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At night, the monitoring became much more stringent.
"Hokage-sama, the Anbu didn't detect any unusual activity from the Shimura clan compound last night."
The appointed Anbu squadron leader recollected the report and shook his head firmly, confirming his observation.
In Konoha, anyone wandering the streets in the dead of night—whether an outsider or a villager—is bound to draw suspicion and close monitoring. But strangely, the Anbu failed to detect any movements from the Shimura clan, even though key members seemed to have vanished.
This anomaly demanded immediate attention.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, felt the gravity of the situation settle upon his shoulders:
"Send word to Jiraiya and Uchiha Fugaku. Have them meet me at once. Also, has any Uchiha member left their compound recently?"
Given the escalating tensions, it was only natural for suspicion to turn toward the Uchiha. Their reputation, though unearned in many cases, made them convenient scapegoats.
Even Hiko couldn't be excluded from suspicion. Hiko had been drawing far too much attention lately—too active, too capable.
"Except for the scheduled night patrols, no Uchiha has stepped outside the clan compound," the Anbu replied with conviction.
"Alright, that's all. You may go."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Once the Anbu departed, Tsunade sighed and crossed her arms.
"Old man, are you seriously suspecting that the Uchiha had something to do with the disappearance of the Shimura patriarch and elders?"
The way Hiruzen had circled around the topic, asking indirectly if any Uchihas had left the compound, was all too obvious. It was clear as day he suspected them.
To Tsunade, it was unjust.
In her judgment, the Uchiha clan would never take such a drastic step, especially not now when they were under constant scrutiny. If Hiko had truly taken revenge, how could he have done so with such finesse that even the Anbu failed to notice?
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it… It probably wasn't them," Hiruzen muttered, seemingly to convince himself as much as her.
He then ordered the remaining members of the Shimura clan to return to their compound and await updates.
Moments later, Jiraiya climbed through the window with a loud yawn, rubbing his eyes.
"Old man, what's going on? I've got to make Naruto breakfast. The kid's got me running around like a housewife."
Tsunade chuckled.
"Who would've thought? Jiraiya, the Legendary Sannin, turned domestic?"
Jiraiya grinned sheepishly, scratching his wild mane.
"Well, the kid asked… and I just couldn't say no. Trying to make up for lost time, I guess."
Despite his usual bravado, Jiraiya's sense of responsibility toward Naruto had deepened. Ever since he took Naruto under his wing, he had taken on the role of both mentor and guardian—an effort to atone for his past failures, especially his broken promise to Minato.
Now, he was doing his best to provide Naruto the warmth of family.
"Jiraiya, I'm afraid you'll have to leave breakfast duty to Naruto today. There's something serious that requires your attention."
The Third Hokage's voice was low and heavy with urgency.
"The Shimura clan reported that their patriarch and two elders went missing overnight. No one saw anything—not even the night watch. Understand what that implies?"
Jiraiya straightened, his expression turning grim.
"You think it was a targeted attack?"
Hiruzen nodded gravely.
It wasn't just an isolated incident—it was unprecedented. A prominent clan like the Shimura losing its leadership overnight without a trace was something that hadn't happened since the founding of Konoha.
Whether it was a well-orchestrated abduction or an inside job, the ramifications were serious.
"I'll investigate personally."
With that, Jiraiya departed, offering an unspoken apology to Naruto. Breakfast would have to wait.
Soon after, Fugaku arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama. Lady Tsunade."
He bowed respectfully and stood at attention, waiting for orders.
Tsunade glanced at Hiruzen before speaking.
"Patriarch Fugaku, which districts did the police patrol cover last night? We need a full list of the patrol units and their members."
"List?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow. He had been summoned without explanation and wasn't briefed on any incident.
Moments later, the requested list arrived from the Police Department.
Tsunade and Hiruzen examined the documents carefully.
"Wait—Shimura compound isn't within the patrol jurisdiction?" Tsunade frowned.
Indeed, the clan lands of prominent families weren't typically included in the patrol routes.
While it would have been ideal to have the Police Department oversee all family territories, political constraints made it impossible.
Fugaku bit back a sigh and looked toward the Hokage.
Tsunade quickly picked up on the implication—it wasn't that Uchiha refused the responsibility, it was that the upper echelons of Konoha restricted their authority.
Once again, the ever-tight leash on the Uchiha's influence.
She let the matter drop—for now—and dismissed Fugaku.
Still puzzled, Fugaku returned to the Police Department and instructed his assistant:
"When Hiko arrives, send him to my office immediately."
Back at the Hokage's office, Tsunade looked to Hiruzen, her brows furrowed.
"Don't you think this is all too restrictive? The Police Department's authority keeps shrinking. What happens when something serious occurs and they lack the power to respond in time?"
Tsunade recalled the events of the Nine-Tails' attack years ago.
Back then, despite being suspected, the Uchiha were willing to help defend the village—but Danzo had blocked them with Root operatives.
Rather than risk giving the Uchiha a heroic image, Danzo preferred to sideline them entirely.
That decision haunted Konoha's history.
"It's possible I've been overly cautious…" Hiruzen muttered, clearly uncomfortable. The memory of past political decisions weighed heavily on him.
The matter of the Police Department's future authority would rest on Tsunade's shoulders now. For the moment, their constraints would remain in place.
Meanwhile, the sun had already begun to rise.
Hiko, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, abandoned his plan to get breakfast at the Academy and instead headed straight for the Police Department, requesting that his assistant bring him food later.
"Yan! The Minister wants to see you right away," the secretary informed him upon arrival.
"Got it."
He had a hunch Fugaku had found out about the Shimura incident.
The village response was quick—perhaps quicker than expected.
He wondered if Obito had already seen the corpses. That thought amused him.
Obito had worked hard to shift blame onto the Uchiha, yet now he'd be forced to digest a different kind of reality. This was only the beginning.
More shocks were coming, and Hiko was ready to deliver them—one after another.
"Patriarch, you asked for me?"
Hiko entered the office and collapsed lazily onto the couch like he owned the place.
Fugaku's eyebrow twitched at the casual display.
"Where were you last night? You look like you didn't get much sleep."
"How could I?" Hiko groaned, rubbing his temples.
"It's all Aunt A-Sang's fault. She wouldn't stop nagging me about finding a girlfriend—insisted I meet her niece. Said I'm getting old and should settle down. Even emphasized choosing someone from within the clan."
The bloodline rumors still lingered, but not everyone believed them. Aunt A-Sang was among the hopeful few trying to matchmake him.
He was exhausted by her enthusiasm.
"…"
You're fifteen!
Fugaku wanted to say it out loud but choked on the words.
Then again, he remembered himself in his youth.
Coughing awkwardly, Fugaku muttered, "A-Sang has a point. Quan is a bit too young."
Oh, spare me.
Back in the day, when Fugaku had pursued Mikoto, the entire clan knew about it.
He had been in his twenties, and Mikoto was just barely into her teens. Yet he pursued her persistently, with the whole clan watching.
Mikoto was admired throughout Konoha—gentle, talented, and kind-hearted. She had plenty of suitors, and yet it was the stone-faced young patriarch who won her over.
Now here he was, pretending to be a paragon of morality?
Hiko gave him a look of incredulity.
"I heard the patriarch's wife was quite young when you courted her…"
"Ahem!!"
Fugaku choked and nearly spat his tea.
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