Because none of the dispatched shinobi returned alive, and the Guardian Twelve who protected the Daimyō could not leave their charge's side,
In the end, the Daimyō's estate had no choice but to accept Konoha's investigation report, attributing the deaths of the three town nobles to rogue ninja unrest.
However, one sealed letter after another still found its way, through various channels, into the hands of the Hyūga clan, the Sarutobi clan, and the Nara clan.
These petty maneuvers did not escape the Internal Affairs Department. That same night, under Aburame Tatsuma's directive, a captured spy, after revealing several names during interrogation, suddenly died in the torture chamber.
A brand new list was delivered to Takeshi's desk.
Ever since becoming this so-called Acting Hokage, Takeshi had not returned home on time to sleep for a long while.
Afraid of disturbing Haku and Kimimaro if he came home too late, Takeshi simply bought bedding for the rest room next to his office.
Only, the portraits of the previous Hokage hanging on the wall looked rather unnerving.
"Bring Captain Fugaku here."
Seeing the names on the list, Takeshi gave silent praise to the Internal Affairs Department for their efficiency, and ordered a member to summon Fugaku.
"Is it really okay to do this?"
Itachi, assigned to stay by Takeshi's side, asked curiously. Wouldn't this kind of move consume Konoha's own strength?
Especially when the major hidden villages were already looking to exploit the Fourth's injury.
Although the Internal Affairs Department had cracked down on spies within Konoha with thunderous means, before they acted, the intelligence about Sakumo's battle with a mysterious enemy had already reached every Kage's hands.
Combined with Konoha's recent high-frequency border patrols, any Kage with half a brain could guess what was going on.
The seasoned Ōnoki outright ignored the peace treaty signed at the end of the Third Ninja World War and dispatched an Iwa ninja unit to station in Kusagakure.
Kusagakure, which had been forced to hand over Uzumaki Karin to Konoha, gladly allowed Iwagakure to take over its defense, even taking the initiative to supply the Iwa unit.
In Itachi's eyes, Takeshi's urgent priority should have been regaining Kusagakure from Iwagakure's influence.
"The matter with the three towns is too great. I must ensure the Hyūga Main Family never colludes with the Daimyō's estate again. If they stir up trouble at a critical moment, the consequences will be far worse than now."
Takeshi did not take Kusagakure seriously.
A fickle little hidden village—it could have survived in the ninja world by playing both sides, yet they failed to see it and instead chose to lean toward Iwagakure.
Besides, Iwagakure had only dispatched a small squad—it was merely testing his reaction.
That left him with plenty of room to maneuver.
As Takeshi and Itachi discussed their next move, Fugaku nearly suffered cardiac arrest upon entering the office after hearing the knock and opening the door.
That ANBU uniform with blue stripes symbolized the Internal Affairs Department.
Nowadays, the Department not only terrified spies but struck fear even into Konoha's own shinobi.
At Takeshi's strong insistence, the Department had been granted internal law enforcement authority just last month.
Now they could not only root out spies but also punish misbehaving Konoha shinobi.
Anyone taken away by them was essentially doomed.
If not for Takeshi improving shinobi pay and reforming the mission profit-sharing system, the jōnin would likely have long impeached him, kicking him out of the Acting Hokage's seat.
The simple principle of striking with one hand and rewarding with the other allowed Takeshi to hold the village together.
Only after hearing that the Department ninja was merely asking him to visit the Hokage's office did Fugaku calm his heart and uneasily follow him to the Hokage building.
"Captain Fugaku, take a look at this."
The moment he saw Fugaku, Takeshi handed him the list.
"Hyūga Munakata, Hyūga Shōta, Hyūga… these are all from the Hyūga Main Family. They actually colluded with Iwa ninja?"
Reading the confession, Fugaku found it absurd.
The Main Family—weren't they practically emperors of the Hyūga clan? Not only did they have deep ties with the Daimyō's estate, they also maintained relations with other countries' ancient ninja families.
What could they possibly gain from colluding with Iwa?
The mountains of Iwagakure? Or Ōnoki's Dust Release?
Still, Fugaku wasn't foolish enough to doubt the confession's validity at such a moment. He could see clearly—Takeshi had set his mind on striking at the Hyūga.
Thinking of how several promising Uchiha youths had recently been promoted to jōnin and placed in key departments like Foreign Affairs and Finance, Fugaku had already made up his mind. Even if Takeshi ordered him to kill Hyūga Hiashi, he would do it.
"Because of the Caged Bird, the Main Family has grown far too arrogant. We must remind them—in Konoha, the high council is their true Main Family."
Takeshi tapped the table lightly, propping his head with one hand.
"Aside from their ties with the Daimyō, the Hyūga clan is just another ordinary ninja family in Konoha. But I also believe there may be more behind this. So, I plan to invite these Main Family members to the Internal Affairs Department for some tea, and have them explain everything.'
'To avoid unnecessary conflict, I hope the Police Force will cooperate. I'll personally attend, to dispel this misunderstanding with the Hyūga clan."
Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Fugaku felt this boy's manner of speech and tone were becoming more and more like Danzō's.
"Yes, the Police Force will cooperate."
Watching Fugaku leave, Takeshi rose from his chair and turned to the window.
"A dark night with high winds…"
The moon above was dimmed by thick clouds.
...
Hyūga residence.
Four Main Family elders, together with Clan Head Hiashi, sat solemnly in the council hall, discussing how to respond to the Daimyō's letter.
"The Daimyō wants us to investigate thoroughly who was behind the attacks on the three towns."
The Third Elder, Hyūga Isamu, the youngest of the elders, spoke with a powerful voice.
"Shouldn't matters like this be handled by the village's leadership?" The Fourth Elder, Hyūga Kenmei, though aware of the deeper meaning, feigned ignorance.
Among the four elders, only he was less rigid in thought and could grasp the general situation of Konoha.
Even with all the Fourth's efforts, he had failed to reverse Konoha's financial crisis. Yet this Acting Hokage, only in office for a few months, had somehow produced enough funds to improve Konoha.
Considering his identity as Danzō's son, the source of that money was already obvious.
"Of course it is. This must be the evil Shimura brat's conspiracy with the Internal Affairs Department."
The Second Elder, Hyūga Shōta, bluntly laid the blame on Takeshi.