The moment those words were spoken, Shisui couldn't hold back.
"Hokage-sama, absolutely impossible," Shisui said quickly. "Kai is a member of the Uchiha—how could he possibly kill his own clansmen? Yes, there was some conflict between them, but that's common within the Uchiha. It could never escalate to murder. Besides, Kai just graduated; he doesn't even have that kind of ability!"
But to this, Sarutobi Hiruzen only remained silent.
He neither nodded nor shook his head.
Time ticked by.
At last, Uchiha Fugaku spoke.
"Shisui is right. Uchiha Kai doesn't have that capability."
His words were resolute and absolute.
In Fugaku's eyes, Kai was just another ordinary clansman—
In fact, even a good-for-nothing.
How could someone like him possibly kill three elite Uchiha?
Yamanaka Haiichi hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke as well.
"I must remind everyone of the state of their corpses. The three Uchiha were killed in an instant, without the slightest resistance. The killer's Body Flicker Technique was exceptional—and with a single punch, he shattered all three of their hearts. The culprit is a taijutsu specialist, someone with terrifying speed."
Hiss!
Everyone present was stunned once again.
They all knew of the incident, but few knew the details. Hearing it laid out so plainly, their minds immediately began to churn.
Were there shinobi in the current world who specialized solely in taijutsu? Yes.
But true taijutsu masters? Almost none.
The only notable exceptions were in the Hidden Cloud.
After all, everyone knew—
The Third Raikage, A, had created a secret technique to temper the body with lightning itself. Because of this, Cloud shinobi were exceptionally strong in taijutsu.
And just like that—
The thread of suspicion wound its way back to the Cloud.
Koharu Utatane frowned. "But the Cloud and Konoha are already at war. Do they even need to resort to such methods?"
"That's the issue," Mitokado Homura followed up. "If it really was the Cloud, then what exactly would be their true objective? What would they gain from this?"
With the two elders speaking, the room grew heavy with tension again.
Yes.
Through the course of discussion, everyone had completely dismissed the possibility of Uchiha Kai's involvement.
A useless Uchiha wasn't worth considering. He simply lacked the ability.
The political struggles of the shinobi world were still in their earliest stages.
Even Hiruzen, with all his schemes, would only amount to an elementary student compared to the depth of Kai's mind in his past life.
No matter how hard they tried, they could never imagine Kai's thought process.
Shisui, meanwhile, felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Good.
No matter what conclusions they reached, at least Kai was safe.
Just then, Hiruzen spoke.
"Shikaku, let's hear it. I want to know your thoughts."
At once, every gaze turned to Nara Shikaku.
Yes.
When it came to strategy and intellect, no family's reputation stood higher in Konoha than the Nara.
Their wisdom could be trusted without question.
Shikaku, his left hand on his chin, had been pondering for some time. Now, seeing everyone's eyes on him, he let out a heavy sigh before speaking with measured doubt.
"Actually, I've been wondering… maybe we've been overcomplicating this. Perhaps the matter itself is very simple."
"Let me start from the beginning, and you can decide whether my reasoning holds."
"Two years ago, a Cloud squad infiltrated Konoha to steal a kekkei genkai. In the end, every one of them was either killed or captured—except for one shinobi who grew afraid and fled."
"Later, the Cloud recaptured that runaway."
"Now, with Cloud and Konoha at war, they conveniently decided to make use of him. A waste turned into a tool."
"As for their purpose? That's simple—"
"To throw Konoha into utter internal chaos."
"At this time, the Cloud has no need to attack directly. Instead, by planting suspicion, they distance themselves while setting us against each other. Using the Uchiha as the fulcrum is a brilliant move. Everyone knows the Uchiha temperament. Normally, this kind of incident would cause tremendous strife within their clan. The moderates might hold back, but the radicals would never let it slide."
"And remember, the Uchiha control the Police Force. If they start pressing the issue, Konoha itself will be thrown into turmoil. The village will descend into chaos. Even if not the whole of Konoha, the Uchiha themselves could implode from the inside."
"Think about it: Konoha is already fighting on all four fronts. If an internal conflict broke out now, what kind of disaster would that be?"
"The Cloud—has experts, after all!"
Hiss!
Shikaku's reasoning left everyone frozen in shock.
Yet the more they thought about it, the more sense it made.
At a time like this, the enemy would absolutely hope for internal strife within Konoha. That way, the other villages wouldn't even need to lift a finger—the strongest village in the shinobi world would collapse on its own.
The temptation was simply too great.
Almost unconsciously, everyone accepted this line of thought.
"Yes, that must be it."
"The Cloud is too devious—utterly shameless!"
"We must not fall into their trap."
"Especially now, we must remain united!"
One after another, voices rose in agreement.
Cold sweat poured down their temples—Shikaku's theory had frightened them all.
Especially the Uchiha.
Fugaku, hearing this, immediately stepped forward with a vow.
"Hokage-sama, elders—
I, Fugaku, give my word: the Uchiha clan will not cause trouble. In the name of our ancestors' honor, I swear—anyone who dares stir up trouble during this war, I, Uchiha Fugaku, will be the first to oppose them!"
His body was slick with sweat.
If the Uchiha became the cause of Konoha's loss in the Third War… that burden would crush him.
So he wasted no time—he swore his oath on the spot.
And truth be told, not only the others, but even Hiruzen himself now found his back damp with sweat.
Good heavens.
That was terrifying.
Even he had nearly fallen into the trap.
He could imagine it—if they had truly pursued this matter further, it would have become a catastrophe.
Right now, Konoha was already besieged on all sides.
The Cloud, Stone, Sand, and Mist—all had declared war. The village was desperately short on shinobi. Even academy fifth-years were being pushed onto the battlefield.
If an internal conflict erupted now… that would be the end.
No matter the truth, this investigation could not continue.
The priority was to stabilize the village.
With that decision made, Hiruzen rose to his feet.
"This matter ends here."
"This was nothing but the Cloud's scheme to sow chaos in Konoha."
"Fortunately, our Jounin Commander Nara Shikaku saw through it at once, exposing their plot before it could take root."
"Spread word of this to the entire shinobi world. Let everyone know the vile, insidious nature of the Cloud. And let this serve as a stern warning: any who would dare use such underhanded tricks against Konoha—will never succeed."
"Do not say we did not warn you!"
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