Patreon.com/Plotkiss
"Bastard! Shisui, are you telling the truth?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's furious roar echoed throughout the Hokage Building. His old face was filled with rage. An ANBU Ninja being killed inside Konoha Village, and even attempting to ambush another Konoha Ninja, was undoubtedly a slap to Konoha's face.
"Absolutely, Third Hokage-sama, that person was wearing a 'Cat' mask at the time, and I can confirm that person was definitely not 'Cat'."
Shisui quickly assured him. He had never seen the Third Hokage so angry.
"What did he want with you?"
Danzo Shimura, standing to the side, spoke. Although he was speaking to Uchiha Shisui, his eyes were fixed on the window.
Uchiha Shisui had already prepared his explanation. Although he trusted the Third Hokage's character, the fact that the opponent was from the Uchiha Clan could not be known by a third person.
"The person came for my Sharingan. That person seems to have the ability to directly seize another person's Bloodline Limit."
Uchiha Shisui's expression was solemn, and he added, "That person not only used Stealth Release but also Wood Release at the time."
Uchiha Shisui suddenly remembered the trees that moved Naruto under his feet, and the shock in his heart had not yet dissipated. That was Wood Release, the very power that Hashirama-sama used to dominate the Ninja World.
"What did you say?"
This time, not only was Hiruzen Sarutobi surprised, but even Danzo Shimura, who had remained calm until now, had a drastic change in expression.
This ability to seize another person's Bloodline Limit reminded them of a past rogue Ninja from Konoha.
But then they thought it was impossible. They knew clearly that that person could not have mastered Wood Release. Wood Release was too dangerous, and that person had no chance to fuse with Wood Release.
"What mission was 'Cat' on before?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked. Although he was the Hokage, for Anbu missions, other than those who usually guarded him, he would directly give orders to the captain, and then the captain would arrange for the subordinate teams. So he was not clear about 'Cat's' specific mission.
At this moment, an Anbu figure suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office. After respectfully bowing, he said, "'Cat' was previously on a mission to monitor the Jinchuriki."
"Not good!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura both stood up simultaneously, their expressions drastically changing.
"Let's go check on Naruto first."
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, his movements were not slow at all. He immediately used the Body Flicker Jutsu and disappeared from his spot.
Danzo Shimura also quickly exited, following him. He dared not stay alone with Uchiha Shisui now.
Among the three, the weakest, Danzo Shimura, was now at the peak of Elite Jonin, a half-step Kage-level expert. Their travel speed was naturally quite fast.
In just a moment, they had already arrived at the building where Naruto lived.
'So this is where the Jinchuriki lives?'
The residential building stood isolated at the street corner. Other than that, there were no other buildings in this area. Even the entire building was inhabited only by Naruto. The surrounding silence was gently broken by the occasional sound of wind and rustling leaves. These natural whispers echoed through the empty streets, appearing exceptionally clear in the cold, quiet night.
It really was desolate.
Uchiha Shisui couldn't help but sigh. This was his first time coming to this place. Because of the Sharingan that appeared in the Nine-Tailed's eyes during the Nine-Tailed's attack, the Uchiha Clan had always been forbidden from contacting the Jinchuriki. This entire area was almost forbidden territory for the Uchiha Clan, managed directly by the Anbu.
Normally, whenever the Jinchuriki appeared in the Village, any Uchiha who had awakened their Sharingan would be directly ordered to stay away from the Jinchuriki. Although these demands were very unreasonable, Clan Head Fugaku had clarified with Hokage-sama many times, but they were always sternly rejected by Advisor Danzo.
The Uchiha also didn't want to appear too rigid in this regard. After all, it involved the Village's nuclear weapon, and the Uchiha themselves hadn't completely cleared their name, so it was eventually dropped.
The Nine-Tailed's attack…
Uchiha Shisui felt a bitter taste in his mouth. After a moment of contemplation, his eyes suddenly widened.
The person who controlled the Nine-Tailed could not be an Uchiha. He knew very well that Clan Head Fugaku had checked all Uchiha Clan members who had awakened their Sharingan, and even Kakashi Hatake's eyes had been checked. At that time, no eyes had the ability to control the Nine-Tailed.
But in Konoha, there was one person who possessed the Sharingan but had never been discovered.
Danzo Shimura!
Uchiha Shisui's gaze deepened. He couldn't confront a Village Advisor just because of a mysterious Uchiha's words, but he could use his own abilities to investigate the truth.
Uchiha Shisui suddenly felt a headache, even without thinking. First, the conflict between the Village and the Uchiha was already at a critical point. Now, a mysterious Uchiha had appeared, and Advisor Danzo might be the culprit behind the Nine-Tailed's attack.
One after another, issues were chasing him. He had never felt such a sense of urgency regarding time and place, which made him feel a strong sense of guilt even when trying to clear his mind.
"Hokage-sama!"
None of the three had hidden their presence. The Anbu secretly monitoring naturally immediately noticed the Hokage's arrival and instantly appeared to bow.
Hiruzen Sarutobi only nodded to them and immediately used a sensory Ninjutsu to investigate the situation in Naruto's home.
When he found Naruto sound asleep in his bed, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where was 'Cat' performing his mission?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked. The mission to protect the Jinchuriki was handled by two Anbu teams together. Logically, if one person had a problem, the members performing the mission simultaneously should have been the first to discover the problem. It seemed he was dealt with without the other Anbu noticing.
It seems very troublesome.
"Cat?" The ANBU Ninjas all felt a bit surprised. They exchanged glances, and the leader spoke, "'Cat' was directly monitoring the Jinchuriki in his room today because he has Stealth Release…"
The person's voice was a bit shaky, clearly lacking confidence. Uchiha Shisui didn't hear any problem, but Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura saw it immediately.
"Didn't I say to maintain a good distance when protecting the Jinchuriki?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes immediately turned cold. Coupled with his lingering anger, the aura emanating from him instantly made the ANBU Ninjas break out in cold sweat.
"Gulp—"
The leading Anbu swallowed, enduring the pressure, and said, "'Cat's' entire family died in the Nine-Tailed's attack. Only one younger brother is still alive, so he wanted to take this opportunity…"
"Bastard!" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately cursed, "Those villagers don't know, but don't you, as Anbu, know? Naruto is the Jinchuriki, an important part of the Village. How dare you do such a thing!"
The ANBU Ninjas immediately knelt on one knee, hastily saying, "Please forgive us, Hokage-sama. Although 'Cat' may resent the Jinchuriki for losing his family, I can guarantee he would never do anything to harm the Jinchuriki. Please give 'Cat' another chance, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression remained cold. He inadvertently glanced at the composed Danzo Shimura beside him. He was sure that Danzo had secretly incited 'Cat'; otherwise, as an Anbu, he wouldn't have disregarded his orders.
This was also a common tactic Danzo used to recruit people for his Root.
"He no longer has a chance." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a grim expression, already thinking about how to rectify the Root.
"Hokage-sama, 'Cat' he…"
The ANBU Ninjas all hesitated to speak.
"'Cat' is dead, and there's only his Chakra in Naruto's room." Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored the shocked ANBU Ninjas and continued to give orders.
"Notify all ANBU Ninjas to strengthen the Village's security and Naruto's protection. Then, notify all Ninja Clan Heads and all Jonin in the Village to come to the Hokage Building for a meeting."
Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the Hokage Building with a gloomy face. A single order could make all of Konoha's high-ranking officials stay up all night with him.