforts.

"I disagree."

A different voice rang out. It was Shimura Naoya, head of the Shimura clan. He swept his gaze across the room and spoke loudly, drawing everyone's attention.

After a pause, he continued:

"Clan Head Fugaku, while it's true the three were killed in their own compounds, how did this Wood Release shinobi even enter the village? How did they infiltrate three different clan areas?"

"I believe it was the negligence of the Police Force that allowed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi to slip into the village undetected, then further infiltrate the Takasaki, Iwasaki, and Hoshino compounds, leading to their deaths."

Quite pleased with his own rebuttal, Shimura Naoya waited for others to support him.

He was confident that the clans aligned with the Shimura would voice their agreement.

But after waiting a while, he heard no such response.

Puzzled, he looked up and thought to himself:

"That's odd… Why is no one backing me?"

He looked toward the new head of the Aburame clan, giving him a meaningful glance.

But the Aburame clan head averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.

Naoya frowned, confused by this reaction. Then he turned to the acting heads of the Takasaki, Iwasaki, and Hoshino clans.

"Their leaders were just killed. Surely they would support me, right?"

But he was disappointed again.

Like the Aburame head, the three acting clan heads also avoided eye contact, pretending not to see him.

It was now plain to see: the Wood Release shinobi had clearly targeted the Shimura clan.

If anyone got too close to them now, wouldn't they just become the next target?

Out of fear, these clan heads chose to remain silent.