Anko and Uchiha Izumi had temporarily gone their separate ways. Anko, walking home alone, suddenly noticed the area around her was unusually quiet — not even a cat mew or a dog bark could be heard.
Her eyes narrowed at once; she was all too familiar with this kind of atmosphere.
Back when the Third Hokage had assigned several Anbu to follow and investigate her, the surrounding silence had felt exactly like this.
Anko stopped walking and stood in an empty alley, her body bathed in the shadows of the night.
She asked the air, "Wasn't the investigation into me already finished? It was clearly confirmed I had no contact with Orochimaru, right?"
No sooner had the words fallen than figures sprang out from the dark — six Konoha shinobi, each wearing a strange mask.
Seeing their masks and attire, Anko froze for a moment.
"...Root?"
She realized these six were not Anbu.
They were shinobi of Konoha's Root organization.
Anko sensed something was wrong. When the Third Hokage had had people tail her before, they had only sent Anbu. Why, this time, were members of Root suddenly involved? If she remembered correctly, Root had now been taken over by Utatane Koharu, hadn't it?
"Mitarashi Anko." A Root shinobi spoke in a mature female voice — clearly a kunoichi. "As a Konoha shinobi, you should not hide important information from the village. Koharu-sama is giving you one chance. I hope you grasp it."
Before Anko could reply, the Root shinobi continued to press: "Where exactly is the traitor Orochimaru located?"
Anko: "!!!"
How did Root know about Orochimaru? Had some Root shinobi overheard her conversation with Uchiha Izumi?
Anko fell silent for two seconds, then replied briefly: "No comment."
She was certain Uchiha Keizumi would kill Orochimaru without hesitation.
Handing Orochimaru over to the Third Hokage or to someone like Utatane Koharu — those in Konoha's upper echelons — might mean they'd see use in him and spare his life.
That... was something Anko could not accept.
"Mitarashi Anko! Do you even know what you're saying?" A Root shinobi stepped forward and shouted at her sternly. "How many resources and how much effort did Konoha expend to cultivate an outstanding new-generation shinobi like you?"
"Koharu-sama and the Hokage value new-generation shinobi like you. Don't you feel any gratitude? Do you not consider their kindness at all?"
"Have you forgotten the Will of Fire you learned in the Ninja Academy?"
Anko frowned. "Of course I haven't forgotten Konoha's cultivation of me. That is why I'm trying, in my own way, to make Konoha better. And I am not like Uchiha Itachi — I will not slaughter an entire clan. I will punish the village's evils in the name of absolute justice."
She paused, then continued, "You have no right to expect any information about Orochimaru from me. If you truly want intelligence, you can go ask Keizumi directly."
"If Keizumi wanted to tell you the intelligence, he wouldn't hide it. If he's too lazy to speak, then it means you don't deserve to know."
"But what if I — personally — ask you?" A slightly aged voice sounded softly from behind Mitarashi Anko.
Anko's pupils contracted slightly. When she turned, she saw Utatane Koharu approaching slowly with two Root guards escorting her.
Utatane Koharu stopped ten meters away from Anko.
That aloofness, that vigilance — anyone with eyes could see it.
Utatane Koharu, her face weathered with wrinkles, said to Mitarashi Anko: "Anko, I once advised the Fourth to stop further investigating you. You should know how to feel gratitude, and you should report Orochimaru's whereabouts to me."
"Hu—"
Anko suddenly laughed: "What a grand scene. The shinobi way I once believed in was swift and decisive. Since I already said 'no comment,' I naturally won't reveal anything."
Utatane Koharu sighed. "Konoha's new-generation elites have been brainwashed by Uchiha Keizumi beyond recognition."
She looked Mitarashi Anko in the eye and said, "If you were facing Danzo, you might be dead by now and your body used to extract intelligence. But you are facing me. I am not as vicious or dark as he is. I will not inflict too much harm on you."
At that line, black snakes slowly slithered out from within Anko's sleeves.
She raised a cruel, exhilarated smile, though the alertness in her eyes did not lessen: "I'm not that easy to take down. Although Orochimaru modified some of my memories, I have not forgotten the skills I learned from him."
"Move in. Try not to kill her — capture her alive. Use genjutsu interrogation." Utatane Koharu wasted no more words.
She felt there was no point in talking further with people who had been "washed" by [Absolute Justice].
Their words would not meet; they would not listen to each other.
