Whatever the Problem, Suspecting Danzo Was Always the Right Call

Night fell.

Uchiha Compound.

Inside Fugaku's home.

Itachi Uchiha had just finished his routine work in the Anbu.

His mother, Mikoto, set the carefully prepared dinner dishes on the table one by one.

"Fugaku, Itachi, Sasuke, dinner's ready."

This was usually Mikoto's happiest time of day.

However...

Just as the Fugaku family sat down together and Fugaku was about to ask about his son's work...

A tremendous crash suddenly came from above the ceiling!

Rumble!

The house began to shake violently, and the ceiling shattered amid the explosions.

Fragments, debris, and flakes of plaster fell through visible cracks.

They scattered sparsely across the entire dining table.

Faced with the sudden situation, Mikoto swiftly grabbed the metal chopsticks from the table and took a step back.

Itachi Uchiha shot up from his chair, seized Sasuke by the back of his collar, and pulled him behind himself protectively.

Black Tomoe appeared in his eyes, while his black pupils turned blood-red.

Shielding his younger brother, he looked up at the ceiling.

"Hurry to the open area in the yard."

After surveying the surroundings, Fugaku worried that the house might collapse and hurriedly told Mikoto and the others.

After saying that, Fugaku rushed out through the window at top speed.

He gathered Chakra beneath his feet and leaped upward, reaching the roof in just a few bounds.

One-third of the roof had been reduced directly to ash.

Several pale blue currents flickered amid the ruins.

A sense of foreboding rose in Fugaku's heart.

He looked up at the night sky.

There were no thunderclouds or storms. The sky was clear for miles, with a full moon hanging overhead.

There was no way lightning could have struck.

"Lightning Release..."

Based on the evidence at the scene, whoever had attacked them was clearly an expert in Lightning Release Ninjutsu.

"Could Kumogakure be behind this?"

Fugaku frowned.

He immediately thought of how Konoha and Kumogakure had reached a ceasefire agreement these past few days.

They were preparing to sign a peace treaty.

And Kumogakure had no shortage of Lightning Release experts.

Thud, thud, thud...

Footsteps suddenly sounded beside Fugaku's ears.

When he turned, he saw Itachi Uchiha and several young members of the clan.

That tremendous crash had just echoed throughout the entire compound.

Quite a few people had come to investigate.

"Lightning Release."

Itachi Uchiha crouched down and carefully inspected the destroyed ruins.

Both its power and range were astonishing.

At the very least, it was at the level of a Jonin.

But who had done it?

"Since Kumogakure wants to sit down and seek peace, they naturally wouldn't strike at the Uchiha Clan at a time like this."

"Could it be Lord Hokage..."

Itachi Uchiha thought to himself.

Although Konoha and Kumogakure had publicly reached a consensus to seek peace, undercurrents were surging within the village.

Especially after the Night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Uchiha Clan had been driven to the edge of the village.

This caused many clan members to grow dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's rule.

Based on various reasons, Itachi Uchiha could not help but wonder whether this was a warning from the Konoha leadership to the Uchiha Clan.

"No..."

Itachi shook his head slightly. He felt that the Third Hokage was kind-hearted and belonged to the Dove Faction among the leadership.

He should not have done something like this.

"It was Danzō."

After investigating, Itachi felt there was a strong possibility that it had been Danzō.

Not only did this man covet the position of Hokage, but he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Soon, Shisui, having heard the commotion, also appeared on the scene.

With just one glance, he froze on the spot.

Judging from the scene, the Lightning Release had deliberately avoided the crowd.

And the roof that had been struck belonged to the home of the clan head.

This was...

Intimidation!

Combined with the major events that had recently taken place in the village, Shisui could not help but conclude that this was a warning.

A warning that, during the signing of the peace agreement, the Uchiha Clan should not cause trouble.

"Could it have been Lord Hokage?"

The moment that thought surfaced, Shisui shook his head vigorously.

Lord Hokage had always been striving to find a way to eliminate the divide between the village and the Uchiha.

He was a good man.

"It was Danzō."

After some consideration, Shisui set his sights on Danzō.

But at that moment, Fugaku, as the clan head, immediately gave an order to the young people who had gathered.

"Seal off the compound. No matter who it is, do not let him escape."

As soon as he finished speaking, the skilled younger generation answered crisply, "Yes!"

The next second, these well-trained ninja vanished into the night like shadows.

Meanwhile, Fugaku's heart churned like stormy waves.

After all, the Uchiha Clan was not only the village's foremost noble clan.

It was also the village's Security Force.

The compound had always been heavily guarded, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate.

It was fortunate that this had only been a warning.

If the attack had been aimed directly at his son instead...

The consequences would have been...

Unthinkable!

"Could it be Danzō..."

Shimura Danzō's face surfaced in Fugaku's mind, and he clenched his teeth tightly.

It was one thing for that bastard to suppress the Uchiha Clan in ordinary times.

But he had actually dared to strike directly!

A light breeze brushed past, calming Fugaku somewhat.

"Wait..."

After carefully observing the scene, Itachi suddenly realized that the casting trajectory could be deduced from the explosion range of the Lightning Release.

Upon hearing this, Shisui and Fugaku immediately turned their gazes in that direction.

"Itachi, stay here and protect Mikoto and Sasuke."

After thinking it over, Fugaku worried that another accident might occur and ordered Itachi to remain behind to protect the family.

Then, after exchanging a glance with Shisui, he sprinted toward the direction from which the technique had been cast.

Before long...

With his Sharingan activated, Shisui noticed that a building had been blasted open with a hole four or five meters in diameter.

It matched that Lightning Release Ninjutsu rather closely.

"Shisui, be careful."

Fugaku warned the young junior as his right hand drew a kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch.

He prepared for battle.

"Mm."

Shisui answered first, then took the lead with the Body Flicker Technique.

If this really was an attack orchestrated by Root...

Then he had to silence everyone involved.

Otherwise, if Fugaku learned anything, it would only threaten the village's stability.

And so...

Shisui moved even faster and entered Kaze's home.

His two Sharingan swiftly swept over the surroundings.

Other than Kaze, his clansman who had just been promoted to Chunin, he found neither Root nor Anbu personnel.

"Uh, Shisui..."

Seeing the famed genius of the Naruto World suddenly appear before him, Kaze was startled as well.

"Are you the only one here?"

Shisui scrutinized Kaze as he spoke slowly.

He could not help finding it strange. If Root had launched a surprise attack here...

Then Kaze should not have been standing there completely unharmed.

But before Kaze could explain...

Another figure burst into Kaze's home.

It was none other than the Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha...

Fugaku!

He was currently watching the surroundings with a vigilant expression.

"Are you alright, Kaze?"

Fugaku lowered his voice as he asked whether Kaze had been attacked.

Kaze looked at Shisui, then at Fugaku, and decided to tell the truth.

"It's like this, Clan Head. I just developed a new Lightning Release Ninjutsu, and I lost control of the amount of Chakra for a moment. I blew up your roof."

In the most timid tone possible, Kaze delivered the boldest words imaginable.