Kakashi paused, then braced himself and reported firmly:
"It's not that he got into trouble, but… Asuma is missing."
"That's fine—so long as he didn't cause any problems," the Third Hokage exhaled with uncharacteristic relief.
He no longer had the energy to discipline this rebellious son of his.
Wait—something's not right.
Missing? And your first response is that's fine as long as he didn't stir up trouble?
Tsunade stared blankly at Hiruzen, stunned. Kakashi blinked, unsure if he'd heard right.
Was Hokage-sama serious?
"You said Asuma is missing?" the Third Hokage barked—his voice now several degrees louder.
That's more like it.
Kakashi nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Yes. I went to switch shifts with Asuma, but he never showed up. I searched for him and eventually found signs of intrusion in his quarters. There was a foreign chakra signature… and the scene suggested the use of space-time ninjutsu."
He laid out his deductions in full.
"Disappeared… again?"
The Third Hokage's hands clenched.
First, the head and elders of the Shimura clan vanish.
Now his son, stationed far away at the Daimyō's residence, also disappears?
Previously, he suspected Hiko, but given Hiko never left Uchiha territory and couldn't have traveled to and from the Daimyō's land overnight, it no longer made sense.
"Have there been any other disappearances in the village?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.
Tsunade rubbed her temples, clearly overwhelmed. "This morning, members of the Shimura clan reported that their patriarch and two elders disappeared mysteriously. No traces of struggle, no signs of entry or exit—just… gone. And Asuma's situation sounds eerily similar."
"Summon Jiraiya! Tell him to report to me immediately!"
Hiruzen's voice trembled.
His wife was long gone. Now his son might be… this was too much.
Seeing the Hokage's despair, ANBU operatives rushed to deliver the message.
"Master Jiraiya, Hokage-sama requests your immediate presence."
Jiraiya, still in Hiko's office at the police department, was taken aback.
"I see. Thank you."
He nodded and turned to Hiko.
"I'm heading out."
He made a quick gesture and left through the window, just like always.
Hiko glanced at the open window, the breeze rustling the blinds.
"Where did this habit even come from?"
He shook his head. Konoha's elite—Sannin or not—seemed allergic to using doors. Tsunade was the same.
"Why's the old man summoning me so urgently?" Jiraiya asked the ANBU casually.
"It's related to Asuma."
Asuma?
Don't tell me that brat's caused another mess.
In Konoha, Asuma's name often raised eyebrows for the wrong reasons. People didn't ask if something happened to him—they assumed he did something.
Jiraiya rushed to the Hokage's tower and—unsurprisingly—climbed through the window.
"Old man, did Asuma get into trouble again?"
"Hmph…"
It was only then that Jiraiya noticed Hiruzen's pale face and deeply furrowed brows. He looked worse than when the Shimura incident had been reported.
"Asuma has vanished. The method resembles what happened to the Shimura clan—no signs of a fight, no evidence, no trail. Just… vanished," Tsunade explained gravely.
Jiraiya's casual expression instantly dropped.
This wasn't a joke.
They hadn't even solved the mystery of the Shimura disappearance—now the Daimyō's residence had been targeted?
This was a mess.
If the enemy behind this had been stalking Konoha for long, it spelled disaster.
A threat that couldn't be detected or traced… was the most terrifying kind.
The Hokage's office buzzed with panic.
Meanwhile, Hiko was finishing up for the day. After a long night of movement and sealed plans, he looked forward to a good meal.
"Captain!"
A voice called as he descended the stairs into the lobby. Hiko sighed. There went his dinner.
"What's wrong? Can it wait until tomorrow?"
"No, it's urgent."
Feng handed over a document. Hiko rolled his eyes but opened it.
Someone was dead.
Great—mandatory overtime.
If it had been a regular disturbance, it could've waited. But this case took place within the jurisdiction of the No. 1 Squadron—his team.
There was no way to pass the buck.
"The suspect fled?"
"Yes," Feng confirmed. "We asked the guards at Konoha's gates—none saw Makino leave. If he didn't use a disguise, then he must still be hiding somewhere inside the village."
"How troublesome…"
"Let's start by investigating his friends and family."
Even in the ninja world, harboring fugitives wasn't uncommon. The police department had seen it time and again.
Hiko didn't mobilize many—only Feng and Itachi, who had just finished his shift but was easily roped back in.
"Captain, here's the information," Itachi said, handing over the internal report.
Hiko flipped through it—and his interest was instantly piqued.
Makino had just murdered Asuma.
And now he was somehow linked to Asuma's future girlfriend?
Fascinating.
A knock at the door drew Kurenai out. She was dressed casually, surprised to find Uchiha shinobi at her door—especially Hiko, Feng, and Itachi, all wearing police uniforms.
Her instincts kicked in and she only cracked the door, keeping most of her body hidden.
Uchiha didn't have a great reputation, and her own father had died during the Nine-Tails' attack.
She'd never felt warmly toward them.
"There's an ongoing case. May we come in to speak?" Hiko asked, holding out the official document.
Kurenai took it, wary, then opened it.
"Agh!"
Her gasp gave it away—Makino's name was inside.
"May we come in now?"
"…Yes, please come in."
Kurenai stepped back hesitantly and let the three enter. Hiko walked ahead while she trailed beside him anxiously.
"Captain… what happened to Makino?"
Standing in the center of the living room, Hiko gave her a pointed look.
"Obviously, he fled. That's why we're here. We want to know if he contacted you after absconding."
"No! Absolutely not!" Kurenai shook her head rapidly. "Please believe me—if he came here, I'd turn him in myself."
"Please have a seat."
Only then did she realize everyone was still standing. She stepped aside, but Hiko waved it off.
"No need. We'll be going. You may be called to the department later for an official statement. We appreciate your cooperation."
He had no time to linger.
"Captain," Feng asked, "should we place her under surveillance?"
He and Itachi both noticed her guarded stance—something felt off.
"No need."
Hiko looked at the closed door and sighed. "Blame the Nine-Tails' Night."
"Huh…"
Itachi and Feng understood immediately.
Kurenai's wariness—her subtle hostility—wasn't personal. It was the lingering trauma of losing her father to the Nine-Tails… and associating Uchiha with that horror.
Given the Uchiha were blamed by many, her restraint was actually commendable.
"Let's move on," Hiko said. "Her father was a respected jōnin. He died resisting the Kyuubi. It's only natural she harbors resentment."
Honestly, she'd been polite by Uchiha standards.
"Let's go to the crime scene. Maybe we'll find some evidence. If Makino's still in the village, we'll catch him eventually."
With that, the trio departed.
Cases of violent crime after drinking weren't rare in Konoha—especially during this uneasy post-war period.
"You two handle the site," Hiko said, remembering something. He passed the responsibility to Itachi and Feng and turned to leave.
Neither Itachi nor Feng reacted much to his abrupt departure—they weren't talkative types, anyway.
With Hiko gone, the two worked quietly, communicating only when necessary.
Another long night had just begun.