On the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage,
A powerful, unknown member of the Uchiha Clan manipulated the Nine-Tails, causing chaos. As a result of several factors, the young Fourth Hokage was sacrificed, and the Uchiha Clan faced a long, five-year winter. It wasn't until recently, with Sōgen's rise to power and his defeat of Danzō, that the clan saw the dawn of spring approaching.
The Uchiha Clan had been searching for clues about this mysterious Uchiha ever since that night five years ago. However, to this day, they had found nothing and couldn't even confirm whether such a mysterious Uchiha really existed out there!
"Sōgen, have you discovered something?"
Sōgen nodded, "Although we haven't fully identified that guy's true identity yet, we can confirm that he, like us, has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Moreover, his ocular technique is an unusual space-time type. If you encounter him in the future, be very careful. If there's a chance, use Kotoamatsukami. I don't want to hear about your death one day."
"Space? A space-time jutsu?"
"I can't believe... such a thing really exists!"
A murderous intent flickered in Shisui's eyes. It was because of that sneaky guy that the Fourth Hokage was killed, which led to a rift between the Uchiha Clan and the village that is hard to bridge... Though Shisui was usually mild-tempered, when someone like him got angry, it was terrifying!
Shisui felt a boiling rage inside him.
If that sneaky bastard dared to show up in front of him, Shisui would definitely give his all to kill him!
Noticing the change in Shisui's expression, Sōgen nodded with satisfaction. The reason for revealing this information to Shisui, and helping restore his ocular power using Samehada, was to prepare against Uchiha Obito. The recent actions of Kirigakure indicated that Obito's attention had returned to Konoha, and the Uchiha Clan was likely one of his targets.
It was only sensible to be prepared ahead of time.
Although Obito's "Kamui" was formidable,
It was by no means invincible.
With Shisui's abilities, as long as he understood some details about Kamui beforehand, even if he couldn't kill Uchiha Obito, he would probably be able to protect himself. Given time, Shisui's speed with his Body Flicker Technique might even rival that of the Yellow Flash!
"Just keep this information to yourself. Don't go around telling others. Enemies who use space-time techniques can't be dealt with by sheer numbers. Rather than involving others, it's better if we handle this ourselves."
"Shouldn't we inform the village?"
"I have no evidence, and I can't prove that this unknown Uchiha isn't connected to our clan. If we rashly report this, it'll only give the Third Hokage another excuse to come down hard on us. Also, this is an order from the clan leader, so keep your mouth shut."
Shisui closed his mouth.
He hoisted the limp Kirigakure shinobi and followed Sōgen out of the Police Force headquarters, heading toward the Hokage's office. To be honest, as the head of the Legal Division, he felt more like Sōgen's personal assistant at this point. Oh, and just before they left, Sōgen casually kicked the Kirigakure shinobi's limbs, breaking them, justifying it as revenge for scaring Fujika.
At the Hokage's Office,
In the same meeting room as before,
More than half a month had passed since the last meeting, and Konoha's construction crew had already repaired the Hokage's office. Walking through the circular hallway, there were no signs of the previous damage. Guided by staff who had been waiting for them, they arrived at the meeting room door without any issues.
Shisui wasn't asked to wait in a small side room.
He entered the large meeting room with Sōgen, carrying the Kirigakure emissary.
Unlike the last time, where he didn't even have a chance to sit down and speak, this time a seat had been properly reserved for the Uchiha Clan Leader and the Police Force Patriarch. The seat was quite close to the front, directly across from Hyūga Hiashi's, second only to the Hokage and the two elders.
As for Shimura Danzō, the Hokage's advisor, he was still in the hospital!
And it was rumored that his condition was deteriorating. The medical experts at Konoha Hospital had been working on him for over half a month, but they still had no idea how to treat him. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before he passed away.
This made many people look at Sōgen with strange expressions—some with respect, others with disgust, gratitude, or fear…
The Third Hokage greeted.
"Hokage-sama, my apologies for being late,"
Sōgen said as he sat down, offering a half-hearted apology.
The Third Hokage replied just as indifferently.
Once Sōgen was seated, the Hokage spoke again: "Now that everyone is here, let's get straight to the point! Today's meeting is to discuss how we should respond to Kirigakure's provocation. For the details... Homura, please explain."
All eyes turned to Mitokado Homura.
"About half an hour ago, Kirigakure's deputy envoy arrived at the Hokage's office and delivered a declaration of war. They claimed that because the Police Force had captured their envoy, it was a humiliation to their village. They declared that if we don't provide a satisfactory explanation, Kirigakure's army would once again march upon the eastern shores of the Land of Fire."
Homura pushed a scroll forward.
Clearly, that was the declaration of war left by the deputy envoy.
"Rabid dogs barking at Konoha? Hokage-sama, you should've broken their legs the moment they uttered those words and thrown them out of the village. Let them know that Konoha isn't some backwater island village they can challenge."
While the other department heads and clan leaders remained silent, Sōgen was the first to respond.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Wow! This guy really has no sense of caution.
Wasn't the Kirigakure envoy captured by the Police Force? And now here he was, hanging limply in Shisui's hand, his twisted limbs making it clear what had happened. Nothing in Konoha stays hidden for long, and those in the know had already gathered all the facts before attending the meeting. Latest content published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net
"Uchiha Patriarch, don't treat war as a game. Do you know how many lives would be lost if we go to war with Kirigakure?"
Koharu Utatane looked at him with displeasure.
"If you're scared, then just hide and be a turtle." Sōgen sneered, not giving the now-fuming Koharu a chance to retort. He continued loudly, "During the Third Great War, we kicked Kirigakure back to the sea where they belonged. Why not do it again now? It's just Kirigakure. Since when did they deserve such respect from Konoha?"
"And besides, everyone, before we rush to discuss who's to blame for this potential war, I found something interesting during my interrogation of that Kirigakure shinobi. Yamanaka Clan Leader, could you do me a favor and read this guy's memory?"
Sōgen looked toward Yamanaka Inoichi, who was sitting diagonally across from him.
Inoichi, who had been quietly observing the drama unfold, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Did he encounter something bad on his way here? Out of everyone present, why did trouble have to come his way? Noticing Sōgen's gaze, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, quickly lowering his head to avoid eye contact.
After all, Danzō's fate was a warning not to be ignored!
Though the Yamanaka Clan had no feud with the Uchiha Clan, Inoichi instinctively avoided Sōgen's gaze.