Chapter 418: The Evil Uchiha Is Behind This Attack
"This is a provocation!"
The Third Hokage's beard trembled with fury. His fist slammed against the desk. "We cannot let this stand!"
"What have ANBU found?"
Minato rose quickly to report.
"Hokage-sama, the two attackers were refugees we took in during the war years. Their villages were destroyed, and we rescued them."
"Before they entered the village, we screened them thoroughly. No signs of ninja or taijutsu training whatsoever."
"Based on how the assassination played out, they probably couldn't even use the basic academy techniques. Just rudimentary hand-to-hand combat and throwing skills."
"They were likely information couriers who weren't supposed to take direct action. We don't know why they suddenly exposed themselves for this attack."
"According to our investigation, they acted like model citizens. Grateful to the village for saving them, helpful neighbors, friendly with everyone around them."
"If they hadn't revealed themselves, no one would ever have suspected them."
"ANBU searched their homes, but they went in knowing they'd die. Everything was already cleaned out. No useful leads."
"We're currently cross-referencing their social circles, trying to trace back to their handlers."
Hiruzen nodded grimly and turned to Morino Ibiki.
"What about Interrogation? Do we know which village they're working for?"
Ibiki's perpetually cold expression tightened further. He stood and bowed apologetically.
"Hokage-sama, we captured one alive, but he's not talking. His mouth is shut tight."
"To learn his origins, we'd need to forcibly extract his memories. Otherwise, breaking him could take considerable time."
"The problem is, forced extraction damages the brain. The intelligence we get will be incomplete. We might lose the chance to roll up his entire network."
Hiruzen drew on his pipe, considering. Then his voice turned decisive.
"If the enemy threw him away, they've already prepared for this possibility. Even if we break him, his intelligence is probably outdated."
"Don't waste time. Extract his memories."
"I want to know which village did this, what their objective was, and whether there are follow-up operations planned. And I want it fast."
As Kage, he had to make the cold, practical choice between timeliness and completeness.
"Understood." Ibiki bowed and vanished in a Body Flicker, heading off to organize the forced extraction.
Only then did Hiruzen turn to Uchiha Fugaku.
The clan head stood ramrod straight, his face a mask of controlled fury. His jaw was tight, dark eyes unreadable.
"Fugaku, you have my word. Whichever village is responsible, Konoha will not let this pass. We will give you answers."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. The entire Uchiha clan is grateful."
Fugaku bowed deeply, the picture of appreciation.
Internally, his anger had already cooled considerably from what his face suggested.
He didn't believe for a second that Takeshi, a genin who'd never awakened his Sharingan in all these years, was important enough to warrant assassination by another village. Most likely, the academy was the target and Takeshi just got caught in the crossfire.
These things happened in the shinobi world. No reason to make a fuss.
Besides, Takeshi and Yasushi were both fine. And the clan had unexpectedly gained a three-tomoe Sharingan wielder.
True, the limited jonin positions meant they couldn't officially promote another clan member. But raw strength? That was clan depth, clan power.
Trading a scare for a three-tomoe user? Excellent deal.
Having secured the Hokage's promise, Fugaku let his anger fade and shifted to building goodwill.
"Speaking of which, we owe deep thanks to Minato-san and Orochimaru-sama. Without their timely intervention, Takeshi and his son might not have survived."
Hiruzen relaxed slightly, reading Fugaku's attitude correctly.
His main concern had been the Uchiha making trouble over this, refusing to let it go.
The Uchiha clan's attitude was always that taut wire in Konoha leadership's minds.
"Haha, we're all comrades in the same village. Helping each other is only natural."
"Minato's quite concerned about the boy. Once things settle down here, I'll have him visit the hospital. Can't have a child traumatized by something like this."
After a few more pleasantries, Fugaku excused himself tactfully.
The office door closed softly, sealing off two different worlds.
Hiruzen's smile faded, replaced by contemplative shadows.
Another three-tomoe Sharingan in the Uchiha clan. Their overall strength had increased again. The thought troubled him.
At least Fugaku was a man who understood the Will of Fire. A proper Konoha clan leader.
But Fugaku's restraint didn't mean everyone shared his perspective.
"Hiruzen, we can't let this slide."
The voice came from the shadows at the side of the office.
A figure emerged, leaning on a cane, half his body wrapped in bandages. Like a thought born from darkness itself.
His single eye fixed on Hiruzen, sharp as a hook.
The same words, but from Danzo's mouth, they carried an entirely different meaning.