When Utatane Koharu finished speaking, the six Root shinobi immediately rushed to surround Mitarashi Anko. They all drew their kunai, but did not strike with the blade — instead they turned the metal and slashed with the spine of the kunai.
Anko acted at once. The black snakes from her sleeves shot out like arrows released from a taut bow toward the Root shinobi.
While the Root shinobi used their kunai to sever the black snakes, Anko bit her thumb and slammed her palm heavily on the ground.
"Summoning Technique!!!"
…
Elsewhere in Konoha, inside Ichiraku Ramen.
The Hyūga main family and others remained absolutely silent; Hinata had even set down her ramen bowl and sat up straight, her face visibly tense.
Every time a customer came or went, their gazes followed them.
Many regular patrons of Ichiraku felt a chill creep into their chests.
By rights, the Hyūga family's behavior should have affected Ichiraku's business; as the shop owner's daughter, Ayame should have come out to persuade them otherwise.
But they had already given so much… Just that one girl called "Hinata" had eaten a dozen extra-large bowls of ramen by herself, nearly reaching twenty bowls.
Suddenly.
Hyūga Hinata's eyes widened slightly. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Hanabi's hand, causing her little face to show pain. But remembering her elder sister's instructions not to speak recklessly, she could only cover her mouth and endure.
'He's here!!!'
Hyūga Keizuka, bleeding money, drew in a deep breath. His gaze fell upon the newcomer, but he dared not meet his eyes. Instead he shifted his line of sight downward, then rose to his feet and spoke: "…Keizumi-sama, the entire Hyūga main family is already here."
It was Uchiha Keizumi who had locked most of the Hyūga main family in Konoha's prison, leaving them so wretched now.
Yet he still had to address him respectfully as "sama," truly shaming the Hyūga main family's face.
If only he could show a bit more backbone…
"If Keizumi-sama has any orders, the Hyūga main family will surely give our utmost support!" What he thought and what he said were completely different; he feared one careless misstep would make him the Hyūga main family's great sinner, nailed to the pillar of shame in the clan's history.
"The main family will temporarily stay at the inn on Fourth Street of Konoha." Uchiha Keizumi did not waste words, speaking bluntly: "The inn rooms have already been booked for a full year, funded by Konoha's Uchiha Police Force. For now, do not return to the Hyūga compound."
Uchiha Keizumi paused, then continued: "One of Konoha's Sannin, Tsunade, is also living at that inn. I have already spoken with her. She will keep an eye on you."
The Hyūga main family were taken aback.
"Meow, by keeping an eye on you, it doesn't mean she'll do anything for you, nor that she'll treat you like babies, nor give you any special privileges. Don't get the wrong idea."
Tachibana Jirō added: "It's simply that Keizumi-sama believes there are some among the branch family who are not entirely honest — some with extreme views. They might target you women and children of the main family."
"Keizumi-sama arranged this lodging, and arranged for Tsunade-sama to deter such petty villains, precisely to prevent such needless tragedies."
Hyūga Keizuka's eyes widened further.
So… this was the reason for calling the Hyūga main family together here?
To be honest, Hyūga Keizuka himself felt the Hyūga compound was not particularly safe anymore. Especially in these last two days, he had the sense that some branch shinobi were giving him strange looks — enough to make even a main-family jōnin like him shudder.
Living under the same roof, if the branch wanted to strike at the main family, and the main family dared not invoke the Caged Bird seal, it would be all too easy!
Slip some drug into the food, and the few remaining members of the Hyūga main family could be wiped out entirely!
Hiss!
So Uchiha Keizumi's actions this time were actually for the sake of the Hyūga main family?
The Hyūga main family suddenly felt as if in a dream. Just the day before, this man had slaughtered them on a grand scale; the next day, he was showing such concern for them.
Wasn't this far too contradictory?
"Meow." Tachibana Jirō, as if reading their thoughts, spoke in that strange feline tone: "Keizumi-sama does not look at others based on factions or standings, but on the stance of good and evil. After all the rumors you've heard about Keizumi-sama in Konoha, have you still not understood this?"
Hyūga Keizuka suddenly came to a realization.
That meant he and the others here were among the few good ones in the main family.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
After hesitating for a while, Hyūga Keizuka lowered his head.
"Thank you!"
This also meant the Hyūga main family accepted Uchiha Keizumi's arrangement, because it truly could make them safer.
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