Let me know if you find any mistakes in character names, btw if you like the story, you can rate it so more people can read it.
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Hokage's Office.
"Lord Third, the Uchiha have returned the four ANBU they detained."
"They weren't punished, just locked up for a night."
"Is that so?" The Third Hokage took a drag from his pipe.
"Sarutobi, what do you plan to do?" Mitokado Homura asked from the side.
The Third Hokage sighed. "Withdraw all ANBU monitoring the Uchiha clan. From now on, they won't be needed there."
"Are you sure about this, Sarutobi?"
Homura still felt uneasy. Monitoring the Uchiha clan had always been an order left behind by Tobirama. They had never dared to relax, though they had never found any evidence either.
But the Nine-Tails' attack… it was clearly caused by the Uchiha's Sharingan.
"If we don't pull them back, are you planning to let ANBU keep dying there?"
The Third snorted heavily.
"Right now, the Uchiha have two Kage-level powerhouses—Fugaku and Natsuki, both masters of the Mangekyō Sharingan. And let's not forget, Killer Bee is still lying in our village hospital!"
Homura fell silent, sinking into his chair.
Koharu Utatane spoke up. "Then how about summoning Jiraiya and Tsunade back?"
Sarutobi inhaled deeply on his pipe. "Tsunade's whereabouts are uncertain. Have Jiraiya return."
Homura and Koharu exchanged glances. As if Tsunade's whereabouts could ever be "uncertain." Wherever she went, her "Legendary Sucker" reputation followed.
The real reason she didn't return was because she had long held doubts about Konoha's leadership. The deaths of Nawaki and Dan—too many traces pointed to foul play. But with no concrete evidence, Tsunade left the village.
Bringing her back now wouldn't be easy. Jiraiya, however, was easier to handle.
Koharu nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."
After she left, the Third asked, "What about Kumogakure?"
Homura picked up a dispatch. "After receiving emergency treatment, Killer Bee is no longer in critical condition. With his jinchūriki constitution, he'll be discharged soon."
"Yugito sent a letter back to Kumo. But for now, they're staying obediently in the embassy, not going anywhere else."
The Third nodded. This time, Kumo was truly shaken. Likely, they hadn't expected the Uchiha to openly support Konoha.
Though Konoha had managed to secure some benefits from this peace talk, the Hyūga clan…
The Third Hokage felt a splitting headache. Why did the Uchiha clan have to produce a monster like Natsuki?
All these drastic changes in the Uchiha started after he became deputy clan head.
Now, the Hokage's faction had lost the Hyūga as allies. Summoning Jiraiya was out of necessity.
If only Orochimaru were here…
The Third knew full well what kind of person Orochimaru was, but in terms of intellect and research, Orochimaru was unmatched. If he could've been made Hokage…
Sarutobi drifted into thought.
"Sarutobi? Sarutobi?"
Homura's voice pulled him back.
Shaking his head, he thought bitterly—too old. Orochimaru would never return.
The Third composed himself. "Hmm. What has Danzō been up to lately?"
Homura hesitated. "Since Root entered the police force, Hiashi only allows them to do security patrols. Too many complaints have forced Danzō to personally intervene. His other activities aren't clear, but he frequently sends Root operatives to prowl around Uchiha territories."
"Hmph. The Uchiha are no longer so easy to push around."
The Third Hokage both admired and resented Danzō. Once comrades, they had cooperated well—he as Hokage, Danzō in the shadows. But Danzō's ambitions had grown unchecked. Root had expanded far beyond its intended scale.
Even the Hokage himself no longer knew how many Root operatives were hidden underground.
Not long ago, Danzō had coveted Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan—only to be crushed by Natsuki, a blow from which he hadn't recovered. Yet he still hadn't given up.
The Third pondered a moment.
"Pass this information to Natsuki. Let them handle it themselves."
Homura nodded in agreement. He too had seen Danzō's growing ambitions. Once teammates, now Danzō carried himself as though superior. With the Uchiha this powerful, Danzō was bound to suffer.
After days of long travel, Itachi and Shisui's group finally arrived in the Land of Rice Fields.
The Land of Rice Fields was tiny, not even one-tenth the size of the Land of Fire. Its resources were meager, its national strength weak.
But after so long wandering through the wilderness, all they wanted was a place to rest—and maybe gather some information.
In a small city, the Uchiha booked an entire inn.
The innkeeper, who had been on the brink of bankruptcy, was overjoyed at such a windfall and treated them with utmost hospitality.
After a full day's rest, everyone was re-energized.
The next morning, Takuya began inquiring about the Land of Rice Fields.
"Hasn't your country recently established a new ninja village?"
"Eh? Guest, you know about that?" the innkeeper said in surprise.
"A few years ago, we established Otogakure. It's a small village, but quite capable. Many foreign shinobi have joined, and the mission success rate is very high. Our daimyo strongly supports them, even providing significant funding."
Before leaving, Elder Takuya had already gathered intel on Otogakure's location and details.
Once rested, the Uchiha moved swiftly toward the Sound Village.
Given the country's small size, in just two days the village was already in sight.
To avoid unnecessary casualties, Itachi left the rest of the Uchiha in a nearby town. He and Shisui would go alone.
The Sound Village was pitifully small, its area not even as large as the Uchiha compound, with only a few hundred residents.
But as Itachi and Shisui entered, they immediately sensed numerous strong chakra signatures hidden within—many at jōnin level.
Both grew cautious and headed for the mission center, like any other clients.
The reception counter had only one clerk—a plump middle-aged woman, an ordinary civilian.
Shisui approached politely. "We're looking for someone. He should be here in your village."
"Oh? And who might that be?" she asked curiously.
"They're here to see me."
A bespectacled man walked in, smiling warmly—it was Kabuto Yakushi.
"Please, follow me." Kabuto greeted the woman, then led the two toward the back of the village.
Behind the village lay a mountain range. As they walked deeper, people thinned out until only their footsteps echoed.
Finally, Kabuto stopped at a mountain hollow.
"I wonder, what business do the famed Body Flicker Shisui and the Uchiha clan's young heir have in Otogakure?"
As he spoke, several figures leapt down around them. Their headbands varied, shinobi from different villages—Orochimaru's recruited followers, each of jōnin caliber.
They all glared at Itachi and Shisui with hostility.
Itachi ignored them, stepping forward. "You're Kabuto Yakushi, correct? Where is Orochimaru?"
His voice was flat, without a ripple of emotion. But that single sentence seemed to ignite the others.
"How dare you address Lord Orochimaru so casually!"
They lunged viciously at Itachi and Shisui.
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