"What are you planning now?" Hiruzen frowned and drew deeply on his pipe.
Smoke curled from his lips, obscuring his complicated expression.
Dealing with this old friend who preferred to lurk in shadows always required more tobacco to stay calm.
"That Uchiha Takeshi is suspicious." Danzo's voice was cold and insinuating.
Not loud, but like a snake sliding through dead leaves. Cold and clammy and deeply unpleasant.
"He's the victim!" Hiruzen's voice rose sharply. "What could possibly be suspicious about him?"
"Victim?" Danzo laughed coldly, his eye gleaming. "I wouldn't be so sure."
"The way I see it, that evil Uchiha was the real target all along."
"Those poor students and parents at the academy? They're the actual victims here."
"Nonsense!" Hiruzen's temper flared. "Danzo, I know you're wary of the Uchiha. I can understand that."
"But you can't twist the facts and throw blame on them without evidence."
"We're still comrades in the same village. Don't go too far!"
His old partner's paranoia was exhausting.
"Too far?" Danzo slammed his cane against the floor, staking his ground.
"Not far enough, if you ask me."
"Haven't you wondered about it?"
"If those assassins were targeting academy students, why didn't they just detonate the explosives in the crowd?"
"Why go after Uchiha Takeshi first?"
"That tips their hand completely."
"If they'd quietly triggered the tags, even with Minato there, he couldn't have stopped it. Multiple simultaneous detonations in that packed crowd? At least half the children and parents would be dead or maimed."
"But they didn't do that. They tried to assassinate the Uchiha first."
"Clearly, they were afraid he'd escape in the chaos. They couldn't risk him surviving."
"In other words, Uchiha Takeshi was the priority target in this operation."
Hiruzen had to admit, Danzo's words were dangerously persuasive. Even he felt doubt creeping in.
Each pointed question planted seeds in his mind, taking root in the soil of suspicion.
Emotionally, he resisted. But intellectually, he had to consider the possibility.
Hiruzen tucked his pipe back in his mouth, puffing heavily. His gaze drifted, lost in thought.
The office fell silent except for the faint crackle of burning tobacco.
Outside the window, Konoha remained peaceful. Inside the shadow of the Kage, vines of doubt grew silently.
Seeing his hesitation, Danzo pressed forward another half-step, shadow advancing with him.
He knew his old friend too well. Indecisive. Suspicious. Jealous of power.
The seed was planted. Now it needed watering with more "facts" to break through the soil.
"And another thing. Takeshi was attacked suddenly, stabbed with a blade, threw himself in front of kunai meant for his son, and walked away without a scratch."
"He's just a genin. How does someone that low-ranked survive a surprise attack unscathed?"
"I had people look into it quietly. Turns out he was wearing concealed steel plates."
"Is that normal?"
"The war ended six years ago!"
"Is he that afraid of dying?"
"Wearing armor under his clothes during peacetime?"
"Inside Konoha Village?"
"Who exactly is he defending against?"
"I've thought about it from every angle. There's only one conclusion."
"He knew someone was coming to kill him. That's why he kept those plates on his body."
"He just didn't expect the assassins would strike at the academy entrance. Or that they'd go after his son too."
The barrage of questions hammered at Hiruzen's defenses. His expression darkened further.
"That... people who've been through war sometimes develop odd habits. It's not necessarily evidence of anything."
His tone lacked its earlier certainty. His brow furrowed deep. Clearly, he was weighing things internally.
"Heh." Danzo's cold laugh was like venom dripping. "And then there's those three-tomoe Sharingan. Very suspicious."
"The Sharingan doesn't advertise itself unless you use it. No one knows if you've awakened it or not."
"Did he awaken three tomoe today? Or did he have them all along and just kept it hidden from the village?"
"Why would he hide it?"
"Who was he hiding it from?"
"How many other Uchiha are concealing their true strength?"
Concealing power meant harboring ulterior motives.
Especially for the Uchiha, who'd been a thorn in the Hokage's side for years. The suspicion ran deep.
Hiruzen's expression grew increasingly grim. Smoke wreathed his face, emotions flickering beneath.
As Hokage, he had to consider the village's stability and safety.
As the village's leader, he instinctively resisted this extremist mindset that turned comrades into enemies.
The conflicting impulses warred inside him.
"Danzo, don't jump to conclusions."
"If Takeshi had three tomoe already, he wouldn't have let his son get hurt. He'd have deflected those kunai before they hit."
"Would he?" Danzo's cold smile persisted. "Those evil Uchiha are capable of anything."
