My Name Is Uchiha Kuragami, I Beat The Villagers And Made Them Scream

"In the course of the Konoha Military Police Force's investigation into Danzo Shimura's accomplices, we uncovered this matter. The rumors about White Fang back then were deliberately spread under Danzo's orders. Furthermore, several members of the Shimura Clan, including the current clan head, Hiroshi Shimura, were involved in this scheme. They were also responsible for silencing White Fang's teammates."

Kuragami Uchiha spoke calmly, carefully observing the reactions of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two advisors.

Upon hearing this revelation, the two advisors' eyes flickered with panic. Hiruzen Sarutobi, though more composed, still displayed some discomfort.

Seeing this, Kuragami understood that these three weren't entirely innocent when it came to the White Fang incident.

"This matter should end here. The village has already reached a conclusion regarding White Fang's case." Koharu Utatane immediately interjected.

"Oh? So we should just let a hero who bled for this village continue to be slandered, carrying his undeserved disgrace even after death?" 

Kuragami said in a low voice while meeting her gaze directly.

"The failure of that mission was indeed Sakumo Hatake's fault." Homura Mitokado argued.

"But he was trying to protect his comrades, wasn't he?" Kuragami countered calmly.

"A ninja's duty is to complete the mission above all else!" Koharu insisted.

"Is that also how the third Hokage sees it?" 

Kuragami turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Because that doesn't sound like the will of fire to me."

The room fell into an eerie silence. Even Shikaku Nara, standing at the side, wished he could just melt into the shadows and disappear.

Kuragami inwardly smirked.

Ninjas were, at their core, tools of war, mercenaries paid to kill. The so-called will of fire, no matter how eloquently it was preached, could never erase the inherent darkness of their profession.

But right now, invoking the will of fire was undeniably effective.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't deny it.

The will of fire had been the cornerstone of his rule, deeply embedded into Konoha's ideology through his relentless propaganda. His entire political authority was bound to it. To question its righteousness would be to undermine its own legitimacy.

"Kuragami, I understand your stance." 

Hiruzen finally sighed. "We will restore White Fang's honor. But as for the investigation, let's leave it at that. Too much time has passed, and continuing would be an unnecessary waste of resources."

"If that is the Hokage's decision, then the Konoha Military Police Force will comply." 

Kuragami replied with his expression darkening, but inside, he was elated.

He had already accomplished his main goal, to restore White Fang's reputation. Digging deeper might have uncovered even more dirt, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. The Uchiha weren't yet ready to completely sever ties with the village leaders. In fact, he had been considering ways to stall the investigation. But now, Hiruzen himself had taken the burden off his shoulders by shutting it down.

"The Konoha Military Police Force has also found evidence suggesting that Danzo Shimura had extensive dealings with the rebel ninja, Orochimaru."

Kuragami continued. "Since Orochimaru's crimes involve external threats, I request permission for the Konoha Military Police Force and Anbu to collaborate in bringing him to justice. This is the only way to provide closure to the victims of his inhumane experiments."

"Orochimaru..." 

Hiruzen's eyes darkened at the name.

The past must finally be confronted.

After a moment of silent contemplation, he turned to Kuragami.

"I understand. Kuragami, I will assign Kakashi to lead this mission. Your Konoha Military Police Force will assist from the side. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes." Kuragami nodded.

"This time, Orochimaru must be captured." Hiruzen declared gravely. "I'm counting on you."

"Loyalty and devotion!" Kuragami saluted sharply.

As Kuragami left the office, he ignored Foo Yamanaka, who was still drooling in a daze.

Once he was gone, the two advisors immediately turned to Shikaku Nara, who had remained silent throughout the exchange.

Nara Shikaku understood and said: "Hokage-sama, Inoichi Yamanaka has told me that Foo Yamanaka was forcibly taken by Danzo at a young age. Though he has committed unforgivable crimes under Danzo's orders and deserves his punishment, I beg that we show some leniency for the sake of the Yamanaka clan's past contributions."

"... This is all Danzo's fault." 

Hiruzen sighed. "Take the boy back to the Yamanaka clan and take good care of him."

"I understand." Shikaku nodded and led Foo Yamanaka away.

The moment he was gone, Homura wasted no time voicing his concerns.

"Hiruzen, are we really going to let this slide? Are we just going to let the Uchiha continue their unchecked behavior?"

Hiruzen lit his pipe, inhaled deeply, and then looked up at his old friends.

"Kuragami will not act recklessly. He truly embodies the will of fire."

"Hiruzen!" 

Koharu snapped. "He's an Uchiha! Have you forgotten the second Hokage's warnings?"

"Hiruzen, Danzo was right, you are too soft." 

Homura added. "If we continue to tolerate the Uchiha, you will regret it one day!"

"Enough!" Hiruzen slammed his desk, his face dark with anger.

"Do you think I want this?" He bellowed. "Because of Danzo and his stolen Sharingan, we owe the Uchiha a debt! If we pressure them too much, we'll be the ones pushing them into rebellion!"

"Do you understand? The Uchiha already have someone who awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, and there is no longer a first Hokage to suppress them!"

Koharu and Homura fell silent.

After a long pause, Hiruzen sighed and tapped out the ashes from his pipe.

"I will summon Jiraiya back to the village."