Early the next morning, after a proper rest.
At the Elder's residence.
Uchiha Yato had already arrived at the Elder's home.
He stated directly, "I've investigated the cause of Aunt Michiko's death."The elder had initially thought Uchiha Yato came to see Shisui.
Yesterday, before leaving, Uchiha Yato had approached the elder and requested that he look after Shisui for a while, as he needed to investigate the cause and circumstances of Aunt Michiko's death.
Unexpectedly, it had taken only a single night to uncover the truth.
At this moment, the elder asked agitatedly, "Who was it?!"
"Who did it? Someone from our village or a spy from another country?"
Uchiha Yato didn't beat around the bush and answered directly, "The Hokage's advisor—Shimura Danzo."
Learning that this matter involved the higher-ups of the Hokage left the peace-loving elder somewhat disheartened.
But Uchiha Yato didn't give the elder time to wallow in despair.
He laid out his plan.
"First, I need to arrange Aunt Michiko's burial. The reason I asked for her body earlier was purely to gather evidence and confirm the culprit."
The elder had never doubted Uchiha Yato's intentions, which was why he had agreed when Yato took Michiko's body away.
The elder said, "No problem. From now on, you don't need to involve yourself in Michiko's affairs."
"Surely your plan isn't just this much, given your troublemaking nature."
Uchiha Yato chuckled and replied, "Of course not. But first, I must apologize to you."
With that, he knelt down and bowed his head. "I cannot immediately take revenge on Shimura Danzo—after all, we have the entire clan to consider."
Hearing this, the elder realized the foolish boy before him had grown up.
From a personal standpoint, Uchiha Yato's strength was already sufficient to kill Shimura Danzo. The Mangekyo Sharingan was no mere decoration.
But from the clan's perspective, things were far more complicated. This wasn't just a clan matter—it was a test between the Hokage and the clan.
The elder joked, "This old man still has at least a decade or two left to live. If it comes to it, I'll just have Shimura Danzo accompany me to the grave."
He glanced at Uchiha Yato and added, "As for you, you troublemaker, spare this old man's bones from your antics."
If Uchiha Yato was alone in the world, so was the elder.
Without Yato and Shisui, the elder might have gone straight to Shimura Danzo for a fight.
At this point, Uchiha Yato continued, "I need the clan's cooperation."
Hearing this, the elder grew intrigued.
"How do you want us to cooperate?"
"Shimura Danzo's greatest desire is to become Hokage. I will turn that into an eternal dream for him."
Understanding Yato's intent, the elder didn't press further and simply nodded in agreement.
Then he said, "Go ahead and act. I'll handle the clan head."
After exchanging a few more words with the elder, Uchiha Yato glanced at the infant Shisui in his swaddling clothes before leaving the elder's residence.
...
Within the Senju Clan Grounds.
Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Yato sat facing each other in conversation.
After leaving the elder's home, Uchiha Yato had gone straight to Uzumaki Mito's residence to visit.
Uzumaki Mito said, "Boy, who are you here to propose to this time?"
Having interacted with Uchiha Yato before, she had come to understand his character—someone who could take a joke and endure teasing.
Uchiha Yato replied, "Lady Mito, please don't tease me. I came to confirm some matters with you."Uzumaki Mito was quite surprised. If Uchiha Yato had come to seek her out, it definitely wasn't for some trivial matter.
"Oh?"
"Go ahead and say it. I'm listening."
Uchiha Yato spoke directly, "Uchiha Michiko is dead."
"Her Sharingan was taken."
"The murderer is Shimura Danzo. I have evidence against him."
"I want to know your stance on this matter."
Upon hearing Uchiha Yato's words, the previously composed Uzumaki Mito instantly turned serious.
Yato's father was considered a direct descendant of the Senju Clan.
Had it not been for his father insisting on marrying Yato's mother and joining the Uchiha Clan, Yato would now be called Senju Yato.
This was also one of the reasons why the hot-tempered Tsunade had ultimately let the matter drop without much fuss.
