"Hado #12: Fushibi!"
A crimson net of fire descended from the sky, instantly paralyzing the two men and rendering them unable to move.
"What's going on?"
"An enemy attack?"
The two didn't react at all. One second they were reveling in the pleasure of deciding others' lives with their words, and the next, they were under attack and their entire bodies were bound.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
Powerful ocular power flooded into their minds. Makiya's will echoed in their hearts, eventually converging into a single question: "Who is the mastermind?"
There was no need to wonder who the mastermind was; it was definitely Danzo. Makiya would bet on Obito staying single for the rest of his life.
The two struggled incessantly. As the ocular power grew stronger, pitch-black cursed seals spread from their mouths across their entire heads.
The cursed seal paralyzed their whole bodies, and they went stiff, no longer moving.
Makiya ignored them and continued the violent interrogation. The cursed seal triggered a defense mechanism, directly crushing their brains.
The fire net dissipated, and the two corpses fell into the snow.
"These two were spies. Be careful, everyone; it's best not to wander around," Makiya warned the surrounding villagers loudly. His figure then vanished, heading straight for the next location.
Makiya's speed was already extremely fast. Combined with Kido, he violently triggered the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal seven times in a short period, resulting in the deaths of all seven people.
Just as he was about to do the same to the eighth one, a shrill alarm rang out over Konoha, and countless figures began darting across the rooftops.
"Heh, looks like you're in luck. You don't have to die."
Makiya smiled as he looked at the eighth Root ninja. With a flash of his blade, he severed all four of the man's limbs.
Flames erupted, cauterizing the clean cuts to stop the bleeding.
"Ahhh!"
The scream exposed Makiya's location, and the Anbu who were searching the village instantly locked onto the target.
Swish!
A special kunai stabbed into the ground by Makiya's feet. With a flash of yellow light, a figure instantly appeared behind him.
Makiya swung his blade back, clashing with the special three-pronged kunai, sending sparks flying.
"What a fast reaction speed." Minato Namikaze, wearing a green Jonin flak jacket, was startled. Few people could instantly judge his position. Makiya had not only countered precisely but also with immense strength.
As the short blade and kunai remained locked, Makiya applied pressure with one arm, and a notch was cut into the kunai.
Minato immediately retreated and looked up to clearly see Makiya's face.
"Eh? You're... Makiya Uchiha?"
"You know me?" Makiya was surprised. He didn't have much interaction with Minato Namikaze, so logically the other man shouldn't know him.
Minato silently pulled out another kunai, a smile appearing on his face. "Obito mentions you often. He says you're a rare genius among the Uchiha."
Makiya remained noncommittal. That guy Obito definitely wasn't saying anything good, but Minato, with his high emotional intelligence, was proactively smoothing things over for him.
"Even though you're from the same clan as Obito..." Minato's smile faded, his expression becoming solemn. "I will never let someone who slaughters and tortures their comrades go. Surrender, Makiya."
Makiya suddenly put away his short blade, leaving Minato stunned.
"You've misunderstood. He's no comrade." Makiya grabbed the Root ninja by the hair and lifted him up. "This is a spy performing sabotage in Konoha. I caught him in the act."
"A spy?"
"Yes. They have strange cursed seals on them that prevent me from interrogating them. I was just about to go see the Hokage."
Makiya's explanation left Minato uncertain. At that moment, Anbu and patrolling Uchiha Police Force members arrived one after another, surrounding Makiya.
The Uchiha members, seeing it was Makiya, silently moved behind him and drew their ninja tools. One even had a sudden inspiration and sprinted toward the clan compound.
"An Uchiha? Makiya Uchiha?" An Anbu wearing a fox mask stepped forward and shouted. "Makiya Uchiha is killing comrades and betraying the village! Everyone—"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
The sudden outburst shocked everyone. Makiya amplified his voice with chakra, his tone severe. "Accusing me of betraying the village at every turn—what? Since when is killing a spy 'slaughtering a comrade'? Whose comrade is he? Yours?"
The fox-masked Anbu's breath hitched, his mind racing. "Nonsense! Just because you say he's a spy doesn't make it true!"
"And just because you say he isn't doesn't make it true? I was about to go see the Hokage with Jonin Minato, yet you led a team to stop me. Are you intentionally stalling for time to tip off your fellow spies?"
"You... you..."
"Makiya." Minato stepped forward and stood beside him. "This Anbu member is just overzealous out of concern. Spies are a serious matter. Let's go see the Hokage first."
He walked within seven paces of Makiya. At this distance, Minato was confident he could counter the moment Makiya began to weave signs.
Makiya nodded and took the initiative to say, "I suggest calling the clan heads. Large-scale espionage is no small matter."
Minato was stunned. Seeing how certain Makiya was that the 'human stump' he was holding was a spy, he signaled the Anbu.
The Anbu glared at Makiya with resentment before turning to notify the clan heads.
Makiya turned to the Uchiha clan members and said, "Please take the other corpses to the Hokage building."
"Um... Makiya." One clan member scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "The bodies are already in the hands of the Anbu."
The Anbu reported directly to the Hokage and held great power. No one dared compete with them; it would be looking for trouble.
Makiya's expression turned solemn as he looked at Minato. "This is problematic. Based on that fox-face's behavior just now, those bodies will likely be tampered with."
The fox-masked ninja, who hadn't gone far yet, stumbled.
"Makiya, give him a break." Minato shook his head. "I guarantee on my character that the Anbu are loyal to the Hokage. There won't be any issues."
"Fine, I'll trust you this once." Makiya picked up the 'human stump' and headed toward the Hokage building.
Minato's eye twitched at the sight. Makiya wasn't grabbing the man by the collar, but by the hair. His methods were extremely rough.
However, if he truly was a spy, it was understandable. No matter the village, there was zero tolerance for spies.
Five minutes later, in the Hokage's office.
The clan heads sat in two rows, with a group of Jonin standing against the walls. Minato stood closest to Makiya.
Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane sat at the very front, near Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Jiraiya was still on the front lines, and Orochimaru was in the middle of an experiment with 'Do Not Disturb' mode turned on.
Makiya stood in the center of the room. The 'human stump' had already fainted and lay at his feet. After being treated by medical ninjas, his life was no longer in danger.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took puff after puff from his pipe. The moment he saw Makiya and the deceased, he had guessed the general outline of the situation.
Danzo hadn't listened to him after all. There was no need to ask; Root must have been caught red-handed while doing dirty work.
It was just that Hiruzen hadn't expected Makiya to have such an explosive temper, showing no mercy to those who slandered him and wiping them out completely.
Fugaku sat among the clan heads, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable. His gaze toward Makiya was full of reproach. He had thought the boy would be a talent, but he hadn't expected him to cause such a huge mess right after returning to the village.
The Uchiha's situation was already precarious, and now they would likely be forced to compromise on certain interests again.
Danzo's face was gloomy, the veins on the hand gripping his cane bulging. From time to time, his gaze toward Makiya was filled with murderous intent.
In response, Makiya moved his lips without making a sound, returning two words: "Stupid dog!"
Root was Danzo's private army. They wouldn't act on their own; they must have been following Danzo's orders. Since the other party had bullied him, Makiya naturally wouldn't give them a friendly face.
'I have to find a way to kill this old dog.'
The other clan heads silently exchanged glances, conveying the same signal: "Watch the show."
"Makiya, what exactly did you find that made you so certain they were spies?" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke.
Everyone's eyes focused on Makiya.
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