"Maybe he sacrificed family for the clan's larger interests. Disowned his own blood."
"Besides, even if he wasn't three-tomoe before, he must have been two."
"I've never heard of any Uchiha who jumped straight from normal eyes to three tomoe. You skip one tomoe and two tomoe? That doesn't happen."
Hiruzen drew harder on his pipe.
The bitter tobacco smell filled the office, the lingering smoke like his churning thoughts made visible.
Light flickered in the pipe bowl. Thick smoke buried his entire face, hiding his expression.
Danzo's words were like stones dropped in deep water, ripples spreading outward.
Hiruzen knew the real issue wasn't whether Takeshi had two tomoe or three. It was whether he'd hidden his strength from the village.
Suspicion, once born, never truly died.
Even if they later confirmed Takeshi had genuinely awakened three tomoe in battle, it wouldn't matter.
Just because Takeshi didn't hide his strength didn't mean other Uchiha weren't hiding theirs. Didn't mean the clan as a whole wasn't concealing power.
Eventually, even the truth became irrelevant.
What the village cared about was loyalty. Control.
For a Kage who valued stability and order above nearly all else, instability itself was something to watch, assess, and manage.
If extreme stress could trigger three tomoe today, what about tomorrow? Could more stress trigger the Mangekyo?
Given the Uchiha's nature, it wasn't impossible.
These were all destabilizing factors.
This kind of nonlinear power growth? How could anyone feel secure about that?
After a long silence, Hiruzen sighed heavily.
"What do you want to do?"
A smile touched Danzo's lips. His words had finally taken hold.
His eye gleamed with satisfaction. He'd been waiting for this opening.
"I want Root to investigate this matter."
"Just hand Uchiha Takeshi over to me. I'll get to the bottom of it."
"Whatever secrets he's hiding, none of them will escape my investigation."
"Absolutely not!" Hiruzen's brow furrowed sharply. He rejected the idea outright.
He glared at Danzo, knowing exactly what "investigation" meant in Root's hands.
"Intelligence gained through torture won't convince the other clans."
"I won't allow you to use those dark methods on our own people. Understand?"
Despite his doubts, he refused to break the rules to find answers.
"Hmph!" Danzo curled his lip in disdain for his old friend's weakness.
"Those evil Uchiha won't confess just because you talk about the Will of Fire. You need to apply pressure."
Hiruzen was quiet for a moment before speaking slowly.
"The chance of another village targeting a genin for assassination is low. But we can't ignore the possibility."
"I'll have ANBU place Takeshi under protective surveillance. In case another attempt is made."
"Tch. Protective surveillance..." Danzo frowned, making a sound of disgust.
He recognized his old partner's indecisiveness rearing its head. It frustrated him. But he saw the determination in Hiruzen's eyes and knew he couldn't push for direct custody.
So he pivoted quickly, settling for less.
"At least let Root handle it. We're the ones who specialize in this kind of work."
"No." Hiruzen shook his head, refusing again.
No one understood Root's methods better than Hiruzen. If they conducted "surveillance," it would never stay surveillance. Who knew where things would spiral from there.
"Danzo, the Uchiha just survived an attack. We can't provoke them further."
"We need to show some restraint. Not push too far. Understand?"
"Also, to avoid misunderstandings, I'll inform Fugaku about the surveillance privately."
Hiruzen explained patiently, but these reasons failed to satisfy his old friend at all.
"Are you out of your mind?" This time Danzo couldn't hold back. He pounded his cane against the floor repeatedly, his face twisted with frustration.
"Hiruzen, you can't tell Fugaku about this!"
"He's the Uchiha clan head! Do you really think he'll side with you over his own people?"
Hiruzen drew deeply on his pipe. His mind ran through Fugaku's conduct over the years. Steady. Restrained. Prioritizing the bigger picture.
In the end, the trust built through long observation won out over the sudden surge of suspicion.
He chose to trust Fugaku a bit more.
He waved his hand dismissively.
"I believe Fugaku will understand the village's position. If Takeshi truly has something to hide, Fugaku will side with the village."
"..." Danzo started to argue further, but Hiruzen had heard enough.
He raised his hand, cutting him off decisively.
"My mind is made up. No more discussion."
"Remember, Danzo. I am the Hokage."
Danzo's jaw clenched. He stamped his foot in fury and stormed toward the door.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
SLAM!
The door crashed shut, loud enough to rattle the decorations on the walls. The warning echoed through the empty room.
Hiruzen sat alone in his oversized chair. The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the floor, making him look isolated and heavy with burden.