The Academy was in serious trouble.
Sakumo stepped forward, his expression grim. "Lord Hokage, four students from the Ninja Academy have gone missing over the past six months. After proper investigation, three of them were confirmed to be from the Uchiha clan. The fourth was registered as a civilian, but further digging revealed that he also has Uchiha blood."
'Were Uchiha children deliberately targeted?'
Under Hiruzen's leadership, the Academy had been under a close watch. Students underwent regular physical and psychological evaluations, and the Security Department had marked the school as a priority patrol zone.
Remaining composed, Hiruzen asked, "Has the Security Department conducted an investigation?"
Kagami nodded and stepped forward. "They already have conducted an investigation and this is the report."
He handed over a file compiled by Hyuga Nobusumi, the current head of the Security Department.
Hiruzen flipped through the pages. The details were as follows:
Missing Case 1 —
Name: Shigeyoshi
Age: 10
Grade: Fourth year
Clan Status: Civilian (Hidden Uchiha bloodline)
Details: Although registered as a civilian, the background checks revealed that his grandparents were Uchiha. However, they lost their clan status after failing to awaken the Sharingan.
Date of Disappearance: May 27, Konoha Year 29
Circumstances: Vanished on the way home from school.
Missing Case 2 —
Name: Uchiha Yosuke
Age: 13
Grade: Seventh year
Clan Status: Uchiha
Details: A high-performing student with strong academic records.
Date of Disappearance: September 5, Konoha Year 29
Circumstances: Disappeared while walking home from the Academy.
Missing Case 3 —
Name: Uchiha Tokuo
Age: 11
Grade: Fifth year
Clan Status: Uchiha
Details: Consistently at the top of his class.
Date of Disappearance: October 8, Konoha Year 29
Circumstances: Vanished during his usual route home.
Missing Case 4 —
Name: Uchiha Miko
Age: 9
Grade: Third year
Clan Status: Uchiha
Details: A bright student with a promising future.
Date of Disappearance: November 3, Konoha Year 29
Circumstances: Last seen leaving the Academy.
After finished reading the report, Hiruzen placed it on the table without a word. It was far too superficial.
'Was this supposed to be a real investigation? Where were the students' social connections? Their daily routines? Surveillance footage? Data from the village's barrier sensors? There were no leads, no suspects, not even a clear direction forward.'
He glanced up. "Did all of you have read this report?"
"I did," Kagami answered firmly. "It was too superficial. That's why I asked the Anbu to carry out an independent investigation."
He looked briefly toward Sakumo. Hiruzen turned to Sakumo, slightly surprised but choosing not to comment.
In silence, Sakumo handed him a second document which is much more detailed than the other. It contained the Anbu's findings that includes background checks, interviews with classmates, teachers, and neighbors, even attempts to identify the students patterns. Though the investigation hadn't produced results, the effort was evident that the Anbu had been meticulous and diligent during the investigation.
As always, Hiruzen looked to one of his most reliable disciples. "Orochimaru. What's your opinion?"
Orochimaru didn't speak. He quietly passed Hiruzen another document.
"Lord Hokage, this is the Ministry of Education's report."
Hiruzen opened it. The report confirmed a troubling pattern where aside from the first case, each missing student had siblings who had already awakened the Sharingan. The moment he saw that detail, Hiruzen's heart sank.
The signs were too familiar as this report and pattern had Uchiha Madara's shadow written all over it. Still, he said nothing, and continue to read.
The report also reviewed the foreign exchange student program for the past few years and nothing unusual had been found. It also includes the sensor logs and maintenance reports from the barrier division as well.
Hiruzen wasn't an expert in barrier sensor data but that didn't matter since he had people for that.
"Sakumo," he ordered, "call in the Security Department and Barrier Division officers, along with the heads of the Patrol and Customs units. Also notify the Village Committee. We'll convene a full meeting at 9 a.m. tomorrow."
He already knew who was likely behind this. So why go through the formality?
'Madara hadn't gone far since if he acted openly, he could be found immediately. Given how long the children had been missing, anything terrible had happened to them had likely occurred and if not, then a little more time would change nothing.'