Back when Yato's parents died in battle, Uzumaki Mito, as the wife of the Senju Clan leader, had personally intervened to inquire about Yato's custody.
At the time, it was Uchiha Michiko who had confronted her, assuring that she and her husband would take good care of Yato.
After a brief moment of reminiscence, Uzumaki Mito returned to the present topic with a sigh.
"To think that the next time I hear of her, it would be you bringing news of her death."
"Back then, Michiko argued fiercely with me. Otherwise, you would have been raised by this old woman."
Hearing this, Uchiha Yato replied, "Then I've been quite lucky. Otherwise, I might have worried about driving you to an early grave."
"And if Lady Tsunade came after me for it, no one would be left to plead my case."
What should have been a somber moment was completely derailed by Yato's words, leaving no trace of sorrow in the air.
Uzumaki Mito's eye twitched slightly.
"This brat… So his idea of 'good luck' is that I'm lucky to still be alive?"
After composing herself, Uzumaki Mito spoke again, "So, you want me to step in and ensure Shimura Danzo is punished, is that it?"
Uchiha Yato shook his head. "No. I want you to stay out of this entirely. Whatever the outcome, it should have nothing to do with you. Can you promise me that?"
After exchanging a few more words on unrelated matters, Uzumaki Mito finally asked, "Then what's in it for me?"
"Surely you don't expect this old woman to entertain you without any compensation?"
Uchiha Yato took a sip of tea before replying, "I'll investigate the truth behind Nawaki's death."
Uzumaki Mito said nothing more. The two finished their tea in silence, and Yato left without delay.
As Uchiha Yato departed, another figure soon left the Senju Clan Grounds, heading toward the forests of the Hidden Leaf.
Overall, the conversation had gone as well as he'd hoped. His only concern was that Uzumaki Mito might blindly try to protect the village's higher-ups.
Her tacit approval also meant that she still cared deeply about the death of her grandson.
It was almost laughable—Nawaki, the so-called "crown prince" of the Senju Clan, had died from a mere Exploding Tag, leading Tsunade to eventually leave the village.
The thought still weighed on Uzumaki Mito's heart. Since Uchiha Yato was offering her this chance, she might as well go along with it.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yato, now outside, was already deep in thought.
"How can I squeeze even more out of this 'Lord Danzo'?"Uchiha Yato's system required emotional energy best obtained from characters with significant roles in the story.
Ordinary civilians or background characters with no presence in the plot wouldn't provide emotional energy, no matter how intense their emotions were.
Previously, Uchiha Yato had conducted experiments—minor characters who hadn't appeared or ninjas with little screentime provided minimal or even no emotional energy.
But when Tsunade had beaten him up before, that single incident alone had given him a full 2,000 points of emotional energy.
"So, I still need to find a way to milk these original characters for all they're worth."
...
Inside the Root base.
At this moment, Danzo sat in his position as the Anbu Black Ops Leader, listening to his subordinates report on the movements of various nations.
Suddenly, a figure rushed in from outside and said, "Today, Uchiha Yato visited Lady Uzumaki Mito's residence."
Hearing this report, Shimura Danzo grew somewhat intrigued.
"How long did he stay?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"Do we know what they discussed?"
"Unclear. Lady Uzumaki Mito is the village's finest sensory-type ninja. I didn't dare get close—I only saw Uchiha Yato leaving from outside the Senju Clan Grounds."
Danzo was fairly satisfied with his subordinate's answer.
Uzumaki Mito was from the Uzumaki Clan, and her sensory abilities were extraordinary. Staying at a distance had been the right call.
After brief consideration, Danzo concluded there were only two possibilities.
First, Uchiha Yato was scheming about Tsunade again, hoping she would agree to a marriage alliance with the Uchiha Clan.
Second, Uchiha Yato had discovered the truth behind Uchiha Michiko's death and sought Uzumaki Mito's help.
Danzo dismissed the Root ninja who had just reported, as well as the previous one.
Then, he suddenly spoke. "Which possibility do you think is more likely?"
"Ryoma."