Naruto: The Rise Of Uchiha

Puff—

The Third Hokage was unwilling to give up and continued to manipulate the Hand of Death to grab this Uchiha Fugaku.

As a result, this Uchiha Fugaku disappeared with a puff of white smoke; it was indeed just a shadow clone.

At the same time, another Uchiha Fugaku arrived, and it was also just a shadow clone.

"I won't give up..."

The Third Hokage roared with great unwillingness and once again manipulated the Hand of Death to smash the shadow clone. Finally, his body fell straight to the ground, powerless.

Another Uchiha Fugaku walked out, but this time it was Uchiha Fugaku himself.

He walked to the side of the Third Hokage and sneered.

To assassinate the Third Hokage, after his eyes awakened to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, it could be done at any time.

But such an assassination was obviously not as satisfying as driving the Third Hokage from his position as Hokage and then killing him.

Swish, swish, swish!

The battle in the Hokage Building had ended, and all the clan leaders who depended on the Third Hokage had been captured.

The clan leaders who supported Uchiha Fugaku, along with those who remained neutral, came over.

Seeing the Third Hokage lying motionless on the ground, they were all shocked.

Some frowned, thinking that Uchiha Fugaku's actions were too cruel.

Even if the Third Hokage disobeyed the daimyo's order, he didn't need to be killed.

Even Orochimaru had been captured alive, so they didn't believe that Uchiha Fugaku couldn't capture the Third Hokage.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, did you kill the Third Hokage?"

Nara Shikaku frowned and asked.

He and the other two heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans remained neutral.

They did not support Uchiha Fugaku, but neither did they support the Third Hokage.

The three of them had a deep friendship with the Fourth Hokage and were quite disappointed in how the Third Hokage had treated the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, so they chose to remain neutral.

But now, seeing that Uchiha Fugaku had actually killed the Third Hokage, they couldn't help but feel displeased. Uchiha Fugaku's actions seemed too ruthless.

"I didn't kill him. He used the Shiki Fūjin to try to kill me, but he failed."

"If you don't believe me, you can check his injuries."

Uchiha Fugaku explained.

He had guessed right. If he had been the one to kill the Third Hokage, people would criticize him and think he was too cruel.

Even if he could suppress those opinions with his overwhelming strength, it would still harm his ability to manage the village going forward.

Now, however, the Third Hokage had died due to the side effects of a forbidden jutsu, and it had nothing to do with him. This was the best possible outcome.

Yamanaka Inoichi, who was skilled at examining corpses, stepped forward and examined the Third Hokage's body. After a moment, he stood up and said,

"There are no fatal wounds on his body. The cause of death resembles that of the Fourth Hokage. It appears he used the Shiki Fūjin just like the Fourth Hokage."

Hearing that the Third Hokage had indeed used the Shiki Fūjin in an attempt to kill Uchiha Fugaku and failed, the clan leaders no longer held resentment against Uchiha Fugaku.

Since it was the Third Hokage who used a forbidden jutsu to drag someone down with him, the blame could not be placed on Uchiha Fugaku.

"I'm sure you all heard the daimyo's appointment. I will temporarily take over the position of Hokage until a new Hokage is elected. Does anyone object?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked as he swept his gaze across those present.

"No."

"I don't."

…

All the clan heads shook their heads. With the daimyo's edict, it was only natural that Uchiha Fugaku would serve as acting Hokage, and it didn't break any rules.

Besides, under the current circumstances, objecting was pointless.

The Third Hokage was dead. Who else could possibly contend with Uchiha Fugaku now?

"Since no one objects, I will temporarily take over the position of Hokage."

Uchiha Fugaku smiled.

Though he was only acting Hokage for now, he believed the word "acting" would soon be removed.

…

Carrying the body of the Third Hokage, everyone returned to the Hokage Building.

Upon seeing the Third Hokage's corpse, the captured clan leaders who had supported him gave up any further resistance.

The Third Hokage was dead. The era of the Third Hokage had ended. There was no meaning in fighting anymore.

If they continued to resist, all that awaited them and their clans was destruction.

Only the four clan leaders of the Sarutobi, Mitokado, Utatane, and Shimura clans glared angrily at Uchiha Fugaku and shouted,

"Uchiha Fugaku, you—you actually killed the Hokage?"

They were too deeply tied to the Third Hokage and had no room to compromise with the Uchiha clan.

Even if they did compromise, Uchiha Fugaku would never let them or their families off the hook.

"Although I don't need to explain myself to you, I will clarify. I didn't kill the Third Hokage. He tried to use the Reaper Death Seal to kill me and failed."

Uchiha Fugaku said.

He didn't want to bear the reputation of being the Third Hokage's killer. It would hinder his future rule of the village, so he took the time to explain.

"You lie! The Third Hokage must have been killed by you!"

The head of the Sarutobi clan shouted angrily.

He refused to believe that the Third Hokage would die in such a pathetic way—that he would use a forbidden jutsu and not only fail to kill Uchiha Fugaku but also end up killing himself.

Uchiha Fugaku looked over at Yamanaka Inoichi.

Under Uchiha Fugaku's gaze, Yamanaka Inoichi coughed and then spoke, understanding what was being asked of him.

"After my examination, the Third Hokage did not die from any external injury, but rather from the side effects of a forbidden technique."

In the conflict between the Third Hokage and Uchiha Fugaku, he had stayed neutral. Uchiha Fugaku was unlikely to cause trouble for his family afterward.

Now that Uchiha Fugaku was acting Hokage—and likely to become the Fifth Hokage—there was no harm in doing him this favor.

Besides, he wasn't lying. The Third Hokage really had died from the side effects of a forbidden technique.

"Before, due to differing loyalties, I won't hold grudges. Now that the Third Hokage is gone, as long as you give up those old views, I can forgive you."

Uchiha Fugaku shifted his gaze from the Sarutobi, Mitokado, Utatane, and Shimura clan heads and looked at the others.

These people were different. They weren't deeply tied to the Third Hokage and could still be brought over to his side.

"Thank you, Clan Leader Fugaku—no, thank you, Acting Hokage, for your tolerance."

"Thank you, Acting Hokage, for your generosity."

…

These clan leaders had already given up resistance after seeing the Third Hokage's corpse. Now that Uchiha Fugaku was offering to let bygones be bygones, they were eager to show support.

"That's good."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded in satisfaction.

These people were still reasonable and didn't resist to the end. If they had, they'd be classified with the four hardliners: Sarutobi, Mitokado, Utatane, and Shimura.

(End of this chapter)

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