The more pressing matter was village stability. Hiruzen also observed something else as Kagami wasn't following orders as blindly as before. It was time to start isolating the Guard Department.
The difference between the Security Department's lazy report and the Anbu's diligence made one thing painfully clear, that is the Security Department had become ineffective.
Since Konoha's internal restructuring, the Uchiha clan had lost command over the Guard Department. Though Kagami still sat on the Village Committee position, his influence had been curbed. In law enforcement, his voice has no longer held real weight towards the others.
The Uchiha clan's diminishing influence hadn't been accidental but it was a deliberate shift to give the Hyuga clan a more central position within the village's power structure.
Hiruzen accepted that decision without regret. If the Uchiha failed to carry out their responsibilities properly, they only had themselves to blame for the consequences.
Once again, he looked toward Orochimaru.
"Share your thoughts on the situation," he asked.
Orochimaru replied in his usual composed manner, stating that despite thorough investigations by both the Anbu and the Security Department, no leads had been uncovered, even with the combined capabilities of the Sharingan and the Byakugan, the village's two most powerful dōjutsu.
Despite all the searches, there was no trace of the missing students, and the barrier system remained undisturbed.
At this point, only two explanations remained.
The first possibility was that the children remained somewhere within the village, concealed so well that even the most advanced detection methods failed to uncover them.
The second possibility was that the children had been taken using space-time ninjutsu. However, this seemed improbable. Ever since the incident involving Jiraiya's reverse summoning, the village had imposed strict restrictions on space-time techniques. The barrier system had been specifically reinforced to suppress all forms of spatial manipulation, with the sole exception of standard summoning.
It was hard to believe that all of the four children had been removed using reverse summoning.
After Jiraiya's incident, Konoha launched a full campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of summoning techniques. The Ministry of Education even distributed official warnings and tightened the rules surrounding summoning contracts. Even if a few rebellious students had somehow attempted forbidden techniques in secret, it seemed far too convenient that all four missing children were Uchiha, and that they vanished under the same mysterious circumstances.
After the first Uchiha student disappeared, the Uchiha members in the Security Department had reportedly increased the patrols around the school, especially in areas close to their clan's district.
The Ministry of Education had also formally requested enhanced patrols tailored to the students' daily routines. But even with those measures in place, nothing had changed.
The Security Department had clearly failed in its responsibilities.
To be exact, it was the Hyuga clan that were currently entrusted with the authority over the Security Department, who had failed in their duty. Armed with the Byakugan, one of the most revered and precise detection abilities in existence, they should have easily noticed any anomalies within the village. The fact that they failed to do so was not merely an oversight, but a glaring lapse that cast doubt on their competence and intentions alike.
Taking everything into account, Orochimaru put forth a bold and unsettling theory.
"There's something deeper going on," he said. "This may be the work of another clan targeting the Uchiha and they might be the one with both power and reach. The Hyuga are the most likely suspects."
His voice took on a sharper edge, each word laced with the fervor of someone unraveling a dangerous conspiracy. But across from him, Hiruzen's expression darkened, the weight of the implications settling like a storm behind his eyes.
Seeking out hidden truths was one thing; voicing them aloud in the presence of Uchiha Kagami was another entirely. To cast suspicion on the Hyuga, even hypothetically, was a perilous move—one that threatened to ignite long-buried tensions between two of Konoha's most powerful clans. A single misjudged word could fracture the fragile peace holding the village together.
Besides, Hiruzen couldn't rule out another possibility where Uchiha Madara's might have a hand in this. If anyone had the power and motive, it was him. He might have used Black Zetsu as a pawn to carry out these abductions while he was operating from the shadows.
Turning to Orochimaru, Hiruzen's tone grew solemn. "Choose your words carefully and don't make accusations without any evidence. These accusations might touch on the fragile balance between the two great clans."
Then, he turned to Kagami, his voice measured. "Kagami, do not act on impulse and return to your clan and ensure they remain composed. Once the tensions have been settled, bring the relevant members to the conference room. As for the Hyuga clan, I do not believe they are responsible for this abduction as they have no discernible motive. Nevertheless, I give you my word that the truth will be uncovered and you will receive a full and proper explanation."