After the discussion ended and the last of the tea was drained, everyone dispersed.
Gen went home, caught up on some much-needed sleep, then rose to cook.
That night, he shared a bubbling hotpot with Kurenai and Yugao, the warmth of laughter and spice washing away the day's fatigue.
Fugaku, meanwhile, wasted no time.
By the next morning, barely past the hour of eleven, he had gathered the signatures of the entire Uchiha clan. Scroll in hand, he made his way straight to the Hokage Building, determined to deliver it before the Third could leave for the day.
At the top floor, he stopped before the office doors. Three firm knocks.
"Come in," came the slightly weary voice within.
Fugaku pushed the door open and bowed. "Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, pipe in hand, looked up with a grandfatherly smile. "Fugaku. What brings you here?"
"Hokage-sama," Fugaku said, face tense with shame, "I'm afraid the relocation of the Uchiha district… cannot be carried out."
Hiruzen's brows lifted, the smile slipping. "Oh? And why is that?" His tone hardened. Going back on an agreement so soon, was Fugaku disregarding not only him, but the Council as well?
Fugaku bowed lower. "When I returned with the news, I believed most would accept it. But the reality… was the opposite. Perhaps because of their ties to our homeland, the majority of the clan refused. The three elders, in particular, opposed the plan fiercely. They swayed those on the fence, and soon the entire clan pressed against me. Under such pressure, I had no choice but to yield. This..."
He quickly formed hand seals. With a puff of smoke, a large scroll appeared. Fugaku stepped forward and presented it with both hands. "is the joint petition of every Uchiha. Please review it, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen unfurled the scroll.
The first half laid out their reasons; the pain of abandoning their homeland, the injustice of being uprooted. The words struck not as rebellion, but as a plea.
The second half… was crowded with signatures. Not ink, but blood-red handprints. So many that the parchment itself seemed stained with grief.
Hiruzen paused, exhaling smoke. Ninjas had pressed their marks with their own blood. Civilians, with pig's blood. The symbolism was impossible to ignore; every Uchiha had staked their body and name upon this refusal.
He frowned. Was Fugaku's grip over his people truly this weak? Or was the taboo of relocation so deep that not even the clan head could sway them?
Either way, Hiruzen understood. Forcing the issue now would only ignite fire within Konoha, and the village which was still reeling from the Nine-Tails could not endure further division.
Stability. That was paramount. Stability above all.
He rolled the scroll closed. "If that's the case… then the relocation ends here. I'll instruct the administration to revise the plans."
Relief washed over Fugaku's face. He bowed deeply. "My thanks, Hokage-sama."
"Is there anything else?"
"No, Hokage-sama. I'll take my leave."
"Mm."
After Fugaku departed, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Summon the Council elders," he ordered.
Moments later, an ANBU bowed. "At once, Hokage-sama."
Within fifteen minutes, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo gathered in his office.
"Hiruzen," Danzo said as he shut the door behind him, "what is this about?"
"See for yourselves."
Hiruzen tossed the scroll across the desk. Homura unrolled it, and soon the three elders crowded together to read. When they finished, their expressions darkened.
"Hiruzen, this is unacceptable," Danzo snapped, the veins at his temple throbbing. "They dare to defy us? To threaten us?"
"I don't see a threat," Hiruzen countered, calm as ever. "I see a collective plea. And remember, the reconstruction plan was never officially announced. If it isn't official, then nothing is being overturned. I simply found the original draft… unsuitable, and I am correcting it."
His tone was mild, but brooked no argument.
Danzo clenched his jaw, glancing at the other two. "You both... say something!"
But before Koharu or Homura could open their mouths, Hiruzen raised a hand. "No need. I have decided. Do not forget what I told you that night, nothing can be forced."
The two fell silent.
Danzo's fury boiled over. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
He spun on his heel, shoving the door open so hard it slammed behind him.
Hiruzen exhaled a long plume of smoke. "Do not reveal the original plan," he said evenly. "Do not target Fugaku or any other Uchiha. I know how many were present at that meeting, you cannot hide from me. Konoha is fragile. I won't allow infighting. Stability is everything. And anyone who disrupts that stability…"
His gaze hardened. "…will answer to me. I am Hokage. My word is law."
Though his tone remained soft, the weight behind it left no room for doubt.
Danzo's parting words echoed faintly from the corridor: "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
But the Third merely tapped his pipe, unfazed. He'd heard those words from Danzo countless times before. And more often than not, time proved him right.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a look, then bowed. "We understand, Hiruzen. We'll return to our duties."
"Good. Revise the reconstruction plan and bring it to me once complete."
"Of course."
When the office finally emptied, Hiruzen set the scroll aside, pen in hand, and returned to the mountain of paperwork waiting for him.
Three days later, the administration officially announced the revised reconstruction plan; the Uchiha district would remain in its central location, unchanged.
Danzo, though livid, held his tongue. To oppose the Hokage directly now would be suicide.
Meanwhile, the village blockade finally ended. Foreign merchants and shinobi who had been trapped inside Konoha for weeks poured out, carrying with them every whisper they'd overheard.
Secrets and rumors alike were already spreading to the far corners of the world.
With the blockade lifted, the pressure on Gen's Ninth Squad eased considerably. Aside from a token morning patrol, most of the work fell back to the deputy captain, leaving Gen free to pursue his own plans.
Two days later, two of the Sannin returned. Jiraiya strolled through the gates with his usual swagger, while Orochimaru slipped back into the village like a shadow.
Tsunade, however, remained far away. She had no intention of returning—only another bitter sigh for yet another life claimed in the name of Hokage.