In the conference room of the Hokage Tower.
The long conference table was filled with representatives from the great Ninja Clans, and the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. Everyone wore a grave expression.
At the head of the table sat Hiruzen, wearing the hat symbolizing the Hokage of Konoha. He lowered his head as if deep in thought. To his left and right were the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, both looking toward Hiruzen. They had always followed Hiruzen's lead, and the seat reserved for Danzo remained empty.
Further down the table were the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio: Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza. The three exchanged subtle glances, as their clans had always been closely allied, with Nara Shikaku typically taking the lead in external matters.
Next were the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans: Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi. Neither engaged with the others, each lost in their own thoughts.
Behind them sat representatives from smaller clans like the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Kurama, as well as some representatives from the civilian Ninja population.
In a way, the seating arrangement reflected the current distribution of interests among Konoha's Ninja Clans. Homura and Koharu were Hiruzen's longtime friends and advisors, so their positions were natural.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had aligned themselves with the Fourth Hokage and were staunch supporters of the Hokage's faction. The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans, on the other hand, prioritized their own clans. The Uchiha Clan was known for their arrogance and infamy within the village, while the Hyuga Clan remained firmly neutral, indifferent to who held the Hokage title, which made them unpopular with both sides.
As for the smaller clans, their influence was too limited to form a united front like the Ino-Shika-Cho, and they were more like individual clans.
Hiruzen hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He was well aware of Danzo's ambush on Shisui. In fact, he had personally created the opportunity for the attack. However, it was clear that a third party had intervened. The explosion had illuminated the entire village in an instant.
'Could it be the Uchiha Clan?'
Hiruzen removed his Hokage hat and placed it on the table in front of him. Though the motion was small, it made enough noise to draw everyone's attention.
He had a calm face and scanned the faces of everyone present, and finally stopped at Fugaku's face and said, "Clan head Fugaku, do you know where Shisui is right now?"
"Shisui?" Fugaku couldn't help but frowned, 'Why was he asking about Shisui at this time? Could it be that Sandaime wanted to suppress the Uchiha Clan at this time?'
Suppressing his anger, Fugaku replied, "I haven't seen Shisui in the clan today. If Sandaime wishes to summon him, I can have my clansmen search for him."
Hiruzen also frowned, then nodded and said, "Please do. The timing of the explosion coincides with Shisui's departure from the Hokage Tower, and it occurred along the path he would have taken to return..."
At these words, the room erupted in murmurs of surprise, while Fugaku's expression darkened immediately. The implication was clear: the explosion was linked to Shisui.
"Yashiro!" Fugaku called out to a white-haired Uchiha sitting further back. "Send some men to search for Shisui and see if you can locate him."
"Yes!"
Yashiro quickly left the conference room.
In addition to the clan heads, the great clans had brought several elite members to the meeting, primarily to handle urgent matters efficiently.
"As for the rest, we'll discuss it once Elder Danzo arrives."
After Hiruzen finished speaking, the room fell silent again. Most of those present were unclear about the situation, including the two advisors. It seemed Hiruzen and Danzo had been up to something significant behind the scenes, and they had little information to go on.
Shikaku, however, had an inkling of what might have happened. As a former confidant of the Fourth Hokage, Minato, he was aware of some of the darker dealings among the village's higher-ups.
'Danzo's target was likely Uchiha Shisui's eyes. But before he could act, an unknown party had intervened.'
Though Shikaku had pieced together some of the puzzle, he remained silent. He was a smart man. Having accepted the benefits offered by the village's leadership, he had also learned when to keep his mouth shut.
---
Meanwhile, Danzo, who had been receiving treatment, finally regained consciousness and was on his way to the Hokage Tower.
While losing an arm was a serious injury, it wasn't life-threatening for a Ninja. What had truly caused him to faint was the sight of his chance to become Hokage slipping away before his eyes. The sheer frustration had overwhelmed him.
Now that he was awake, he needed to inform Hiruzen about the masked man with the cat-like mask. After all, such a dangerous individual hiding within the village required immediate investigation.
Especially the Uchiha Clan. He had just taken Uchiha Shisui's eye when that man appeared. There had to be a connection.
More importantly, he had received intelligence that Shisui and Nono had disappeared, and a Root member had lost their eyes. The implications were obvious: only someone who had lost their eyes would need a new one.
In Danzo's mind, he was convinced that Shisui was connected to the masked man. But at the same time, that man was also after Shisui's eyes.
Bang!
When he arrived at the door of the conference room, Danzo didn't bother knocking. Instead, he kicked the door open with his foot… after all, both of his hands were currently unusable, so using his foot was the logical choice.
Under Hiruzen's extremely displeased gaze, Danzo quickly walked to his seat in the conference room.
"Huruzen, the situation is very urgent now!"
"What?"
Hiruzen's initial anger was cut short by Danzo's words, replaced instead by a look of confusion as he let out a questioning sound.
The others in the room also turned their curious gazes toward Danzo.
"The one who ambushed me was the same cat-masked man that Uchiha Shisui encountered."
Danzo's expression was deadly serious, and he added: "That guy not only knows Wood Release but also possesses a large-scale destructive Ninjutsu."
"We cannot allow such a dangerous individual to remain hidden in Konoha any longer!"
Danzo said with saliva flying, and his expression was very serious.
The higher-ups of Konoha who were present also wore grave expressions upon hearing this. They hadn't expected that the massive crater spanning hundreds of meters had indeed been caused by a single Ninjutsu. In terms of destructive power, this far exceeded that of an ordinary Kage-level Ninja.
"So, you're saying the intruder has been hiding in Konoha all along?"
"And he struck immediately after we let our guard down."
Homura and Koharu chimed in with their usual unhelpful remarks, already preparing to slack off.
"Advisor Danzo, do you know why that individual targeted you?"
Shikaku spoke up, 'If the intruder's goal was Kekkei Genkai, then why would he attack Danzo? Unless Danzo had already obtained Uchiha Shisui's eye at the time?'
'That was a possibility. The last time the intruder appeared, it was for Uchiha Shisui's eye.'
Before Danzo could even respond, Shikaku's mind was already filled with countless possibilities.
Shikaku's question caused Danzo's expression to stiffen for a moment. In that instant, the eyes of all the Konoha's higher-ups in the room turned toward him, filled with scrutiny. Even Hiruzen's gaze bore into him with a deep, unreadable intensity.
Danzo immediately understood the warning in his old friend's eyes and quickly came up with an excuse.
"I suspect that Uchiha Shisui is colluding with the intruder, which is why I've been secretly monitoring him. I didn't expect the intruder to strike as soon as the village's defenses were lowered. Now, it seems clear that this matter is indeed connected to Uchiha Shisui."
"I suggest we do a thorough investigation of the Uchiha Clan!"