"They're here to apologize."
No sooner had Shinju spoken than a steady, unified cadence of footsteps rolled in from beyond Naka Shrine.
Fugaku and the clan looked toward the entrance. There, led by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, stood Konoha's senior delegation. In the ranks were the heads of the Ino–Shika–Cho families, Hiashi of the Hyuga, Tsume of the Inuzuka, and representatives of every jonin clan. Their faces were solemn, their hands empty—no weapons drawn. They did not look like accusers; they looked like mourners.
The unprecedented formation pressed down on every Uchiha heart. Instinctively, fists tightened and Sharingan flared open, guarding against the unexpected.
Fugaku's throat tightened. Apologize? Would it truly be an apology?
Hiruzen stopped at the center of the courtyard. His gaze swept across the tense Uchiha and settled on Fugaku.
He showed no Hokage airs.
He lifted off the Hokage hat and handed it to the ANBU at his back. Then—before Konoha's assembled elite and the entire Uchiha clan—he bowed deeply to Fugaku.
Silence crashed over the grounds.
Uchiha eyes widened, unbelieving.
The Third Hokage… bowing to the Uchiha?
"Chief Fugaku."
Hiruzen straightened. Chakra carried his voice clear through the shrine, suffused with unfeigned remorse.
"I, Hiruzen, on behalf of Konoha and the Hokage line, offer our deepest apology for all the wrongs committed against the Uchiha."
"It was we who betrayed the original intent of Founder Hashirama and Uchiha Madara when they built this village together. It was we who, out of prejudice and suspicion, drove you into a corner. It was I who tacitly allowed Danzo's crimes, burdening you with pain and slander you did not deserve. Though Danzo has paid, the sins remain."
"This was our fault."
He bowed again, to the waist.
Behind him, Shikaku, Hiashi, and all of Konoha's senior representatives bowed in unison to the Uchiha.
A sight worthy of the village chronicles.
Fugaku and the clan were stunned. They had imagined many outcomes—clashes, negotiations, even war. Never this: a formal, heartfelt, public apology.
The boulder of decades—resentment, grievance, humiliation—finally found a crack to flow through. Some elders' eyes reddened despite themselves. Even the hawks felt their armor slip; if not at the edge of extinction, who truly wished to rip the village apart? War would paint the streets in blood. No winners—only ruin.
Fugaku knew whose hands had woven this moment—Shinju's and Shisui's—but still, the reality struck him to the core. Hiruzen's contrition was real.
He stepped forward and reached to raise Hiruzen.
"Third-sama, your words are heavy," Fugaku rasped. "In the past, the Uchiha also erred."
Hiruzen shook his head. "No. The apology is only the first step."
He looked to Fugaku, then to the gathered Uchiha, and announced decisions that would shake the entire village.
"First, effective immediately, the Uchiha Police Force will have all authority and honors restored. Its jurisdiction will again cover Konoha's central districts.
"Second, in the newly reconstituted Konoha advisory council, the Uchiha will hold a permanent seat. Chief Fugaku will serve and take part in the village's highest decisions.
"Third, all Uchiha wrongfully suspected or investigated over the 'Kyubi Incident' will receive a public apology and compensation from the village."
Power returned. Status granted. Stains washed clean.
This was more than reconciliation; it was tangible amends—the groundwork for trust rebuilt.
Fugaku and the others stood there, at a loss for words. Fortune had arrived so swiftly it felt unreal.
Their eyes drifted to the boy on the stone steps—serene from beginning to end.
Fugaku drew a steadying breath. It was time to answer for the clan.
He faced Hiruzen and the Konoha delegation, and spoke with utmost gravity.
"The Third-sama's sincerity—the Uchiha feel it."
"I, Fugaku of the Uchiha, swear this: so long as Konoha stands, the Uchiha will be its most loyal guardians. The Uchiha flame will forever burn for the village's prosperity."
"If a day comes when Konoha no longer stands, then we Uchiha will fall before the village does."
He offered his hand.
Hiruzen looked at him, a genuine smile softening the lines of age. He reached out, and their hands clasped tight.
A crisis that could have destroyed Konoha ended before the whole village—in the most peaceful, unimaginable way.
By the next day, the news blanketed Konoha.
Villagers were stunned—and relieved. The crushing stone marked "Uchiha" finally lifted from their hearts. Before this, many ordinary folk had feared an inevitable clash, and the Uchiha's aloofness only magnified the distance. Distance had swollen into suspicion; suspicion into a rift.
With the thunderhead dispelled, the village exhaled as one into a harmony it had not felt in years.
And the quiet architect behind it all, Shinju, had already slipped away from Naka Shrine.
He did not linger for gratitude or worship.
Konoha's house was set in order, but greater threats still peered from the dark.
He returned to the Namikaze estate and went straight to his sealed chamber.
Inside, Minato, Kushina, and the newly returned Shisui were waiting.
Shinju had already explained enough to his parents at the right moments; returning from the Pure Land was no small matter, and some truth had to be told.
"Good work, Shinju," Minato said, pride bright in his eyes.
Shinju shook his head. "Father, Mother, Shisui."
His expression hardened.
"The Uchiha affair was only the appetizer."
"Now, we face the true enemy."
He stepped to the great map at the chamber's center and placed a finger on a name all of them knew—and dreaded.
"Akatsuki."
(End of Chapter)
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